It is highly likely that lately you have been rather distracted. As a way to get back to work, I will make a short public service announcement about two issues to which we should be paying more attention.
Friday, 2 May 2025
Saturday, 26 April 2025
Back When Books Mattered
Premium subscribers to MM who expect at least one hundred posts per month are highly disappointed given that there have been only two for April. They reveal that the author has been on the road and in places that are warmer. It is hard to blog while driving and it is difficult to type while holding a Margarita in the glaring sunshine.
Now back in the north on cold day I will offer a post, but do not promise to provide ninety-seven more before Thursday. Those who want a refund can contact me through Rogers Communications where you may have to wait a while before getting through to an operator.
The subject is books. Admittedly, interest in them has declined and that decline has been documented in MM which, you may have forgotten, trends toward the contrarian. Evidence that people once thought highly of books and even read them is proven below. The example also indicates that those who read were often clever writers. The person who placed this advertisement in The Times is clearly more upset about the loss of a book than the theft of his sports car.
"Will the kind friend who removed a yellow Perry Coupé from the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth on Wednesday evening last, kindly return the copy of The Rough Road, found in the pocket, to the address on the flyleaf, Chelmsford, as it was borrowed?"
The Times, 18, September 1919
A Perry Coupé is pictured above. The Rough Road is likely the one written in 1918 by Willam J. Locke.
Post Script:
While I attempt to produce more posts, those who are disgruntled and in immediate need of something to read will find a free copy of the book on Project Gutenberg. And if you want more to read right now, here is a summary:
"The Rough Road" by William John Locke is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around the life of James Marmaduke Trevor, affectionately known as "Doggie," who is depicted as a rather sheltered and effeminate young man shaped by the overprotective upbringing of his mother. As world events unfold, including the backdrop of World War I, the narrative explores Doggie's transition from a life of delicate comforts to ...."
You are more likely to be interested in the Coupé than the book and if that is the case see these two old posts on MM, while I attempt to manufacture more - if the weather remains cloudy and cool.
Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance
Cobble Beach and Elegance
Monday, 7 April 2025
Passing Through Florence
Travels With Jerry (to borrow from Steinbeck)
Another post for loyal readers and for the other few who wonder where I am (and more importantly, where my wife is.) I just mentioned (bragged) that we were recently in Paris and Rome and, given that we were in those two well-known places, decided to bypass Florence. The Florence passed, I will add, is the one in South Carolina, not the other one in Mississippi. That one was named after some guy's wife, the one skipped was named after General Harlle's daughter. That we skipped Florence was not because of General Harlee's southern past, but because my companion didn't like the name of the river passing through it - the Pee Dee.
Having attracted you with the names with which you are familiar I will now say that we are in Lumberton, which you may not have heard of, but which once was on the 'Grand Tour' for those returning from the 'Low Country.' From here, I will say only that we are descending to Duck, which will actually be the high point of the trip except, of course, for those encounters with family members.
The Bonus:
Not much substance again, so here is something else to read. It is actually brought to you courtesy of a very large billboard, which displayed in very large letters, these words: VEGETARIAN RECOVERY CENTER. It was for Smokin' D's BBQ. (As an aside (and actually another bonus), I will say that the billboards advertising "adult-type" places seemed to have toned down a bit, perhaps because of the purifying effects of the current President. The one noticed mentioned in it the word "mindful", which may sound a bit 'woke', but not at all prurient. But, back under Biden we passed one that said - "Every Day Is Hump Day."
Post Script: The Duck destination exists. It is at the higher end of the Outer Banks and should still be there this year.
Thursday, 3 April 2025
Travelling From PARIS to ROME
To Pompano Beach
This post is provided for my neglected readers. Although the subject heading is not incorrect, it is rather misleading. We were recently in Paris, the smaller one located in Ontario. More recently we were also in Rome, the smaller one in the state of Georgia. While the former doesn't have the Seine, it does have the Grand and the Nith. The latter is not quite the Rome you assumed we were in, but it is not lacking in attractions. It is the home, for example, of the largest college campus in the world and one also finds there enough tennis courts at the hotel we stayed in to support the largest of professional or collegiate tournaments. I provided a post a while back about Berry College and I am glad we detoured off Interstate 75 to see it --- which also allowed us to avoid Atlanta.
