I had occasion to send something to my Dixie chick (South Carolina) friend Donna today. I’ve mentioned her before in a few posts. One has a nice picture of her https://wordpress.com/post/theviewfromharbal.com/1101. She was my old chief’s secretary (er, administrative assistant). We always got along and had fun at work, and have become very good friendsContinue reading “thoughts shared with Donna on Decoration Day”
Author Archives: rike52
deathless loyalty
The contagion of applying today’s morals to great men of the past and hanging them by it has come to Ann Arbor. A committee of eight historians, one of them my friend and fellow U of C classmate Joel Howell, has examined the evidence and judged that Fielding H. Yost’s name should be removed fromContinue reading “deathless loyalty”
clearly non-kosher mussels for Jesus dinner
Mussels mania continues unchecked at Harbal! For many years, Thursday evenings at our place have been reserved for “Jesus dinner”, a simple repast befitting our Lord consisting of fish, bread, and wine. It grew out of my weekly foray to East Ann Arbor (EAA) medical campus, where higher ups deemed I should go see patientsContinue reading “clearly non-kosher mussels for Jesus dinner”
the best
I don’t know how I stumbled onto this. But John Prine Spotify passed it by me once again tonight. Every boomer needs to hear this, again and again. Before this, I didn’t know who Rodney Crowell was. Now I have tickets to see him at City Winery in Chicago on Veteran’s Day. For fun, we’reContinue reading “the best”
quick tune
Spotify runs so many by you. Tonight its the John Prine channel, which features very little John Prine. But some squeaks through, like the one below. This one was borne as something to roll over the credits of a movie. Daddy and them,https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166158/ about a dysfunctional family headed by Andy Griffith (!), with Billy BobContinue reading “quick tune”
Belgae moules!
Kathy and I spent a wonderful early Saturday afternoon at lunch in Hopleaf in Andersonville https://hopleafbar.com. We took a long Red Line ride to Uptown then a walk over to Clark, where the bustling once-Scandinavian neighborhood sits. Our lunch feast was a full order of mussels accompanied by a big cone of frites and ailoi,Continue reading “Belgae moules!”
LT and the future of clean
Today’s departure morning left us temporarily homeless. AirBnB checkout was 10 and our Amtrak 352 to Ann Arbor didn’t leave till 1:25. Fortunately, an Amtrak business class ticket provides wonderful shelter in the Metropolitan Lounge, missing only free beer to make it a thoroughly satisfying experience. But that time of morning, we were looking moreContinue reading “LT and the future of clean”
eat Harold’s
Harold Pierce makes the finest fried chicken in the Midwest, maybe the best on earth https://www.seriouseats.com/harolds-fried-chicken-chicago. He deserves his self-appointed title as “Fried chicken king”. He started in ’51, catering mainly to south side black neighborhoods, with his first restaurant at 47th and Kenwood, right at the border of the ghetto and Hyde Park. TheContinue reading “eat Harold’s”
Chi jazz
Kathy and I never fail to take in some jazz when we come to Chicago. Usually, it’s at the venerable Jazz Showcase in the South Loop or the much older Green Mill in Uptown, way north, sometimes Andy’s in the Near North. Tonight it was Jazz Showcase to experience the irrepressible trumpeter Victor Garcia inContinue reading “Chi jazz”
shameless plug
If you’ve got a Kindle and a spare buck, you can read my new book! Actually, it’s just a 9-page essay about an event from my youth. I thought it was too long and too deep to post on this blog. Here’s the link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095BS8VRJ I think Amazon gives me 30 cents. I probably willContinue reading “shameless plug”
Bob Ike's blog 