Author Archives: rike52

We all love that cuppa joe first thing in the morning, or several, and maybe throughout the day.  That was me when I was working.  But for the past 3 and a half years caffeine has been just a pleasant occasional distraction.  Maybe that job wasn’t so stimulating after all. But nowadays a simple cuppaContinue reading “coffee math”

Is it March already?  Seems like only yesterday that Kathy and I were ushering in the New Year in a basement bar in Edinburgh.  We’d made the trip mainly to take in Hogemany, the Scots’ New Year’s Eve blowout that’s been going on for over 450 years (1).   But as we awaited the trip, JimmyContinue reading “Scottish rites”

Those tiny bubbles sure make a beverage a treat, don’t they?  Carbonation’s a big part of the appeal of many favorites, but you can only drink so much beer, Coke, 7-Up and champagne.  You can even put those bubbles in plain water and make a product.  LaCroix, a brand of the National Beverage Company (didContinue reading “fuzzy water math”

I swore I’d stopped blogging about Mr. Corona.  After all, I’d written enough to fill a book (1) and even Uncle Joe said the thing was over (2).  But COVID lingers with us, alas, from ongoing calls for more vaxx and boosters, even of children, needed port-mortems about mitigation efforts, and mounting consequences of infectionContinue reading ““Morton sues the WHO””

The first clue was when the internet went out.  About that same time, Kathy looked out the window and saw a green plume flash with flames from the side down in the valley by corner of Traver and Plymouth.   Something terrible had happened in our neighborhood, and firetrucks came by shortly.  Of course, our electricityContinue reading “candlelight dinner”

My wife and I have just returned from a 3-day Christmas party, held in the rustic Cowboy Creek Lodge in Onstead, on the edge of the Irish Hills (1).  Present were the spawn of my late birth father Dick Spei, who taught his kids to approach every meal as if it were their last.  There’sContinue reading “Dr. Ben”

One advantage of living in Tree Town, with all of its great University of Michigan sports, is the chance to come up in face and personal with the players and coaches.  That’s the appeal of the Coaches’ Luncheons put on every Monday at Weber’s Inn during football and basketball seasons.  Besides the “big players”, aContinue reading “f1s”

I love sharing sunsets.  Started doing it during my La Jolla sabbatical in the winter of 2017.  Kathy and I would end each day walking the 4 blocks to Windnsea Beach carrying a bag with some bread and cheese plus a bottle of wine (or 2) to wash it all down.  We’d sit on aContinue reading “veggie feast”

When Kathy and I joined the U of M Club of Ann Arbor several years ago, I’m sure we brought down the average age.  With their flagship event being the weekly Coaches’ Luncheon, a nice wholesome Weber’s lunch followed by a talk by a football or basketball coach followed by one from a coach ofContinue reading “row, row, row…”

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!”