How interesting to see all these places I know through foreign eyes. Perhaps “ foreign” is not quite the right word. As an aficionado of Walmart, you now qualify as “a reglar Amurcan guy.” Kidding aside, you have a gift for travel writing. Sounds like a potential book to me, and America could certainly use an outside perspective on our mores.
Tony Horwitz wrote a book in the 90s called "Confederates In The Attic", about the continued connections with the Civil War. And speaking of children at battlefields, iirc he mentions young drummer boys who were at battlefields
On the farm, our goat used to maraud my little brother for his box of Apple Jacks. Provided he could outrun her and make it into the house, she'd headbutt the front door in defeat with her giant, curled-up horns. (The front door still has the scars.) Just a standard sized box at stake, and this goat was inspired to practically murder a barefoot child. I dare not think what terrible powers she would have unleashed against him for a bag as big as the ones you found in that Walmart.
Henry, your talents of observation and writing make your "Travels In America" pieces worth reading, re-reading and pondering. I love them. One request: Take some time (as much as a month?) and travel in the American West. See the Grand Canyon in person, visit Yellowstone, visit Glacier Park, see New Mexico, and so many other places. I would love to read your thoughts and impressions of places I enjoy immensely and love dearly. The American West is basically a different country than the one in which you now reside. Please don't miss it! America is a big place.
In the same vein, make sure you visit the Little Bighorn National Monument. Another tribute to our National Park Service. Not as sobering in the same way as Antietam, but sobering nonetheless. A monument to courage, bravery, foolhardiness to the Nth degree (Custer) and victory by a culture that was about to be destroyed but went down fighting.
The bookstore you visited was no doubt the Hagerstown branch of Wonder Books, based in Frederick, MD, about 30 miles to the southeast. Wonder Books is remarkable in several ways, not the least for its Book Rescue ("books are not made to be disposed of—they are made to be read, collected, shared, and displayed."), which takes all books and "recycles" about 1.5 million pounds of books per year. The proprietor has a blog where he often posts his poems, apropos of your last post on writers and readers of poetry.
Speaking of apropos: it is fitting that you visited a Walmart on your same visit to a battlefield. Walmart is now the locus of American carnage. Walmarts move into small towns, collecting tax credits while putting local businesses out of business by the scores and effectively eroding the tax base at the same time. When Walmart closes a location, the towns are out what little revenue they collected through the presence of those warehouse temples to commerce, and the good folks left behind have no grocery store, no hardware store or any of the other amenities that used to characterize small town America. That, and 5 pound bags of Skittles, is the sum of American progress.
Thank you for another in this continuing series of travelogue pieces. You are a keen observer and it’s a delight to read your impressions of the differences between our “two countries divided by a common language.”
Henry, when we went to the South I’d just read Absalom, Absalom and so was very on my guard. That book takes your breath away: it shows you what race means in a way that nobody from outside could imagine. My god. We went to Savannah and Charleston and there were Daughters of the Confederacy signs and confederate flags all over the place, in Charleston anyway. But what gobsmacked me was how I loved how utterly charming everybody was. Everyone was just lovely, again and again and again. And yet INEXTRICABLY there in these same people’s attitudes is the same metaphysic of race. Horrible. Is there some ghastly charm to the torturer? In the equestrian club we belonged to in Cairo, there were some particularly charming police riders who were certainly former or current torturers. Everybody knew. (I probably shouldn’t write this, as anyone who’s never lived outside their home country will think it’s fanciful. It is of course utterly true.)
How interesting to see all these places I know through foreign eyes. Perhaps “ foreign” is not quite the right word. As an aficionado of Walmart, you now qualify as “a reglar Amurcan guy.” Kidding aside, you have a gift for travel writing. Sounds like a potential book to me, and America could certainly use an outside perspective on our mores.
Thanks glad you liked it!
Tony Horwitz wrote a book in the 90s called "Confederates In The Attic", about the continued connections with the Civil War. And speaking of children at battlefields, iirc he mentions young drummer boys who were at battlefields
Oh interesting thank you
That last picture of the cereal aisle is a perfect illustration of why America is a veritable fount of health and happiness. 🫠
I loved this post. You are a true traveler, full of curiosity. Re Spenser, I have had good luck with Hackett editions, also the one-volume Longman’s.
