a.d. elliott - Take the Back Roads

Dear Henry, I found so many tidbits of wisdom reading Homer's Iliad and Odyssey   Here are some of my favorite quotes. "They that shun dishonor more often live than get killed, but they that fly save neither life nor name." "...For he that foments civil discord is a clanless, heartless outlaw." "A man does well to listen to the advice of a friend." "What could I do? All things are in the hand of heaven, and Folly, eldest daughter of Zeus, shuts many eyes to their destruction." "Still, death is certain, and when a man's hour is come, not even the gods can save him, no matter how fond they are of him." "There is no accounting for luck; Zeus gives prosperity to rich and poor just as he chooses." "All deeds do not prosper, and the weak confound the strong." "God grants this and withholds that just as he thinks right, for he can do whatever he chooses." "...For when a man has suffered much and been...

Dear Henry, About an hour from Roanoke, there is an interesting geological feature called Natural Bridge. Let me tell you all about it.  Natural bridge is a 215-foot tall / 90-foot wide limestone feature that spans Cedar creek. There is a lot of science about how this particular feature formed, something about the Beekmantown Group, Chepultepec Formation, and Sauk Sea, which brought the limestone here 450 million years ago. Then, about 500,000 to 1 million years ago,  Cedar Creek eroded a cave through this giant block of limestone. The cave's roof later collapsed, leaving a small portion that formed the natural bridge.  In pre-colonial America, this was the home to the Monacan people but was quickly overcome by settlers after the arrival of English colonials, despite the Treaty of 1677. As a result, many Monacan people ended up leaving the area and moving north. Eventually, the gorge would be claimed by the British Colonial Government and given to the King. Thomas Jeffers...

Dear Henry, Book Two, Homer's Odyssey, of the Bucket List Book Adventure ( read about that here ) is done! Let me tell you all about it. As I mentioned in my note about the Iliad , Homer's Odyssey is one of two remaining works written around 800 BC and about an event that occurred around 1250 BC.  The Odyssey picks up the story of Odysseus ten years after the Trojan War and the events of the Iliad. He still hasn't made it home to Ithaca and is stuck on the island of Ogygia with the goddess Calypso. His wife Penelope and son Telemachus are in Ithica, living in limbo because Odysseus hasn't returned home yet, nor has he been declared dead. Suitors across Greece are camped at Odysseus's house, attempting to woo Penelope while eating and drinking Telemachus out of his inheritance.  Eventually, the gods (except for Poseidon) take pity on both Odysseus and Telemachus and begin to aid the pair. Athena directs Telemachus to travel to Nestor, the King of Pylos, and Menelaus,...