That we are travelling during such a perilous period can be explained by the fact that I needed to do so for family reasons. Although you are now probably not thinking about heading for the U.S., I will report that the journey, so far, has been uneventful, politically speaking, and the political headlines are more concerning than the heavy traffic.
There was little traffic at the border and the guard was even polite. There have been no single fingers raised or horns honked when the "Ontario" plate was spotted. When citizenship was mentioned the reaction was one of curiosity rather than condemnation and the young ladies at the pool said they had experienced no problems. They are from Steinbach, Manitoba.
Although we Canadians are currently very agitated and concerned about such things as "tariffs", for many Americans, Canada is likely as remote as Steinbach, Manitoba and we are far more worried than they are about the relations between the countries.
The Bonus:
We have two TVs in our room now, but have not turned any on since we left Canada a week ago. Headlines have been noticed, however, and here is one from The Washington Post, which indicates that many Canadians are cancelling trips across the border:
"Canadian Travel to U.S. is Plummeting: ‘There’s a lot of anger’, By Ben Brasch and Hannah Sampson, April 3, 2025:
“For the nicest people on the planet, who are Canadians, the language is strong,” said Stacy Ritter, head of Visit Lauderdale in South Florida. “There’s a lot of anger out there.”...
"But the love fest may be on thin ice: Industry experts are reporting a steep decrease in Canadian visitors so far in 2025, pointing to a drop in airline and hotel bookings and scaled-back schedules by Canadian airlines for flights into the United States."....
‘Complete collapse’
McKenzie McMillan, a Vancouver-based adviser with the Travel Group, said his company would typically be busy this time of year arranging last-minute spring break and summer trips for Canadians to such favorite spots as San Diego; Palm Springs, California; Phoenix; and Las Vegas. Instead, he said, “it’s zero.” The steep drop-off started gradually, with some clients in January saying they were thinking they might avoid the U.S. this year. “Since February, it’s been a complete collapse,” he said.McMillan said about 20 percent to 30 percent of trips that were already booked got canceled. Since then, he said, the company has seen about a 90 percent drop in new bookings for U.S. vacations compared with the previous year, as clients opt for other destinations.
That is in line with what Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, has been expecting. His travel analytics firm predicted that 4 million fewer Canadians will visit the United States this year, a 20 percent decrease that could cost the U.S. $4.3 billion in lost revenue, he said. PT Tours, a bus tour company based in New Brunswick, called off the eight trips on the books for the United States, including visits to Boston and Washington, along with an October shopping trip to New Hampshire that has been offered for more than 10 years."
Post Script:
This is likely our last trip.
Thursday, 20 March 2025
American Mountain Series
For readers interested in mountains, this series will be attractive. It was identified in the very useful bibliography produced by Carol Fitzgerald and published by Oak Knoll: Series Americana: Post Depression-era Regional Literature, 1938-1980: a Descriptive Bibliography Including Biographies of the Authors, Illustrators, and Editors, ed. by Jean Fitzgerald. 2v. Oak Knoll/Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, 2009.
None of the books listed are in the public domain, but they can all be found on AbeBooks and elsewhere. The Western University catalogue was searched and five of the books found - the two bolded titles are in the Western Libraries (a search of the Western catalogue now includes the holding of some other Ontario university libraries and they are provided below.)The search was done in early 2025.
In some cases, the contents are listed and a few reviews and other sources are noted.
"American Mountain Series" (Vanguard Publishing) ‒ Roderick Peattie,
Editor,1942-1952.
"The Mountain series, edited by geologist Roderick Peattie and written by scientists and local experts of the day, includes nine volumes published between 1942 and 1952 . The books provide detailed, scholarly portraits of the major mountain ranges in the United States."
For more information about the editor, Roderick Peattie, see: “Roderick Peattie, Geographer and Romanticist, 1891-1955,’ by Guy-Harold Smith, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 1957-03, Vol.47, (1), pg.97.
Roderick Peattie's brother has already been profiled in Mulcahy's Miscellany: See:
Donald Culross Peattie (1898 -1964). Some samples of his writing are found in No.7, The Pacific Coast Ranges.
1.The Berkshires: The Purple Hills, W.P. Eaton, et al, - Guelph, Ottawa.
