Swords, Specters, & Stuff
Welcome to My World
I started this blog in January 2012 for one simple reason: I love to write. I named it “Swords, Specters, & Stuff” because I especially love to write about writing, about books and movies in my favorite genres, about authors that mean a great deal to me. But there’s more to it than that, which is why I included “Stuff” in the title. It is “Stuff” that gives me carte blanche to write about anything, which is why you’ll see stories about special trips to Cooperstown, Sedona, and other places; about getting older; about baseball; about the otherworldly way in which I met my soul mate; about the loss of good friends, and so much more. Enjoy! And feel free to leave a comment.
“Roll In Ze Hay”—RIP Teri Garr
We lost another gem last week. Comedic actress Teri Garr, 79, passed away from complications of multiple sclerosis, a disease she was first diagnosed with over two decades ago.
Throwback Thursday: The Last Voyage Of The SS SULTANA
The Civil War didn’t kill these soldiers, but what came afterward did. I first presented this post in 2021.
My 2024 Halloween Playlist
These days I spend Halloween enjoying a horror movie marathon…three or four shockers, at least. I may scare the crap out of myself well into the night, assuming I can stay awake. Here is the likely playlist.
Throwback Thursday: A Galactic Rest Stop…In Wyoming?
Visiting the Devils Tower with my bride was one of the highlights of my life. This post first ran in 2021.
Myths And Legends: The Emily Morgan Hotel
“Across the alley from the Alamo.” That’s the first line of an old Mills Brothers song. Actually, across the STREET from the Alamo in downtown San Antonio stands the Emily Morgan Hotel, renowned in paranormal circles as one of the most haunted places in America.
Throwback Thursday: Disasters—Great For Bringing Estranged Couples Together
Recently, while watching the Gerard Butler-fueled disaster film, GREENLAND, it occurred to me that a lot of couples with troubled marriages/relationships have been brought together by their harrowing experiences in movies of this genre. Weird. Here are just a few examples.
Thank You, Padres
To be clear, 2024 has been the worst year of my (long) life. It had to be after losing Jacqueline, my wonderful bride, life partner, and passionate San Diego Padres fan, to insidious cancer in April.
Throwback Thursday: Can You Take A Bath In Bath?
McDONALD AND DODDS, a BritBox original series, is a crime drama set in the city of Bath, about ninety-odd miles from London. The quirky show highlights the trials and tribulations of women—specifically Black women—and seniors in the good-ol’-boy world of law enforcement.
RIP Pete Rose
An exercise in hypocrisy. Last week, baseball legend Pete Rose passed away at the age of 83. The all-time MLB hits leader (4,256), Rose—a polarizing figure throughout his career—was given a lifetime ban in 1989 for betting on baseball, apparently wagering on his own team.
Throwback Thursday: They Built It…We Came
A real baseball game on the Field of Dreams? Yes, it really happened, back in 2021. “Three years ago at dusk on a spring evening, when the sky was a robin’s-egg blue and the wind as soft as a day-old chick, I was sitting on the veranda of my farm home in eastern Iowa...
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