Again, the Capital District has gone into a tizzy and a topspin. And it all has to do with grocery stores. “Oh my God, we’re getting a second Shop Rite! Praise the Lord, we gotta get there on Opening Day, because if we don’t, the food won’t taste as good!” “Oh my God, Price Chopper…
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Can the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove be saved?
Two years ago, I photographed this iconic lighthouse in Nova Scotia. I had to get up at the crack of morn, drive an hour south of Halifax to get this shot, and even in doing so, I almost fell into the Atlantic Ocean trying to photograph the lighthouse from this very spot (damn slippery rocks).…
Read MoreThe Day
Saturday morning, 9:00 a.m. I got a late start, had some morning errands to run. But those are done. And now I’m on my way. Let’s Go, Cardachrome – next stop, Saugus, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Turnpike is quiet. Only a few cars on the highway, mostly drivers who probably, like me, got a late start…
Read MoreFive reasons why you should vote for Akum Norder’s “A History of Here” blog in the Times Union Best of 2012 “Best Blogger” category
Continuing on with my blog posts for the day, here’s five excellent blog posts by historian Akum Norder and her “A History of Here” blog: Happy 100th birthday, house. The history of the Pine Hills Mural The Girl in the Vestibule A mobile home, eight stories high A Whiskey-Sauce-Tinged Salute to the Miss Albany Diner…
Read MoreJ.J. Armes: Turning a disability into true ability
NOTE: This article, written by me, originally appeared in the May 2007 edition of the Journal of Antiques and Collectibles. Some of the most popular boys’ action figures of the 1970s and 1980s were based on characters who developed superhuman powers as a result of bio-mechanical integrations. The futuristic crime in a cyberpunk Detroit faced…
Read MoreThe Martian Meteorite
A million years ago, one of two things happened on the planet Mars. It was possibly a volcanic eruption, one that sent tons of rocks and dust and debris into the Martian skies. Or it could have been an impact from a celestial body; possibly an errant asteroid or comet, that caused chunks of Martian…
Read MoreThe art of carving spinach jade
The skill and dexterity of carving jade is something that completely amazes and astounds me. The thinner jade is cut, the more translucent it becomes. But one small errant nick, one tiny misplaced cut, can turn your jade artwork into a mess. Artisans today use diamond-tipped bits and burrs to carve jade animals and jade…
Read MorePaying the NiMo Bill
I’m still not used to it, and although it’s not a big deal to a lot of people, it’s still kind of a big deal to me. I live in the blessed Town and Village of Green Island. I say “blessed” because the electricity is provided by the Green Island Power Authority, an autonomous power…
Read MoreMay 5th. Blotto. Fear of Strangers. The Penny Knight Band. Ernie Williams and the Wildcats. I am SO there!!
If you wanted to see top entertainment at a local, intimate performance venue in the late 1970’s – early 1980’s, you could go to the Ritz or the Chateau or the Falcon’s Nest… but really, you wanted to go to JB Scott’s. The Central Avenue locale was the place where everybody performed. U2 played three…
Read MoreThe ten (or more) that belong in the WWE Hall of Fame… but will sadly never get in.
As we approach professional wrestling’s biggest night of the year – Wrestlemania – the WWE takes a moment to honor the legacy of professional wrestling by inducting several wrestlers and tag teams into its Hall of Fame. Of course, there’s no true “brick and mortar” hall of fame for the WWE, and the Professional Wrestling…
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