Charm City Revisited.
In which I pay a visit to the old home town, update a couple of websites, and write a few more words.
Thomas Wolfe famously wrote his novel You Can’t Go Home Again as a warning that if you try to return to a place from your past it won't be the same as it was1. Well I’d like to disagree. A couple of weekends ago we made a return visit to Baltimore, a city that we left behind eighteen years ago, and found that on the surface at least, very little had changed. We also discovered a new side to the city that we hadn’t been aware of in the years we lived there.
As we drove into the city center, and later walking out of our hotel to the Inner Harbor area we were struck by the contrast between what we saw in front of us, a recognizable skyline, and buildings we knew2, when compared with the ever changing nature of downtown Austin where there seems to be a new skyscraper or apartment complex going up every week, and older once landmark buildings are either abandoned or torn down. Returning to Baltimore felt like putting on a pair of old comfortable jeans.
So why head back to Charm City (Baltimore’s one time official, but still apt nickname)? Earlier this year our eldest daughter and her family made the move back to Maryland, the state where she grew up, and bought a lovely first home just north of the city. Once they were settled in we just had to go visit.
Driving from downtown to their neighborhood we passed through many different types of housing and communities, but all seemed to have some signs of revitalization and active community involvement. The area where our daughter lives is also one that’s in transition as younger families move in and start their lives. It's a fun, diverse, and very friendly community.
One morning we joined them at a nearby farmers’ market, which unlike some of the faux trendy farmers markets around Austin, was a genuine meeting place to buy locally grown produce and sample some excellent street food. The presence of a community driven bookstore and coffee shop nearby also added to its appeal. Here we were reunited with one of our daughter’s old school friends who lived a few blocks away. Her home is one of the famous colorful “painted lady” row houses and we were fascinated to learn about the neighborhood’s story while enjoying a coffee sitting on her front porch.
The view along the street’s porches was like looking down an infinite tunnel that reflected the city’s sense of both community and history. A side of Baltimore we hadn’t seen before, and so glad we got to experience.
Of course at one point over the weekend we had to stop by our old neighborhood to the south of the city. When we first arrived in the US we were fortunate enough to end up living in a friendly and welcoming community located on the banks of the Severn River. Again driving down the road into the community was like rolling back the years. Not much had changed and it all felt and looked so familiar. We also got the chance to visit with old neighborhood friends for a while.
One set of friends had moved to a new house a couple of coves further along the river that had a great view along the water. Dinner on their deck was punctuated by a lovely sunset that in many ways seemed symbolic of the visit.
So Mr. Wolfe, maybe you can go home again. One thing’s for certain, we’ll be making more frequent return visits.
Upcoming Social Media Break
There will be no newsletter next week, as I’m taking one of my periodic “Social Media Breaks.” Can’t See The Forest will return on May 12th.
Other Stuff
Thanks to the new subscribers who have joined since last week. I really appreciate your interest and support. If you would like to join them you can subscribe below.
I’ve already made an initial foray into Substack’s new NOTES function. Not sure exactly how I’ll be using it yet, but my first thoughts are that I’ll be posting more books and movie reviews, quotes, and the occasional bit of personal stuff not covered in the main newsletter.
Brabazon Bits
As I continue to do the research into the Brabazon design process I came across the story of two unlikely competitors. If you think that the gigantic Brabazon airliner was something - well these two are definitely beyond that and heading into the realms of science fiction.
It is well established that once the Bristol Aeroplane company had been selected the Brabazon government specification document was declared off-limits to the remainder of the British manufacturers. However, both Miles and Shorts pitched private-venture schemes but neither was considered.
As you can see below both of these proposals were more radical than the Brabazon.
Miles offered the X-II powered by eight coupled engines and a blended wing, wide-fuselage format.
Shorts a flying wing powered by five pusher engines.
Imagine being a passenger in either of these.
Pages and Screens
Books Read in 2023 - “The Black Guy Dies First” by Robin R. Means Coleman & Mark H. Harris
This is a strangely conflicting read in that the book can’t seem to decide what it wants to be. A serious examination of race in horror cinema, or a collection of lists and humorous asides designed for a casual reader who wants to know how many times Samuel L. Jackson has been bumped off.
The main text is well researched and raises some deep questions that provoke serious thought and introspection of the readers own viewpoint - and then it gets undermined by a series of snarky remarks and asides.
That dichotomy of tone and approach (perhaps a reflection of the two authors) left me disappointed.
But I will say it did make me think about my use of non-white characters in my own fiction writing. And for that alone I’m glad I read it.
Online Bookshop Update
For folks who enjoy my book reviews and want to catch up on some of the titles I've been posting about - I have now updated our online store at Bookshop.org so you can easily order directly online.
Remember that orders made through Bookshop.org are fulfilled by and benefit local independent bookstores.
Podcast Procrastinations
Saturday saw the release of the latest Saturday Matinee Theater episode from the crew at the Longbox Crusade podcast. Once again I was delighted to join them in Sherwood Forest for a continuing look back at the Adventures of Robin Hood.
On Monday the Epsiode 23 of the Before They Were Beatles podcast was posted. “I’m With The Band” was our special episode with exclusive interviews with the folks behind The Savage Young Beatles and the organizers of the Abbey Road on the Road Festival.
And talking of Before They Were Beatles, just a reminder that if you’d like to keep up with the progress of the work on the 20th Anniversary edition of the Before They Were Beatles book you can sign up for a subscription to the dedicated Substack monthly newsletter HERE. -
Thanks to the folks who have already subscribed.
Weekly Web Round-Up
Over on my main writing website, I rounded out the Books That Made Me series of posts with an entry that tracks a reading journey that started with Tootles The Taxi and made its way to Dune via Cloud Cuckoo Land.
Meanwhile on The Content Pool website I added a new blog post on “Three Words That Tell Me You Customer Data Platform is a Failure.”
Batman On The Cover - The journey through Batman’s comics publishing history continues this week as we start a new year as the calendar flips over to 1968. January kicks off with the latest editions of Detective Comics, Batman’s own title, plus a surprise cover appearance as The Inferior Five visit DC Comics' offices and watch an issue being assembled.
As always, thanks for joining me for this week’s rambles through the Forest. And don’t forget to sign up for a FREE subscription so you don’t miss future updates.
Again just a quick reminder that there will be no newsletter next week, as I’m taking one of my periodic “Social Media Breaks.” Can’t See The Forest will return on May 12th.
See you next time
Alan J. Porter
OK the book, published in 1940, covers a lot of other themes too, such as changing American society of the 1920s/30s, the stock market crash, the illusion of prosperity, and the unfair passing of time.
It was sitting on the balcony of a bar overlooking the inner harbor during a business trip from the UK back in the late 1980s that I first decided I wanted to come live in America. The name of the bar may have changed, but that balcony is still there.