Tag: Essex

  • Braintree

    I’ve always thought that places called Braintree sounded odd. I knew it couldn’t have derived from a tree with brains dangling from its branches. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what came to mind. If that’s the case then the Osage Orange or Hedge Apple (Maclura pomifera) might come closest to that twisted image. My overactive imagination still…

  • Egyptian Revival Churches

    Let’s start by noting that Egyptian Revival refers to an architectural style. Also, my understanding of architecture borders on nil. So, Egyptian Revival in this context has everything to do with the physical characteristics of a building. It’s a bit confusing because many churches also hold revivals. Those are completely different. I’ll be talking about…

  • Magic Roundabout

    My childhood happened in a time before video games completely transformed the adolescent earth. Sure, we enjoyed a little screen time with those early Atari consoles but we also had plenty of non-electronic diversions too. I loved making intricate designs as they sprang forth from highly simplistic repetitive motions on a Spirograph. Those crazy geometric…

  • Islands Below Sea Level

    Are there any islands below sea level? The question seemed absurd on its surface when I noticed it lodged in my web logs in the form of a search engine query. However I’ve learned to not be so dismissive. I’ve uncovered increasingly obscure artifacts and encountered surprisingly unusual situations in the years I’ve written Twelve…