The Bourbon Trail: Sipping Our Way Through Kentucky

October 28, 2025 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ Leave a comment

My wife and I were joined by a dear friend from Arizona recently for a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, which served as our anchor location to visit four different distilleries. These distilleries are among many in the north central part of the state that the Kentucky Distillers’ Association collectively brands as the Bourbon Trail. As most folks know, Kentucky promotes itself as the only legitimate home of bourbon production in the country, if not the world, because of its rich soil for growing corn and its limestone-rich water for ideal fermentation. By definition, bourbon must contain at least 51% corn mash, which gives the spirit its sweet taste and robust flavor. When Scots-Irish immigrants settled into what is now the state of Kentucky in the late 18^th century, they brought with them their grain distilling knowledge and methods, which over time produced a product that was unique and became identified with the state.

The major bourbon distilleries are all located within an hour or so from Louisville, so we decided to stay in the city and visit two distilleries one day and another two the next day. My wife is very skilled at planning all our trips, but she knocked it out of the park this time. Taking a standard tour of all these places would have gotten quite repetitive and eventually boring. She managed to coordinate and schedule completely different experiences at each of the four distilleries we visited. We never felt rushed during the day and had plenty of time to get back to Louisville each evening for an early dinner.

We drove into the city on a Tuesday afternoon and had dinner at The Porch Kitchen & Bar, a hip after-work spot that has an impressive beverage and food menu. The signature old fashioned is made with Elijah Craig bourbon, vanilla demerara, and black walnut bitters – the second one was even better than the first. The braised short rib served on a bed of cheese grits was incredible. We all three shared two desserts: a bourbon butter cake with vanilla ice cream drizzled with bourbon sauce along with a banana foster pie. Oh my!

The next morning, we headed out around 9:00 to the Wild Turkey Distillery Visitor Center near Lawrenceburg. The facility was only a few months old and included a wonderful mix of old-style architecture of exposed beams and concrete floors with large video screens featuring the Wild Turkey product line. We were scheduled for a 10:30 tasting flight (yes, I know that’s early to start drinking), which also included a brief but informative history of the distillery, an overview of the master distillers, and some information about the distilling process. With origins going back to the mid-19^th century, Wild Turkey bourbon has a short list of long-serving distillers. Jimmy Russell is in his 90s and is still working at Wild Turkey. He is a 60-year whiskey veteran and the longest-tenured active Master Distiller in the global spirits industry. Our presenter and server that morning was middle-age fellow who was entertaining, articulate, and impressively knowledgeable. This program and tasting offered us a perfect way to start our bourbon trail adventure because it served as an introduction to the industry and distilling process. And that first snort at 116 proof could have doubled as a tonsillectomy, although the fine folks in the industry call it the “Kentucky Hug.”

Our next stop was Maker’s Mark Distillery near Loretto. We arrived just in time for lunch at the distillery’s Star Hill farm-to-table restaurant. Before leaving the restaurant, we ordered cocktails to “stroll and sip,” an activity the management encourages because there is plenty to see on the 36-acre campus, including a visitor center, an historic residence, the restaurant, a cellar, an old barrel house, a bottling facility, a gift shop, and much more. The grounds resemble a small village with signage, murals, exhibits, and displays all among the buildings. A major highlight of the site is an indoor and outdoor installation of art by Dale Chihuly whose career in glasswork spans over fifty years. His colorful sculptures have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide.

We returned to Louisville for another early dinner at a fun place called Mussel & Burger Bar. Instead of a bourbon cocktail, I went with another one of my whiskey favorites: the Manhattan. I prefer this rye-based drink very cold in a chilled martini glass straight up, and the bartender was happy to indulge me. Our friend ordered a plate of mussels, which I really like, but I was craving a bacon cheeseburger. Our great waiter served it with a heaping helping of “chips” (French fries) in a paper cone nested in a metal cup, much like the Brits do. Dessert was out of the question – no room.

The next morning we headed out to Shelbyville, a quaint town due east of Louisville. After a short stroll up and down Main Street, we ate lunch at McKinley’s Eating Establishment. This charming little deli had delicious sandwiches, salads, soups, and a tempting selection of pastries and cookies. We were highly impressed. Just outside of town was our next Bourbon Trail destination: the Bulleit Distilling Company Visitor Center. My wife had booked us for a program called “Anatomy of a Single-Barrel,” where we were joined by seven other visitors in a private tasting room to sample three different single-barrel bottles and the flagship Bulleit Bourbon. Our guide pointed out the notes of each specific yeast strain and how they contribute to the overall flavor profile. Like our first host at Wild Turkey, this younger man was extremely knowledgeable, energetic, and entertaining. When you sip these whiskeys side-by-side over a short period of only 20 minutes, the nuances and differences become obvious. Our guide facilitated this type of discernment by offering us both palate cleansing (water) and nose cleansing (coffee beans and other fragrance devices) between the samples.

