Home, Where the Heart Is

August 16, 2023 – Along the Mill Brook I did not need audio on the way toward home from Indianapolis Sunday morning. The musical repertoires ingrained from weeks of intense listening to 2023 DCI drum and bugle corps shows rang in my cranium. The heavily exercised thalamus gland that houses the pleasure button and the trigger to my tear ducts was again fully engaged … Continue Reading →

DCI World Championships 2023

August 12, 2023 – Indianapolis, Indiana The past two days were a blur. Each year, I find more things to occupy my time in Indianapolis before I go into the oil can to watch the drum corps shows. Therefore, I have had less time to catch up with you daily. Preliminary and Semi-finals are in the books. The top four drum corps are ranked … Continue Reading →

Indy of Bust for DCI 2023

August 10, 2023 – Indianapolis, Indiana 9:00 am I am again behind in keeping up with you on my 2023 DCI tour. I left you two days ago in Ohio on the way to Canton for my last outdoor drum corps show, the home show of the Bluecoats. This is one of my favorite shows of the year because of the excellent line-up and … Continue Reading →

Pennsylvania DCI 2023

August 7, 2023 – Monday of Finals Week I am woefully behind in keeping you posted on the excellent drum corps shows I have witnessed in the past three days while in Pennsylvania. As unsettling as the weather has been lately, I have been blessed with three fine evenings in a row for two shows in Allentown and one fine show last night in … Continue Reading →

Onward to Allentown for DCI 2023

August 4, 2023 – Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area 10:00 am I’m sitting here along the Delaware River on a bench that I built out of two large stones, a log, and a 12x48x2” milled board, all flotsam found on the sandy bank. I am about midway through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It is my favorite route to Allentown, with … Continue Reading →

Shippin’ up to Boston

August 3, 2023 – 9:00 am Boston bound. Well, I am on the road again. Yesterday, I detailed the Silver Bullet and loaded it up for my two-week tour of Drum Corps International competitions. First is the Boston Area Show in Lawrence, Massachusets. The Boston Crusader will host a smallish show with only three other world-class corps, the Mandarins, Phantom Regiment, Bluecoats performing tonight. … Continue Reading →

Going with the Flo for DCI

July 27, 2023 Along the Mill Brook Here I sit on my deck along the Mill Brook. We received another saturating rain today. It cleared around 4:20, so I headed out for my daily hike. This one would be to the mid-station of Sugarbush Mount Ellen, my home mountain that towers over us at 4,083 feet. Ok, not quite as high as the Rockies, … Continue Reading →

A Lark in the Park – Downtown Denver

July 16, 2023 3:00 pm – Downtown Denver My return of the rental car took a hybrid route of major highways and county roads across the flat upper plains past the watered cornfields. Water isn’t the only thing extracted around here. Several well-heads and storage tanks are evidence of significant hydro-fracking for fossil fuels. One wonders about the air quality of the communities and … Continue Reading →

Colorado High – Drums Along the Rockies 2023

July 16, 2023 I want to add to the list of drum corps on the rise. Last night many world-class corps achieved their highest scores in relation to this point in the season, including Pacific Crest, now ranked in the top twelve. Their program is well-conceived, the kids look great, and they perform like a championship night corps. The fans showed their appreciation with … Continue Reading →

Colorado Adventure – DCI

July 14, 2023 – Greeley, Colorado – sometime late in the evening By the grace of providence and the wings of man, I am now in a different universe, well… location on our planet. No, I am not in Kansas, but Colorado. Greeley, that is. Captain United flew the friendly skies direct from BTV to DEN, and with a budget rental, I am firmly … Continue Reading →