At the end of the line was a Train concert

I thought my days of standing in line to buy concert tickets were decades in my rear view mirror. Then the announcement that Train was coming to the New York State Fair Grandstand this August flashed before us. And I saw the look in my dear wife Karen’s eyes. I was No. 3 in line…

Where should I put a ring on it?

So Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I were circling past a Syracuse Housing Authority complex a half-dozen blocks from our home in the city neighborhood of Eastwood. Ellie B’s nose was down as we strolled past the halfway point in our walk. My eyes were down, too. And I spotted a couple of coins…

I’m not a big fan of foolish pranks

Now that we’ve made it to April 3, I’m pretty sure I’ve now gone another year without somebody either scaring the crap or making an ass out of me. I am not a fan of April Fools jokes. I saw the big pile of posts about the April 1 tradition on Monday and thought to…

Add local music to this giant mall’s ever-expanding menu

Once upon a time, the halls inside a mall were the last place I’d expect to find a growing local music scene. It’s happening at Destiny USA, the mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex in Syracuse. They call the expansive new wing The Canyon. And that’s the way it looks from the rails of all…

Why I fret, Vol. II

A couple weeks back I caught a photo of these two pine trees behind my backyard neighbors’ fence and shared my anxiety about an eventual fall. They were covered with snow. I could see a possible topple in the future. Here’s that Knock Down, Stay Up post. On the way back from my glorious walk…

Push the button and out comes free water

I fear that something I have valued dearly my whole life is facing extinction. The great American water fountain is going, going … Thanks to some old buildings that have not been spiffed up, they are not quite gone. The sturdy old beauty pictured here wets my parched lips every Thursday night at my bowling…

So close

Almost. We’re one day from April, and the snow here in our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood is waving its last bye-bye, what with a high of 57 forecast for tomorrow. At least I hope its one final wave. You never know around here. A common comment: Remember the year we woke up to inches…

Yes, we can change a whole lot in a year

My treasure chest of rediscovered old photographs included a copy of my high school yearbook graduation shot and a candid picture taken by a fellow photography student my freshman year in college. Man, was I uptight for the graduation shot for my high school yearbook. How I left the house that day with my hair…