Our final stop on the trail later that afternoon was Woodford Reserve Distillery outside Versailles, which is surrounded by some of the most beautiful horse ranches and equestrian estates I’ve ever seen. After all, Louisville is the home of Churchill Downs. Woodford’s campus stretches out on either side of McCracken Pike, a country road that winds its way through horse country. Much like the Maker’s Mark campus, the Woodford site is composed of a collection of buildings, several of which are open for guided tours. Our group event this time was called “A Classic Mixology Experience.” We were joined by seven other visitors in a modern tasting room at the Gristmill House where a young bartender talked about the history of my cocktail of choice, the old fashioned. The details he shared about how the drink evolved from its origins in the 1880s at the Pendennis Club in Louisville to the variations that bartenders have created over the decades were fascinating. He then proceeded to mix five different versions of the drink, explaining as he prepared each one about the specific contents: whiskeys, sugars and syrups, flavored bitters, and citrus peels (no cherries, which were added later during Prohibition – I asked). He expertly poured each mixture, one after another, into small cube-shaped glasses, and the participants creased and squeezed their respective citrus peels, including orange, lemon, and grapefruit. The audience did not agree on their favorites. As for me, the classic one he mixed at the very beginning was the best. It’s hard to improve on perfection.

To round out our trail excursion, we returned to Louisville that evening for an amazing dinner at Porcini, an Italian restaurant located in the city’s historic Crescent Hill neighborhood. We drank wonderful wine and splurged on some of the best fried calamari I have ever tasted. My entrée was the chef’s special for the evening: pan-seared redfish dressed with cream sauce served with green beans – oh my goodness. Our waiter was a seasoned professional who had been a server at the restaurant twenty years before and had returned. He made our dining experience even more enjoyable. Dinner at Porcini presented us with the perfect opportunity to reflect on our Bourbon Trail trek, a trip I’m sure we will remember for a long time. And of course, we took home treasures and souvenirs from the gift shops of each of the distilleries: magnets, hats, shirts, cocktail glasses, flavored bitters, and bottle openers to name a few. We consider ourselves travelers, but our touristy tendencies are never far away. Cheers!

Hanging Out in Hermann, Missouri

August 13, 2025 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ Leave a comment

To celebrate my 65^th birthday this year, which included qualifying for Medicare (woo hoo!), my wife and I took a short trip to the charming town of Hermann, Missouri. We spent two nights and the better part of two days exploring this tourist “dorf” located on the south bank of the Missouri River, a place that is influenced by its German heritage in food, drink, architecture, place names, and to some extent, culture. Founded as a colony in 1836 by the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia, Hermann was named for a northern European Germanic warrior who led an army in 9 CE to oppose the intrusion of three Roman legions into their homeland at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. By 1849, the village had established a German newspaper and a German school. Hermann became a river shipping point where viticulture and wineries flourished, which is still an important part of the town’s economy today.

Based on a friend’s recommendation, we booked a room at Hermann Hill Vineyard Inn and Spa. This lovely boutique hotel has eight guest rooms overlooking a small vineyard with magnificent views of the valley below where the main part of the town is situated. From our corner room we could even see a small portion of the Missouri River in the distance. The service and amenities at Hermann Hill are amazing. We were treated with wine, bread, cheese, and grapes in our room upon arrival after a brief tour of the facility. The inn has a spa (we didn’t take advantage of that service), a small gift shop, a cozy sitting area, a dining room, a kitchen with free snacks and drinks for guests, and outside spaces with grills, tables, and chairs. There are frozen margarita machines in the kitchen!

We stayed in one of the nicest rooms the inn offers, on the top floor with a small balcony. Our room had a gas fireplace, small glass table with two swivel chairs, a desk and chair, a spacious closet, a comfy king-size bed with soft sheets (we bought a set down in the gift shop), and a spacious bathroom with a spa tub and a steamer shower. A staff member brings ice cream and cookies to all the rooms in the evening around 8:00 p.m.

We were required to order breakfast ahead of our arrival, which we only took advantage of the first morning we were there. A staff member brought coffee and tea to our room at 7:45 that morning, and then we were served a full breakfast at 9:00 in the downstairs dining room, which we had to ourselves on a Monday. Other guests were eating on the outside deck. Hermann Hill exceeded our expectations, and before checking out the next morning, we booked a room for October 2026, when we hope to see fall color and enjoy cooler temperatures.

For the 45 hours we spent in Hermann, we essentially scouted the town for a quick getaway but also to determine if we wanted to return sometime in the future. Our first stop was Sunday lunch and a wine tasting at Stone Hill Winery, located toward the south end of town. We were impressed enough with a couple of the wines to buy a bottle of each and a few other fun items in the winery gift shop. In the early afternoon, we strolled around the downtown area shops and restaurants and took a walk through a park on the banks of the river. The weather was incredibly pleasant that day for early August.

