“‘That’s some tale, old timer.’ Yeah, and it gets better everytime I tell it.” Where this conversation came from doesn’t pop to mind immediately, but I know that it has served me well for several decades. Not the part about ‘getting better every time I tell it’, mind you. I use it to remind myself […]
When their first record came out on January 29, 1968, the eponymously titled Steppenwolf album turned heads mostly because Born to be Wild became such a massive hit. The album as a whole was one of the greatest ‘first albums’ released in a period when bands were kicking out music that would become the […]
Part 1 of W,W, & O began my attempt to take a personal tour through the weird, wonderful, and obscure places and things mentioned in Kath Usitalo’s book Secret Upper Peninsula. (Reedy Press – 2019). Even though I promised to keep each segment short, Part 1 still ended up thirty some entries (or about […]
Those who know me best find the easiest gift giving solution to send my way for birthdays or Christmas are books, music, or more books. While sorting through last year’s stash of new reading material, I happened upon a 2019 book by Kath Usitalo: Secret Upper Peninsula – A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and […]
A toasted cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup have always been one of my favorite lunches (and don’t skimp on the oyster crackers). The last time I sat down to this particular meal, I realized my general enjoyment of lunch goes back to elementary school. Growing up a block away from Willard […]
First the disclaimer: I use a cell phone, the internet, email, and frequently do online research. I also read books, magazines, and newspapers (real, paper based, non-electronically delivered books, magazines, and newspapers). I also watch and/or listen to the broadcast news. By choice, I do not have a personal social media account, therefore, I […]
My source for what “National This or That Day” it is, the Jan Tucker Show, planted the idea for this FTV when Jan mentioned that one of the things designated for April 4 is ‘National School Library Day’. With only so many days in a calendar year, there are usually multiple ‘National This or […]
Robert Weston Smith. Does the name ring any bells? No? How about Big Smith and the Records? Daddy Jules? I will give you a couple of hints: If you have seen the movie American Graffiti or reruns of the TV show The Midnight Special or heard Bob Smith’s, “Have Mercy!” catch phrase, then you might […]
In the summer of 1974, Professor Pat Farrell was both my instructor and boss at Northern Michigan University’s Field Station just south of Melstrand, Michigan. All Geography majors were required to take a class called Field Studies to give us boots on the ground experience using tools of the mapping trade. My undergraduate advisor, […]
We left Part 1 of The Smothers Brothers just as they had their first album in the can. They landed in New York during the brutal winter of 1961 for their first club dates on the East Coast. It must have been quite a shock to their systems having spent the majority of their […]