Show Menu

Maritime San Francisco

San Francisco has, of course, had a long maritime history. For much of the 19th century, shipping was the primary way to move good in and out of San Francisco, and not a few visitors and new residents of the city and the region came by ship as well. At the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, the National Park Service preserves a number of historic vessels at the Hyde Street Pier.  While visiting San Francisco in November, I enjoyed my time at the park.  Photography from the ships and elsewhere in San Francisco Bay can be found in my Maritime San Francisco gallery. Balclutha

Read more

Krumkake

Krumkake is a Christmas favorite for Norwegians the world over. Thin, crispy cookies shaped into a cone, they easily brake into crumbs, thus their name. Krumkake means “crumb cake.” Some fill them with cream and fruit, but they are just as delightful by themselves. Making these cookies requires special equipment. You need a krumkake iron and a form for rolling the cones. The irons have a decorative pattern etched in the cooking surface. Nordic Ware makes cast aluminum stove-top models. There are also electric irons available, but I have never used one. It takes a few cookies to figure out the right temperature and time on your stove. But, as…

Read more

Carol of the Bells

From “A Claymation Christmas Celebration” comes this wonderful rendition of the Carol of the Bells. I played in a handbell choir at church when this originally aired on TV, and I shared it with them at one of our rehearsals. They just roared. I hope you enjoy a bit of Christmas cheer! I have a hunch you will.

Read more

San Francisco’s Cable Cars and Streetcars

In my continuing series of photograph galleries from my recent trip to San Francisco, I now bring to you two galleries with a transportation theme. First is the famous cable cars of San Francisco. The first cable cars started operation in 1873 as a way to more safely navigate the hilly streets of San Francisco. At their height, there were more than 20 lines in the city. The first electric street cars were installed in the 1890s, but it was the 1906 earthquake that led to many of the cable car lines being replaced with electric streetcars. Cable cars continued to operate as outdated relics but survived attempts by politicians…

Read more

Photography: The Golden Gate Bridge

Next up from my travels to San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge. I think it’s an amazing structure—a real engineering feet—and one of the most beautiful bridges I’ve ever seen. I was looking forward to seeing it “in person” and it was a beautiful day to walk out on the bridge. Hopefully you’ll find a mix of not only a common look but also a slightly different view of this iconic bridge. Gallery: Golden Gate Bridge

Read more

San Francisco—Chinatown

I spent a very enjoyable several days in San Francisco the week before Thanksgiving. Here is the first in a series of galleries featuring photographs from that trip. Starting at the entrance gate on Grant Street, Chinatown starts with lots of tourist oriented shops, but gets more interesting the further up the street you walk. A park was alive with the local Chinese community that Sunday afternoon as the relaxed, played card and board games, and listened to a group of musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments. Elsewhere, the sidewalks and markets teamed with people shopping for produce, fish, other foodstuffs, and lunch. Gallery: Chinatown — San Francisco

Read more

This week’s Theological Oddments

Posted this past week on my theology blog, Theological Oddments: Welcome! — a welcome to the new blog All Saints — a suggestion about the day’s importance Sola Scriptura — understanding needs context, otherwise the idea can become a problem Come on over. Comments and conversation welcome.

Read more

Prairie Church Photography

While traveling across Minnesota this summer, I stopped at this beautiful rural brick church and took some photographs. I am now finally able to share them. The church is Emanuel Lutheran Church near Hamburg, Minnesota. They are an old (for Minnesota, at least) German heritage congregation, organized in 1857. The present building was built in 1899. In good rural and European tradition, the congregation’s cemetery is immediately adjacent to the church, including several graves that predate the brick church. I hope you enjoy the photos of this picturesque prairie church. Gallery: Emanuel Lutheran Church, Hamburg, MN

Read more

Lemon Wafers

These delicate and delicious cookies come from Denmark, where they are called Citronsmåkager. They look typically Scandinavian with the light color and white-on-white aesthetic. But don’t let that fool you that these are therefore bland cookies. They have a light lemon flavor but a delicate sweetness. The light color allows the delicate flavor, which could be overwhelmed by too much browning, to come through. They would be good for any time of year, but consider adding these to your Christmas cookie tray. Recipe below.

Read more

Theological Oddments

Wanting to have a place to post more thoughts on theology, without flooding this blog with short (or long) posts on the subject, I’ve created Theological Oddments. It’s just starting, but expect semi-regular posts to start to appear soon. I welcome your comments over amongst the oddments. The web address for the new blog is: http://www.restenergy.net/oddments/

Read more

Paul Manz, 1919–2009

Paul Manz, acclaimed organist, composer, and church musician, died on Wednesday, October 28 at the age of 90. His gifts have tremendously enriched the church, and influenced so many musicians. The light of Christ shone brightly through Paul in his gifts, his life, and his many years of faithful service. He made organs sing as part of the heavenly chorus. His motet E’en So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come has become a classic of sacred choral literature. He was instrumental in giving life to the hymn festival in North America. Many church organists have played from his collection of hymn improvisations. He has been one of God’s great gifts to his…

Read more

Bulk Email Sender