Grits ain’t groceries, eggs ain’t poultry, and Mona Lisa was a man. That has absolutely nothing to do with this post. But the song was on as I drove home from my hike, and I love that song! Have you seen the movie, The Accountant? Like Christian Wolff in the movie, I too am a… Read More Last Post (this year) – Dec 2016
Family, friends, fun…we had nothing but a great time this Christmas weekend. Drew drove home from school in Michigan, Michela came home from school in North Carolina, and her friend Hasan flew in from Nebraska. And the weather could not have been nicer here in Atlanta! Prior to Christmas we had a very nice visit… Read More Christmas – 2016
I fully realize looking at someone else’s photos might be close to torture, but none-the-less I put together some of my favorites from our travels in 2016. For me the criteria for choosing these photos was simple: does the photo stir an emotion, trigger a cool memory, or just put a smile on my face.… Read More Favorite 2016 Photos
One of the most common questions I am asked (second only to how exactly did you get Karen to marry you) is what is my favorite place visited this year? Since we have finished our travels for the year, I thought it would be timely to put this list together. I struggle with this question,… Read More Top 10 Places – 2016
What a great weekend! Here’s hoping you and yours had a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving, and that you, as do we, have plenty to be thankful for. And for us? We were most particularly thankful for having two great children that we are so proud of. Laugh? I don’t remember laughing so hard as I… Read More Thanksgiving – Nov 2016
Week 2… Wanda is looking like a trailer again! If you remember, last week the trailer and surroundings looked like this. After having the trailer gutted of everything but the shower stall, repairs have been made to the subflooring, new flooring is in, and fixtures have been reinstalled. This is a monumental amount of work… Read More Airstream Makeover part 2 – Nov 2016
Slowly I turned… step be step… inch by inch… Welcome to the land of rainbows and mist! By the way, visiting Niagara Falls on a weekday in the middle of November is a great way to avoid the crowds. Leaving son Drew, good friends and Boston in my rearview mirror, I headed back towards the… Read More Niagara Falls – Nov 2016
If you’ve ever owned a home, a boat, a pool or a lawn mower, you know from time to time they need work. Trailers, even Airstreams, are no exception. I am here at the Airstream Service Center in Jackson Center, OH. Upon arrival at the terra port, I was greeted by this sorry looking fellow… Read More Airstream Makeover part 1 – Nov 2016
Trying to maintain a rich tradition of Halloween themes which have poor taste, social irresponsibility, and no redeeming value (you know, kind of like this election), I believe this year we met our goal. Every year we deliberate over a number of ideas for Halloween. Invariably we choose the worst of the worst; this year… Read More Halloween – Oct 2016
For any TCPC peeps, or anyone else interested, following is a digital copy of the book in the TCPC clubhouse entitled the History of TCPC (Tennessee Cumberland Plateau Campground). I know there is a PDF history of the campground but wasn’t sure if anyone had preserved this book, along with the 27 8×10 color glossy… Read More TCPC History – Oct 2016
As a terra firma guy who enjoys keeping his heart rate steady and his feet on the ground, we joined good friends in Fayetteville, West Virginia for Bridge Day, a celebration that involves the longest span bridge in the world – and people who find it exhilarating to jump or rope off it. What? Why… Read More WV Bridge Day – Oct 2016
One of our favorite activities, first tried several years ago, is to bike the Virginia Creeper – a 34 mile rails-to-trail route that extends from Abingdon, VA, through Damascus, on up to Whitetop Station in the Mount Rogers Recreation Area near the North Carolina border. We peddled the 18 miles from the top at Whitetop… Read More Virginia Creeper – Oct 2016
Howard Finster. Preacher? Artist? Alien from another planet? Quite frankly, I think the verdict is out, but personally I am leaning towards the latter. In our never ending goal of trying to find beautiful, fun or quirky places to visit, my bride identified a local point of interest she thought I might enjoy “shooting” –… Read More Paradise Garden – Sept 2016
Woohoo! Recently I remarked about a great recording of the band Widespread Panic. Last night we got to experience them live at the Verizon Ampitheatre in Alpharetta, GA. Wow!! This is a GREAT jam band. There is a cult-like following to this band (almost everyone I talked to asked me how many times had I… Read More Widespread Panic – Sept 2016
See? I knew I’d have your attention. In preparation for making our sojourn to New England this summer, I took a look at a popular beer listing (beeradvocate.com) and found there was some top ranked brewers in New England. Far be it for me to ignore this important information. Once you know, well, you know.… Read More Beer – Sept 2016
