Musical Wanderer

I, as well as many other folk, have watched Ken Burns' latest work, The American Revolution .  As is frequently the case with his documentaries, the new series did not disappoint.  Between stirring stories, moving readings by A-list and B-list actors, and striking imagery, both contemporary cinematography and "Ken Burns' Effect" images, the history of our nation's war of independence from the British was well told.  The balloons of some myths were burst, while others were further burnished in gold, with moving rhetoric and music. The education of many of us about the war did not emphasize the bloodthirsty aspect of civil war in the struggle, where sometimes no quarter was given on either side, particularly between the revolutionary forces and the loyalist and native American forces.* How the interests of wealthy Americans (like George Washington) in the lands beyond the Appalachians as a significant cause was likewise understated in our education.  Most of the ico...

Joe, We talked, in no particular order, -on a crumbling sandbox a previous dorm-master built outside of my dorm apartment -in a tow truck -under a tarp in the rain by the Rez the night before earth day -walking along train tracks in the middle of the night -in dorm apartments in three states -in your car picking up McDonalds lunch for your kids -in my apartment -at Shenanigans -in bars in Baltimore and Ohio, Illinois and DC -on our way to raid the chapel -on the Agee room floor -on my patio after dinner and drinks -in your apartment staring at the view from the space station -on your fabled Marina Towers balcony -at the truck stop about, in no particular order, -the south -beer for boys, whiskey for men, brandy for heroes -Jay McInerey’s greatest lines -your kids -Klingenstein and New York -ice on trees -a poem by Larkin -smart people -Luna and Mahler -hearing a wolf howl at night -a surprising evening in Guerry Garth -favorite jazz -the best final sentences of stories and novels -sex,...