Philly Tales Blog

“Ties that bind” is an English language idiom that generally refers to shared beliefs that connect people emotionally. Religion would be one tie, f...

People often tell you, “Don’t sweat the small things,” and that’s good advice when it comes to things that disturb you. However, it’s the small thi...

On November 22, 1963, I was working in the darkroom making prints of some target or another for my employer, the United States Air Force. It was a ...

Over the years, I have written a lot about the days we reserve to honor our military veterans (Veterans Day and Memorial Day). Growing up in the ye...

When you live in one place for a long time, you get comfortable with your surroundings, get used to the people who live near you, and become accust...

By Harry Hallman Kensington had a lot of hot rods, and in fact the whole country was crazy for hot rods in the ’50s and ’60s. Movies such as Rebel...

Dogs, Cats, Salamanders, and Scarlet Johansson. Oh my! By Harry Hallman Updated March 13, 2023 The other day while I was lying on my two-thousand-d...

Making a Buck By Harry Hallman Ben Franklin famously said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Obviously, he didn’t grow up in the Kensington sectio...

Kensington dads, in my era, came in all flavors. Some drank too much, others were overbearing,  and some ignored their kids. Most dads, however, di...

I once told you I have a time machine. Don’t laugh. You have one also. That time machine is my memories, coupled with my historical fiction writing...

Okay, so your ancestors came to Kensington and faced hardships, maltreatment, had to work long hard hours, and learn to adapt to a new way of life. They gave you the gifts they learned living and working in old Kensington. Learning those lessons was enough to make a person curse. Remember this, if you remember anything. The reason you curse so much is that your ancestors paved the way for you and left a few traits in you.

I was a bit stunned, but both of us were okay. The car, however, was not. We pushed the car to the side and decided to hitch a ride. You have to understand, we had been on the road for three days with no bath, were unshaven, and dressed in our Air Force winter fatigue jackets