Anthony Kalberg

 In the Prologue of GHOSTS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI, the book’s author, Clarence John Laughlin, writes: “This book will attempt to present the evolution of Louisiana plantation culture, in terms of the contrast, and the adhesion of two subtly related, unlike, elements—that which may roughly be called historico-architectural, and that which pulsates around poetic vision.” Mr. […]

“A destiny that leads the English to the Dutch is strange enough; but one that leads from Epsom into Pennsylvania, and thence into the hills that shut Altamont over the proud coral cry of the cock, and the soft stone smile of an angel, is touched by that dark miracle of chance which makes new […]

Good morning! As a child back in the 50s, oftentimes after church, Mom, Dad, and I would eat lunch in the dining room of the Edgewater Gulf Hotel. After lunch, they would sit in comfy lawn chairs while I romped and played under the cathedral of oaks that graced the manicured lawn. In the fall, […]

     “It’s hard to believe they are gone. The piers are still there. The bon voyage baskets, piled high with impractical fruits and jellies, still line the shelves of the gourmet shops. In midtown Manhattan, there’s even a postcard still for sale, showing the Queen Elizabeth, Mauretania, a Sylvania-class Cunarder, the America and the Independence […]

     TITANIC! The mere mention of the name conjures sepia-toned images of elegant ladies and sophisticated gentlemen gliding up and down the Grand Staircase as they stroll to the Jacobean-style dining room or the cozy warmth of their walnut-paneled staterooms. Even the steerage passengers were exposed to luxuries heretofore unknown by them. Electric lights. Fresh […]

On a Sunday evening in the hot summer of 1966, my dear parents and I joined Gulfport’s First Baptist Church. As we walked down the aisle, and the pastor, Dr. William Tanner, greeted us, I was fascinated by the greenish-amber stained-glass dome soaring over our heads. I was fourteen. That walk and that decision is […]

“The Great Gatsby” is one of my favorite novels and movies. I’ve reread the novel twice, just within the last year or so, and watched the 1974 movie (my favorite version) about three weeks ago. Every time I read or watch “The Great Gatsby,” I discover a heretofore unknown treasure. Fitzgerald’s masterpiece weaves a rich […]

When we read about the Titanic, its 1st Class passengers, with their gilded wealth and posh lifestyles, are always front and center. 2nd Class passengers are mentioned too, a myriad of preachers, missionaries, businessmen, teachers, and middle-class families. When 3rd Class passengers are mentioned, most have one thing in common—the better life awaiting them in […]

In the summer of 1958, the Kalberg’s took a vacation to Silver Springs, Florida. While there, Mom packed us a huge lunch and off we went for a picnic. There’s Pop sporting some cool sunglasses while eating a delicious homemade bacon and tomato sandwich. And there’s me hugging a cold, coke-a-cola in a small bottle. […]

Micah 6:8 – “Do Justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God.” – was one of my dear mother’s favorite Bible verses. She was so inspired by this verse that she cross-stitched it as a New Year’s resolution in 1989. In her old red Bible, she wrote: “DOING justly means righting wrongs, championing the oppressed, being […]

As Father Time shuffles off this mortal coil and awaits the arrival of the New Year baby, I’ve come to the end of the year and the decade amazed at how quickly 3,650 days disappeared. I’ve also pondered the grains of sand that have sifted through the hourglass of my life. I can, however, remember […]

“I love you.” To my knowledge, my dear father never said these words to me. But did he love me? He was, after all, a man who grew up in hard times and lived with the limitations of a heart seared by childhood scarlet fever. During the Great Depression, when Dad was in his teens, […]

As I enter my “golden” years, I often sit in the still quiet of the morning, a hot cup of coffee in my hand, pondering what the future holds and the past reveals.Thoughts of the future usually find me traveling down a bumpy road, ending in a dead-end. It’s best to leave those thoughts at […]

Ever had a TV series change your life? I have. The 1981 Masterpiece Theater series, Brideshead Revisited, based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh, was that life changer. While watching it, I was whisked back to Oxford, England, in the 1920s. The ancient buildings, the men’s clothes, and their posh manners, coupled with the intrigue […]

In the 1960s, the Mississippi Gulf Coast was suspended in time. Unlike today, there were no high-rise apartment buildings, garish casinos, ballparks, or aquariums. There were, however, magnificent houses, grand old hotels, mom-and-pop motels, full-service gas stations, sophisticated nightclubs, and a few not-so-sophisticated ones. Time wasn’t necessarily standing still, but it certainly wasn’t winning any […]

