Culture

Once upon a time, there was a country called, “Independence.” The citizens of Independence prided themselves on their patriotism, having an appreciation for the long-ago revolution that had liberated them from oppression. The citizens of Independence enjoyed many freedoms, including where to work, where to live, whom to marry, what to say, etc. Various sporting events often brought the…

When I tell people I belong to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), sometimes they ask what the DAR is or what it does. Generally, I tell them that DAR members can trace their lineage back to a Revolutionary War patriot and that its members honor American history. But, there’s much more to the…

You might be an activist who has been speaking up about issues you feel strongly about. You want to be heard. Or, you might not think of yourself as an activist, and you might be only posting on Facebook, but you want to persuade others to think as you do, or at least, to understand your position.…

One of the books found in William E. Dimorier’s personal library was The Meaning of Service, by Harry Emerson Fosdick, published in 1921. It, perhaps, more than any other of William’s books, illustrates his life of service. Fosdick graduated from Colgate University in 1900, three years before William, so they had probably met one another there. After…

Our third Erie Ambassador Program session took us to the Erie Playhouse where we learned about several arts organizations in the area. They were the Erie Playhouse, the Erie Art Museum, the Erie Philharmonic, and Erie Arts & Culture. Of course, we were already aware of these organizations, but it was good to hear about…

For the last two days of our vacation, we stayed in Gaeta, a seaside town south of Rome, for its proximity to Itri, which is where Jim’s maternal grandparents were born. Itri is much larger than Troia, where his paternal grandparents came from. When we were in Itri, we enjoyed the pool at our hotel,…

Yesterday, we drove 40 minutes from our hotel in Lucera (Grand Hotel Vigna Nocelli) to the hometown of Jim’s grandparents, Troia, in Puglia, which is located on the eastern side of the mountains, and Naples is on the west coast of Italy. Jim had done quite a bit of research over the past few years,…

So, everything was going so smoothly yesterday as we left Capri. Breakfast at 8:30, shuttle at 8:55, bought tickets for the SuperJet and left the Island at 9:35, and on the road out of Naples by 10:30. I hadn’t even gotten sick on the trip back across the Gulf of Naples. Thank you, original-formula Dramamine.…

After a week of whirlwind sightseeing, we’ve entered the quiet phase of our trip. Yesterday, settled in our hotel in Anacapri, Hotel Il Girasole, we had breakfast in the dining room and then sat outside in the shade while I updated my blog posts and Jim wrote out postcards. Later, we ordered lunch and had…

Yes, I am Ann Silverthorn, and I am afraid of heights. I don’t need any desensitizing therapy for this. I just avoid situations that challenge this fear. But they can’t all be avoided, can they? More about that in a moment. Getting out of Radda in Chianti was nothing compared to trying to get out…