Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal

Canada

  • Canada, an Off-Islander’s Perspective

    “Home,” as the saying goes, “is where the heart is.” Tony Bennet may have left his heart in San Francisco, but pieces of my heart have been left in various places. I have lived in eight states, meeting a wide… Continue reading

  • Crime and the Empty Spaces Between Us

    The abduction of Nancy Guthrie has riveted national attention for 15 days. The news media and social media have given extensive coverage to the search for her. Her family’s plea, their desperation for the return of their mother, loved and… Continue reading

  • RUPTURED

    Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is right. The prime minister is correct when he says there is “a rupture in the world order, the end of a pleasant fiction and the beginning of a harsh reality.” He is accurate when… Continue reading

  • Advent: Aging and the Gift that Matters

    The shops were holiday decorated in October. Then the ads flourished like Wild Parsnip. By mid-November, as if exposed to the weed’s sap, I had a severe skin reaction (photodermatitis) that worsened as the month waned. Black Friday. Cyber-Monday. Buy,… Continue reading

  • Sundance and the Search for an Alternative Education

    The arrival of autumn brings out the bookish aspect of my nature. The responsibilities for coursework found in freshly printed syllabi, the necessity of meeting a professor’s deadlines, revising lectures, and meeting new students have long passed for me. I… Continue reading

  • Random Thoughts: Gibson, Parkinson’s, Space Mirrors, Skunks, and Words

    Thirty-seven years ago, on 15 October, Kirk Gibson stepped up to home plate in Dodger Stadium in Game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics. He was suffering from a swollen, shredded ligament in his… Continue reading

  • Elbows Up with Chocolate & Beer

    by Carl ten Hoopen Chocolate and beer slip uneasily into essays. They are topics that glide easily to our attention when pushing a cart down the grocery aisle, attending a hockey game, or dining at the Queen & Beaver Public… Continue reading

  • While Canada Burns, Washington Fumes

    This morning, I received a letter from a friend in Canada. He was polite, as he typically is, but I could hear the anger when he asked, “These are Congressmen?” His question was raised in response to a letter six… Continue reading

  • On Libraries and Freedom

    I hesitated in the grip of withdrawals. “Go! Get out!” Lynn Tanaka firmly told me on my final day on Mayne Island. Taking a few reluctant steps towards the door, my eyes locked on the neatly arranged shelves in her… Continue reading

  • THE RULE DIALOGUES

    THE RULE DIALOGUES She was a stranger I encountered in the Miners Bay Book shop on Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada. Over the next three months, she was my Saturday morning breakfast companion at the Sunny Mayne Bakery Café. Each… Continue reading