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The Tower of Babel by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

The purpose of this post is to announce a new feature I will be introducing to this site in September. The reason I am announcing the new feature in advance is to try to make the intention of the new feature clear from the outset, and also to let readers know that the new feature – which I am calling “Sunday Arts” – is open to all for readers’ own contributions, as I explain below.
Continue Reading Coming Soon: Sunday Arts

pentwaterIn recognition of the upcoming Independence Day holiday in the U.S., and in what has become an annual tradition, I am reprising here my 2012 essay about Time and Summer, which can be found here. Have a great Fourth of July holiday. Thank you to all of my loyal readers.

066aThe D&O Diary completed its European assignment with a final stop late last week in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital city. With a population of around 440,000, Tallinn is relatively compact. In fact, the population of the entire country of Estonia (with a total land area roughly equal to that of the states of Vermont and New Hampshire, combined) is only about 1.2 million, making it one of the smaller countries in the EU. Though Tallinn is relatively small, it is full of charm and history.
Continue Reading Tallinn, Estonia

207aThe D&O Diary is on assignment in Europe this week, with a first stop in Oslo, Norway’s capital city, located at the northern end of Oslofjord (as shown in the accompanying picture). Oslo is a city in transformation; its urban area population has grown by over one-third since 2000, to over 1 million.  At times during our visit, the city seems like a gigantic construction site. Its location at about 60 degrees northern latitude means that in late May, the sun rises just after 4 am, and the sun doesn’t set until nearly 10:30. The evening twilight lingered until well after midnight.
Continue Reading May in Norway

117aThe D&O Diary is on assignment in Europe this week, with a first stop in Paris, for meetings. I have been to Paris many times before, but almost always in the fall or winter. Before this trip, I hadn’t really had the pleasure of seeing Paris in the spring. What I found was that — though warmer temperatures do seem to bring out the crowds — Paris in the spring is delightful.
Continue Reading April in Paris

helloIt all began over a bottle of wine. A bottle of wine from Portugal, to be precise. The wine was from the the Tejo region, named for its proximity to the Rio Tejo, the river that runs through the heart of the Iberian peninsula and on which sits Lisbon, Portugal’s capital city. As I pointed out to my wife, the Rio Tejo is known to English-speaking people as Tagus River, a language-based distinction that has always struck me as odd.
Continue Reading A Clash of Names

frisbeeReaders continue to send in their pictures taken with their Tenth Anniversary edition D&O Diary Frisbees. The Frisbee Photos have been taken in locations both far and near, with the most recent collection including a very heavy representation of pictures taken at beaches or in bars, as well as with kids and dogs.  Readers will recall that in connection with The D&O Diary’s recent tenth anniversary, I offered to send out a D&O Diary Tenth Anniversary Frisbee to anyone who requested one – for free — but only if the Frisbee recipient agreed to send me back a picture of the Frisbee and a description of the circumstances in which the picture was taken. I have already published four rounds of Frisbee Photos (hereherehere, and here), and now it is time for the next round.
Continue Reading Another Round of Frisbee Photos

frisbeeThe many travels of readers’ D&O Diary Tenth Anniversary Frisbees have continued, with stops in places both familiar and remote. The results are a variety of Frisbee photos taken on location in places both far and wide and accompanied by everything from beer to champagne. Readers will recall that in connection with The D&O Diary’s recent tenth anniversary, I offered to send out a D&O Diary Tenth Anniversary Frisbee to anyone who requested one – for free — but only if the Frisbee recipient agreed to send me back a picture of the Frisbee and a description of the circumstances in which the picture was taken. I have already published three rounds of Frisbee Photos (herehere, and here), and now it is time for the next round.
Continue Reading The Next Round of Frisbee Photos

openingbeachshotIn recognition of the Independence Day holiday in the U.S., and in what is now something of an annual tradition, I am reprising here my 2012 essay about Time and Summer, which can be found here. Have a great Fourth of July holiday. Thank you to all of my loyal readers.

the dandodiaryWith this blog post, The D&O Diary is proud to launch its new look website. I hope  readers will find the cleaner, more open page design easier to read, and that the relocation of the search box and the alterations to other website functions will make the site easier for readers to use.

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