We checked into our room at Hermann Hill around 3:00. Once we discovered there was pizza, drinks, and snacks in the kitchen and that we were going to be served dessert later, we decided to just hang out on the property for the rest of the evening. The view from our room made us feel like we were gazing out at a European village, especially as the sun went down and the lights from the valley began to appear. It was enchanting. My wife and I are perhaps more content than some travelers to spend time relaxing in hotels wherever we go, especially if we have a room with a view. I can spend hours reading on a balcony or at a window.

After breakfast the next morning, we headed back downtown to check out some of the shops while getting some good walking exercise. Later we had lunch before visiting the Black Shire Distillery tasting room. Out on a shaded patio, we sampled several different varieties of gin, bourbon, and blended whiskey. Some of them were quite good. We bought a bottle of gin to take home. We drove around a bit and spent more time back at the hotel before returning later for an early dinner at a downtown deli. We needed to get back home by around noon the next day, so we rose early, checked out of our room, and made a quick stop at a coffee shop for caffeine and some of the best scones I have ever tasted. Then we took the bridge and crossed “the wide Missouri,” to make our way back home. We look forward to returning next year.

Wide Open Spaces

July 10, 2025 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ 1 Comment

In 1998, a female band called Dixie Chicks (now called The Chicks) released a song titled “Wide Open Spaces,” which stayed four weeks at the number one spot on the U.S. Country Singles Chart and landed at 41 on the U.S. Pop Singles Chart. The lyrics tap into the familiar theme of a young woman striking out on her own to find independence, freedom, adventure, and her future. The clear message is that she needs plenty of space to put all this in motion. She needs room to make mistakes and learn from them. She needs big sky to expand her vision. She needs plenty of depth, breadth, and no ceiling. The opening line of the song proclaims how this deep-seated desire is an essential part of the human spirit: “Who doesn’t know what I’m talking about?”

In our travels across the country and overseas, my wife and I are usually drawn to wide open spaces. We love expansive vistas where the terrain stretches out before us for miles on end, and the view of the canopy above is unobstructed. And although these destinations are physical or geographical, they lend themselves to mental and emotional experiences that transport us far beyond the landscape alone. We like to say that these moments are good for our souls, when perhaps we are reminded of how small we are and how big the world, or even the universe, truly is.

Some of our favorite locations to see such grandeur are in the American West, but we have also witnessed breathtaking scenes in other places in the South, Northwest, Midwest, and in Europe. I have written other posts about how we value wide open spaces, but I thought it might be nice to share some images here of locations where we have felt the power and majesty of the natural world, from mountains, valleys, and deserts to shorelines, lakes, and streams, and always an abundance of big sky. After all, when it comes to appreciating the wonder of the natural world, who doesn’t know what I’m talking about?

Top of the Rock and Table Rock Lake, Missouri

Highway One at Hurricane Point, California

All Aboard the Glacier Express

March 22, 2025 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ Leave a comment

The modern word “express” originates from the Latin “pressare,” which is where we also get the word “pressure.” It refers to the action of pressing or creating pressure. Of course, the prefix “ex” simply means “out.” So, roughly speaking, express means to press outward, or onward, at considerable speed and without pausing. When applied as an adjective to transportation, and more specifically rail transportation, express implies a locomotive that makes few intermediate stops and reaches its destination quickly. According to multiple sources, the Shanghai Maglev in China, also known as the Shanghai Transrapid, is the fastest train in the world with a maximum operating speed of 460km/h or 268 mph. And who claims the dubious ranking for the slowest express train in the world, averaging just 42 km/h or 26 mph? That would be the Glacier Express in Switzerland, and it is a record they are proud to hold.

As a highlight of a vacation my wife and I took to Paris and Switzerland in late summer 2024, we booked a ride on this magnificent train that travels through the Swiss Alps, skirting along just north of the Swiss-Italian border between the two cities of Zermatt and St. Moritz. Our major goal of discretionary spending and travel in retirement centers on creating memorable experiences, and if we think it is warranted, we will make financial sacrifices to take those once-in-a-lifetime trips. The eight-hour excursion on the Glacier Express definitely fell into this category.

We decided to take full advantage of the journey by upgrading to Excellence Class, a single car of the locomotive that accommodates only twenty people. Nestled in reclining seats positioned next to large windows, we were facing each other across a small table where, during the 180-mile ride, two wait staff served us a five-course Alpine meal prepared on board the train, complete with champagne and a selection of wine paired with each course. The food was quite good, served on china with silver cutlery and plated as elegantly as one would find in any fine restaurant. My wife wisely passed on the steak tartare, which is a French term for raw ground beef sprinkled with Worcestershire sauce. I ate one bite and immediately decided hamburger is best served at least at medium temperature for my taste. Otherwise, everything was really tasty.