Once again the Prince Howard hood celebrates its sense of family, community and camaraderie with the Rock the Block Party. Thanks to Brandt and Renee for hosting this year’s neighborhood party! Everyone brought something, whether it was food, beverages or just conversation. The kids had a bouncy machine to jump around in. For those who… Read More Rock the Block – Sept 2016
The National Park Service was created this month in 1916, one hundred years ago, “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”, and… Read More National Park Service 100th Anniversary – Aug 2016
I must be getting my period. While it would not be uncommon for me to blow a little sunshine up your skirt, I woke up yesterday and, well, things weren’t right. I went for a walk, which always, normally, is a good thing. It seems I woke up with my glass half empty. We were… Read More No – Aug 2016
In our transit south we decided to spend a night in one of our favorite places – Winter Island in Salem, MA. After a gorging meal of lobster at Woodman’s in Essex, I sat out around our campsite and took some photos into Salem Harbor and across to Marblehead – for your viewing pleasure (I… Read More Salem Harbor – Aug 2016
When you are retired every day is Saturday, and this is no exception. I am sitting in our camper up in the White Mountains enjoying a thunderous and continuous rain over a cup of coffee, staring at my new found friend. Unlike our tenting neighbors, we are dry. And unlike our trip to Vermont, where… Read More New Hampshire – Aug 2016
Farms and charm – that is the essence of Vermont. Yes, brooks, streams, stone walls, cows, granges, hippies, cowboys, Subarus, hikers and skiers. But in the end, it is farm and charm. For those who have never been to Vermont, well, sad for you. In many ways this remains the Free and Independent Republic of… Read More Vermont – Jul/Aug 2016
Since our servants were off duty this day, I took several weeks’ worth of laundry to the laundromat in Manchester, VT. While there, I struck up a conversation with some obvious hikers (I won’t say how I knew they were hikers – no actually, they had already showered). Yes, they were hiking the Appalachian Trail… Read More Zero Day on the AT – July 2016
Five degrees cooler and 10 miles east of Bennington, VT, is the Woodford State Park. Situated in southern Vermont in the Green Mountain National Forest, we camped here for about four days. Just being in Vermont is a special treat, but staying in this campground, only a few miles from where the Appalachian Trail crosses… Read More Bennington, VT – July 2016
Tattoo anyone? We’ll get back to that. The north shore of Boston, including Cape Ann, is a very special place. From Nahant, up through Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem, Peabody, Beverly, Beverly Farms and all of Cape Ann (Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Gloucester, Rockport) just begs to be explored. With limited time (isn’t that always the case?) we did… Read More North Shore/Cape Ann – July 2016
With multiple stops along the way, we made our first New England destination this trip at Winter Island in Salem, MA. You know, Witch City. We are essentially camped on Salem Harbor, so we are anywhere from 20-40 feet from the water, depending on the tide. The views are unbelievable. Salem is a terrific town,… Read More Salem, MA – July 2016
Brexit… schmexit. We just plain old celebrated the 4th of July. Whether you were one of the 60,000 people in Atlanta who ran the Peachtree, cooked on the barbecue, stayed close to the pool, marveled at the brilliance of the Declaration of Independence, or sat with a book to while away the oppressive heat of… Read More 4th of July – 2016
Friends of ours invited us to join them at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in midtown to see the “Chihuly in the Garden” exhibit. It has been a very long time since I visited any botanical gardens, but the Atlanta Botanical Garden was superb. When you marry natural beauty with art, the result can be spectacular,… Read More Chihuly in the Garden – July 2016
There is something therapeutic about taking a walk in the woods – not needing to see anything particular of note, just enjoy what nature offers. As a seasoned veteran, though, I know that if I take a walk in the woods without my camera, there will be lions and tigers and dancing bears. So I… Read More A Walk in the Woods – June 2016
Did Drew escape to the Great White North never to be heard from again? Well, sort of. Truth is, Child Unit 2 has fallen in love with the UP. Upper Peninsula, that is. Michigan. Lake Superior. We are talking north of the 47th parallel, so it is closer to Santa’s workshop than it is to… Read More Houghton, MI – June 2016
Our daughter Michela (also known as Child Unit 1) has her birthday this week; we cannot celebrate in person because she is out of country in northern Iraq for the summer. Since time zones are messed up and our Friday is really her weekend, I thought I would post this a little bit before her… Read More Michela’s Birthday – June 2016