Sam watches the world go by on Sept. 9

Sam sits on the stoop, cup of coffee warming her hands, aroma stirring her senses, thoughts bombarding her brain. Another Sept. 9 in my beloved city. Happy Birthday to Me! Made it again. Would you look at those people scurrying here and there! The coming of Autumn may be robbing us of our daylight, but…

Clubhouse, games under construction at Green Lakes and PGA

This hasn’t been the busiest golfing season for KP and I. My great friend and I got off to a great start, with Tater and our discount coupons from the winter Syracuse Golf Show in hand to play three of the nicest courses in the area before mid-June. Since then, though, we’d squeezed in just…

But things go better with Diet Pepsi

My dear wife Karen received the above photo with a text from our D.C.-area friend Carolyn today. Glad to see our beloved rescue mutt is on her mind down there in our sweltering nation’s capital. And also that her name makes the Coke folk’s bottle label game grade. As for me, no thank you to…

400 days away, but who’s counting?

The Cruise Buddies got together Saturday. Kathy and Sam volunteered their little log cabin in Lafayette for our group to meet and eat, greet our friends who like to get on the big ships every year or so, and thus make this summer complete. We’d never been, so we printed out the directions she sent…

What do you get when you put Mets fans together?

From six years of bowling on the same team with Steve Vicik Jr., I knew that my fellow Mets fan and his wife Kristen would be great traveling partners to hop in my Chevy Cruze with my dear wife Karen and I for the daylong journey from Syracuse to Citi Field on Saturday. Steve lived…

A new bar, friendly folks

My dear wife Karen noticed it right away on our first walk around the cozy town with Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle. A new bar and grill had opened between our annual visits to the Happy Cottage in Cape Cod. The Red Nun sure looks nice on the outside, she said, noting how we’d remarked…

My dear wife Karen is way ahead of me being way ahead

Our great friends Brenda and JoAnn play the group cruises ahead of time. So they called a Cruise Buddies breakfast for this past Sunday at Good Golly in Central Square to talk about the next time this gang will get on the big ship. Month: September. Year: 2016. Way ahead of time. That’s how our…

A reflective walk and a legacy shot

After our working lunch at Clark’s Ale House to discuss and take pictures for the Photo 101 lesson glass, squaredTuesday, by longtime friend Jim McKeever and I walked along South Salina Street toward his place of business, talking about this and that, like two guys on the far end of their 50s who’ve known each…

Althea’s a team player (and New Fuji’s more tasty than Yummy)

At the latest installment of my Vanity Appointment, my good friend Theresa Constantine pinned me down to the specific night. “You and your dear wife Karen meet me, David and Althea at New Fuji Buffet on Erie Boulevard at 6:30,” my hair and beard stylist implored. “I’ve got coupons.” Indeed we did. It had been…

A patio party with a firepit warms our weekend

We’ve heard word of this big patio, my dear wife Karen and I, from the planning stages to the digging and pouring to the inevitable haggling about finishing touches with contractors. I was not pleased when damage was done to the steps that DJ had put in previously. Make it right, dude … When somebody…