Excellence Class provides each passenger an electronic tablet and headphones loaded with information about the train, history of the Glacier Express, relevant maps, and points of interest along the route. Onboard wi-fi is also available on the device. Guests have access to dedicated concierge service, luggage handling and storage, and a private bar. The car is roomy with a large central aisle and small space behind each seat for small carryon luggage like the backpacks we had with us. Souvenirs are available for purchase and delivered to passengers at the end of the journey. We treated ourselves to a magnet and two cute tilted glasses embossed with the train’s logo.

When we originally began contemplating a ride on the Glacier Express, I envisioned tracks running through flat valleys, offering us panoramic views of the Swiss Alps from a distance. While that scenario was indeed part of the trip, this train ends up traveling from a low point of 1,919 feet and climbing to an elevation of 6,670 feet at the highest point at Oberalp Pass. In other words, we were gazing up through our windows at soaring peaks just above us, some of which were covered in snow. At other times our eyes were treated to enormous green hillsides and valleys dotted with quaint villages and farmland populated by sheep. There was an abundance of ponds and waterfalls, along with cascading streams, creeks, and rivers.

My wife is not a big fan of bridges, so of course, she was thrilled to learn that the Glacier Express crosses over a total of 291 bridges along the way, including the world famous Landwasser Viaduct. This single-track limestone railway passage is constructed of six tall arches rising 213 feet above the ravine with a span of over 1,500 feet. As we approached the viaduct, our train began to slow down considerably, which we expected. Several of us in Excellence Class (my wife not included) walked a few cars down where our concierge told us we could get a better view to take photos from the train’s open windows. As the train started over the bridge, the concierge clapped her hands and excitedly announced to my wife and those passengers remaining in our car, “Oh, this is the first time in my three years on the Glacier Express that the train is actually going to stop on the viaduct!” My traveling companion was not amused.

Landwasser Viaduct from the Glacier Express

The Albula Line first opened in 1903, and the Glacier Express made its debut journey on the track in 1930. With the opening of the Furka Base Tunnel in 1982, which protected against avalanches, the Express was able to run year-round. The company began offering Excellence Class in 2019 and are continuing to add amenities into the future. The train excursion is wonderful as a stand-alone opportunity, but considering how enchanting both Zermatt and St. Moritz are as bookends to the trip, riding the Glacier Express makes for an unforgettable travel experience.

Walking Through Luxembourg Garden in Paris

February 7, 2025 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ Leave a comment

I have written about gardens several times in this blog. They are among my most favorite places in the world. I love them in all their many forms: small residential gardens, larger private ones, arboretums, botanical gardens, public gardens, and those you find at houses of worship, city parks, river walks, and even businesses. They brighten up any space with texture, structure, color, and incredible beauty. They are places of refuge and contemplation. There are so many features to enjoy, including ponds, streams, waterfalls, varying terrain, rocks, boulders, statuary, fountains, and other built structures. Whenever my wife and I travel, we almost always look for gardens to visit or revisit.

In September 2024, we took a two-week trip to Paris and various locations in Switzerland. On our last day in Paris, we spent the better part of the morning wandering around one of the most spectacular spots in the city, Luxembourg Garden. Located in the 6^th arrondissement in an artsy part of the city, the Jardin du Luxembourg comprises 25 hectares (56.8 acres) adjacent to the grand building that houses the French Senate, thus its more familiar name for Parisians, Jardin du Sénat. The Luxembourg Garden comprises formal English gardens, 3,000 trees of various species, 5,000 square meters of flower beds, an orchard containing more than 500 old varieties of pear and apple trees, a collection of exceptional orchids, and 102 statues and monuments, including the famous Médicis fountain.

French Senate building at Luxembourg Garden

The garden’s origins date back to the 17^th century when Marie de Médicis, the widow of Henry IV, built an Italian palace on property once owned by François, Duke of Piney-Luxembourg. The French Senate took over ownership of the garden in the early 1800s after the palace became the home of the governing body in 1799. It wasn’t until the last half of the 19^th century with the restoration projects in Paris under Napolean III that the garden began to take its more modern shape. Luxembourg Garden has appeared in numerous works of literature by authors such as Victor Hugo, Henry James, and William Faulkner.

As we entered the garden that Sunday morning at the Porte Gay-Lussac, we were greeted by the sounds of music coming from what appeared to be a small community orchestra at the nearby Kiosque à musique. We made our way counterclockwise to the Médicis fountain and then past the Senate building, protected by a high metal fence and guards with firearms. We continued around the perimeter of the garden, making side trips into the interior from time to time. Before leaving, we spent a few moments near the Grand Bassin, a large octagonal basin of water surrounded by raised balustraded terraces adorned with a series of statues of former French queens, saints, and other historical figures.

What impressed me most about this garden is how brilliantly the built environment blends with and enhances the horticultural surroundings. Walkways wind through trees, hedges, shrubs, lawns, and planted beds, encouraging us to meander and gaze. Statues, sculpture, and other features are spaced out and in the open or tucked neatly into nooks and crannies, inviting us to explore and pause to appreciate and learn. Luxembourg Garden is truly an oasis we can enjoy simply for its beauty and design. However, it’s also an outdoor classroom for aspiring students of all ages who wish to be schooled in botany, art, architecture, history, and so much more.