Contents, [iii-v]; CONTENTS: What are the Berkshire hills? By W.P. Eaton.-With what the hills are clothed, by A.K. Simpson.-Four seasons of Berkshire bird lore, by G.J. Wallace.-Byways to pleasure, by Bartlett Hendricks.-Streams and casting, by Theodore Giddings.-Man changes the landscape through gardening, by A.K. Simpson.-Winter sports among the hills, by Bartlett Hendricks.-Indian legends, by Haydn Mason.-Two hundred and fifty years of history, by W.P. Eaton.-Berkshire folks and folkways, by W.S. Annin.-The invaders and what they have meant, by Margaret Cresson.-The Berkshire Festival, by Margaret Cresson.- Illustrations, p. [vii-ix]; Index, p. 401-414. - [Map] "Berkshire County", on front and back lining papers."
2. The Black Hills, Roderick Peattie, - Western - storage - F657.B6P4.
Contents, [iii-iv]; CONTENTS: [1.] The Black Hills / by Badger Clark - [2.] Where B.C. means Before Custer / by Leland D. Case - [3.] History catches up / by Leland D. Case - [4.] Crazy Horse -the greatest among them / by Elmo Scott Watson - [5.] Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane / by Clarence S. Paine - [6.] "Don't fence me in!" / by Paul Friggens - [7.] The tourists come / by Badger Clark - [8.] The mountain that had its face lifted / by Badger Clark - [9.] The Black Hills -a storehouse of mineral treasure / by R.V. Hunkins - [10.] America's greatest gold mine -the Homestake / by R.V. Hunkins.Illustrations, p. [v-vi]; Index, p. 311-320]"
3.The Cascades: Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. N/A
4. The Friendly Mountains: Green, White, and Adirondacks, Roderick Peattie,- Guelph, Ottawa.
5. The Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge: The Story of the Southern Appalachians, Roderick Peattie, Western - storage - F443.G7P4
6. The Inverted Mountains: Canyons of the West, N/A
Contents, p. v-viii; CONTENTS: Canyon review - by Weldon F. Heald; Features of the canyon country - by Edwin D. McKee; Fossil life of the canyon country - Edwin D. McKee; Three hundred years of Spain - By Weldon F. Heald; Indian life - past and present - by Harold S. Colton; The Americans come - by Weldon F. Heald; The Colorado River - by Weldon F. Heald; Riding Grand Canyon rapids - by Weldon F. Heald; The canyon wilderness - by Weldon F. Heald; On foot and in the saddle - by Edwin D. McKee; The canyon trails - by Edwin D. McKee; Environment controls life - by Edwin d. McKee; Illustrations, p. ix-x; Index, p. 379-390]"
7. The Pacific Coast Ranges, Roderick Peattie, - McMaster, York.
Contents, p. v-ix; CONTENTS: "Father Serra's rosary" / by Donald Culross Peattie -The first inhabitants of the coast ranges / by John Walton Caughey - Footsteps of spring -a wild flower trail / by Donald Culross Peattie - Glimpses of wild life / by Aubrey Drury - Foothills / by Judy Van der Veer - Farm, rock, and vine folk / by Idwal Jones - Headlands in California writing / by John Walton Caughey - The wilderness mountains / by Lois Crisler - Timber / by Thomas Emerson Ripley - People of the Oregon Coast Range / by Archie Binns - People of the Washington Coast Range / by Archie Binns - The geologic story / by Daniel E. Willard - Climatic transitions and contrasts / by Richard Joel Russell.Illustrations, p. xi-xii; Maps of the Pacific coast ranges [by Guy-Harold Smith], p. [384-386]; Index, p. 387-402
8. The Rocky Mountains, Wallace W. Atwood. N/A
9. The Sierra Nevada: The Range of Light, N/A.
For a positive review see: Ruth E. Baugh, Pacific Historical Review, Vol.- 17, No.2, p.223.
Tuesday, 18 March 2025
Western Squash- 2024/25
About a month ago I noted that the Western University Squash Team won the OUA Championship for the 41st time -- in a row. For those of you who don't follow such events on Instagram, X or Facebook, here is what the team has been up to over the past few weeks.
They left Niagara-on-the-Lake after the OUA event and travelled down to New Haven to play Yale on what was "Senior Day" at that institution. The Bulldogs are very tough this year and they won every match against Western. Yale then went on to the 2025 CSA Men's National CollegiateTeam Championship where they lost to the University of Pennsylvania which won the national title and the Potter Cup for the second straight year.
