Devshirme

I just finished reading all of the canonical Sherlock Holmes stories, and finishing them was, I admit, bittersweet.  I had never read them nor even seen the movies – all I knew of Holmes was just pop culture stuff – the deerstalker cap (which he is never said to wear in the stories), “Elementary, my dear Watson” (again, never said in that order in the books) and so forth.  So reading each of the four novels and 56 short stories was a new thrill, and the bittersweet thing kicked in towards the end when I realized that soon there would be no more…

I first had the idea to finally read the stories when we got a membership at BJs and I rolled the cart by the book section.  Everything was so cheap that I was like “I want this one!  I’ll buy that one!”.  You can imagine.  Well, I did see The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which contained 12 short stories.  I bought it, read it, and was hooked.  I was pleased to find these two complete volumes on Amazon for $6.95 each, ordered them, and began devouring the stories in between all my other readings.

The mysteries are very entertaining but not really the kind where you can anticipate the villain or the solution, which is often bizarre.  They are set in Victorian England but seem very fresh except for the ones involving mistaken identity such as A Case Of Identity, which strikes me as being ridiculous.  Then again, at one point I guess things like this did happen – I remember reading the true story of The Return of Martin Guerre in college.

The dialogue is outstanding and frequently more entertaining than the story itself.  Some examples of the Holmes wit:

“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”

“To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”

“The dog did nothing in the night-time.”

“That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.

(from Silver Blaze)

“It was all very confused.  Sir Charles had evidently stood there for five or ten minutes.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because the ash had twice dropped from his cigar”

“Excellent!  This is a colleague, Watson, after our own heart.”

(from The Hound of the Baskervilles)

“How do you know that?”

“I followed you.”

“I saw no one.”

“That is what you may expect to see when I follow you.”

(from The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot)

Holmes is also a man (as is Watson).  He smokes a pipe, has a drink socially, is a true gentleman yet capable of great feats of physical activity and courage.  He is comfortable with firearms and knows how to use them (and always with strong judgment).  He is heroic yet shuns fame and publicity and is modest about his gifts.  Holmes is equally at home in the bustling metropolis of London as well as the deepest countryside.  He is not after fortune but making his world (and the whole world, for some of his adventures involve foreign sovereigns) a better and safer place.

Great stuff.  The stories are the perfect length to read one here and another another night.  Again, it is bittersweet that I have finished them.  Perhaps on to Solar Pons?

We are putting a link up on the Cathedral site (see column to the right) from the Family Center page to here – the idea is that you can check out the photos from the construction.  This is good motivation for me to post frequently.  Further motivation is provided by our new MacBook computer.  I finally made the transition to becoming a Mac person, and I am loving it.  On to the pictures:

This photo is from the upstairs classrooms in the auditorium and it shows the new ductwork being put in:

And here is a view of the entry to the foyer from the hall – check out the framed arch:

Vacation Church School ended today and was a smashing success.  Here is the lowdown: Greg Abdalah, the youth director at St. George Cathedral, started the program last year as a St. George program and with an eye to expanding it to be a Council of Eastern Orthodox Churches program this year.  We had 29 kids from St. George, St. Mary and our Cathedral and they all can’t stop talking about it.  The theme was Champions And Defenders.  From Wednesday up until Saturday the kids came from 9-12 at St. George and learned about various saints and martyrs of the church.  Each day began with a service in a “catacomb church” – basically, St. George’s meeting room decked out in black and darkened to resemble a cave.  They then had sessions where they did activities and lessons.  Snacks were provided by the Men’s Club.  Today – Saturday – we had the morning sessions.  The campers returned for vespers at 5, and then everyone rolled to Fitton Field for a picnic at the Worcester Tornadoes game.  Most of the campers wore their new VCS shirts (as did I over my priest shirt) and everyone had a great time.  Two of our group even got to take part in the pie eating contest.  I had the girls and brought them both to their first ever ballgame.  This meant a lot to me since I am a huge sports fan and have fond memories of going to games with my ‘rents.  Vaia enjoyed her hot dog and the game but was utterly terrified by the sight of Twister (just as she is by Wally the Green Monster).  Raphaela, meanwhile, managed to do something I have not been able to do in my 37 years on this mortal coil- get a foul ball.  During warmups we were in the picnic area down the left field line and a ball came in and bounced and landed right under her stroller.  (I think everyone gets a foul ball at this place – the stands are right on top of the diamond and the setup makes Fenway seem like Riverfront Stadium).