Bacchus (Dionysus) statue at Luxembourg Garden

Key West: A Little Slice of Paradise

November 29, 2024November 30, 2024 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ Leave a comment

During the week before Thanksgiving in 2024, my wife and I took a four-night vacation to Key West, Florida. Neither of us had ever visited the island, which holds an oversized place in the American cultural imagination. Key West has attracted a wide range of celebrities over the years like Ernest Hemingway, Jimmy Buffett, Tennessee Williams, John James Audubon, several U.S. Presidents, and countless movie stars and musicians. Harry S. Truman was so charmed by the place that he had a Little White House there, where he spent 175 days over eleven visits during his administration.

Key West sunrise from Southernmost Resort

Key West - Harry S. Truman Little White House — Key West – Harry S. Truman Little White House

Most people believe that Key West is as far as you can go south and still be in the country, but the true southernmost point of the continental U.S. is Ballast Key located south and west of Key West. Nevertheless, Key West has adopted the “southernmost” tourism brand for itself, complete with a photo-op concrete buoy and numerous locations using the moniker. The southern tip of the island is a mere 81 nautical miles from the north coast of Cuba. We stayed at a lovely property called Southernmost Beach Resort with a balcony room on the third floor overlooking the ocean. The water was rough for our first two days, and it was wonderful listening to the waves crashing against the massive concrete sea wall just below our room.

Key West - Southernmost Point Buoy — Key West – Southernmost Point Buoy

Running four miles long and about two miles wide, Key West is a very walkable island. We walked the entire width, north on historic Duval Street, which carried us from our resort up to the marinas and cruise ship docks. We wandered around the tourist attractions in that area, including the shops at Mallory Square. We also spent some time strolling through the Old Town historic district, which is filled with beautifully restored 19^th century homes, some of which are now bed and breakfast accommodations, although many are still private residences. The following is a list of highlights from our trip to this tropical paradise, which truly exceeded our expectations.

Duval Street: Named for the first territorial governor of Florida, William Pope Duval, this is Key West’s main drag and is filled with shops, restaurants, bars, and vintage hotels that are reminiscent of what I think of as “Old Florida” that flourished during the golden age of tourism in the 1950s and 60s. We walked up and down Duval numerous times for shopping, dining, and drinking (as the locals say, “It’s Key West”).

Hemingway Home and Museum: The author of classics such as The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom the Bell Tolls lived with his wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, in this two-story residence during the 1930s. After eight years of residing at the house, Hemingway moved to Cuba in 1939 and divorced Pauline the following year. Pauline lived in the house until her death in 1951. The only full-time residents now are the famous six-toed cats that lounge around the property, in and outside the house.

Key West - Hemingway House Front Entrance — Key West – Hemingway House Front Entrance

Mansion on the Sea: Built in 1897, the iconic Mansion on the Sea, was originally home to Judge Vining Harris and his wife Florida Curry, the youngest daughter of the state’s first millionaire, William Curry. Wanting only the best for his youngest daughter, Curry commissioned Thomas Edison to install the electricity in the one-bedroom home. Over the years, the Mansion evolved and took on many different purposes. During Prohibition (1919-1933) the Mansion served as a destination for many notorious gangsters and other famous travelers. Five U.S. Presidents, including, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, and James E. Carter, Jr. were guests here. The Mansion is now a boutique inn. We had drinks and coconut shrimp at the outside bar the Mansion our first night on the island.

Key West - Mansion on the Sea - Southernmost House — Key West – Mansion on the Sea – Southernmost House

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church: This the fourth building on this site and houses the oldest church in the Florida Diocese. Established in 1832, this oldest U.S. congregation south of St. Augustine has been served by dozens of priests throughout almost two centuries. The church building and grounds at the corner of Duval and Eaton Streets are open daily for prayer, meditation, and visitation.

Key West - Saint Paul's Episcopal Church — Key West – Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church

Stumbling Upon a Treasure in Paris

October 6, 2024 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ Leave a comment

I have known for years about the importance of Sylvia Beach’s little American bookstore in Paris called Shakespeare and Company. Her membership-supported enterprise was so much more than just a book shop. It served as a refuge and haven for some of the most gifted expatriates and writers of the early 20th century, including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, and most especially James Joyce. Until I read her memoir (with the same title as her store) early in 2024, I had no idea that she was the first publisher of Joyce’s monumental novel, Ulysses. She really was a remarkable human being, one who made great sacrifices to support an amazing and historical intellectual community. She even risked her own life during the Nazi occupation of Paris by refusing to compromise her standards or cater to the monstrous regime that swept across Europe before and during World War II.

