Throughout the first half of the 19th century, pundits advised American men (and their women when applicable) to go west, where the land and its resources presented endless possibilities. It was the place where one could start anew. It is a foundational myth of American history. Deadwood Dick, one of the most iconic dime novels,…

I am fortunate to be living my dream. My colleague, Stephanie Boeninger, and I have been selected as the inaugural team to teach a colloquium in Providence College’s CIV-in-London program. It’s been delayed and complicated by the global pandemic, but my husband Bernard and I arrived safely yesterday. Stephanie and her family arrived two days…

The jet lag is history; the suitcases are unpacked and put away.  We flew down to North Carolina and spent the weekend at my sister-in-law’s house.  Briggs and Henry were overjoyed to see us, although we weren’t quite sure what kind of reception we would receive.  We sat out on her deck the first evening…

I wanted to do a slide show of some of the other photos that you haven’t seen, but this blog doesn’t have that capability yet.  So, I thought I would share some pictures with you that reflect what I consider to be some of the highlights of our stay in Hungary.  They are not listed…

We flew down to North Carolina last weekend to attend our nephew’s high school graduation and to pick up the dogs.   It was a very nice weekend, but I couldn’t help but notice the large numbers of morbidly obese people… We drove everywhere…the distances are just too great for walking. Thanks for tuning in and…

In some ways, it’s been a bit of culture shock being back in the US.  Part of it is because we lived a really pared down existence in Hungary…we had a three-room apartment and we traveled so extensively that we were literally living out of a suitcase (one for the two of us) most of…

I think I am getting old.  Although we have been traveling extensively the last few months, the trip home from Ireland nearly did me in. Yesterday was our first day back home.  After traveling nearly 18 hours the day before (plus the 5 hour time difference), I really thought I would be able to sleep. …

Last year we traveled to London.  I had a grant and was doing research at the National Archives in London as well as a variety of other repositories in Salisbury and Wiltshire.  Between the work and then a little sightseeing on the weekend, it was a pretty jam-packed week.  I didn’t really have the time…

Hungary and Ireland have a lot in common.  They are both countries that have been beat up by history, a long (and often sad) search for freedom and independence.  Both are countries where history is immanent–maybe that’s why I felt so comfortable there.  In the midst of everyday life in Ireland, you find the ruins…