Fowler: Don’t Ask for Billion Dollar High Speed Rail
Carl Fowler is a railroad man. It’s in his blood and a proud part of his family history. He says that expecting billion dollar rail projects in 2018 is going to take too long. That we all should be working hard and advocating for regional rail. Slower railcars, like the […]
Virgin Trains USA Service in Florida, People Get Run Over
The most exciting transit development in years was marred by three fatalities when the new Brightline Train service between Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach commenced in January and two people immediately tried to cross the tracks and were struck by the high-speed trains. As of 2018, it’s called Virgin Trains […]
A Sicilian Chef Shares His Recipes in NYC
I made my way to the far south part of Manhattan to Little Italy, past Chinatown’s stores to a restaurant called Margherita NYC. Inside, Sicilian chef Giuseppe Costa, who runs restaurant il Baviglino in Palermo.was preparing a four-course feast. The evening was a bit awkward, if only because of the […]
Cancer Treatment Is Not Conducive to Blog Writing
I have been feeling the effects of cancer treatment and now understand precisely what it must have felt like for my old friend Kent when he got sick. Kent used to be a prolific poster. He would never go a day without a blog post, but as he endured a […]
Cats Bring Cozy into a Home
Life moves on and people pass away. I remember when we had our old cat, Mama Cat, thinking about how I would feel when she finally died. She was born in 2000 and died just a few months ago, 17 long years of a good life. I thought about what […]
My Goals for 2018 and a Look Back at Old Goals
Like the year 2018 that lies ahead, this blog is a wide-open empty vessel. What I pour into it is all up to me. One of the things I’ve done many times over the years is to publish my goals for the year ahead. I did this many times, in […]
Christmas: Lessons in Giving
Christmas marks the years; it’s more than a holiday, it’s kind of the bookend of a whole year. This year was a bit different, in that I didn’t feel that urge and compulsion to worry about buying presents. I just got a few things for Mary and didn’t get all […]
Steve McQueen: The Life of the King of Cool
He Defined Cool Before Cool Even Was Cool I’ve just finished a quick read–a biography of movie idol and all-around adventurer Steve McQueen by Dwight John Zimmerman. This series of biographies published by Motor Books incorporates an interesting design twist. Every page has a huge photo and the text is […]
Things I Really Love
In my advanced years, well at least years in which I have had time to reflect, I often like to think about things that truly make me happy. These aren’t wishes for world peace, and good health, but more pedantic little activities that brighten my day and bring me a […]
Pulse Cafe: A Vegan Experience in Hadley
Everyone has been talking about the newest restaurant in Hadley. It’s called Pulse Cafe, and it’s located where the bison farm used to be, in the big field across from Hadley Garden Center where all the Steve Lewis Subarus are parked. Yep, that one, the one that’s been under construction […]
Lessons Learned from Lunching
Almost every week I meet a friend or two and have a long lunch. I discover so many of the best new restaurants this way, and my friends always agree to wherever I want to dine. I feel like that is owed to me after a shift working alone in […]
The Pill Guy Calls Every Day
Today, I talked on the phone with my regular correspondents. Every day at 12:30 pm it’s my job to call my parents, Bumpy and Vally. I have to check to make sure that she’s taken her Parkinson’s medicine and so a regular caller am I. It’s one of the most […]
The Lymphoma Inside Me
This is one of those topics I’m not wild about sharing, but it’s kind of a big deal so share I must. I last spoke to my blog readers about this in November last year when I had a check-up that went well and all was ok. Now the area […]
Poker Playing Makes Thanksgiving Better
I was pleasantly surprised yesterday evening when a traditionally goofy penny-ante poker game staged each year at Thanksgiving became a full-on, challenging, normal-stakes poker game. What a treat! It’s hard, for some reason, to get people to play poker. There is only a certain type of man or woman who […]
No More Traveling Over Thanksgiving
It’s Wednesday, November 22, and it might as well be the holiday. Last night was the big crush of traffic on the highways, the airports were mobbed and according to NBC, more people will hit the road this week than ever before. Thanksgiving remains the only true four-day holiday we […]
S. Deerfield: How To Bring More Businesses In?
I met with a group of landlords and other folks who live or own property in my village, South Deerfield this morning to discuss what we can do to help bring more businesses into town and make the downtown more inviting. Present were Rick and Julie Neylon, Town Administrator Wendy […]
The Ups and Downs of Friendships
Friendships are important to me, sometimes I think I make them too important and I don’t realize that people are busy and they are not ignoring me–just living.
Why Do I Travel? The Answer is Clear
Why do I travel? Tonight, the answer couldn’t be clearer. Tonight, I am so aware of exactly why, and it’s given me an exhilaration and excitement about my upcoming trip. I’ve been sick and in bed way more than I ever have in the past two weeks, but now I’m […]