Western also was in the U.S., CSA National Team Championship in Philadelphia and they went on to defeat Franklin and Marshall to win the Hoehn Cup. The Hoehn Cup is for the teams ranked from 13th to 20th. Western was ranked at No.13 and they won every match against Franklin and Marshall.
Just over a year ago, I offered a history of UWO/Western's participation in the U.S. Collegiate Championships and it can be viewed here. It is great to read about a Western team that has had such success over such a long period.
A series of photos are provided below. The first one was found at Franklin and Marshall when they reported about the loss to Western. The others are all found on the website of the College Squash Association. Unfortunately, there were no captions.
(I have no connection to the team, but I did play a lot of squash at UWO (the intramural, lower-level kind) and anyone who did will remember fondly Jack Fairs. Congratulations to Coach Chris Hanebury for continuing the tradition.)
The Bonus:
The Championship was held at the Arlen Spector US Squash Center in Philadelphia, which looks like a fabulous facility. Although Spector was a squash player, you probably recognize his name because he was a Senator from the state across the lake from us.
Thursday, 13 March 2025
OH! Canada?
Of late there has been rather more interest in praising our country, than just simply denigrating it. Only a few months ago I noted that an Angus Reid poll had this title: "From 'eh' to 'meh'? Pride and Attachment to Country in Canada Endure Significant Declines." (See: WOE CANADA.) Attitudes appear to have shifted, perhaps because we fear that we will not even be in the top fifty if we become a state in the United States. If you wish to read about Canada before it goes, you could start with Lament for a Nation right after you read this post.
Here at Mulcahy's Miscellany it is suggested that the currently popular,"Elbows Up" can refer also to a position taken when holding up a book to read, and if you are looking now for something Canadian here is a suggestion.
From the New York Times I receive a newsletter with recommendations for reading material. This week's "Read Like the Wind" contains two books chosen by A.O. Scott (Mar.8, 2025.) The second suggestion is provided below along with the commentary offered by Scott.
Although the book is about Canada, admittedly it was written by an American. It is the case, however, that, apart from being an acceptable appraisal of Canada, one can mention that the son of the author is a retired professor who taught for years at UWO/Western and still resides in London. In his latest book he notes that: "I have not regretted moving, permanently, as it turned out, from my native country, the United States, to the former British Dominion of Canada."
Scott's comments:
Wilson, perhaps the hardest-working American literary critic of the 20th century, had formidable range. He wrote mighty books about Marxism, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the literature of the Civil War, and innumerable collections of essays, reviews, diaries and letters. An avowed anti-specialist, proud of never holding an academic post or a staff job at a magazine, he liked to master a subject by writing about it.
After a visit to Toronto sometime in the 1950s, Wilson got sufficiently interested in Canada to begin the inquiries that would result in this volume, modestly subtitled “An American’s Notes on Canadian Culture.” I should note that the book was published in 1965 and so does not include most of what those of us down here might regard as Canadian culture. No Neil Young or Joni Mitchell; no Margaret Atwood or Alice Munro (though a little bit of Mavis Gallant); no SCTV or David Cronenberg.
Still, “O Canada” is an irresistible deep cut for Canadaphiles, a large but fittingly circumspect fandom. Wilson is a crisp, thorough writer, with a knack for making his own fascination with a subject contagious. So you can learn quite a bit of Canadian history here — not a bad thing to be studying just now — without feeling that you’re in school, and you may find yourself eager to hit the library in search of the works of Hugh MacLennan and Marie-Claire Blais.
Mostly, though, you’re likely to be swept up by Wilson’s sense that Canada, in spite of its reputation south of the border, is an intensely dramatic country. This was partly because of the Quebecois separatist movement that was gaining momentum at the time, but also because nationalism and national identity were pressing questions for an alert and curious reader. As they still are."
Sources:
Apart from the NYT source noted above, the quotation by Edmund Wilson's son is from: Holding the Road: Away from Edmund Wilson and Mary McCarthy, Reuel K. Wilson, p.230. On p.231, he notes: "My father's book O Canada: An American's Notes on Canadian Culture (1965), which introduced American readers to a select group of contemporary Canadian authors, has been largely forgotten in both countries. Only my mother's novel The Group (1963) still has resonance for readers of a certain age here, where many women saw it as a positive landmark in the struggle for women's liberation."
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