Darrell Curtis

November 11: ‘The Two Towers’ Turns 71

Some journeys are long, some perilous, some quiet. And some teach us what it means to endure. The Two Towers (1954) The story continues the epic saga of courage, friendship, and endurance in Middle-earth. On November 11, 1954, the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, was published. TheContinueContinue reading “November 11: ‘The Two Towers’ Turns 71”

Veterans Day Reflection 2025

Before the stories unfold, before battles are fought in pages or fields, there are journeys that test heart, resolve, and endurance. November 11 is Veterans Day, set aside to honor those who have served in the armed forces. The holiday traces its roots to the Armistice that ended World War I at the “11th hour ofContinueContinue reading “Veterans Day Reflection 2025”

November 10: The Fall of Númenor And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth

Some stories linger quietly on the edge of legend, waiting for readers to trace the rise and fall of kingdoms, the forging of powerful artifacts, and the choices that shape history. The Fall of Númenor (2022) A curated collection of Tolkien’s Second Age writings, where ambition, courage, and consequence shape a world. The Fall ofContinueContinue reading “November 10: The Fall of Númenor And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth”

Egg Sandwiches, Elementary School, and Timeless Memories

There was a time when joy came in the form of an egg sandwich. My friend Alan used to bring them to school, still warm from his mother’s kitchen, wrapped with care inside a reused plastic bread bag. When he peeled it open, the smell hit first: that mix of fried egg, hot oil, andContinueContinue reading “Egg Sandwiches, Elementary School, and Timeless Memories”

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

On a cold November night fifty years ago, a massive freighter vanished beneath the waves of Lake Superior. Gordon Lightfoot’s haunting ballad captures the storm, the ship, and the 29 men lost on this day in 1975: an enduring story of courage, nature’s power, and memory that refuses to fade. August of 1976 I wasContinueContinue reading “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”