Author Archives: Lord Whimsy

Do Not Attempt At Home

(Alternate title: “Do Not Attempt At All”) Combining a paisley silk cravat with a plaid fur hat for dinner with friends is serious business. Do not attempt this if you have a day job; this sort of thing is best … Continue reading

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In Case You Were Curious

Just in case you’ve ever wondered: this is what a dried 100-year old whale’s eardrum looks like.

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The Local Frontier: The Lost Cemetery

In this episode of The Local Frontier, I investigate the case of Monument Cemetery, whose tombstones now line the Delaware River in a forgotten part of Philadelphia.

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My Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandpa

When my grandmother was young, her great aunt had a picture on her wall.  My grandmother described it as a man in a feather headdress. She was told it was an ancestor of hers, and that he was a chief. … Continue reading

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Where I’ve Been

            This is a still from a film that my friend, filmmaker David Kessler, is shooting right now in the Pine Barrens. I’ve been serving as a guide through some of the more wild areas … Continue reading

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Carranza’s Last Flight

Excerpt from Goodwill: The Flight of Emilio Carranza from Robert A. Emmons Jr. on Vimeo. For more about Emilio Carranza, go here.

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A (Stuffed) Lion In Winter

A film crew visited the house recently, as they invariably do. Here’s what they found.  My thanks to Ted Passon and Laris Kreslins for flattering me with their collective lens.

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The Mirrorlands

Pines, preview sequence: Mirrorlands from David S Kessler on Vimeo. An excerpt from David Kessler’s ongoing film project, Pines. The film has become a collaborative effort: I serve mainly as a guide, but in this clip I have contributed a … Continue reading

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Accidental Poetry

Today I had the privilege of visiting Suningive at Whitesbog and leafing through the recently-rediscovered blueberry test breeding notes of Elizabeth White, who helped bring the blueberry into commercial cultivation. This book of notes was rescued from a dumpster soon … Continue reading

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The Local Frontier, Part III: Schuylkill

The third and final episode of my solo journey through the urban wilds of Philadelphia’s waterways. My thanks to Shawn Annable and Marc Brodzik of Woodshop Films for their hard work on this series. The Local Frontier, Episode I: Rancocas … Continue reading

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