The program was a great success.  We may do one-day ones during school vacation – we will see.  We will definitely do another camp next August so stay tuned.  Here is a picture of Raphaela’s souvenir.  If she follows in Daddy’s footsteps and collects baseball cards and memorabilia then this will be the first item in her collection:

I had a small adventure last week with an old friend.  I left Worcester mid-day and drove through the alternating pouring rain and sunshine to Concord, New Hampshire, to see my good friend, the Very Rev. Archimandrite Agathonikos Wilson.  Fr. Agathonikos is the pastor of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Concord.  Traditionally, the priest there also takes care of the small Transfiguration church in Franklin, which is about a half hour north of Concord, and also the birthplace of Daniel Webster.  To give you an idea of where it is – it is right next to Tilton, which is some kind of shopping pilgrimage site.  The idea was that we would go up and celebrate a vesperal liturgy for the feast day of the church.  Fr. Agathonikos claimed it was the smallest church in the Metropolis.  I had my doubts – St. George in Southbridge is tiny.  However, Fr. Agathonikos was right – it is beyond small.  St. George has a tiny choir loft and organ and even has small side rows.  The church in Franklin was smaller than the narthex at St. Spyridon. 

The sign on the church says Transfiguration but also says St. Sotir.  The founders were largely Albanian.  They worshipped in Greek and remained in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.  When I think of Albanian churches, I usually categorize them as either being under the OCA or under Bishop Katre (I am not going to get into the history of the split here).  However, this church just remained under the Boston Diocese (now Metropolis).  So, the service…Fr. Peter Chamberas, who lives nearby, came with his son-in-law Fr. Mark Leondis.  I had hoped we could all serve together, but the altar barely fit me, so I had the distinct honor of having an archimandrite as my altar boy and an archpriest and the archdiocese youth director as my chanters!  After the well-attended service we went to the Tilton House Of Pizza  (the “T-HOP”) for fellowship and food.  What a great time – I think it may become a yearly tradition.  Some pictures…

This is the church:

This is the sign that I mentioned – it is tough to read in this picture, though:

The small altar:

This is a view of the entrance to the Blair Witch-like cellar.  The ten-year old in me wanted to explore it while Fr. Agathonikos was speaking:

And the organ, which is still operational but is no longer used.  I thought it was a piano at first.  I couldn’t tell the make, and I didn’t have a chance to play it since people were milling around after service:

It has now been more than a week but, as promised, here is more on our vacation to Maine.  We went on a little “lighthouse cruise” – basically, a boat ride from Perkins Cove to the Nubble Lighthouse  (technically the Cape Neddick Light) and back.  It was a beautiful day for such a thing, and the girls did great on the boat.  As we rounded the lighthouse I noticed seagulls beginning to swarm around the boat.  The guide brought out a loaf of sliced bread and told us this is where we get to feed the gulls.  Vaia had two slices and was tearing them and throwing them.  The gulls were literally right on top of us!  Vaia was hysterically laughing as we urged her to throw faster and further from the boat.   All went well, though, and on the ride back the guide told us that Mt. Agamenticus, a 700ft hill in York, is the tallest point on the coastal plain between Bar Harbor, Maine and Rio de Janeiro.  I immediately thought “I must climb it and stand on the top!”.  So the next morning, our last in Maine, I woke up early, drove 10 minutes or so to the mountain (not a Greek name, although it sounds it, but rather an Indian one) and ended up in the parking lot, which is at the summit.  So I hiked down and then back up – probably 30 minutes total, and a very steep hike, so I began the day with great exercise as well.  It is a very cool place and worth seeking out if you are in the York/Ogunquit area, plus it is a great peak to bag. 

