How’d you like to see B.B. King play guitar for free?

Every time this gentleman walks to a stage to perform, he’s introduced the same way. He’s played a lot of shows and heard a lot of introductions. And, really, he’s a man whose recognizable face, ringing guitar sound and gritty vocals need no introduction. That’s “Mister B.B. King” to you and me. There’s been a…

First color in our yard beats the return of snow

It’s been awhile coming this spring. With the winter we’ve had here in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood, it’s seemed like forever. Flower power arrived yesterday. We received the first burst of color. It came from the plant above, the one that we thought was from a tulip bulb that Karen missed when she…

Now that’s a front moving through

When my dear wife Karen and I pulled out of our driveway to drive an hour west to the Waterloo Premium Outlets early this afternoon, the car dashboard thermometer read 80 degrees. We enjoyed the last hour of the spring warmup, strolling the outdoor quad of stores in shirt sleeves. I wore shorts. But while…

Last Call for Blogging U.: Challenges Start Tomorrow

Here I come Blogging 201! I can’t wait to learn how to make this thing better.

Kevin Costner matures into the GM role in ‘Draft Day’

Kevin Costner long ago passed that movie star moment when some fans start to despise his work because … because … because … well, because he’s so damn successful, might appear a bit smug at most times, has the swagger to bring his rock band out on tour even though he might not be the…

Remembering a daughter and a husband on a grief day

There’s no shortage of joy in our home here in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood for my dear wife Karen and I, and Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle, too. We hope that the happiness with life radiates out to adult children Daryl and Elisabeth as well. Of course we have our share of pain…

Start wining, or, how to spend a sunny spring Saturday

The morning to yield wine tasting quickly turned sunny in Syracuse, N.Y. The group of 23 day-trippers gathered in a parking lot outside Syracuse mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA. Stories were shared. Some folks had taken a tour of the wineries an hour to the west in the Finger Lakes region of…

Catching up with Kaitlyn Jackson as ‘American Idol’ goes on without her

Kaitlyn Jackson has put her moment in the national eye to very good and wise use. The 16-year-old from Norwich, N.Y., had just finished presenting her program “Dream Big” to a big room full of kids, Jackson says during a phone conversation Friday morning. “I’m basically a motivational speaker,” says the teen. She talks about…

‘Draft Day’ is bound to make NFL fans more eager for draft day

It worked as a longing baseball fan. It worked as a quirky golfer. Will Kevin Costner’s sports charm work as a crafty general manager in charge of the Cleveland Browns’ strategy in “Draft Day” is the question of the weekend. Costner gets help from Jennifer Gardner as his salary specialist in front of the hunting…

A man with a tin can, a street corner institution in Syracuse

Originally posted on Jim McKeever:
Gertis McDowell is a familiar sight on the campus of Syracuse University. You hear Gertis McDowell before you see him. The steady rhythm of coins shaking in his tin can gives him away before you spot him in his wheelchair on the street corner. Gertis is an institution in Syracuse,…