• Roots and Branches

    John E. Smith pt 3: on the land

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    January 5, 2026

    Previously: In 1852, 16-17 year-old Johnnie Smith went by boat from Humboldt Bay, California, to a mining town called Trinidad; then from there to Salmon River; from there to Scott’s River; from there to Yreka, California, on the Klamath River.  Trinidad was located in the southwestern lands of the Yurok…

    Continue reading →: John E. Smith pt 3: on the land
  • Roots and Branches

    John E. Smith pt 2: Days of ’49

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    December 16, 2025

    Previously: In 1849, when Johnnie Smith was a lad of fourteen years, he sailed from New York for California as a cabin boy around the Horn. In California he shipped on a steamboat carrying freight and passengers from San Francisco to Sacramento. Later I went from Sacramento to the North…

    Continue reading →: John E. Smith pt 2: Days of ’49
  • Roots and Branches

    John E. Smith pt 1: Sea days

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    December 5, 2025

    John E. Smith: A PIONEER OF THE SPOKANE COUNTRY The Washington Historical Quarterly, Vol. VII., No. 4, October, 1916 This relation was made by John E. Smith of Reardon, Washington, to William S. Lewis, Corresponding Secretary of the Spokane Historical Society. The text is given in the words of Mr.…

    Continue reading →: John E. Smith pt 1: Sea days
  • Polish Memories

    Poland 2023 pt. 4: Gdańsk at night and Hel on 2 wheels

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    November 26, 2025

    At the end of the 19th century Gdańsk traded in the western half of its obsolete moat for a modern transit corridor, capped with a neo-renaissance train station that iconically sets the vibe of visiting the city. Efforts in the 1990s to turn the central hall into a two-level mini-mall…

    Continue reading →: Poland 2023 pt. 4: Gdańsk at night and Hel on 2 wheels
  • Polish Memories

    Poland 2023 pt. 3: Malbork Castle and Gdańsk glimpse

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    October 18, 2025

    Roughly 25 miles south of the Baltic Coast, Malbork Castle rises mightily from the banks of the Nogat River. The largest brick castle in the world, the formidable 52 acre fortress stands as the grandest monument to the Order of the Teutonic Knights, and the power they once held. The…

    Continue reading →: Poland 2023 pt. 3: Malbork Castle and Gdańsk glimpse
  • Polish Memories

    Poland 2023 pt. 2: Olsztyn and Gdynia

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    October 7, 2025

    After 2 days and nights in Warsaw I packed my bags and headed out in the morning. Looking over my tram connection stood the Parish of Saint James, with Poland’s iconic Black Madonna of Czestochowa gleaming proudly from its facade. Construction of the church began in 1911. Poland at that…

    Continue reading →: Poland 2023 pt. 2: Olsztyn and Gdynia
  • Polish Memories

    Poland 2023 pt. 1: Warsaw

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    September 22, 2025

    Late in the summer of 2023 I made my 2nd journey to Poland, arriving in Warsaw September 18th on a beautiful sunny day. My first journey had been a whirlwind 9 day adventure almost a year prior; this time I’d squeezed out a full two weeks to revisit some of…

    Continue reading →: Poland 2023 pt. 1: Warsaw
  • Polish Melodies

    Polish Melodies 2024, pt. 4

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    March 31, 2025

    November 11th: Warsaw My transit timing meant I really didn’t manage to catch any of the parades or other festivities related to Independence Day. When I got to Warsaw there were folks with flags on the streets, but otherwise, by that point, it just seemed like another day in a…

    Continue reading →: Polish Melodies 2024, pt. 4
  • Only Lovers Will Survive

    the half-life of hope

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    February 18, 2025

    Care remains my dedication, if no longer my vocation. Weighing how to best apply my care capabilities is part of the dynamic context now, learning how to more clearly see my own needs in the equation. Perhaps it’s that basis in and focus on care which informs my “first, do…

    Continue reading →: the half-life of hope
  • Only Lovers Will Survive

    living-death with dignity

    Published by

    brian hildebrand

    on

    February 15, 2025

    I suspect much more of the world experiences traumatic-brain-injuries than is recognized. I also suspect that if the world itself has a brain, it too is damaged in some form. Certainly traumatized; the mother has endured much in the embodiment of our earth. Trauma inevitably compounds brain damage, especially when…

    Continue reading →: living-death with dignity
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