In addition to presenting valuable historical information about her store and its many patrons in her 1959 book, Beach shares some side-splitting anecdotes about her customers, friends, and acquaintances. Some of her own experiences at and away from the store are just hilarious. I laughed myself silly at her account of the performance of the Ballet Mecanique at the Theatre des Champs Elysees (1925), which included the use of plane propellers generating such a strong wind current that it “blew the wig off the head of a man . . . and whisked it all the way to the back of the house.”

James Joyce was clearly Beach’s most favored member, client, and dear friend. She turned out to be his most valued benefactor. As such, readers of her memoir learn more about the Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic than any other person she encountered. She offers insights into his personality, quirkiness, brilliance, innovation, and talent, as well as his tragic flaws and his greatest fears. He was deathly afraid of dogs, and Beach includes a story about an occasion when Joyce was the object of a rather large dog’s affection at a luncheon. Observing Joyce’s fearful reaction, the woman who owned the dog had it removed and told the guests that the canine had once chased a plumber out the window and that she had to buy the man a new pair of trousers. Joyce shuddered and whispered to Sylvia Beach, “She’s going to have to do the same thing for me.” Again, I laughed myself to tears.

The address of her bookstore was 12 Rue de l’Odeon in the 6th arrondissement on the Left Bank. She was forced to close the store in 1941 because of the Nazi occupation of France during WWII, but she continued to live in her upstairs apartment, surrounded by her treasured book collection. Sylvia Beach died in 1962. Over the decades since her death, the first-floor location of the bookstore has been the home of various retail establishments. There is currently a Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris inspired by Beach’s store, but it is not at the original address. Even when my wife and I were in Paris in 2016, I decided it would not be worth our time to locate the original address since it was no longer a bookstore.

Original location of Shakespeare & Company Bookstore in Paris — Original location of Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in Paris

Fast forward to September 2024 when we were back in Paris again. Something almost miraculous happened to us on our last full day in the city. We visited the Luxembourg Garden and then strolled over to a nearby restaurant for lunch called the Le Hibou. We weren’t even paying attention to where we were walking after lunch, but we passed by a small clothing shop, Moicani, with some beautiful scarfs and decided to go in for a look. Jean Helfer, the affable proprietor, asked where we were from, and I said, “The States, in Missouri.” He replied in an almost reverential tone, “Do you know where you are standing right now?”

He pointed to a photograph of Sylvia Beach with Ernest Hemingway, in the very place I was standing! Totally by accident, we had stumbled on to the location of the original Shakespeare and Company bookstore. He handed me a brochure he has created giving a brief history of the bookstore, along with other addresses on the street of famous historical figures such as Gustave Flaubert and Thomas Paine. He was so gracious and kind. I was almost speechless the whole time we were in his shop.

What an incredible way to end our wonderful vacation in France. And yes, my wife bought a beautiful scarf!

Jean Helfer - Moicani, Paris — Jean Helfer – Moicani, Paris

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

August 24, 2024 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ Leave a comment

My wife and I took a brief trip to Cleveland, Ohio in August, 2024. We had hoped to do so in 2020 while my wife was working temporarily in Fort Wayne, Indiana, when I could fly in, and we could then drive over to Cleveland. But the world shut down when COVID struck. We both love rock music, and as an amateur rock and pop musician, I was interested in visiting one of the top destinations the city has to offer: the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. However, we both agreed that we would need more than a single objective to justify flying from our home in Springfield, Missouri, through O’Hare airport in Chicago, and then on to Cleveland. We found one. We discovered that one of our favorite bands, Hootie and the Blowfish, was touring in 2024 and that Cleveland was one of their stops. They were going to be playing at the magnificent Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, about 20 minutes south of Cleveland. We had a twofer and were good to go!

Neither one of us knew much about Cleveland and didn’t have high expectations beyond what we planned to do while in the city. We were pleasantly surprised. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Erie, Cleveland is taking advantage of tourism with great parks and beaches right on the water. The views are breathtaking. With a scenic skyline, good hotels and restaurants, stadiums, arenas, and several major attractions, Cleveland really is a place to explore. The city claims to be the birthplace of Rock & Roll music, primarily because radio station WJW disc jockey Alan Freed coined the phrase “Rock & Roll” to describe the upbeat black rhythm and blues music he was playing in 1951. Of course, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was ground zero for us, and it also exceeded our expectations.

The building is a modern structure with a huge glass atrium at the entrance. It has six levels beginning on the entrance floor, but the tour starts one level below with the Ahmet Ertegun Main Exhibit Hall, which carries visitors from rock’s earliest stars to those newly emerging contemporary musicians. There are thousands of items on display, along with feature films, videos, interactive kiosks, reading material, and plenty of music. This exhibit has the museums largest displays devoted to single artists, bands, subgenres, and movements of Rock & Roll history and the industry: Revolutionary Women in History, Hip Hop, Roots of Rock, Pioneers of Rock, Sun Records, Cities & Sounds, the music of Cleveland and the Midwest, and so much more.

