Category Archives: Memories

Aesop’s fables and storks in Poland.

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I once came across a pair of storks in Poland. They fascinated me, because I had never seen any storks in real life.  I had only seen storks in illustrations in children’s books when I was growing up. The storks … Continue reading →

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No man is an island entire of itself.

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I may be a morbid sort-of person… because I do think of death every day.  Professor Stuntz, who died earlier this month, was a few years younger than me, though way ahead intellectually and professionally. Although I never met the … Continue reading →

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A parent’s lament.

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Every time I listen to this song, I think of a Mother or a Father aching for his or her child.

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The bells of Dubrovnik: an old post, yet still relevant…

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

THE BELLS OF DUBROVNIK ring every hour and half hour, although they are silent throughout the night, when the local cats begin their hellish meows. From where I sat in the evening two summers ago, overlooking the city’s mosaic of … Continue reading →

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On getting old…

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Aging is like a rose: A calyx embraced by its sepals A bud in a vase An emerging corolla A blossom A bursting perianth… Should it be nipped in the bloom, A desiccated flower with all its beauty, color, and … Continue reading →

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A beloved professor, William J. Stuntz, has finally gone home.

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

William J. Stuntz has died. I never met the man, but was inspired by his contributions to his blog, Less and the Least, and wrote my thoughts here. For anyone who is either sick or knows someone who is, Professor … Continue reading →

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Voyeurism.

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I keep wondering whether my fascination (morbid awe?) with the devastation in Japan is a normal reaction or something more sinister…  I cannot help thinking that average human beings had their lives catastrophically disrupted in a blink of a second.  … Continue reading →

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Poland and Israel.

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Interesting interview by Haaretz of the Polish Foreign Minister: What is the meaning of the phenomenal renewal of Jewish culture in Poland today? Should we really accept the thesis, heard more and more, that Poland is a philo-Semitic country nowadays? … Continue reading →

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Fond memories of Prague…

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Shamelessly lifted from the US Embasy’s Facebook page.

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Great recipes: marinated eggplant.

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

UPDATE:  I would reduce amount of vinegar from 2 cups to 1 cup and increase water from 1 cup to 2 cups, to make the eggplant less lip-puckering! Yesterday, I decided to try an old Argentine recipe that my Mother … Continue reading →

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A love story.

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

It was a love token worn through the blood-drenched rice paddies and jungles of the Vietnam War. For Henri Huet, the Virgin Mary medallion was his one constant link to Cecile, the woman he loved. The celebrated Associated Press photographer … Continue reading →

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The children of heaven.

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Last night I watched another film by Iranian writer and director Majid Majidi (of The Color of Paradise fame).  What a beautiful movie! The Children of Heaven (1997) has no special effects, other than the piercing and expressive eyes of … Continue reading →

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Epiphany: The Twelfth Day of Christmas…

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Every Epiphany I think of my Grandfather, who would remind me not to forget about the Three Wise Men. Growing up in Argentina, I remember, as a little girl, being thrilled to leave my shoes on the window-sill the night … Continue reading →

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An Antique Chinese Noodle Dinner.

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I once tried a 100 year old egg at a Chinese Embassy dinner in Europe.  The Chinese considered it a delicacy, akin to caviar or goose liver pâte.   The egg had been buried in soil for 100 years.  It had … Continue reading →

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Wojtek, the Polish bear.

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I love learning something new…and today I found out about “Wojtek, the Polish bear soldier”: Wojtek’s greatest moment may have come when he voluntarily braved Nazi fire to help soldiers unload artillery shells at the Battle of Monte Cassino in … Continue reading →

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