Interests
Adrienne G. Cannon Writes: Those Lonely Days
Adrienne Cannon writes: I am thinking of the various trips I have taken as a solo traveler when I awaken in a strange location with no companion to talk to. Then I learned to quietly observe life around me (often quite different to my “American” background) even though I wasn’t part of it. Instead of feeling sad about my solitary state I began to treasure those calming moments of contemplation and observation. When I had to schedule appointments during pandemic lockdown and I was one of the few people in a pool, in a class, in the locker room or other places where few people were admitted at the same time, I began to understand that being solitary is not the same as being sad or lonely. In the past, I have made friends on those solo trips by reaching out after too much solitude. And so it seems during those lonely days I have made new acquaintances. They are often a little younger than I am and I happily call on them to join me in my active hours that sometimes outstrip the energies of many of my contemporaries. more »
Tam Martindes Gray, The Giants and Dodgers Rivalry: The Bridegrooms and Fighting Surrogates Inflamed Local Fans' Passions Sometimes to Deadly Levels
Editor's Note: I've written about my love of baseball before in recent years, but last night's game between the two former New York City teams, now both located in the state of California, so acutely characterized the intensity of the rivalry.
Origins… more »
The Conservancy and the Gardens: Facilitating the Restoration of Samuel Untermyer's Gardens in Yonkers, New York
In 1899 Samuel Untermyer purchased Greystone, the former estate of Samuel Tilden. In the forty one years Untermyer owned Greystone, he transformed the gardens and greenhouses into some of the most celebrated gardens in America. After expanding the estate through property purchases to the north and east of the original estate, he hired Beaux Arts architect Welles Bosworth to design the gardens in 1916. These gardens sprawled over 150 acres overlooking the Hudson River and were maintained by 60 gardeners and supplied by 60 greenhouses. more »
Did Teenage 'Tyrants' Outcompete Other Dinosaurs? "Dinosaur communities were like shopping malls on a Saturday afternoon jam-packed with teenagers"
Paleo-ecologist Pat Schroeder: "Dinosaurs have been a life-long passion. I was, and still very much am a 'dinosaur kid.' My interest in dinosaur diversity came about when I realized that no one was really looking at dinosaurs the way we look at modern mammals and birds," Schroeder said. "There's a ton to be gained from applying the methods of modern and paleo-ecology to dinosaurs. Fortunately, we're now in an age of dinosaur research where a lot of information is available digitally, so the big data-intensive questions of ecology are now becoming more plausible for dinosaur paleontology." more »