In November 2012, I started taking classes at The Studio for Actors. The long-term goal is to create a show about my bicycle travels through all 50 of the United States and living car-free in Tucson. This show will combine storytelling, photos, and live music. While it’s fun to talk about long-term performance goals, there…
It’s been almost 18 years since my last trip to the mining camp-turned artists’ colony and tourist destination, Bisbee, Arizona. I’m pleased to announce that I broke my Bisbee fast yesterday. Bisbee is one of those places that’s easy to love — and satirize. Matter of fact, a local bumper sticker describes Bisbee as being…
There’s something about visiting the zoo. You can’t help but wonder who’s being more closely scrutinized, the animals or the humans. Let’s begin our tour at the pelican beauty parlor. Nothing like preening with a whole crowd watching. Not that this pelican cares… If you’re a giant iguana, you can pretty well forget about having…
My two previous posts covered Vermont’s annual fall color extravaganza and the impact of a (we hope) once-in-a-lifetime disaster. Time to look at some other aspects of the Green Mountain State. My visit to Vermont coincided with the peak of the fall colors. It also rained just about every day that I was in the…
During the final weekend of August, Hurricane Irene was approaching the eastern United States. Since I have family back there, I called to make sure that everyone was all right. The phone conversation with my Aunt Jean in Vermont had a very worried tone. About Hurricane Irene, she said, “It’s as big as Europe!” After…
Just got back from visiting family in Waterbury, Vermont. October in the state of Vermont means one thing: Fall Foliage. The aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene was very much in evidence, but it didn’t stop the annual party thrown by the trees. Let’s start our fall foliage tour at the Waterbury Public Library… The library…
Eastern Pennsylvania’s Christmas weekend blizzard came in with a vengeance. The bitterly cold winds and driving snow got my attention in a hurry. I had to go outside and investigate. First lesson: Avoid looking north into the wind, because it bites. Hard… This was a lesson that our family’s super-smart border collie mix took to…
I just got back from visiting family in eastern Pennsylvania. Arrived there just ahead of a blizzard that was racing up from the South. The following photos show the calm before the storm. The approaching blizzard wasn’t about to affect the behavior of these affectionate trees… But the decorated for Christmas sled would soon get…
While outsiders think that Arizona is nothing but dry, barren desert, we residents know better. This state has a surprising amount of biodiversity. Take, for example, our riparian areas. Here’s an impressive stand of cottonwoods growing near the banks of the Hassayampa River, which doesn’t flow during dry seasons like the one we’re having now…….
While I was back east visiting family, my father and I took a day trip to Washington, D.C. With Congress out of session and President Obama on vacation, Our Nation’s Capital seemed a bit empty. On the other hand, if you prefer to leave the people out of your photos, Capitol Hill was a great…
My recent visit to Vermont included an afternoon in Montpelier, the state capital. It’s more like a small town than anything else. Population’s just over 8,000, which makes Montpelier the smallest capital city in the United States. My Montpelier afternoon centered on the Vermont State House, where my Aunt Jean is a volunteer tour guide……
From the “I’m not making this up” department comes this road sign from western Pima County in Arizona. You can find it along state highway 86, and, yes, both towns do exist…
For a long time, the Amtrak station was a Downtown Tucson afterthought. There wasn’t much reason for going there unless you had to catch a train or you were meeting someone arriving by rail. And did I mention that rail service to Tucson is not a daily thing? The station was renovated not too long…
My preferred mode of travel is the bicycle. As wonderful as it is, the bicycle isn’t ideal. Especially for really, truly getting to know a place. For that, you need to get off your bike and walk around. This Downtown Tucson photo is a classic example. Had I been bicycling along Cushing Street, I would…
Ever been a tourist in your hometown? I decided to take that idea for a little test-ride this past weekend. My itinerary included the Pima Community College West Campus, Sentinel Peak (aka A Mountain), and Tucson’s oldest tree. This eucalyptus hangs in there at the edge of Congress Road, just west of Downtown… Then there…
My holiday plans were simple: Go back to Pennsylvania to visit the family for Christmas and New Year. Since I live in Arizona, such a plan involves air travel. And, to put it mildly, the 2008-2009 holiday travel season has been hellacious. My flight from Tucson to Chicago reached Chicago airspace as a major snowstorm…
These flags are part of a Southwest Airlines/Chicago Midway Airport effort to honor active duty military serving overseas…
Although the University of Michigan campus has grown since my student days, the Diag is still the heart of it all. The Diag consists of two diagonal walkways that intersect outside the Graduate Library. It’s long been a hotbed of activity, including this outdoor yoga class… The student’s feet are tantalizingly close to the Block…
Changed planes in Houston a couple of weeks ago. While I walked from one terminal to another, I encountered this statue of former President George Herbert Walker Bush… Among other things, I told the statue that the elder Bush was no John Adams, and that the son certainly doesn’t measure up to John Quincy Adams….
Looking for something interesting to do while visiting a small Southern town? Well, how about a walk around the cemetery? Yes, it will be quiet, and you may well be the only live person there, but, oh, the stories. Some people’s lives just read like a good book. Take, for example, this rockin’ Army veteran…
I have a confession to make: I like airports. Even in these days of flight delays, lost luggage, overpriced food, and surly service. Among my favorites is Dallas Fort Worth International, aka DFW. Like its home state of Texas, DFW is huge. So huge that it once took me an hour to walk from one…