Perfectly Good

Here's a sculpture in downtown Philly symbolizing struggle.

Cool ceiling in the Masonic Temple, a place that embodies learning, questioning, and skepticism.

Huge monopoly pieces as art - guess you never know when the dominos will fall. I read an obituary on a Mr. John Elson (see Time Magazine 9/21/09). He was a writer and editor for Time and I was struck by a few quotes. " He once said the process of editing was the opposite of jurisprudence. Every writer was guilty until proved innocent."

As I sat on my father's inviting front porch, I read Mr. Elson's advice to writers, " Never let the search for the perfect get in the way of the perfectly good."

But when in doubt, go to the library. The North Wales Library was my retreat, my haven, and a harbor of excellent childhood memories. It's going upscale in 2010 - new digs, new computerization. Good for them, but I'll miss the old card system where I could see my name on the list inside a book. Aah, perfect memories.

Joanne

Symbols and Such - Philly Style

Open the door to the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia, now giving tours. It's an amazing building and the membership included Ben Franklin and George Washington. Frankly, you don't get clear answers to your questions about the Freemasons. Nonetheless, they definitely admire education, hard work, and architecture.

A glimpse into design for the ages. Gasp

I love stained glass and this is glorious.

The temple is quite impressive. I'm writing this to salute Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol. Apparently he is saving the world of publishing. After The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, the man can write his own ticket. The Masonic Temple in Philly, long closed to public viewing, is open to tours and willing to expose itself to interest thanks to Dan Brown, et al. The idea of hidden treasure (think Nic Cage in National Treasure) and secret societies is a money making operation. I enjoyed the tour of the Masonic Temple in Philly and plan to read up on the whole operation.