Level 1 has a ticket booth, a café, large museum store, and the Klipsch Stage where performances are scheduled throughout the year. Level 2 is called “The Garage” where visitors can sign up to play various instruments with or without a house band in a setting that looks very much like a real garage. I played an electric guitar (something I never do) and sang “Midnight Rider” by the Allman Brothers Band with the help of a house drummer and a bass player, who also sang harmony with me. Although it wasn’t my best performance of that song, it was still fun to play in such an iconic venue. This level also has a large collection of different types of instruments and sound booths for visitors to jam on their own. The Les Paul exhibit is on this floor too, paying homage to the American jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar, and his prototype served as inspiration for the Gibson Les Paul guitar.

Level 3 is focused almost completely on the Hall of Fame inductees, with the Inductee Signature Gallery, New Inductee exhibit, and the Connor Theater featuring the Power of Rock Experience. Visitors can look through alphabetic lists of inductees and a large chronological display of the all the inductees going back to the Hall of Fame’s inception in 1986. This floor also has the New Inductee and the In Memoriam exhibits. The Connor Theater is on this floor, where visitors can watch a 15-minutes video highlighting the Hall of Fame induction nights from the past.

Level 4 features the Pink Floyd tour replica of The Wall, designed to mirror the Berlin performance in July 21, 1990. This level is also the location of the Foster Theater, which is used for onsite education programs or private rentals. The theater has hosted hundreds of rock star talks and legendary rock films over the years. Level 5, along with some of the ramps in the museum, has individual display cases devoted to the legends of Rock & Roll, from the Bee Gees and the Doobie Brothers to Public Enemy to Tom Petty.

Level 6 is devoted to an exclusive exhibit that Bon Jovi unveiled with the museum in 2018. This full-floor showcase spans four decades of the band’s career along with never-before-seen artifacts from each of the band members. Visitors are immersed in the band’s story and music from inception to the present. Huge video presentations are joined by text panels and display cases filled with musical instruments, clothing, and loads of memorabilia from the band.

Organizations like the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that establish themselves as authorities of a particular subject area all have one thing in common. They always stir up controversy, mostly about who or what is included, but more contentiously, excluded from their lists. This museum obviously recognizes this dilemma and even seeks to address it by allowing visitors to submit names of performers or bands they think should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Many writers over the years have discussed this topic, and some of them have challenged the Hall of Fame on its choices of inductees through the decades. One of the most ironic exclusions is Huey Lewis and the News, the band that had a major hit with “The Heart of Rock & Roll,” which actually mentions Cleveland at the very end of the song!

I certainly had my share of questions come to mind as we strolled through each level of the museum. I was disappointed to see how much more space and almost reverential attention was given to Elvis Presley on one wall, while on the opposite wall a smaller display featured Chuck Berry, often considered the Father of Rock & Roll. I think those two positions should have been swapped. One of my favorite wall displays was for Jimi Hendrix, probably the greatest guitarist in rock history. I was baffled to learn that bands with place names such as Chicago were inducted fairly late in the game and that the bands Kansas and Boston still haven’t made it. At the same time, I was delighted to see so much attention given to Wanda Jackson, an Oklahoma native who got her start on ABC Television’s “Ozark Jubilee” broadcast out of Springfield, Missouri from 1955 to 1960. She later became known as the Queen of Rockabilly, a title she still holds to this day. As of this post date, she is still with us.

We were able to pack a lot in just two full days while still having some down time walking along the shore of Lake Erie, enjoying some great meals and drinks, and exploring the public spaces on the water around the Hall of Fame. On top of all that, we were lucky enough to catch Hootie and the Blowfish back together again for a national tour. Oh, and their opening acts were Edwin McClain and Collective Soul. For people who love rock music, it just doesn’t get much better than our quick trip to Cleveland.

Hootie and the Blowfish at Blossom Music Center (Ohio)

Work Optional in Arizona

March 28, 2024March 29, 2024 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ 2 Comments

My wife and I are at a point in our careers where we are mostly working because we want to and not out of absolute necessity. We have not reached the age to be eligible for full social security and Medicare, but we’re close. Yes, continuing to work makes sense given how the average life span of Americans has increased for our generation. We all must consider how long we will depend on social security, pensions, retirement savings, investments, and other assets. However, we want to spend fewer hours in the office and more time with each other involved in activities that are rewarding, fulfilling, and fun! So, we have pulled back to part time status and consulting gigs as a way to make this happen. A term we heard a few years back that adequately describes this stage in our lives is “work optional.” We like it.

