I don't know about you, but I get a lot of e-mails from people sharing what they regard as funny. I get cartoons, stories and the like, most of them I delete as not my kind of humor. However, this one, someone sent me, did amuse me. I liked the humor in these newspaper ads. Here is what was mailed to me and I particularly liked the last one dealing with the sale of encyclopedias: These classified were really put in the…
THE NEWS FROM LAKE WOEBEGONE SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA
We are in Scottsdale closing down our house for the summer. Just like a Prairie Home Companion’s news from Lake Woebegone, here are a few items hot off the Scottsdale press. About twenty two miles North of us is the town of Cave Creek, population about 5,000 people. A quaint town worth visiting for its many shops, places to eat and general charm. Shortly before we arrived the results of a contested election to the Town Council were announced. Thomas McGuire,…
JAMES LAMAR “DUSTY” RHODES, A BASEBALL LEGEND
When I was a freshman in college in 1954, Dusty Rhodes became the hero of the 1954 World Series playing for the New York Giants.. In the first game, batting left handed, he hit a pinch hit home run in the bottom of the tenth inning off of pitcher Bob Lemon to win the game. It was a tie breaking three-run homer for a 5-2 victory. As he watched the ball go into the stands 290 feet away, Lemon threw…
PEOPLE WHO HAVE OVERCOME OBSTACLES & REASONS TO BE GRATEFUL
My childhood hero was Glenn Cunningham who died in 1988. When he was seven years old his legs were burned in a schoolhouse fire which killed his brother. His legs were burned so badly that the doctors recommended amputation but his parents wouldn't allow it. The doctors said he would never walk again because he had lost the flesh on his legs and the arch of his left foot was virtually gone. In spite of the doctor's prediction his parents massaged him, worked…
ANDREW JACKSON
i've just read Andrew Jackson by H.W. Brands. Jackson was known for his military and Indian fighting as well as toughness. He was quick to use his cane on someone who defamed him and was in more then one duel. Nicknamed "Old Hickory" he was associated with the American frontier. The seventh president of the United States, Jackson's portrait appears on the twenty dollar bill. When he became a lawyer and entered practice of law wrote a statement of principles….
EPILOG TO PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES
We are home and here are some final loose ends regarding our travel which I've not reported. The French Air disaster occurred shortly before we were leaving. I felt badly for the people on board and their survivors. It certainly made me a little apprehensive about flying across the ocean from London to Seattle, but the flight on the 747 was without bad weather or incident. On our arrival in Seattle there was a long line to clear immigration as…
LONDON
Last night we had an early dinner and attended the musical Oliver. It has been running for some long time now with sold out performances. Our seats were in a good location, but like most, if not all of the theaters in London, the seats are worse the coach seats on a cheap commuter airplane because they are very close together and I cannot sit with my knees straight ahead. They had binoculars for rent that are bolted between the seats so that…
GLASGOW SCOTLAND & LONDON
We stayed in Glasgow at a delightful hotel, the Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens. The hotel opened in 1996 along a tree lined street. There were old Victorian town houses in this area and the hotel consists of five of them which have been converted into a single hotel. The interior is true to its history and tastefully done. We exited the train with all of our luggage which has somehow become heavier and larger. The rest of the…
THE ROYAL SCOTMAN
I was able to visit a couple of national art galleries in Edinburgh the morning before we went to the train station. At noon we had a quick meal and then piled into a taxi with all six bags of luggage and a man from the hotel dressed in a kilt. We drove around the corner of the hotel and down into the train station area. It was a very large station with a couple of levels and a glass…
EDINBURGH REPORT
We Caught a three hour Portugal Air flight from Maderia to Gatwick in London. I didn't realize how short the runway is on the island. They have built an extension supported by posts and at the end it drops off with land far below. The plane uses every bit of the runway so it's a little white knuckle experience. After landing it was a travelers endurance experience for us even though we are experienced travelers. We had to go from one terminal…