A together drive is always a bargain

With our first shared day off in a couple of weeks, my dear wife Karen and I jumped into her pretty red Mazda Friday afternoon and headed west on the New York State Thruway. We rekindled a tradition that had sat idle for a year or so, thanks to … Oh, the combination of a…

Armand’s Secret

Spring has busted out in the Northeast of the continent we share, and I know the warmth and sunshine have put me in the mood for this week’s edition from our guest columnist. From no-longer-frosty Canada comes the Sunday Cuppa of Paul Curran. Arm’s B-Train Fuel Tanker This week I’d like to tell you a…

Springing a return to Thornden Park

My four-season cycle at the lovely spot at the top of Syracuse is complete. I took my iPhone 6 to Thornden Park as warm weather returned to my city here in upstate New York late this week, as promised. I wanted to capture the stirring of nature’s soul in the spot where roses will soon…

At the store before sunrise

It was still pitch dark when I pulled my Chevy Cruze out of the driveway of the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Although sunrise was still officially some 20 minutes hence when I stopped in the parking lot of the store 15 miles northwest, light already peaked over the horizon when…

The locked gate and the damage done

A walk with my dear wife Karen and our cherished rescue mutt Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle through our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood Norwood Park yielded an obstruction on a path that usually stood free for all. Karen has come across the locked gate previously. And she knew why officials had closed things up,…

Finishing the seven-stretch

When I finished my shift at the store Sunday night, I looked at the manager on duty and declared, “I just finished my seven-stretch!” I do believe I may have coined a phrase. For me, at least. I’ve heard my co-workers call it something else. I may have used that other doozie, which ends at…

We started singing, bye-bye American Idol …

I don’t know if you noticed, but American Idol put on one hell of a finale last week. The FOX competition show signed off after 15 seasons of crowning an amateur singer as best of the bunch by winning over the panel of judges and America in voting week after week. The system worked to…

Nothing Is Coming Up Roses

On walk through the blocks surrounding the Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood this week, I asked Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle if she would like to stray just a few houses from our usual route to see if the folks who give us a wonderful display of color every summer are…

Escape

It’s time for our weekly helping of Paul Curran, guest columnist from above. Canada, that is, which is definitely geographically north of my home in upstate New York. Take it away, Mr. Curran. Addicted Welcome to the weekly coffee and tea garden. My name is Paul, I’ll be your barista today and I’m happy to…