Mykonos is a beautiful place to visit, but don’t count on a lot of sleep. It is indeed the party island. But there are still vestiges of Orthodoxy here, for instance in this little chapel at the harbor where people come and thank God for safe travel over the Aegean. The island is full of scenic streets and beautiful bougainvillea. The sailing and fishing boats are everywhere. Mostly the island has little coves with beaches and hotels, but here’s the... Read more

All along the roads there are lion figures… And behind them were the temples to Apollo, for example the one built by the people of Poros looked like this…. Alas, there is little left today…. The frescoes from some of the villas were remarkable…. But the mosaic floors reach to the level of high art—- Here’s a shot into one of the villas with the mosaic floor still in situ…. Here’s what the house looks like now, and what it... Read more

When one thinks of the Greek islands, often the inner Cyclades or outer Cyclades come to mind, and rightly so. Most everyone has heard of Santorini…. , or the party island Mykonos , but frankly neither of those islands are anywhere near as important for classicists as the island of Delos, which is a 20 minute or so ferry ride from Mykonos. Why is it so important? Because according to Greek myth, this is where Apollo and Artemis were both... Read more

A good meal from a rooftop restaurant is hard to beat, especially a good meal of Greek seafood. The above shot is of Ann and Yuliya, two members of my family, and our tour company owner— Levent Oral across the table. If one is not transfixed by the view, the food is worth contemplating. What you see below is from the sea below, including seasoned sardines, squid, and much more. As the running joke goes, in Greece when you sea... Read more

There is a nice small museum in the recreated Stoa in Athens. It includes items found in Athens, but also from elsewhere. Here for example are some beautiful alibaster bowls from before NT times. There is of course a lot of decorative vases and curios of various sorts, for example, look at this There are as well some nice statues and steles outside the museum in the corridor under the Stoa—- This is apparently Herodotus, but the statue was made... Read more

Here is the famous lighthouse on Cape Lookout. The diamond pattern is meant to be more visible from afar, for it is here that the cross currents and sandbars become so dangerous to ships. The little island where the lighthouse is is well maintained, indeed there is still a caretaker of the island and a caretaker’s cottage—- Yes that’s my 91 year old Mom, Joyce, walking up to the house. There have been horses on this island as well…. No... Read more

Just returned from visiting my Mom and Sis in Wilmington N.C., and as per usual we took a little road trip, this time up to Morehead City (stopped and ate at the Sanitary Seafood Market, not as good as in the old days) and then went on to two new locations— Harker’s Island and Cape Lookout. Cape Lookout is at the very bottom of the barrier islands called the Outer Banks, and it is the famous location of the graveyard... Read more

1966 was a long time ago, but it was when the era of great rock double albums began with Bob Dylan’s classic Blonde on Blonde. The Beatles followed with their own, more uneven double album, the so-called White Album, and we were off and running. I am offering here a list of the 20 best double lps, with a few caveats. Firstly, only on a few of these lps are there no mundane tracks, no unmemorable ones. The criteria for... Read more

Human sexuality and marriage issues as well as ordination issues have deeply divided our United Methodist Church, and instead of the divisions being healed, they have simply gotten worse over the last 20 plus year. What I’d like to do in the rest of this post is lay out the arguments I have heard to support a changing of the UM Discipline on these related matters, and explain why these arguments do not seem to be sound, and why most... Read more

We must start with saying this is one of the oddest, and most creative books I’ve read in a long time. Kudos to my son for finding it and sending it to me for Father’s Day. It is one part historical reflection on Mr. Lincoln and his grieving over the loss of his son, the day Willie died, and the next day. On the other hand, it is rather like walking into a seance when apparently the spirits of many... Read more