While up there I saw what looked like some ancient steam roller but turned out to be the winch apparatus for the old ski lift back when it was a ski hill:

The other really cool thing is the grave, or more likely memorial, of St. Aspinquid, a local Indian who converted to Christianity.  He is likely a legendary character, but I took a rock and threw it on the memorial with the others while saying a quick prayer:

We are back from our Maine vacation.  It was good to be away for a few days.  I will post more on our various adventures, but for now here are a couple of pictures of Vaia checking out the Portland Head Light and scenery.  This was one of two lighthouses we saw on our trip – we also saw the Cape Neddick Light, better known as the Nubble Lighthouse.

Last week, on one of those super hot summer days here in Worcester, I had a crazy and unpleasant adventure.  It was one of those days where I was zipping around to the different hospitals to visit parishioners.  On the way back from Memorial Hospital my coolant light dinged and lit.  I was near Elm Street and thus not too far from the Cathedral, as well as not too far from Takis & Sons, my go-to foreign auto mechanics.  I looked at the temperature gauge and it rocketed to the red zone.  Oh no!  My mission focus kicked in, and I drove straight to the church, since I had some stuff to take care of there.  I parked in a shady spot (like that would help), turned off the engine, and opened the hood.  I called Takis and he told me let the engine cool off for 20 minutes or so, turn it back on and see where the guage was.  If it was not in the red zone, drive it (the 3/4 of a mile/mile) to his shop.  If it hit the red zone en route, pull over and wait again.  So I had a nerve-wracking, knuckle-clenched, hunched-over-the-steering-wheel ride to Takis’s place, but the needle stayed midway and never reached the red zone.  The weird engine sounds which had begun on Elm Street, before I reached the church, kicked in and got louder.  But thankfully I reached his shop without the engine blowing up or anything else I feared might happen.  The damage from what was probably a busted thermostat on such a hot day?  The water pump, serpentine belt and belt tensioner all were toast, and the antifreeze tank was blown to smithereens.  Thankfully Takis took care of things that evening and the Jetta (and I) were back on the road the next morning.

Things are starting to happen with the garden.  We enjoyed our first green bell pepper the other day, and we have been harvesting herbs – mint, parsley, basil, thyme – and using them in different stuff.  I plucked my first red cayenne pepper – yum – this morning and also noticed that we have some cucumbers growing.  I did a second watering session in the afternoon (I don’t normally do two waterings but am this week due to the extreme heat), peeled back a leaf from the cucumber plant, and found one ready to go!  Here it is:

I have been shamefully neglecting the blog.  A lot of things have happened recently – festival, laity award dinner, all kinds of stuff – so let’s start fresh.  Coincinding with the first day of sun after over a week of rain and overcast days, our garden is fully up and running, so how about we start with that.  I moved the location this year from the side of the house (where the soil would get washed away during the heavy rains we often have here in Worcester) to the peninsula next to the driveway and my neighbor (and gardening guru) Karen’s garden.  I picked up compost from Hope Cemetery (they have a mountain of it for the taking) and spent spare time the past few weeks getting things ready.  Here is what I planted:  Cucumbers, cantaloupe, cayenne peppers, pumpkin, garlic and tomato in the main garden.  Next to the house, in the old garden space, I have pots with basil, mint, strawberries, bell peppers, sunflowers, parsley, cilantro, and another tomato plant.  In addition we have a pot in the back with two garlic plants, a TopsyTurvy planter (As Seen On TV!) hanging in the front, a small pot with thyme, the blueberry bushes and the apple tree.  I also have the mushroom log inside the house. 
The first thing I harvested was pussy willow stalks in the earliest days of spring.  You can’t eat these, of course, but they make for a nice decoration in the house or a gift when visiting someone.  I also harvested thyme, which grows early and often, and dried it out for seasoning use.  I have a bell peppers that should be ready soon and cayenne peppers which should turn red in the next week.  Sadly, I think we will not get too many blueberries, for whatever reason (last year we had a seemingly endless supply) but there are tons of apples coming out on the tree, so hopefully that will pay out.  The tree  has five different varieties of apples, and the granny smiths always come out first.

This is a picture of Raphaela kicking it in an Adirondack chair in her godparents’ yard.  Note the Jedi top-knot.