Jungle Of Stone: The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya Reviewed by Jeanine Kitchel   In 1839 an energetic American writer and a talented British artist, adventurers to the core, braved the jungles of Yucatan, Guatemala and Honduras and became the first English […]

A Tourist In Russia (Part Two) By Gabrielle Blair   May 9th, Victory Day: I’m in the main hall of the Mayakovsky Metro station in Moscow, our pre-arranged point for meeting Sergei and Yulia. It is one of many constructed in the 30’s that feels like a palace, intended as such. Why shouldn’t the transport

Spring Rain At Maple Grove By Linda Steelenovels@att.net   Once, on a beautiful sunny day in late April, I thought I would take a walk in the woods behind my house. I don’t know any place in the world closer to God than the woods. The quiet calls to my soul. As I walked along,

Bridge By The Lake By Ken Masson   Competitive bidding is often the most exciting part of duplicate bridge. As each partner attempts to describe his or her holding, it can be very difficult to know exactly where the final contract belongs. This month’s deal certainly falls into that category. North dealt and opened the

LAPSANG SOUCHONG TEA:Nectar for the Gods Who Dwell Atop Olympus By Dr. Lorin Swinehart   We all have our eccentricities. My tastes include peanut butter and onion sandwiches, ala Ernest Hemingway, pinto beans scorched to perfection over a smoldering campfire, chili hot enough to melt the enamel off one’s molars and a peculiar smoky flavored

If Our Pets Could Talk By Jackie Kellum   Last month one of my best friends died. Her name was “Enka.” She was one of my dogs. My husband Jay had a nightly routine of taking an evening stroll in town regardless of the weather. On one of these walks, he came across a small

Juanita And The President By Maggie Van Ostrand(Republished by Request)   It may be time to add one more famous face to the posters hanging on my wall, the ones of Benito Juarez, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Someone new may be exciting enough to be placed among them. I know because I heard all

Profiling Tepehua By Moonyeen KingPresident of the Board for Tepehuamoonie1935@yahoo.com   Mexico has great gun laws, in spite of evidence that contradicts the statement. They have only one legal major gun distribution store, located just outside Mexico City. Run by the Army, it sells approximately 38 guns to civilians per day. An estimated 70% of

Welcome to Mexico! By Victoria Schmidt Living Space   I’ve lived next to this family for a little over a year. A husband, wife, and three kids. We shared the back yard, and often saw the children outside on the monkey bars, the trampoline, and kicking the soccer ball about. Their house was walled off,