Bits of Norfolk, Virginia

After going to Palm Sunday Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, we went to brunch at d'egg Diner, a breakfast place in downtown Norfolk. We enjoyed pancakes and omelettes and grits. 

Fun logo

We also enjoyed hot chocolate

The area has a lot of naval history, one of the most famous bits being the battle of the Ironclad ships during the American Civil War. 

Informational sign

The battle waters

Nearby is a small park with an Armed Forces Memorial. Several letters to loved ones have been rendered in metal and attached to the concrete floor, making a striking but subtle impression. The letters range from the War for Independence to very recent conflicts. 

Armed Forces Memorial

Right next door is Nauticus, a maritime museum that feature the USS Wisconsin, a battleship that served in World War II. 

Posing by the battleship?

A longer view of the battleship

The museum

Norfolk has one of the branches of the World Trade Center, housed in a very modern-looking building. Next door is something more classical.

World Trade Center

US Customs and Border Protection

We wanted to go to a baseball game. Norfolk has a AAA team for the Baltimore Orioles called the Norfolk Tides. The walk was not far (less than a mile) and we found some interesting things along the way.

Walking along the embankment of an overpass

At first, I thought this was a gun pointing up

Running from the photographer

Norfolk baseball stadium

Walking in

We stood in line for a few minutes then had the brilliant idea of ordering tickets online. I didn't really beat us making it to the front of the line but the online (on-phone) purchase was already made, so we used that to get in. It was doggy day in the park, but we only saw dogs at the entrance, not really in the stands. 

Our seats were in the sunshine, which turned out to be a bit hotter than we were prepared for. Like most AAA stadium, there are no bad seats as far as the view goes.

View of the game

Awesome fans

Reverse view

My wife started advocating for moving to seats that were unoccupied and in the shade. Eventually we agreed and moved behind home plate, with a better view of the pitching.

New view

The inter-inning entertainment included a race to build a hamburger. The tomato below happened to roll away, dooming the chances of that competitor.

Making a burger

We left after the seventh-inning stretch since the home team was not doing well (the game eventually ended with an 8-12 loss). On the way out we saw the mascots hanging out together. I am fascinated by their main mascot, a seahorse that looks very fierce (a seeming contradiction).

Mascots!

Don't mess with this pony

Outside the stadium is one of the many mermaid statues that are all over Norfolk.

Me and my mermaid

On the way back to the car, I made a second attempt on a geocache where the owner had emailed me a hint after a DNF (did not find).

View from the cache

The waterfront has one of those classic local tourism signs.

Have I seen this somewhere else?

Our last bit of tourism was to visit Mount Trashmore. The local dump was buried under dirt and turned into a park. The "mountain" isn't too tall but does provide a good spot for kites to catch wind and nice views. There are no recreations of U.S. Presidents' heads.

Mount Trashmore

Daughter running up

My son, less ambitious

View to one side of the mount

View of Lake Trashmore

Grandpa find a gentle slope

Kite flyers

A large and extensive playground is right nearby but our children were not interested because too many other children were there.

Playground

More playground

Another view of Lake Trashmore

Book Review: Catholic Essays by Stanley Jaki

Catholic Essays by Fr. Stanley L. Jaki

The essays in this collection were written in the 1980s, often responding to other essays or popular articles of the time. Two are lectures given on certain occasions--a paper given at a conference and a commencement address. The whole group deals with all sorts of topics, from science and Galileo to sexual ethics to business and even one on G. K. Chesterton. Jaki is a theologian and scientist by training, lending some balanced insight into the variety of issues. I had a professor who once said, "Eternal problems are always contemporary." Even though Jaki responds to his contemporaries, we still has some basic misunderstandings about, e.g., Galileo and the Church. Interestingly, Jaki predicts that the Catholic Church would reconcile with Galileo (St. John Paul II made an apology in 1992), though people on both sides of the argument refuse to stick their heads out of the trenches they've dug for themselves. 

I found a lot of value here. Like many books written for a then-contemporary audience, some references to other people or events may be obscure by now (I am old enough to remember most of them). Still, it is worth reading at least once. Jaki shows the breadth of Catholic interests in the breadth of topics he covers and uses the wisdom that has universal application.

Recommended, mildly if you are not Catholic.

SAMPLE QUOTE:

On God and multiverses: "For only God is beyond the universe. For if the word universe means anything, it excludes the possibility of another universe, let alone of other universes. If universes are in interaction with one another, they form only one universe. If they are not in interaction, they are mutually unknowable. There is indeed an elementary though devastating profundity in Newman's remark that only one thought is greater than the Universe, the thought of its Maker." [p. 18]

Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk, Virginia

The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception is in Norfolk, Virginia. Begun in 1791 as Saint Patrick's Church, at first it served French Catholics fleeing the French Revolution, then Irish Catholics. After a fire in 1856, a new church was built and named after the newly approved title "the Immaculate Conception," having been proclaimed dogma by Pope Pius IX. African American Catholics began worshipping here in 1886 when part of the choir loft was reserved for them. The Josephite Fathers came soon after and established a St. Joseph's parish that served the African American community. In 1961, St. Joseph's merged with St. Mary's into one parish. In 1991, the 200th anniversary of the parish, the church was declared a minor basilica. It is a place of special pilgrimage and the only minor basilica in Virginia (there are only 33 other minor basilicas in the United States!).

