By Bill Diem We were in Colorado a month ago, for the wedding of my son Ben to Tara. They took their vows high on a Rocky Mountain, and behind them in the distance the poplars were all yellow-gold or yellow orange, which is the peak of their fall color season. I...
By Caitlynn Canfield There is no doubt that our school needs some things replaced and fixed, but how bad has the building quality actually gotten? Our High school was built in 1926 and that makes it roughly 95 years old. We’ve had a few renovations and major repairs...
By Carol Stiffler Tom Hoogterp was a gift. He showed me that simple words can be profound, that looks are certainly deceiving, and that a caring community can exist despite differences of opinion. He was an unassuming man in bib overalls with the mind and voice of a...
By Bill Diem Libraries are the original think tanks, said Forrest Alogna, the chairman of the board for the American Library in Paris at its annual gala last week. In antiquity, collections of books attracted scholars who studied them and came up with new thoughts....
By Bill Diem Last weekend we were invited to see our friends’ new house in a country village, about an hour’s drive from Paris. Philippe barbecued chicken, lamb chops, and sausage to go with the roast potatoes and vegetables he had prepared, and nine of us sat around...
By Bill Diem In France, towns often have a day when everyone is invited to empty their attic and sell the stuff. It’s like a multi-multi family garage sale, but junk dealers and antique dealers are invited to set up too, as well as the odd food stand. If you go to...