View of Phoenix, AZ, from South Mountain

I have written in previous posts about several of our trips to Arizona, specifically the Phoenix area, which is where my wife lived for nineteen years of her adult life. She built relationships there that she has maintained over the years, and now, I consider her friends in Arizona my friends as well. They certainly make me feel welcome and embrace me as a life partner to someone they obviously adore. As we made our way through the last quarter of our professional lives, we often dreamed about spending several weeks a year in Arizona, a place that still feels like home to my wife and one that has enchanted me since the first time I felt that soft desert air and radiant sunshine. Starting this year, we took the plunge. We loaded up the car and drove 1,253 miles from our home in Springfield, Missouri to Phoenix, stopping for overnight stays in Amarillo, Texas and Gallup, New Mexico. It was a comfortable pace, and driving allowed us to see the countryside as we made our way through Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, New Mexico, and into Arizona. We also made good use of the hours together in the car planning future trips and dreaming about how our days might look once we fully retire.

We intentionally designed this first extended stay in Arizona to be a time of relaxation and restoration, but we ended up fitting in some great side trips and fun excursions around the greater Phoenix area. The location of the house we rented was convenient and close to shopping, restaurants, grocery stores, and hiking trails in the city (and there are plenty). The house was within a few blocks of the base of Camelback Mountain, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Phoenix valley. We found some fine restaurants, not so much high-end but such good food. We scoped out several different venues that support live music and host open mic nights, and I played at three of those locations. It was a blast. Of course, we entertained ourselves with reading, going to movies, walking, and just being together. Most importantly, we were able to spend quality time with close friends and their families, some of whom we saw several times while we were there. We even went to a youth community theater production with close friends whose daughter was working backstage – it was wonderful.

The following photos illustrate some of the highlights of our time in Arizona this year. We have trips planned to several different locations, domestic and foreign, over the next eighteen months, and we look forward to many more extended vacations in Arizona in the years ahead.

Annexus Pro-Am Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, AZ

Chicago Cubs Spring Training at Sloan Park in Mesa, AZ

Kansas City Royals Spring Training in Surprise, AZ

Reconsidering the Gulf Coast

October 30, 2023 ~ If You Want My Opinion ~ Leave a comment

On several occasions I have written about my strong attraction to the coast, how it grounds me and is so good for my soul. My first love in this regard was the Atlantic along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, simply because I was raised in the Southeast. Places such as Myrtle Beach, Isle of Palms, Hilton Head, Tybee Island, St. Simons, Jekyll, Sapelo Island, Amelia Island, St. Augustine, Ormond, and Daytona are all popular vacation destinations. I have fond memories from summer and early fall trips to all these locations, from within the last few years and going all the way back to my childhood.

In the last decade or so I have had several opportunities to visit the west coast in San Diego, Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea, San Francisco, and multiple locations in northern Oregon. It’s a completely different experience from the Atlantic, but no less enjoyable and with some spectacular landscape features you don’t see in Florida or Georgia.

Growing up, my family sometimes went to beaches along the Gulf Coast, and I even went there with friends in college, places such as Panama City Beach and Clearwater. However, I never found the Gulf Coast beaches as attractive as the Atlantic ones. The waves were usually much smaller, and the beaches were not as wide, both of which were important because I typically spent my days as a child and a young man either body surfing in the breakers or baking my skin on the sand. The atmosphere was probably thicker and provided more protection back in the day, and my skin was much more resilient to the sun’s rays. I tanned well and rarely burned much. Those days are over, even for this generation’s youngsters.

Living in the great state of Missouri now, a quick trip to the Gulf is much more manageable, even when flying. We have short direct flights that get us close to multiple Gulf beaches. We tried out Galveston in Texas a few years back, and I was pleasantly surprised how great it was experiencing the beach from the deck chairs at the house we rented with family and friends. Come to think of it, when we took a pre-Christmas holiday trip to Jamaica in 2015, we spent very little time out on the beach but certainly feasted on the views from the expansive balcony of our hotel room.

One place I had never seen was the stretch of the Gulf known as the Emerald Coast that lies west of Panama City and covers about 100 miles of seashore featuring destinations such as Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, and Miramar Beach. My wife and I were in Destin for a memorial service in February of 2023, and while we were there, we took a few walks out on the beaches. The contrast of the brilliant white sand against the blue-green water makes for a breathtaking vista that goes on forever. It is magnificent.

When I planned a solo trip for September this year, I decided to give the Emerald Coast a try. My wife, who also graciously serves as our ever-resourceful travel planner, was kind enough to book my flight, rent a car for me, and reserve a fourth-floor condo unit at a lovely complex just across the road from the beach called the Mediterranea. It was conveniently located to restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and retailers, many within walking distance. It was a perfect getaway. I was able to take long strolls on the white sand and on paved walkways just across the street. Although I didn’t take advantage of it, the pool was beautiful and added to the overall aesthetic. The view from the balcony was easy on my eyes whenever I looked up from the book I spent so much time reading while smelling the salty air and feeling the constant breeze on my skin.

It’s a good idea to break away from traditions and time-worn habits to explore other possibilities, especially when traveling. We have discovered all kinds of unexpected adventures and curiosities by going in new directions. I am certain we will return to the Emerald Coast, but there are so many other beaches to see, trails to walk, and sights to behold. As we approach the “work optional” stage of our lives, we plan to spend a whole lot more time doing just that.

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