NightBEAT 2022

August 2, 2022  Well, it was a night of mixed experience at the Truist Field Sunday night. Mother Nature provided a mixture of bright sky, alternated by passing waves of a layered variety of cloud types including cumulonimbus, resulting a passing rain showers replete with a rainbow. The stadium was temporarily dampened, but the performers on the field were truly fired up before that, … Continue Reading →

Love and Peace-of-Mind in the South

Saturday, July 30, 2022 – Winston Salem, NC I am very glad that I changed my plans to fly to Greensboro and rent a car for the weekend. Being in flux on my car repairs, and not really wanting to drive the extra miles, and additional days on the road to start my auto tour, I went for a low fare, cheap rental car, … Continue Reading →

Drum Corps Doldrums in Vermont

July 23, 2022 – Waitsfield, Vermont Here I sit along the Mill Brook, whiling away time with my thoughts and fingers. The brook is louder today because of the heavy rain last night. The water is high, but I am in the middle of my drum corps summertime drought. The month of July is the cruelest month for me because my DCI tour takes … Continue Reading →

Iron Will and Stubborn Feet

July 20, 2022 Last month, I had a chance to walk in the woods with writer and long-distance through-hiker Joan Young for a very special hiking experience. Upon first meeting her on the Oak Ridge Trail in the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area in Ripton, Vermont, I was immediately struck by her sure-footed strides and confident nature as we wended through the Green Mountain Forest … Continue Reading →

BAC in their Hometown 

July 5, 2022 Caffeine, cruise control, and rock n’ roll. That was the motto that I employed with my down-and-back trip to Lynn, MA, just outside the city of Boston for the Bean Pot Invitational, DCI show last Sunday. The Silver Bullet (my Volvo wagon) is getting a little tired at 100 thousand miles and she is running a little rough but I nursed … Continue Reading →

A Lark in the Lot.

July 1, 2022 – Along the Mill Brook, Waitsfield, Vermont I am back home on my brookside deck after an eventful first tour of my drum corps season – Southern California. After a couple of days getting caught up at home and a round of golf, it’s time to catch up with you where I left off, DCI Western Connection, San Bernardino, CA. My … Continue Reading →

DCI = Love in the Rose Bowl

June 26, 2022 – San Bernardino, CA I’m sitting here at San Bernardino Valley College on a sweltering Sunday afternoon. Tonight, is the third and final DCI show on my California tour. Last night, I was at the rim of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for some DCI Love. My plan for this evening is to spend my time outside the stadium shooting the … Continue Reading →

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles for DCI California

June 23, 2022 -10:00am Burlington, VT It is with great anticipation that I am about to embark on my western Drum Corps International (DCI) tour, sitting comfortably in the BTV airport gate 12 in Vermont’s Queen City, Burlington. I am bound ­­­for the first drum corps show of the season this Friday. The plane is at the gate and all things seem good for … Continue Reading →

Anticipation for DCI 2022

May 20, 2022 After a long winter here in Vermont, everything is turning green in the Green Mountain State. The skis are put away and it’s time to plan for my 2022 drum corps tour. Until I rediscovered drum corps in 2012 while surfing YouTube one cold winter day, I always lamented the end of ski season. Now, I have something as exciting to … Continue Reading →

A Day in the Phen Basin with the MRVBC

March 2022 On a loverly Saturday morning in March, the Mad River Valley Backcountry Coalition (MRVBC) led a successful tour into the Phen Basin Wilderness of the Camel’s Hump State Park on the Catamount Trail. Our destination on Section 19S from the trailhead parking area at the Battlegrounds on Mill Brook Road was Hemlock Hill for some exploration of Vermont’s natural backcountry. This section … Continue Reading →