What's New in Old News?
The official newsletter of the Peripatetic Historian. September 2022, Vol. 2, no. 4.
Ramallah, Palestine
Many years ago, while living in Scotland, I realized that 95% of an expatriate’s day is much the same as the person who remains in their home country. We rise from our beds, eat breakfast, shower, brush our teeth, head off to work—the daily round is fairly constant, whether home or away.
But oh that 5%…
Welcome to Palestine.
The publication date for this month’s newsletter coincides with the completion of the first week in our new home. On August 21, my lovely wife and I checked our bags in Portland and flew to the Holy Land. We will, inshallah, be here for at least the next ten months. This is our first trip to the Middle East, and I will be chronicling our experiences in my new blog, the Peripatetic Historian (see below).
For the present it is enough to state that we are here, enduring a heatwave and the inevitable teething pains that come with learning how to navigate a new culture, and happy with the adventure.
Comet Madness Update
We have reached the end of the editorial work on Comet Madness. I spent August reviewing page proofs and working with the team at Prometheus to finalize the cover copy. The book now heads to the printer while I will begin working with the publicity department.
In other exciting news, Comet Madness is now available for pre-order. If you were considering purchasing a copy, here is a chance to rush to the front of the line:
News From The Peripatetic Historian
Regular readers will recall that in the August edition of What’s New in Old News, I announced the debut of my new blog, the Peripatetic Historian (www.richardjgoodrich/Blog.html). A fusion of travel and history, the Peripatetic Historian is published weekly (every Tuesday) and will document our experiences travelling in Palestine, Israel, and wherever else the winds of destiny carry us.
The inaugural month focused on our Vancouver Island “Tip to Toe” adventure. We covered the entire island, from Victoria, Port Renfrew, and Sooke in the south, to the northern extremes of Port McNeill and Port Hardy. It was the realization of a long held dream, and convinced me that should I ever cease to peripateticate, I could happily settle on Canada’s storm-battered shores.
We then climbed aboard a Delta flight, circled the globe, and touched down in the Holy Land. The final August installment features my first report from Jerusalem.
Here’s a handy button to take you to the blog:
Focus on History
The Undersea World of Edmund Halley
With Comet Madness on its way, it seems only fitting that we should learn a bit more about the 18th century astronomer, Edmund Halley. Did you know, for instance, that Halley was an early version of Jacques Cousteau? Interested in both space and sea, Edmund Halley designed and built the world’s first practical diving bell, a device that proved useful for underwater exploration as well as salvage operations.
Continuing Series
Oyster Burger Chronicles XVIII: Upstairs Bar & Grill, Netarts, Oregon
Draw a line west from Tillamook, Oregon, and you will run into Netarts, one of the undiscovered gems on the Oregon Coast. Placed at the northern end of Netarts Bay — considered the cleanest estuary in the United States — the tiny town never appears in top ten destination reports. I don’t know why; it has a lovely position overlooking the bar — where the waters of the bay meet the Pacific Ocean — a thriving oyster industry, and Happy Camp beach, where visitors extract clams from the soft sand at low tide.
In short, Netarts possesses all of the amenities with half the crowds.
And did I mention oysters?
That brings us to the end of another installment of What’s New in Old News? I remain keenly interested in reader feedback, and think it would be fun to have a section devoted to reader questions. If there is something on your mind, push the button and leave a comment or question.
Otherwise, be safe, be sensible, and I will return next month.