
Dachau is a testament to the German sense of order and efficiency. The camp is a huge box surrounded by a moat and two rows of fencing. Guard towers overlook the perimeter. The interior consists of an administration building and quarters for the guards, plus row upon row of box-like plywood structures to house the inmates. Image by Del Stone Jr.
It was hot the day we came to Dachau. The air was thin and unbreathable, the sun boring through the haze with a strange determination. Absolutely nothing should be right with a place where hundreds of thousands of people were… READ MORE

This is a look back at the restaurant that occupies Eagle's Nest, Adolf Hitler's mountaintop retreat in Bavaria during World War II. Image by Del Stone Jr.
A river runs through the little town of Bertchesgaden, Germany – a clear, blue ribbon of foam, as pretty as a river can be. The river tumbles down from mountains that ring the village like a crown reaching into the… READ MORE

Germans refer to Berlin as the world's biggest construction project. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
The drive from Leipzig to Berlin, in what was once East Germany, carries you from the past into the future. The past begins on the autobahn, which in some places still uses the cobblestone-like ext and entry ramps of the… READ MORE

Greenery is abundant, even in German cities. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
When I got back from my trip to Europe, Staff Writer Bruce Rolfsen asked me, “How many columns are you gonna milk this trip for?” I answered, “Oh, about 14.” He laughed. I laughed. As I mentally laid out Column… READ MORE

The author snapped this photo of the Delta jetliner he flew aboard to Germany. In the column he referred to it as a DC-10 but in all probability it was an MD-11. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
A large group of my friends – large enough to physically overpower me – escorted me to the airport for my recent trip to Europe. They know I’m a weenie about flying (as if I hadn’t collapsed into their arms… READ MORE

Planes wait at skyways at Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport in this 1997 photo. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
It was not a good day to fly. To the north, an evil brew of clouds simmered. They’d been cooking in the August sun for hours, and now rain threatened to spill over. But more than rain bubbled in those… READ MORE

Image courtesy of picryl.
And God said, “Let there be bureaucracy”: My Destin correspondent, Winona Havey, who frequently ponders the imponderable and mails me the results, forwarded to my attention this little gem, which I now forward to you: “In the beginning, God created… READ MORE

Image courtesy of Flickr user Lance H. Bates under the auspices of a Creative Commons license. https://www.flickr.com/photos/7977365@N08/5709021472/
A number of people called, e-mailed, faxed, or contacted me via the Intergalactic Council to let me know what a rube I am for suggesting flying saucers are a figment of the collective unconscious. One person even admonished me to… READ MORE
Feel no evil: Have you heard the medical expression “target organ”? I’m told it refers to the organ that becomes the target of all your health fears, sometimes to the point you actually feel pain in said organ. Worried about… READ MORE
Lord, help us: Why should there be any question about religion in school up at Niceville? The issue was settled 221 years ago by people who, having experienced religious persecutions and selectivism, wisely decided that our government, and every endeavor… READ MORE