Friday, August 24, 2012

Is it his Wealth, his Religion, or Both?


The Mormon church in Wolfeboro, NH,
 which Mitt Romney attended on Sunday,
August 19, 2012.
CENTER HARBOR, NH – Try as I might, I’ve simply not been able to understand the latent but palpable dislike of Mitt Romney for who he is and for what he stands for.
 
First: His Wealth.  The man is rich.  By now, that has been well established:  Romney is worth upwards of $250 million.  He owns a townhouse in prestigious Belmont, Massachusetts, in a state where he was once its governor.  He also enjoys a waterfront home on Lake Winnipesaukee in the resort town of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, on 12 acres of secluded land worth $10 million.  No small change.
 
Therefore, if anyone is inclined to strongly dislike another person for his wealth, there is plenty of material to work on here.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

The Waning Days of Summer, 2012


On a casual walk this week, I spied a sailboat
 approaching this trellis, and snapped
 a lucky shot with my Sony pocket camera,
just as the sail filled the center of the frame.
BLACK CAT ISLAND, NH – August has always been my favorite month of the year.  Perhaps the reason I like it so much is that it seems to be the most mature – not too young, not too old – a time which, if I could, I would freeze for eternity, ever to enjoy just as it is.

It is a month of balance, heralding the imminent conclusion of summer, but not its end, not yet – that transition is reserved for September.  August holds the fullness of the warm season, presenting the last opportunity to be grateful for this gentle season of Creation.

Up in the North Country of New Hampshire, in the Lakes Region – an area left behind by retreating glaciers which carved out deep bodies of fresh water, there are forested havens eagerly awaiting any weary tourist looking for a peaceful retreat from the sometimes mind-numbing grind of quotidian chores and responsibilities.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Garden State Sikh Association Appeals to Bridgewater Community


Note:  This is one of my longer posts, but one with which I hope you will resonate.

A view of the interior of the Sikh Temple in Bridgewater
 at the candlelight vigil Tuesday evening, August 7, 2012
. (Bergeron Image)
Early on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 – a day that will forever live in infamy just as much as that of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor – I had just completed floor exercises, when I turned to the TV and began to view incredible scenes that would forever be seared into memory.  They depicted the unfolding of the evil-minded suicide attacks ordered by Osama bin Laden against civilians of the United States.

Days later, when Priscille and I entered the narthex of our church for Sunday morning Mass, there, posted on the walls, were eight-and-a-half by eleven-inch posters from the Garden State Sikh Association of Bridgewater, NJ, sharing its concerns about the aftermath of 9/11.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

We Support . . . .



The Harmon V. Wade Administration Building, Martinsville, NJ
. . . . our teachers and staff:  That’s what the lawn signs bearing words in white letters against a blue background, sprinkled here and there in Bridgewater proclaim. 

Proportionately, there doesn’t seem to be nearly as many in Raritan, and the number of posters along Bridgewater’s roadways has diminished significantly from the time when they first appeared many months ago.

But the remaining ones still capture my attention.  Over time, they seem to have morphed into an annoying message, but not for the reasons you may be thinking.