Author Archives: rike52

For the joys of travel many obstacles must be endured.  Most are trivial and the overcoming of them contributes to the satisfaction of a good trip.  One that looms large over most voyages is finding a way to get around in one’s destination.  Unless that spot is discreetly walkable or served by excellent public transportationContinue reading “Turo! Turo! Turo!”

So, it seems I’m on that path again.  It doesn’t always go to addiction, cancer, and death, but can lead to pleasure and camaraderie.   How I got here is a long story, but let’s start at the beginning.  Now I’d classify myself as a lifetime non-smoker, but that’s not entirely correct, especially if you includeContinue reading “tobacco road”

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that my wife and I are very fond of those little Amtrak trips to the Windy City. Chicago was a place for me to grind it out for my trade for 5 years, but now is a fabulous adult amusement park, complete with rides (what do you thinkContinue reading “Chicago theater”

Our travels have introduced us to the wonders of foods of the world.  While the wonders are on most prominent display at dinner, we can’t forget that most important meal of the day: breakfast.  We’ve touched down in the UK twice, and for the bad rap their supposedly tasteless, boring, overcooked food gets, they sureContinue reading “full Harbal”

Trigger warning:  my wifey thinks this is gross I’m hope you’ve had half as much fun this Christmas as I have playing with a pig part. I haven’t had this much fun with a boar’s head since Joe Shook’s pig roast half a hundred years ago.  After eating, we took the head of the beastContinue reading “boared?”

I hope this doesn’t sound like bragging, but my wife and I never came down with COVID.  We never got vaxxed.  We never paid much attention to anyone’s guidelines except when forced, which of course was often.  We did get sick once, but it was when influenza A was sweeping the campus in November ‘21Continue reading “not us!”

We’ve invited our Colorado friend June to join us on one of our upcoming Chicago jaunts.  Seeking to gauge whether she might like the same things as we do, I mentioned our love of jazz clubs.  She came back saying she loves jazz clubs and also blues clubs.  Plenty of those in Chi-town, but itContinue reading “Theresa’s”

Kathy and are in the midst of our annual Chicago Christmas jaunt, taking in music and all the other wonders that make up Christmas in Chicago (1).  This afternoon, after a Chicago Architecture Center tour on the origins of the EL, we took in a matinee at Orchestra Hall.  These are great bargains, as theyContinue reading “oh, CSO!”

…amoenam circumspice.  That’s the motto of my home state of Michigan, where I’ve lived for all but 9 of my 70 years.  I never want to leave.  In English, it’s “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.”   Indeed.  Actually, we’ve got two, and they’re both pretty damned pleasant.  From trapping to logging toContinue reading “si quaeris peninsulam …”

I always wondered what I’d do with those two labels I’d so carefully soaked off a couple of magnificent bottles of booze from many Christmases ago.  They rested in a plastic basket next to my blue recliner amongst all the other stuff I didn’t know what to do with.  With my unexpected but wonderful reacquaintanceContinue reading “skōl!”