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Father’s Day Over the Years
There’s a simple tradition I’ve trotted out in recent Father’s Days: I badger my kids (a.k.a. The Sub-Marriners) into posing for a photo with me. Here are snapshots of a few Father’s Days, past and present: Continue reading
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Lake Ontario Lighthouses Project: Sodus Point Light
During a recent vacation on the Maine coast, my bride and I visited a couple of very impressive lighthouses that captured our imaginations. This inspired us, after we got home, to take a series of daytrips to the various lighthouses in our own back yard on the U.S. side of Lake Ontario. Our first trip Continue reading
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A Man of Many Hats
It was always in the cards for me to be a hat guy, even if it took me a half-century to fully embrace my destiny. My father never left the house without a hat. Part of that was because he was bald, but it was also largely generational. Being born in 1922, he came of Continue reading
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Goethe & Schiller in the Salt City
During a 2016 trip to Germany, my son Grant and I were walking through Frankfurt am Main. We happened across a statue of the great 18th-century polymath Friedrich Schiller. I took a picture and remarked to Grant that one really doesn’t see statues of poets or philosophers in the U.S. It turns out I was Continue reading
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Oswego’s Other Forts
Anyone who has spent time in Oswego, New York is very familiar with Fort Ontario. It is a centerpiece of the area’s history, having played a role in the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and even World War II. What is less known, even among many long-time locals, is Continue reading
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Fading Away
There is a ubiquitous meme floating around social media that makes fun of the ridiculous extent to which characters getting stuck quicksand was used as plot device in old movies and TV shows. Here is one of the many variations: On a similar note, anybody who grew up listening to rock ‘n roll could say Continue reading
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You Either Die a Hero or You Live Long Enough to See an Indiana Jones Movie Set During Your Lifetime
Indiana Jones’ 1969 Setting Reveals Major Plot Clues (screenrant.com) 1969? Woof. I wonder if Bryan Adams will have a cameo. Continue reading
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Fort Stanwix
After visiting Oriskany, I decided to take a short side trip to Fort Stanwix. It’s a little ironic that I would regard Stanwix as the side trip since there’s a lot more there, and historically speaking, the battle at Oriskany was an outgrowth of the siege at Fort Stanwix. The fort is in the middle Continue reading
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Oriskany
The Oriskany Battlefield State Historical Site is about 50 miles from my house. Despite living so close to it all these years, and despite having read a fair amount about the battle and the larger British Campaign of 1777, I had never visited the site until today. From the National Park Service: Considered to be Continue reading
About Me
Researcher. Marketer. Teacher. Father of adult children and dogs. 20th Century holdover. Central New York native. Long-suffering Buffalo Bills fan. History nerd. Traveler. Vintage advertising enthusiast. Hat wearer.
a.k.a. V.J. 