July 26, 2024 – Nashville Tennessee I have left the mountains of Vermont for the sidewalks of the city, The Music City, Nashville, Tennessee. Instead of the Friday adventure with my local adventurers ascending to a peak, I am on my solo jaunt amid the tall skyscrapers and hard surfaces of the iconic city of the south, known as the capital of country music, … Continue Reading →
July 25, 2024, 9:00 a.m. – Burlington International Airport (BTV), Vermont This has been a musical morning. Rising at a reasonable hour to catch a 10:10 a.m. flight to Nashville, I set my streaming service to a tribute to Chick Corea by Hubert Laws and other great jazz musicians. On the one-hour trip to BTV, I heeded the music that came into my head, … Continue Reading →
July 17, 2024 – Phen Basin, Vermont My living room is not your average indoor climate-controlled space. In fact, it is outdoors, and the climate is out of control in my living room, the Phen Basin Wilderness Area of the Camel’s Hump State Park in Vermont. I do not own this room but have lived in it as often as possible since discovering it … Continue Reading →
July 11, 2024 – Along the Mill Brook This is my 70th trip around the sun and my 30th year residing along the Mill Brook. Over these past three decades, I have observed this efficient watershed that drains Mount Ellen, General Stark, Baby Stark, and Molly Stark Mountains. Along with Camel’s Hump to the north, these make up the Green Mountain Monroe Skyline. As … Continue Reading →
July 2, 2024 – Mason Ohio 8:00 am Today is a show day. This will be my final show of the Midwest Tour. Tonight, the Bluecoats are here to shake things up in their backyard. Boston Crusaders, Carolina Crown, and Phantom Regiment will be here to duke it out with them. Some in our group predict a shake-up at the top of the rankings. … Continue Reading →
June 30, 2024 – Chicago, Illinois I am whiling time away at the car rental complex at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, waiting for friends to arrive from afar. I just dropped off the rental that served me well on my two-state tour of Michigan and Indiana. Leaving Michigan Dunes, I headed westerly around the southern shore of Lake Michigan into the concrete jungle … Continue Reading →
June 29, 2024 – Muncie, Indiana There is one thing that I have come to equate with the State of Indiana: youth music education. When a drum and bugle corps competition comes to town, all eyes are fixed, and ears are perked. Six World Class Drum Corps International (DCI) drum and bugle corps competed last night at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The … Continue Reading →
June 28, 2024 – 9:00 am – Steuben County, Indiana I am at the Welcome Center on I69 in Northeaster, Indiana, where there is power, bathroom, water, and WIFI. It’s time to update you on my travels and sleeping accommodations last night. I set my phone to play one of my shorter recorded sessions on my Steinway. When the music stopped, I was fully … Continue Reading →
June 27, 2024 – Fort Custer National Cemetery I’m sitting under the roof of a commemoration site at the Fort Custer National Cemetery just outside Battle Creek, Michigan. In keeping with my tradition of finding adventure along the way to the next drum corps show, I chose this spot to rest my weary bones in my hammock. Last night was a cold one in … Continue Reading →
June 25, 2024 – Western Michigan The stalwart maple tree is my friend, keeping me cool under the shade of its spreading limbs. I am at the high school in Jenison, Michigan, in a bedroom community in Grand Rapids. The Phantom Regiment is in residence rehearsing for the Midwest Drum Corps International (DCI) Premiere show to be held tomorrow in nearby Rockford, MI. Not … Continue Reading →