In a country torn apart by race, anarchy, murder, and death, the Book of Proverbs is a good read for those who long for wisdom in these dark days. Even if you believe the Judeo-Christian Bible is nothing more than a book of fairy tales or at best, a quasi-history book, it can still be […]

With the onslaught of a caustic election, coupled with a toxic virus, I’ve heard people say, “I have nothing to be thankful for.” Really? Let me tell you what I’m thankful for. After a good night’s sleep, I awoke this morning and planted my feet on the softness of a Persian rug. Thankfully, my feet, […]

For those who know me, you know that I keep a journal, which I started in 1966. I was fourteen. Reading back over the years is bittersweet – the mountain tops, the valleys; the gains, the losses; the loves, the unrequited loves; but most of all, it’s the memories of bygone days that jump off […]

When I was a child in the late 50s and early 60s, Thanksgiving was always a family affair. Mom, Dad, and I usually celebrated it alone, just the three of us enjoying a simple, pleasant time together. Mom cooked a traditional meal for lunch, I helped wash the dishes, and then we were off on […]

“Kal! We’re going to Disney World for New Year’s! And we’re staying at the Grand Floridian! I won’t take NO for an answer!” I could almost feel Aston’s excitement crackling through the phone lines. “I’ve not seen you in years,” his voice pleaded, “Please go with me.” It had always been hard to tell him […]

While watching old movies, I often wonder if the actors who appear in them ever watch themselves on TCM. As they stroll down memory lane, what do they see in the flickering gray light of their former theatrical glory? Do they chuckle at their pratfalls, draw a deep breath remembering an uncomfortable costume, or wipe […]

Death is multifaceted. After a loved one passes away, first comes the pain of loss, the tears, the funeral, the closing of the casket, and the cemetery. Not long after, though, the business side of death comes calling. The will’s read, banks, and financial institutions are contacted, death certificates sent. After days, or weeks, or […]

Christmas is many things to many people. Giving special gifts. Traveling to unusual places. Fun with special people. But most of all, Christmas is a season of traditions. Each year at this time, families all over the world re-create those traditions. Perhaps it’s inviting family and friends to Christmas Day lunch, the same invites as […]

One year ago today, February 22, 2019, God called my dear mother Home. The morning was foggy with rain. A dull silence filled the house. I’d slept a somewhat sleepless night, pondering what the future held for Mom and me since she was practically bedridden. When I checked on her in the wee hours of […]

Because of my age, my friend’s parents are in their late 80s or early 90s. Attending their funerals is bittersweet—happily they’re Home, though, no more tears, no more pain. Their funerals evoke something else, too, another day and age. While waiting to offer my condolences to family members, I enjoy watching the sideshow of vintage […]

I love this month—warm days, somewhat cool nights, a respite before the onslaught of a sticky-hot, south Mississippi summer! I also love lilies and caladiums. It gives me great pleasure to lovingly plant the bulbs in winter. Then, in early spring, one by one, their little, bushy-green haloes slowly emerge from God’s rich earth. As […]

In 1962, at the ripe old age of ten, I remember thinking, “Seventy! Yikes! That’s really old!” As I sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my seventy-year-old Aunt Pocahontas Maria Price (yes, that was her real name), I studied the deep crevices in her sweet, wrinkled face. Her thick glasses made her eyes look like huge, deep-blue […]

Dear Mom, Oh! How I miss you! I don’t know where the past four years have gone since last I heard your sweet voice, felt the warmth of your loving touch, and saw the sparkle in your blue eyes. Do you remember the day we took this picture? It was in the early 2000s for […]

Mama’s been in Heaven three years today. While sitting on the seawall this morning, looking out across the tawny-brown waters of the Gulf, the morning mist against my face, I thought of that rainy morning that God called her Home. I remembered Mama’s low, raspy breathing. How quiet and still she was. And how warm […]

Twenty-five years ago, the early morning air was thick with the smell of melting frost. Dusted with shards of sunlight, the ice glazed everything it touched with a kaleidoscope of prismatic colors. As I stood, looking out a window of Ochsner’s Intensive Care Unit, little did I know that come day’s end, the frost would […]

                  For those who knew my father, you know how gregarious he was, never meeting a stranger. Boy! Pop could talk, but only when he had something to say. Otherwise, he was hidden behind the latest issue of the Daily Error, as we old-timers loving call our local fish wrapper. If not reading the […]

                  I am thankful that the elections are over. Perhaps now we as a country can begin to heal. Let us put all rancor, hate, and violence behind us and move forward. Congratulations are in order. MR. BIDEN you’ve been elected by a majority and the Electoral College—a wounded nation looks to you for […]

