Care-A-Vanning Redux in Pagosa Springs

After thoroughly enjoying our first experience volunteering as Care-A-Vanners with Habitat for Humanity in Pagosa Springs, Colorado in June, we adjusted our schedule for the summer to return to the very same place for another two-week commitment. We knew that the experience could be very different because of the composition of a new volunteer group, … Read more

Surveying Miami’s Confederate Monuments

Confederate monuments have been much in the news, and the recent controversies have sparked some useful personal reflections. Growing up in the south, I didn’t particularly question the predominance of Confederate monuments. Mostly, I just mocked the maudlin, overwrought testimonies to the greatness and chivalry of the war dead which these monuments tend to feature. … Read more

A Slice of Cuban American History at the Freedom Tower

It’s one of the iconic buildings of Miami and has an inspiring name — yet we had never visited. We finally corrected this oversight and visited the Freedom Tower, located across from the American Airlines Arena at 600 Biscayne Boulevard (map). Originally built as the headquarters of The Miami Daily News in 1925, it is … Read more