Waking Up on the Pacific Coast to go Surfing
I’m looking out at the oil drilling rigs and the misty pacific ocean from the Sun ‘n Sands Motel in Huntington Beach. This is the place that I got after requesting something with ‘character,’ and made my host Wendy say in email that ‘of course you’d think it was marvelous, […]
First Stop, Huntington Beach, aka Surf City
I tossed and turned last night, having dreams that I forgot to blog, or missed a flight, or some other figment of my imagination as I contemplate the nine days of travel ahead of me. Like so many other times, the nervous nellie in me makes packing, planning and actually […]
What’s Good for the Goose….Is Great for the Gander
Last night I read a story in the WSJ by Anita Raghavan about men who receive alimony–and don’t feel a bit bad about it. The story profiled a group of men whose high-earning wives paid them thousands of dollars a month, and resented the hell out of it. One producer […]
The Joy of Taking It All to the Dump
Ah the joy, the sweet utter joy, of ridding your lawn of the detrius that builds up over the long New England winter. I have been looking at the sticks, pine needles, and leaves that pile up and make my house look like a suburban ghetto. I have seen them […]
Stealing Her Blind, Employee Acts Like a Friend
On Saturday night, we had apple pie with a charming woman who said she doesn’t have many dates. It was surprising, because she was so much fun, and attractive, and she had what most men would want in a woman. As our pie plates were cleaned, the conversation topic turned […]
The Lonely Milkmen Wait, With Nothing to Do
It’s frustratingly cold, snow is on the lawn, and we’re heading to VT for a surprise 50th birthday. But I still had time this morning to read a few nuggets in my favorite newspaper, the WSJ. In India, there are milkmen who punch in to work every morning at the […]
Apple Breaks the Rules of Niceness–and Wins
I quickly finished reading the April issue of Wired last night. The cover story was about how Apple does well by going against all of the cooperative, sharing, and caring principals that have made other Silicon Valley businesses successful. They hide from the press and play hardball with anyone who […]
Black Funeral Directors Do Battle Every Day
Outside I am watching two ducks attempt to mate, splashing around on a half-frozen pond. Ahh, spring! Even little bunny hop has made an appearance, so, despite the threat of a snowstorm tomorrow, spring is coming along. We have brought back ice coffee and coffee ice cubes at the cafe, […]
Just Then Another Lady in a Bikini Popped Out
Scott Huler wrote a book about the trail of Odysseus, called Öne Man’s Odyssey, and we published an excerpt on GoNOMAD. Here is a nugget I enjoyed. A Single WordHeading towards a beach camping area that I thought might provide at least some shade and perhaps a public toilet, I […]
Bamboo, the Wiley, Impervious and Destructive Weed
Matthew Rose wrote a piece about fighting bamboo in today’s WSJ. Had me laughing outloud as I sat on a stool at the cafe watching cars drive by in the cold. The story follows the many ways people try to foil the bamboo plant. Specifically, the running bamboo that is […]
This Is How You Keep Your Shoes Organized
Cindy once told me the reason she wanted to buy a digital camera. You see before you the reason, it’s in her very organized closet. An enviably organized woman who has no equal in her quest to keep everything in order. I love it! (And her!)
A Depression? In 2008? Not So Fast
It is the first day of spring but it’s still not even forty degrees. Last night we had dinner with friends in Holyoke and one of them told us that she heard a TV report that 2008 would be the year of another great depression. That’s with a d, not […]
A Wry and Realistic View of Dating at Sixty
Today I had a delicious lunch in the cafe, our havarti and ham melt special. Then I had a chance to read an essay by Andree Aelion Brooks, who proved herself a witty, saucy and clever woman when it comes to men. Her point? That at her age, it’s best […]
April Will be Packed with Air Miles and New Travel Adventures
Outside a giant woodpecker is chomping suet at Cindy’s feeder. He is so big he can barely fit on the feeder, as he gulps down big bites of fat. It is still frustratingly cold, hovering at 35 degrees, and we are about to go out and do our Saturday chores. […]
To Build, Or Not to Build–Or Let’s Keep Looking
Yesterday my friend Jack took me to see four houses that are on the market here in our neighborhood. It was instructional, and it came after I told Jack and his wife Laura about my grandiose scheme to build a huge addition onto our little house on Mountain Road in […]
Persepolis Shows The Power of Shapely Eyes
Funny how when some people come to visit, I finally get out and do some of the things I really enjoy. Like go see a movie in a theater. Sam is visiting, so we went to an evening show of Persepolis, an animated movie in French about an Iranian girl.The […]
Chez Albert Is What a Restaurant Should Be
What makes a restaurant really special? Is it the way it feels when you walk in? Is it the lighting, the music, or is it the guy who greets you in French? Last night I discovered it’s all of these things as we celebrated Cindy’s birthday at Chez Albert in […]
"We All Thought We Were Going to Die"
Tonight as I dined on salad with roast chicken with my son in law Francisco, he told me about a terrible moment on Saturday night as he flew from Miami to Hartford on a Southwest Airlines flight. “I’ve never said that to myself before,” he said excitedly. “I actually thought […]