By this time one-hundred and eight years ago, the real ship of dreams, R.M.S. Titanic, was no more than a twisted wreck, surrounded by a graveyard of people’s lives, memories, hopes, and dreams. Ever since my Dad and I watched the 20th Century Fox movie, “Titanic,” one Saturday afternoon in 1966, I’ve been mesmerized by […]

Early this morning, I had the strangest dream that I’ve had in recent memory. In it, I was sitting on the banks of a placid, indigo-blue lake. In front of me, a velvety carpet of verdant green grass, dappled by the sunlight shining through the trees, slowly sambaed its way to the water’s edge. Pairs […]

Twenty-five years ago, it was a windy, cold afternoon. I stood in a long line at the picture show with a massive crowd of strangers. After purchasing my ticket, I found my way to my favorite seat, under the projection booth window, and nestled into the seat’s turquoise-blue upholstery. Then I waited, waited with anticipation […]

My father loved to travel. His two favorite means of travel were the family auto or by train. Planes were a last resort because Pop loved to see the countryside. Two of our road trips by car are acid etched in my memory. One was in 1964 when I was 12. We were gone three […]

In a country torn apart by race, anarchy, murder, and death, the Book of Proverbs is a good read for those who long for wisdom in these dark days. Even if you believe the Judeo-Christian Bible is nothing more than a book of fairy tales or at best, a quasi-history book, it can still be […]

Good evening from London. We went to Westminster Abbey this afternoon. I was awestruck by its majesty and grandeur. Sam and I decided to go our separate ways while in the Abbey. Later in the day, I went looking for him, and found him in the tomb where Elizabeth I was interned. With an ashen […]

Who’s the chubby kid standing near the orchestra, I asked while sitting in the choir loft of Gulfport’s First Baptist Church? Don’t you know, replied a fellow choir member? His name’s Keith Ballard. He’s singing the boy soprano part in our cantata. And thus began my friendship with Keith. He was in the 6th grade, […]

By this time, a year ago today, I was on Delta flight 4874 bound for Atlanta. Later that evening, I flew out of Atlanta on Flight 0032 bound for London’s Heathrow Airport and the fulfillment of a fifty-five-year-old dream. The 1960s British TV show, The Avengers, instilled a dream in my heart. And my dear […]

While recently waiting in line for some eye meds at the local apothecary shop, I spotted what I thought was an old friend of mine, who seemed to whisper, “Please don’t leave me here. It’s been so long since last we met.” I didn’t and quickly picked up the reissued National Geographic magazine that initially […]

On Christmas Day, 2016, the sunlight slowly melted the delicate tracery of the morning frost hugging the rooftops on dear ole Wilson Drive. Little did I know that would be my last Christmas with my “mom.” Why the quotations? Although Mom was not called Home until 2019, Christmas 2016 was the last time she was […]

On a Sunday evening in the hot summer of 1966, my dear parents and I joined Gulfport’s First Baptist Church. As we walked down the aisle, and the pastor, Dr. William Tanner, greeted us, I was fascinated by the greenish-amber stained-glass dome soaring over our heads. I was fourteen. That walk and that decision is […]

One year ago today, February 22, 2019, God called my dear mother Home. The morning was foggy with rain. A dull silence filled the house. I’d slept a somewhat sleepless night, pondering what the future held for Mom and me since she was practically bedridden. When I checked on her in the wee hours of […]

As Father Time shuffles off this mortal coil and awaits the arrival of the New Year baby, I’ve come to the end of the year and the decade amazed at how quickly 3,650 days disappeared. I’ve also pondered the grains of sand that have sifted through the hourglass of my life. I can, however, remember […]

Christmas is many things to many people. Giving special gifts. Traveling to unusual places. Fun with special people. But most of all, Christmas is a season of traditions. Each year at this time, families all over the world re-create those traditions. Perhaps it’s inviting family and friends to Christmas Day lunch, the same invites as […]

The crazy, chaotic summer of 1969 is remembered for many things: Woodstock, Chappaquiddick, the moon landing, the Zodiac Killer, and Charles Manson. But for those of us who lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we remember only one thing about that summer: Hurricane Camille. Her very name conjures visions of apocalyptic destruction, heartache, and death. […]

For those who knew my father, you know how gregarious he was, never meeting a stranger. Boy! Pop could talk, but only when he had something to say. Otherwise, he was hidden behind the latest issue of the Daily Error, as we old-timers loving call our local fish wrapper. If not reading the paper, he […]

Just finished watching Kenneth Branagh’s remake of Agatha Christie’s classic tale of murder on the Orient Express. While watching the movie, I could not help but think of a time in the not-to-distant future–when my dear mother no longer needs me–that I too may take a long train ride in the depths of winter. I […]