Archive for the 'Travelogue' Category

Buttrick Museum Highlight of New England Trip

Published at June 20, 2007 in Travelogue. 0 Comments

This journalist has been remiss in failing earlier to post the account of a recent trip to Massachusetts. When I mentioned to a certain Super Geek, known to this site as David, that my friend, Linda, and I were on our way to Concord, Mass, he suggested we mention his name.

Well, more specifically, he said to mention his name at the John Buttrick Museum.
After the requisite visit to the Concord Cheese Shop for some of the best French Gruyere in the world, and an impassioned lesson about Citi Bank’s desire to over develop that fine village, we headed over to the Concord Museum. And, a fine museum it was. However, we had over stayed at the cheese shop and soon learned that the museum would close in less than an hour, so we rushed straight to the point.
“Where’s the John Buttrick stuff?” we ignorant midwesterners asked. (Well, we were a little more graceful than that.) Continue reading ‘Buttrick Museum Highlight of New England Trip’

In the Sunny Windswept Plains of KS..

Published at May 19, 2007 in Geek Therapy, Rants and Travelogue. 0 Comments

..and here my daughter’s efforts culminate in graduation.  In four years flat that included jaunts in Florence and Paris, she’s nailed down an Art History Degree with a rather nifty gpa and all sorts of very cool lifetime memories.

I’m mighty proud of her, and this weekend will have a lot of food and fun.

Prior to all the festivities firing up, today (Sat 5-19) Dylan, Bianca, and I are going to check the new 180,000 sq ft. wing addition to the Nelson Art Gallery, and now the high-end art museum surpasses the StL Art Museam in both number of pieces (displayed, not archived/stored) and, by a long shot, total square footage.  

Like StL’s, KC’s is free, and this is quite UNLIKE Chicago’s and NYC’s, plus a slew of others. 

It’s too windy, MUCH too windy here, to even attempt to toss a frisbee.  It would land far, far away, and probably roll right bass the giant batmitten birdies strewn about the Nelson’s front yard. 

My Daughter Bianca - What’s Going On?

Published at May 13, 2007 in Geek Therapy, Rants and Travelogue. 0 Comments

She’s come all the way and graduates from Kansas University next week!  This whole thing, all along, has been an amazing accomplishment on many levels.  I couldn’t have done what she’s done back when I was perhaps 5 years older, even, than she is.

She’s due in September (the first one’s due date is always a bit iffy) and then will launch into motherhood. 

IMGP0985 Continue reading ‘My Daughter Bianca - What’s Going On?’

The Mighty RADIOHEAD Weighs In - ‘The Bends’ (’95)

Published at April 19, 2007 in Geek Therapy, Music and Travelogue. 0 Comments

I’ve got all Radiohead’s studio work, which, if I recall, is six albums. Recorded music’s most grindingly beautiful music emanates from each one of them. Continue reading ‘The Mighty RADIOHEAD Weighs In - ‘The Bends’ (’95)’

Back from KY (TN) and Dealing with Photos

Published at March 24, 2007 in Travelogue. 1 Comment

Wow. What a trip! Awesome. KY hasn’t lost a shred of her beauty. I’m taming my iPhoto; somehow something had gotten wierd and I knew I’d have to reckon with her. I did, she and I still love each other, and just like that, I’ve another five-hundred-or-so photos to keep until I’m very old…
…which, I oft think, may be next week or so!
Gracious thanks to my friend Brian, owner of the splendid Parkview Resort and giver of kingly treatment to my son. 3 of us = guy thing = out on boat fishing = damn straight.

West Kentucky

Published at March 8, 2007 in Travelogue. 0 Comments

In less than two and a half weeks, I’m going to scoop up my youngest son and we’re going to take a week-long trip down to KY during his spring break. We’ll hit Ft Donaldson, which juts out into the rejoining of the TN and Cumberland Rivers. The Homestead Farm (a bit underutilyzed, but hey) will be open 4 days/week–the older local people working there are the ones to talk to… Continue reading ‘West Kentucky’

Nashville, TN

Published at April 20, 2006 in Travelogue. 1 Comment

Two days in Nashville

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All in all, Nashville is a beautiful city. It has a nice skyline, which can be viewed advantageously from many locations. The people are warm, and friendly. And the food is great. But the music is the best part.

I stopped along the way at the TVA’s Kentucky Dam Project. At the visitors center, I noticed that there was an alternate through a nature reserve ‘The Land Between The Lakes’ I took this detour, as it was not far out of my way. I was expecting to be awed by beauty. * WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *Alas, the drive through is not spectacular. It’s better than average, but it was not what I was expecting. In order to see the real beauty there, you probably have to turn in towards the shore, and drive for some. There’s probably another trip in there…

Having arrived in Nashville, I spent that night eating, drinking, and hearing country music at the bar in the hotel. In Nashville… anywhere has good music.

The next day I was going to try to ride the Natchez Trace. But violent Storms, and an equally violent hangover prevented this. It actually got nice around 3pm. But I had stumbled around downtown taking pictures since noon. I was beat.

Everybody thinks that Natchez Trace in north west of Nashville, but it is not. It is south west. And by my research, difficult to find too.

I had two people with equal certainty give me the same directions, which when followed were incorrect - as far as I can tell…

So i didnt get to ride the Natchez Trace, I was hung over, and getting hungry. I walked over to an irish pub, had a glass of wine, and some beef in a really good guinness sauce. Yum.

* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated * I should mention dinner the first night I was there. I went to a place called Layl’a. * WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *it’s a Mediterranean restaurant. The Atmosphere there is great. The food is really quite good. It was a bit on the pricey side, but not off the charts, and worth it for the variety, and the fact that menu changes daily.

Country music is fun.
It’s really about the whole experience. Meeting new people in little bars and night clubs, chatting up musicians, getting autographs - that’s the fun. That’s what makes the music all the better.

The best part about the city is that it is so easy to hear good music. Even the small bars would accomodate artists, most of whom would carry a cd production facility in a backpack. What I saw was that they’d burn a hundred or so discs before they left to play, and carry the cd labels, and tools with them, and make the cd on demand. pretty clever, really.

The bar at the hotel I stayed at was a watering hole for wannabes. So going in and listening for a few hours was mandatory… So then was flirtation…
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What’s geeky about Nashville? The people. I’ve never been to a restaurant that changes its menu every day. That’s geeky! It’s not the food that makes that happen, its a person, the executive chef. I think there’s a chance that the culture of the city has something to do with this, HELLO - these are MUSICIANS after all. But at the end of the day, it takes a geek chef to decide that the menu is going to change everyday that will make that happen, or not.

I should probably mention that Vanderbilt University is in nashville, but I didn’t really get to see much of that. that’ll have to wait for another trip.

Trip from St. Louis to San Francisco

Published at September 11, 2002 in Travelogue. Closed

* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *Kansas is basically flat.

Driving through Nebraska and Wyoming is liike peeling an onion. As you crest each hill top, you come to see new hils with slightly different landscape and geology happen.

In 200 miles we went from green forested land to khaki, sand prairie, to red and burnt umber desert.

* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated * You also notice a real change in altitudes as you ascend to the high plains.

To see the land changing around you that quickly is pretty awe inspiring.

It’s important to note that there is NOTHING around you. At all…

And so I fiud mysellf pondering broadband access in the desert. I’ve got some neat pictures of pho0ne lines in Wyoming and Nevada.