by admin | Sep 8, 2011 | News
You could say that Hurricane Katrina, which roared up from the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 like an apocalyptic whirlwind, laying waste to city and country alike, was the Vietnam of American storms. There had been deadly and destructive storms before in this country, but...
by admin | Sep 1, 2011 | News
What went running through your mind when the earth shook last week? I’ll tell you what went though mine, as our old house in Baltimore leaped up and down, pictures came down off the walls, and the floors groaned: Why is the dog still sleeping? There she was,...
by admin | Aug 25, 2011 | News
During our recent sojourn by the Salish Sea, the Olshans crossed the Canadian border at Blaine, Washington, on our way to Vancouver, British Columbia. For a border crossing, it’s a pretty tame affair, more like a glorified toll plaza than a military checkpoint....
by admin | Aug 18, 2011 | News
Last week, the Olshans stepped off a plane in Seattle with a sense of great relief. We stretched our cramped legs and took a moment to appreciate the ambient temperature — cool and dry, no air conditioning required, unlike the solar furnace we’d left...
by admin | Aug 11, 2011 | News
We’re cruising at thirty-five thousand feet on a cross-country flight, a few hours out of BWI. The Great Lakes are already behind us. At the moment, we’re high over the plains of Iowa. Visibility is unlimited. It’s all checkerboard farms to the...
by admin | Aug 4, 2011 | News
As I write these words, not fifteen feet away, a Sawzall is chewing through a gnarly cast iron pipe. The house is literally shaking. The cacophony covers the spectrum from stadium-leveling heavy metal bass notes, through the ear-numbing mid-range familiar to...
