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Meet the Dogans – Proud New Americans To-Be
Izzet (left) and his wife Nuray have packed their store inside and outside Izzet and Nuray Dogan, man and wife, left beautiful Istanbul, Turkey, to start a new life here. That was a few years ago. I...
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The strangest New Year’s Day I’ve ever had…and I never expect another like it
John Guy LaPlanteAll my life, like you probably, I have celebrated New Year’s Day in winter—most often in a cold, icy, snowy winter. Not a Florida winter. Winter arrives on Dec. 21, of course, and New...
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Michael Hart, I Never Heard of him – but he has Changed my Life
John LaPlante enjoying his brand-new ebook reader After saying no, no, no time and again, I have given in. I finally own an electronic book reader, or e-book reader, as it’s called, or even just...
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Concierge Medicine …. What the heck is that?
I’m writing this from Newport Beach, CA. I call this neighborhood “Medical Mecca.” One big medical building after another. Hundreds of doctors. All largely feeding off federal and state medical...
View ArticleMy Woes with Newspaper Editors
I was one myself at one time. In fact, three times. But mostly a writer under the editor’s thumb. It’s always been a love-hate relationship. Now a fresh incident has made me wince. And wonder. A small...
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Are Libraries Doomed?
John Guy LaPlanteI read something startling the other day. Amazon.com, among other things, is our biggest retailer of books. Bigger than Barnes & Noble even. But last year it sold more e-books...
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How I Discovered a Compass was a Must – John LaPlante
I recently came home after visiting my son Arthur and his family just outside Ft. Lauderdale. That’s on the Atlantic side of Florida. While there, they took me to Naples on the opposite side of the...
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Off to the Post Office to complain. Again!
Oct. 20, 1960. A historic event of national significance—the dedication of that remarkable facility. I was there in Providence, covering it for the Worcester Telegram-Gazette. But what a stunt the...
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Old Sturbridge Village – A $5 Friday
Old Sturbridge Village. For a few delightful hours I turned the clock back to olden times I was itching to get up to Old Sturbridge Village again. I love living-history museums. I’ve had a wonderful...
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The Captain of the Mary E isn’t Just a Captain
Captain Matt Culen with one hand on the throttle, one on the wheel, and an eagle eye for what’s ahead This isn’t just a story about the Mary E. It could be. She is deserving. So deserving that many...
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Looking for a Special Indian by Lake Champlain
I stopped in Burlington, VT last week for the night. I was on my way back after a long day on the road from Quebec. I stopped because I wanted to see again something very special. An unusual sculpture...
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PMLE – The Sun is now Sally’s Great Enemy
Boston—I had spoken to my dear friend Sally on the phone now and then but hadn’t seen her in quite a while. On a visit here I was stunned to see the horrors she has been going through lately. Awful! As...
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How My Flight Suddenly Became a Train Ride
I expected to fly out of Bradley. But United Airlines decided I should start on Amtrak! Here’s what startled me. I just bought a three-flight trip to California. It always take me three flights to get...
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At the Supermarket, Use the “Scan It!” and be Done With it!
First: At the Scan It rack, shopper Debra Mals scans her Stop & Shop card, then picks up a Scan It device from one of the nests. If you have the chore of doing the shopping at the supermarket, use...
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My crazy trip to California! Part 2
It was crazy! I thought I’d be flying on a Boeing. Instead, United Airlines put me on Amtrak! In brief: I missed my long cross-country flight! Through no fault of my own. And other bad things sprang...
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Off to Germany at 68 with Great Hopes
He’s garaging his beloved bike. But I’ll bet he has his heart set on getting a second one when he returns Morro Bay, CA—My new friend Don is rushing to meet his new love. I’m visiting my daughter...
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Did Jesus have a wife? New evidence says “Yes.”
Dr. King shows the sample of papyrus at a conference of scholars in Rome.–from the New York Times Eagle Rock, CA — Milady Annabelle and I were visiting Occidental College. She’s an alumna. It’s a fine...
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Home I Go, and Very Slowly – John LaPlante
Happy Ending: Mike, me, and Antonio as I prepare to drive off. In back is my blue and silver beauty–van turned camper! Newport Beach, CA — This morning at 9:30—after the massive freeways here have been...
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My First Week on my Long Ride Home to Connecticut
My first overnight at a Walmart’s, in Claremont, CA. That’s “Chateau,” my 13-year-old, 180,000-mile blue and silver beauty Blythe, Arizona – Here I was, approaching this tiny town. Blythe is as far...
View ArticleAbout Jains for Folk Who Know Absolutely Nothing About Them
I should have written that headline differently. I should have said, “For folks who should know something about Jains!” I’ll tell you why. Bear with me. Jains are Indians—meaning India Indians. A small...
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Zigging and Zagging My Way Home to Deep River
Veteran cross-country traveler John Guy LaPlante gives another update on his extraordinary journey by minivan from California to Deep River, Conn. All alone on the road, for miles and miles, along a...
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Enjoying Old Route 66. Or what’s left of it
Nothing I saw was this beautiful. But some things I saw along 66 I’ll never forget. Hello, all. This is my 72nd day on the road and I am in Dayton, Ohio, a city which is a dramatic story in itself but...
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A New Life in a New Land With Challenges Aplenty
Tarek and Elena are all smiles as they get started in Quebec. They have faced problems before. He especially. Longueil, Province of Quebec – I just had a wonderful visit with Tarek and Elena in this...
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Deep River Residents Enjoy Homesteading Life in Maine
Richard and Maria on top of their new world, happy in their fields of wild blueberries. Visible below are their home and barn, and far back, Lake St. George. She picked the flowers on the walk up...
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Jim Schneider the Super School Traffic Cop
Old Saybrook, CT– It’s a nice, sunny afternoon. I stand on the corner in amazement. Jim Schneider is the traffic cop here.The school day is over and the loaded school buses are filing out from the...
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The Shockingly Unthinkable Has Happened – A Library With No Printed Books …
It’s like going to the moon. Unthinkable when I was a boy. But it happened … Now something else totally unthinkable to me has happened. A brand-new library has been built but with zero printed...
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My Take on Embattled Ukraine
I’ve been getting one e-mail after another: “John, what you think about Ukraine? What’s it all about? How do you feel about it?” Why those emails? Because many of you know that I served my Peace...
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Adios Dear Deep River!
John Guy LaPlante Well, Friends, it’s time for me to say goodbye to the town I love. I never thought this day would come. Never wanted it to come. I have been happy here. Fifteen years ago I chose Deep...
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The Strangest New Year’s Day Ever
John Guy LaPlante We’re pleased to republish a column by John Guy LaPlante today — this column was originally published on Jan 1, 2013, and we thought it would be timely for readers to have a chance to...
View ArticleOp-Ed: Proposing a Memorial to Dick Smith
Like so many of our Deep Riverites, I am saddened beyond words by the sudden and truly tragic death of our dear First Selectman Dick Smith. Few among us are not aware of how he labored continuously...
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