There has been a noticeable up-tick in new readership here at Walking the Berkshires, thanks to very kind mentions and links from a number of excellent blogs and forums during the past week. Given that I dish up a wide range of flavors here, it occurs to me that a guide for the perplexed may be in order.
Here, then, is a collection of posts that are representative of the scale and scope of what is on offer here, culled from those that have proved to be of lasting popularity or about which I feel a degree of pride and accomplishment. Enjoy!
Cabinet of Curiosities #5: Steampunk Edition - One of the most widely read editions of our blogchild carnival, a trove of all things bold and brassy.
"We've Got a Panic on our hands on the 4th of July" The New Jersey Shark Attacks of 1916 - Tantalizing, and timely story of the Matawan Man-eater.
"Like a Ghost to Glide Away": Sarah Bishop, the Hermit of West Mountain - The story behind the novel, and the woman who lived in a cave for 30 years.
The Legend of Rebecca and Abigail Bates: "The American Army of Two" - Two American girls, a fife, a drum, and a British warship.
Little Mac Attack; History vs. the Soldiers' View - Armchair generals and Civil War buffs alike condemn George MacClellan as a failed and self-promoting army commander who may have been an efficient administrator but who consistently over-estimated his foes and was outgeneraled time and again on the Peninsula. This is not the man his soldiers saw.
Loraxes with Axes: The Forest Guild - Foresters who put the forest first.
"I (Don't) Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" - In praise of dark skies.
"Ladybug, Ladybug Fly Away Home" (Cue Ominous Music). - An invasive species of a different spot, and the first WTB post to receive accolades.
Sea Changes - The first of the "Windrock" posts.
Can You Spot the Anachronism? - An old favorite newly discovered by a forum of miniature war-gamers. I do love Don Troiani's work, but even a master makes mistakes.
Quahogs - Stuff 'em if you got 'em.
Anthropomorphic Amusements - What if Disney animated the American Civil War?
The Leatherman - Around and around and around he goes...
Denying the Redcoats Coal and Porter: The "Blue Mountain Valley" Whaleboat Raid - My New Jersey ancestors and all their buddies row out on a winter's night and capture a prize.
The Misplaced Bones of William Dawes - I versify and catch the midnight rider.
Natural Selections: The Evolution of the TNC Logo - I gently twist the tail of my old employer, and reveal subtle truths in marketing.
"One Cannot be an Honest Atheist Without a Fairly Thorough Knowledge of Religion" The Life and Letters of Archibald G. Ogden - a blogbiography in 4 parts of my larger than life Great Uncle Archie
A Doctor in Wartime: 1944 - My grandfather's war in the Pacific with MAG-15, a post which has connected me with the children of one who served with him.
No Nukes or Netcong: A Liberal Family's Dilemma - My brief career as a teenage Civil War reenactor and the compromises made by my progressive family to support this habit.
A Kiss Without a beard is Like an Egg Without Salt - An ode to 19th century facial hair styles via various ancestors, through which I learned that that some gay men consider some of my bearded ancestors hotties. Who knew?
All the Pretty Horses - A 2nd chance for the Merry-Go-Round
A Museum Whose Time Has, Er, Come - Shameless. But it remains the post with the greatest single day viewership in the history of this humble blog.
False Memories of True Patriots Part One in a Series on the Invasion of Canada in the winter of 1775 and a curious omission in a famous painting of the Death of General Montgomery. Yes, an ancestor plays a prominent role.
November Woods - a bright face on a melancholy season.
WOW Picks the Prez: Six Million Gamers Can't be Wrong - A brilliant database query, with dwarves.
A Little Night Magic - Waiting for Fireflies
"I Think That This Situation Absolutely Requires a Really Futile and Stupid Gesture be Done on Someone's Part." I come clean about the Great Fotomat Prank.
Hallowed Ground - I explain my attraction to old graveyards.
"Memory and Denial are Kissing Cousins": Talking with my Dad about God and Race - part of a series on Race and Memory that took me down unexpected paths.
"Examininge the Suspitions about Witchery" in Connecticut - Before Salem, the Nutmeg State went after suspected witches with a vengeance.
If I've missed a favorite post, the archives await!
More (7/17/2008): Which clearly I have done...
Fear and Fire Afloat: The Morro Castle Disaster - It was sad when the great ship had its Captain drop dead, its radio operator set it afire, and its crew take off in the lifeboats...
An Ancestor's Atrocity in King Philip's War - Young men, hard cider and the aftermath of the Great Swamp Fight
Your story, "Are you a Short Snorter," was found on the web by my son-in-law. One "short snorter" was my dear husband who started Van Dusen Air Inc.after graduating from the University of Virginia. The company grew to be the largest in the world and, sadly,it was taken over by some New York Raiders in 1985-6, and GB died in 1999. GB once showed me one of his "short snorters." I was his second wife and now I shall ask his children who owns those prized possessions. And yes, he knew Jimmy Doolittle and was well known in the up=and-coming aviation community. Of all things, Van Dusen Air, Inc. was instrumental in starting China Airlines!
Posted by: Mrs. G.B.Van Dusen | August 26, 2008 at 06:25 PM