Albania: A Possible Opportunity to Provide Erosion and Sediment Control Assistance

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12 August 2025: Riding the Rails from Denver to Chicago – Part 1

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Story and photos by Will Mahoney   Those of you who know me well have learned that I have an unusual, nerdy hobby:  stamp collecting.  I was infected by this affliction at age 6 just after starting first grade in Southern Pines, North Carolina in 1952.  I now specialize in stamps of the colonies, territories, and protectorates of the British Empire and my collection is housed in more than 100 three-ring binders.  I won’t bore you with further details but would be glad to regale interested parties with countless stories about, and scans of, my collection. A silly hobby, yes, (aren’t most hobbies?) but it has had a major influence on my life.  It got me interested in the world at an early age which eventually led to an M.A. in geography which, along with my undergrad degree in geology, was an excellent background for my career in environmental science.  When I realized earlier this year that the 4-day Great American Stamp Show (probably the largest annua...
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13 August 2025: Riding the Rails from Denver to Chicago – Part 2

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Story and photos by Will Mahoney   I awoke around 6:20AM as it was getting light.   The lush agricultural land and scattered woodlands passing my window reminded me that I was now far from Colorado.   I checked Google Maps on my phone and saw that the little blue dot marking our progress was now nearing Gretna in eastern Nebraska.   Downtown Omaha in the early morning light viewed from the Amtrak station.   At 7:00, we made a brief stop in Omaha.   Instead of immediately heading east across the Missouri River and into Iowa, the train headed south 20 miles to Plattsmouth, Nebraska where it finally crossed the Missouri.   South of Omaha, the Zephyr crossed the Platte River just above its confluence with the Missouri.    The logical route for Amtrak across Iowa from Omaha would cross the center of the state, serving Des Moines (the state capital, population 215,000), Iowa City (76,000, home of the University of Iowa), and the Quad Cities (Incl...
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18-19 November 2024: Vacation School Ends with a Fiesta

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After I returned from the weekend at the Paredón beach, there was only one day left of classes (Monday) followed by an end of vacation school pageant and special lunch on Tuesday.   On Monday, the students made Christmas trees with paper, green water-soluble paint, glue, and salt.   The mixture took forever to dry so I don’t think the kids got to take them home.   The pageant/fiesta had a Christmas theme as Thanksgiving is unknown in Guatemala.  Groups of students gave short performances or presentations of various things they had learned and practiced at the vacation school.  A good time was had by all including quiet and curmudgeonly old Will.     After lunch, I bid warm goodbyes to Eunice and Carmen who had supervised the exercises in the science lab where I spent most of my time as a volunteer.   I also thanked and was thanked by Susan García, the volunteer coordinator for the school, who had invited me to come help out several mon...
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