The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 8: The Somme and beyond

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7.) An ex-Toronto Policeman in our group informed the Sergeant-Major that I was an Engineer and Draftsman. I was then paraded before the …

Continue reading

The 1960s moon in high-def

Download larger version. A little over 40 years ago, to help it select potential landing sites for its Apollo lunar missions, NASA sent five unmanned spacecraft over two years to orbit the moon and photograph pretty much every inch of its surface. The images sent back were amazing, especially one of the Earth rising over …

Continue reading

The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 7: Off to France!

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6.) I heard very soon that Company Sgt.-Major had been reduced in rank and left our Unit. He was the only real soldier among us. …

Continue reading

Another taste of that other Edward Willett

This seems to be my week for coming across complete facsimiles of my 19th-century namesake’s books. Hard on the heels of the his biography of Ulysses S. Grant, I’ve found a facsimile of one of his more typical titles, a “dime novel” called “Wide-Awake George, the Boy Pioneer.” You can read the whole thing in …

Continue reading

Live from Meadow Lake!

I know intellectually Saskatchewan is a big province (it’s only slightly smaller than Texas, and you know the old rhyme about that: “The sun done riz, the sun done set, and we ain’t outta Texas yet!”) (OK, maybe you didn’t know that old rhyme, but now you do.) Still, you get a really good feel …

Continue reading

The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 6: Army Athletics

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5.) I have not mentioned anything about our physical training; well, we had plenty. Our Officers knew we would be in competition with other units when we …

Continue reading

That other biography-writing Edward Willett

I am not the first Edward Willett to write books; nor am I the first to write biographies. Long before I squalled my first cries in the foothills of the mountains of New Mexico; long before I first set crayon to paper as a boy of six in the public schools of Tulia, Texas; long …

Continue reading

The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 5: The Cookhouse Revolution

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.) During the night our Officers along with some of our Senior N.C.O.’s had lots of liquor flowing in one of the tents on my territory. The guard that …

Continue reading

The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 4: Trouble with Sergeants

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.) We immediately got on the train but did not leave Liverpool until 11:30 a.m. We passed Crewe, Rugby, the outskirts of London and reached Shorncliffe, Kent at 8:15 p.m. We …

Continue reading

What I Just Read: Jolted: Newton Starker’s Rules for Survival

I thoroughly enjoyed Arthur Slade‘s Jolted: Newton Starker’s Rules for Survival. Slade is a terrific writer of children’s and young adult fiction (check out his Governor General Award-winning Dust) and he doesn’t disappoint with this tale of a boy who comes from a long line of people who die from lightning strikes. There aren’t any …

Continue reading

What I Just Read: Backup

Backup, by Jim Butcher, is a novellette published in hardcover by Subterranean Press. It’s set in the world of famous Chicago wizard Harry Dresden, but it’s not a Harry Dresden book: it’s told from the point of view of Dresden’s big brother Thomas Raith, who happens to be a vampire of the White Court (he …

Continue reading

My preview of Thom Collegiate’s upcoming musical…

…, Little Miss Christie, is in today’s LeaderPost. An excerpt: “We have some really strong performers,” she says. “And it’s a light-hearted show. It’s an easy couple of hours to sit through and be entertained.” While the audience is being entertained, the students will be making memories. “It gives them a chance to be someone …

Continue reading