The parish today is predominantly African-American and is a very active parish. We visited on Palm Sunday in 2025. We found the liturgy profoundly moving. The vibrant, ebullient faith expressed there touch my wife and I deeply, especially with the recent loss of our son to suicide. The priest's homily discussed how Peter and Judas were the same and different. They both betrayed Jesus, Peter probably being worse since he had vowed not to abandon the Lord come what may. They differed in that Judas could not see Jesus extending mercy and forgiveness to him, despairing of the love of God for himself. Peter, even though wracked with guilt, held on to hope. Things turned out alright for Peter in the end. Even though he lived a hard life, he lived a good life in the service of God.

The front of the Basilica

Side view

The nave is breath-taking, with bright light in the sanctuary drawing worshipers forward almost physically.

Nave

The altar has several pictures of holy African-Americans, include Mother Mary Lang, Father Augustus Tolton, and Venerable Pierre Toussaint. 

Main altar

Pulpit, decorated for Holy Week

As a basilica, it has an umbraculum, a ceremonial umbrella that is opened when the Pope visits. It represents his authority and the special connection the church has with the Bishop of Rome.

Umbraculum

The presider's chair

The baptismal font has a dramatic statue behind it, I think of Saint Augustine (an African saint from the 300s and 400s who is one of the greatest theologians of the Catholic Church). 

Baptismal font

This is by the font, really not sure what it represents

The left side altar is dedicated to Our Lady. The right side altar is to Saint Joseph but I was unable to get a picture since the choir was still milling around in front of it.

Mary's altar

First station of the cross

The stained glass is very dramatic and eye-catching. The basics of Christ's life are shown over the sanctuary (birth, death, resurrection). The aisles are lined with windows of Jesus, Mary, and the saints.

Over the altar

What instrument is St. Cecelia playing?

We enjoyed worshiping here very much and highly recommend visiting the basilica if you are in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News area.

Batman Vol. 1 by S. Snyder et al.

Batman Volume 1: The Court of Owls written by Scott Snyder, penciled by Greg Capullo, and inked by Jonathan Glapion 

In this New 52 reboot of the DC universe (which happened in 2011), Batman protects Gotham from the super-criminals while Bruce Wayne finances a lot of reinvestment into housing and industry. He's even working with a new mayoral candidate who shares his vision for a better Gotham. A vicious and highly competent assassin is hunting Gotham's elite and makes a threat against Bruce Wayne life. The killer has an owl theme to his costume and there's a local nursery rhyme about a "Court of Owls" that has been ruling the city behind the scenes for hundreds of years. Bruce says there's no such things as a Court of Owls but as the story proceeds, there is clearly a hidden cult that is after both Bruce Wayne and Batman.

The story leans into the noir roots of Batman, giving him a voiceover describing how desolate the city is and how it could be a better place. He also describes the Wayne family's historic investments in developing Gotham, especially Alan Wayne who financed many skyscrapers in the early 1900s. Those turn out to have "nests" for the Owls hidden inside. Snyder has crafted some interesting new lore for Gotham and Batman's history making an intriguing story. I've enjoyed it enough to continue on.

Recommended, highly for Batman fans.

Movie Review: The Big Sleep (1946)

The Big Sleep (1946) directed by Howard Hawks based on the novel by Raymond Chandler

Let me summarize the plot...uh, let me tell you about the start of the story. Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is hired by General Sternwood (Charles Waldron), an old man with two vivacious and difficult daughters. Carmen Sternwood (Martha Vickers) throws herself at every man she sees, which includes Marlowe. Vivan Rutledge (Lauren Bacall) is her older sister who is a little more coy though she has her own problems. Sternwood wants Marlowe to take care of some gambling debts attributed to Carmen and to keep it quiet, even from Mrs. Rutledge (I think she's a widow, at least she acts like it). She tries to find out what Marlowe has been hired to do though he demurs, respecting the old man's wishes. As he investigates, a very tangled web of intrigue is revealed.

This film noir classic is famous for solidifying the "Bogie and Bacall" partnership (they had starred in To Have and Have Not a few years before and were married at this point) with some great banter and interactions between the two. It is also famous for the convoluted plot--the screenwriters at one point contacted Chandler to find out who had killed a certain character and even Chandler was not sure. The storyline is hard to follow, even watching it a fourth time. The dialogue is so good, even beyond the main couple's interactions. The directing style is unobtrusive but compelling, pulling viewers along at a breakneck pace that makes sorting out details so hard. Marlowe is a compelling character, a tough detective who is smart and honest but plays his cards very close to the vest. The whole thing is very satisfying even while being very confusing. Sorting out the puzzle is one of many joys this film provides.

Highly recommended.

The podcast Unspooled has a review and commentary on this episode here. Parental warning: their language can get PG-13/R-rated at times.