James Hunter Listened to His Own Set of Musicians Growing Up in England
When James Hunter was growing up in Colchester, England, I bet he listened to a much different bunch of records than his mates. I can see a whole lot of Sam Cooke, old Elvis, and maybe some ska records on his teenaged turntable, instead of what his peers might have […]
You’d Be Amazed At What You Find at the Dump, She Told Me
Last night I sat by a fire with two new friends. One was a well-known graphic designer in town, who had biked over and after we said good bye he said he had 12 miles to pedal. My other host told me when I admired her restaurant stove that she […]
Barack Asks for a Signed New Yorker Cover
This is from CNN, a transcript of a recent interview with Howie Kurtz and David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker. I had the honor of being rejected by the magazine a few weeks ago. But my friend who works there was very nice saying that often stories he suggests […]
Living In the Moment and Savoring the Water
It’s finally feeling like summer, and that’s a relief after our spring fits and starts. Summer always used to mean swimming, but it’s been nearly a decade since I enjoyed a dip in the local river. We drove over to Deerfield Academy and began the walk. I always say, when […]
Garimpieros Fight to Use Their Shovels in Angola
The WSJ headline had “Blood Diamonds” in it, and today I learned about Angola’s flourishing and persecuted garimpeiros. These are the legions of poor men who make a living using a screen and a shovel to wash gravel in shallow mines, for diamonds. Unlike in South Africa where mines go […]
The Taste of Amherst Goes On, Taste of Northampton, Not So Much
It’s June 18, and yet it feels like we’re in the midst of July. On the radio, I heard Tim Nourse of the strawberry farms say that all of the berries were a week early. And that he expected to be seeing sweet corn at farmstands a few weeks early […]
The Oxologist Doles Out Just a Smidgen of Prized Balsamic
This man is an Oxologist…he savors and samples and stores away casks of some of the world’s oldest Balsamic vinegar. He told us that his children all got two small casks when they were born, and decades later, they take a smidge now and then.
As the PC Chokes and Seizes Up, I Thank God for My Mac
I left my Mac laptop at the office, and was forced to use my daughter’s Dell to post this morning. EGADS, what a frustrating and annoying experience! There are so many programs trying to run, mischievious little demons raising their hands, me, me!! and so the keyboard is sluggish and […]
Maybe This Is the Solution to Cheap Rail Service
The Skunk Railroad, that runs between Fort Bragg and Willets, California. It’s a 22-mile line that uses just this little diesel powered car with luxurious seats. Compact and soon to be connected to high speed rail service directly. Can we do this between the Valley and Boston?
Krug: Your Website Readers Are Only a Click Away from Bailing Out
A kind and generous friend who knows me well sent me a surprise. It came in my business mailbox, it was a book called “Don’t Make Me Think,” by Steve Krug. The point of the book was how to make your website more user-friendly and intuitive. I’ve devoured half of […]
Charlie Donilon Remembers When 200 Stripers Were the Day’s Catch
As we sat in the flying bridge aboard his 46-foot fishing boat, the Snappa, Charlie Donilan told me about the olden days. He began fishing here in Narrangansett Bay in 1971. “Back then, jeez, you wouldn’t believe what we’d catch. We’d come back with 200 stripers, and hundreds and hundreds […]
Perry Raso Got His Start Digging Clams; Now He Raises Oysters
When Perry Raso was in high school, he discovered a way to always have walking around money. It came from below the wet sand near his home in South Kingstown, RI. Digging clams was the way he kept his car running and his wallet full back then. Today Raso is […]
The Great American Trailer Park Musical: Nonstop Fun!
Pippi is an exotic dancer who has run away from her magic-marker sniffin’, gun totin’ beer swillin’ ex-boyfriend. She finds refuge in Stark Florida, where a collection of trailer park characters reside, ‘on the other side of the tracks’ in Armadillo Acres. Last night I enjoyed a ribald, rauchy ride […]
“Look at that Ass…Now That’s a Good Looking Cow!”
“Look at that ass! And those big hind legs!” We were out in the middle of a grassy cowfield, pockmarked with cowpies, and farm manager Jeff Farrell was eying the merchandise, thinking of what would end up on some lucky Rhode Islander’s plates. We were getting a close-up view of […]
Take That, Detroit Bashers!
Some times writers challenge us with destination stories about questionable places. Dicey places that really don’t deserve to be considered as travel destinations, but they make their case and we take a look. I’ve been emailing with a writer from DC named Lisa Singh for a while now…her topic definitely […]