Admittedly, sometimes a photo strikes one’s eyes before you even come up with a story. These are two of that kind, and I found them on the sites of two of my German Facebook friends, who are friends of each other, as well, and like to take photos of the same motives from different angles. […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: The Cost of Reading
The other day, I reposted a meme on Facebook, reading somewhat like this: “Why are people ready to pay $ 4.99 for a cup of coffee, but hesitate to buy a book of that price?” A moment later, one of my author page’s friends answered somewhat like, “I don’t understand this either. But why does […]
Across the Fence: Fish that Rocks the Future
One of my latest outings took me to the Washington Sportsman Show in Puyallup, and as a foodie I ended up at a table with some seductive tasting offers. The food was rockfish jerky. The man who handed it to me was not just holding down any show table, but was the Puyallup-based company’s CEO. […]
Across the Fence: To Gift or Not to Gift
Today is Valentine’s Day – for those of you who don’t receive my columns as a subscription, it will have been that yesterday. Anyhow. What does Valentine’s Day mean to us? As givers and as receivers? As experiencers or as bystanders? First of all, Valentine’s Day is a gift for any business that can make […]
Across the Fence: The Highest Turns Relative
Does it happen to you that you return to a childhood place, and everything that once seemed so huge, and high, and wide, and mighty seems all of a sudden so much smaller, lower, narrower, and less imposing? Because you have grown up and have experienced more. And you are, literally, standing taller than back […]
Bacon’s Double Take – Fire Hydrant
It’s weird how a human brain works. When my partner in crime, or rather the other half of publisher Ben Sclair’s Double Trouble, Suburban Times columnist Joe Boyle sent me the pictures below, my imagination went haywire immediately. Interestingly enough not with what would be the most natural explanation for an object that was covered […]
Across the Fence: Groundhog Day
It’s that time of year again – everybody (really everybody?!) will be waiting for the verdict of a tiny animal that lives in the Pennsylvanian town of the name Punxsutawney (‘punk-suh-‘taw-nee). February 2 is traditionally Groundhog Day, and the little critter allegedly predicts whether winter will last. This is how it works: If it sees […]
Across the Fence: A Mile of Vistas
Have you ever been up to “The Mountain”, as South Puget Sounders call Mt. Rainier? Well, if you are living in the vicinity and up to taking the drive and the fee at the park entrance, you shouldn’t miss out on this. And if you are compelled to stay home, let me at least virtually […]
Across the Fence: Ground and Shapely
Have you ever been to Hamburg, Germany? It’s a lovely city! Why, though, is it the namesake of a meat patty between two halves of a bun, accompanied by all kinds of other toppings? And what makes it so different from a meatloaf/mock hare, meatballs/Klops, and Bouletten/Frikadellen when they are all made from ground meat? […]