GREENEVILLE TN - Had we planned our baseball trip algorithm differently, our visit to Greeneville could have instead been part of one five-day visit to the Tri-Cities (Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport) region - where the entire Western Division of the Appalachian League resides. Alas, this was our third visit ( Read more... )

Ed. note: This is the Christmas memo going out in my Christmas cards this year. If you're not on my IRL friends list -- or even if you are -- please accept my Merriest Christmakwanzukkah holiday greetings, and enjoy my year in review.What I did on my Covid vacation ( Read more... )

While I attempted and failed - perhaps wisely so - to schedule a meet-up with local friends of mine, it was just Chad and me for a birthmonth lunch at the Hard Rock downtown. (Members, such as Chad, get a meal discount during the month of their birthday ( Read more... )

NASHVILLE - Since our return flight didn’t leave Sioux Falls until 8pm, we opted for a road trip within a road trip.

The first stop was Vermillion, the home of the University of South Dakota Coyotes, for Chad's requisite college shirt ( Read more... )

SIOUX FALLS SD - Chad surprised me with his choice of breakfast downtown: BernBaum’s, which appeared to be a socially progressive place, given the headshots on the wall of African-Americans who, we’ll say, fell victim to alleged overaggressive policing. I ordered the Romainian sausage+egg; unsurprisingly, Chad did not ( Read more... )

FARGO ND - This morning, our visits stayed local ( Read more... )

BISMARCK ND - After lugging Chad and his chair back up the steps to ground level, we headed for breakfast at Marlin’s Family Restaurant, which Chad was relieved to find out didn’t sell fish. (Marlin? Get it?)

We then hit the big features of town. The self-promoted World’s Only Corn Palace is not really devoted to corn, though the murals - replaced ( Read more... )

MITCHELL SD - In this most unusual of years, the journey began on a Sunday morning, and given current conditions, nobody would fill in for me at the church piano. Perfectly understandable.

The first stop was in Hodgenville KY, the birthplace of some guy on some money.

Stationed outside, the park ranger oversaw my slightly damaged can of Ale-8-One ( Read more... )

Ed. note: This is the Christmas memo going out in my Christmas cards this year. If you're not on my IRL friends list -- or even if you are -- please accept my Merriest Christmakwanzukkah holiday greetings, and enjoy my year in review.

I hope that 2019 found you well and leaves you in the same condition.

The big thing in pop culture these days is ( Read more... )

Forget Harold & Kumar; for breakfast, we were the ones who went to White Castle. And in a fit of generosity, I purchased a box of sliders to take to the office for lunch. Granted, after the three-hour drive back - and dropping Chad and the luggage off at the house - the sliders were no longer at 100% warmth and freshness, but I heard no complaints ( Read more... )