I got the Longman, quite a bargain!
On the farm, our goat used to maraud my little brother for his box of Apple Jacks. Provided he could outrun her and make it into the house, she'd headbutt the front door in defeat with her giant, curled-up horns. (The front door still has the scars.) Just a standard sized box at stake, and this goat was inspired to practically murder a barefoot child. I dare not think what terrible powers she would have unleashed against him for a bag as big as the ones you found in that Walmart.
This is so American
This is just the nature and inherent charm of goats. They will chase you for anything.
Henry, your talents of observation and writing make your "Travels In America" pieces worth reading, re-reading and pondering. I love them. One request: Take some time (as much as a month?) and travel in the American West. See the Grand Canyon in person, visit Yellowstone, visit Glacier Park, see New Mexico, and so many other places. I would love to read your thoughts and impressions of places I enjoy immensely and love dearly. The American West is basically a different country than the one in which you now reside. Please don't miss it! America is a big place.
Definitely something I want to do!
In the same vein, make sure you visit the Little Bighorn National Monument. Another tribute to our National Park Service. Not as sobering in the same way as Antietam, but sobering nonetheless. A monument to courage, bravery, foolhardiness to the Nth degree (Custer) and victory by a culture that was about to be destroyed but went down fighting.
The bookstore you visited was no doubt the Hagerstown branch of Wonder Books, based in Frederick, MD, about 30 miles to the southeast. Wonder Books is remarkable in several ways, not the least for its Book Rescue ("books are not made to be disposed of—they are made to be read, collected, shared, and displayed."), which takes all books and "recycles" about 1.5 million pounds of books per year. The proprietor has a blog where he often posts his poems, apropos of your last post on writers and readers of poetry.
Speaking of apropos: it is fitting that you visited a Walmart on your same visit to a battlefield. Walmart is now the locus of American carnage. Walmarts move into small towns, collecting tax credits while putting local businesses out of business by the scores and effectively eroding the tax base at the same time. When Walmart closes a location, the towns are out what little revenue they collected through the presence of those warehouse temples to commerce, and the good folks left behind have no grocery store, no hardware store or any of the other amenities that used to characterize small town America. That, and 5 pound bags of Skittles, is the sum of American progress.
ah yes that's the place, will have to look up the blog, thanks!
Stop by Baltimore next time! Enjoy our potholes and pit beef!
If you're interested on how these giant stores came to be, here's this story the I just listened to:
https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/costco
This is about Costco but the stories of these companies are all related to each other.
These same podcasters have done the Walmart story, which I enjoyed and do recommend:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSEdnld6i9A
*****I agree, I hope you do write a book about your travels through the U.S.
thank you :)
If de Tocqueville could see us now!
Good description of how and why US is a nation in decline.
Thank you for this! Your writing on your travels in the USA are delightfully fresh.
Thank you for another in this continuing series of travelogue pieces. You are a keen observer and it’s a delight to read your impressions of the differences between our “two countries divided by a common language.”
More of the same, please. It's fascinating to look at everyday America through foreign eyes.
Anyone who maintains the Civil War wasn’t about slavery should read *Absalom, Absalom* (William Faulkner).
Plus yes, the Burns on the Civil War is excellent. I actually bought it on Amazon.
I found it unwatchable too much Shelby Foote
Henry, when we went to the South I’d just read Absalom, Absalom and so was very on my guard. That book takes your breath away: it shows you what race means in a way that nobody from outside could imagine. My god. We went to Savannah and Charleston and there were Daughters of the Confederacy signs and confederate flags all over the place, in Charleston anyway. But what gobsmacked me was how I loved how utterly charming everybody was. Everyone was just lovely, again and again and again. And yet INEXTRICABLY there in these same people’s attitudes is the same metaphysic of race. Horrible. Is there some ghastly charm to the torturer? In the equestrian club we belonged to in Cairo, there were some particularly charming police riders who were certainly former or current torturers. Everybody knew. (I probably shouldn’t write this, as anyone who’s never lived outside their home country will think it’s fanciful. It is of course utterly true.)
Ah, okay. I didn't know enough to be able to register that. Drank the whole thing up. It's so extraordinary, and so horrible.
A man who is tired of Shelby Foote is tired of the Civil War.