Below is everything (newest at top) with "life OR travel OR usa" in its title or subcategories. For a strict listing (matching all categories and subcats), click hereNOTES FROM THE ROAD TO DOUG'S HOUSE... AND MARK TWAIN'S BOYHOOD HOMEfrom 2024 in ( life / travel / usa / missouri )
Just past Jackson, Tennessee, after getting onto 412, a trucker had some fun at my expense. I had just passed him and am 99% sure I hadn't merged back in front of him too close. Drivers around here are offended easily. He then came up fast behind me and got right up to my rear-end before finally getting into the left lane to pass me. He ... read more
VOTING IN 2024from 2024 in ( education / civics / voting / usa )
On Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 07:31:30 PM PDT, someone wrote: This young guy is super well spoken. It's about 15 minutes long and I found it interesting to listen to a different viewpoint than my own. I agreed with some things and not others. I'm not voting like him but can completely understand why he decided on his choice. It... read more
WHY GEORGIA VOTERS ARE LOOKING TO THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES AHEAD OF THE DEBATEfrom 2024 in ( education / news / politics / usa )
Here's a better option: shiva4president.com/about-shiva.
Here's a better option: shiva4president.com/about-shivaGeorgia voters in the latest NBC News Deciders Focus Group who backed Biden or Trump in 2020 are taking a serious look at RFK Jr. and third-party candidates. ... nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/georgia-voters-... read more
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MY HOME TOWN, FOLSOM, CALIFORNIAfrom 2024 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
On a whim, I asked Bing Co-Pilot (chatgpt) to write a blog post about Folsom. Here's the result If you are interested in learning more about the history of Folsom, California, you might enjoy reading this blog post. Folsom is a city in Sacramento County that has a rich and diverse heritage, dating back to the Native American tribe... read more
STILLHOUSE HOLLOW FALLSfrom 2023 in ( life / travel / usa / southeast )
/images/stillhouse-hollow-falls.webp I stopped here a couple weeks ago, on a whim, on one of my regular Sunday drives. There's a little sign, easy to miss, as you drive by on the... read more
1967-2008 ZIONIST ISRAEL TREACHERYfrom 2023 in ( education / civics / politics / usa )
I don't know about Kevin Kiley. Before he was actually voted in, I warned him about Israel, even giving him the link to Cynthia McKinney's video of how Israel wanted her to pledge to Israel instead of the Constitution: youtube.com/watch?vImFMcbF2MYYCynthia McKinney US Lawmakers Forced to Sign Pled... read more
GREETINGS FROM SAINT SOMETHING, MISSOURIfrom 2023 in ( life / travel / usa / missouri )
I was in no rush to leave and didn't hit the road until 9:30 on my drive from middle Tennessee to Saint Robert, Missouri. I could never remember that name, calling it Saint Something in my head. Even now, I wanted to type Saint Thomas. How many saints are there, anyway? The drive was blissfully uneventful, with the highlight being She... read more
CALIFORNIA INVADES TENNESSEEfrom 2023 in ( family / holmes / travel / usa )
June 20th 2023 -- The Road Warriors, head out from Cottonwood/Anderson California on a mission from God. Thomas, Finnegan, Skyla, and I left at 5:00 AM Pacific Time to start our 5,400 mile road trip in my 2019 Subaru Forester. We knew it would be a challenging journey but threw caution to the wind and headed out, anyway.We drove through Nevad... read more
REDDING IN APRILfrom 2023 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
Friday, April 7, 2023 Elizabeth and I were on our seemingly annual trip to California. This time, it was a gift for her 18th birthday. Years ago, I thought we might be flying to /pages/family/adoption/holmes/Astrakhan, Russia , for this birthday, but things are a little dicey there now. Besides, you need a... read more
7-FOOT ROBOT AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD AIRPORT WATCHES FOR UNMASKED TRAVELERS, WILL NOTIFY LAW ENFORCEMENT OF POTENTIAL CRIMESfrom 2022 in ( life / travel / usa / tyranny )
Remind me never to use that airport. A 7-foot robot at Dallas Love Field Airport is watching for unmasked passengers and will notify law enforcement of potential crimes. What could possibly go wrong? The robot, dubbed SCOT, was installed last month to determine if they are capable of efficiently supplementing current...... read more
BNA TO SMF (2022)from 2022 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
Elizabeth and I returned home late Tuesday night after a few days in California, visiting family. I still despise air travel, and the mask requirement only makes it worse, but a couple of our American Airlines crew members were happy to tell us it expires next month. Using Doug and Jana's house in Sacramento as my home base --... read more
THANKSGIVING WEEK TRIP TO THE GULF COASTfrom 2021 in ( education / research / usa / southeast )
Just getting the rental car (minivan) in the first place was a bit of an adventure. Because we were leaving Monday morning, we wanted to pick it up Sunday night, but all local enterprise.com/en/home.htmlEnterprise offices are closed on Sundays, which I find weird, given that travel-and-leisure-... read more
FROM HILL TO VALLEY, A LONG-WINDED POSTCARD FROM THE ROADfrom 2021 in ( life / travel / usa / southeast )
/images/welcome-valley-al-sign.webp The drive from Spring Hill, Tennessee to Valley, Alabama was uneventful... until we were almost there. So close. That's a fairly generic name for a town... read more
MADE IN THE U.S.Afrom 2021 in ( life / money / shopping / usa )
Spread the word about usaproductsonly.com/this awesome website for American Made. And here is the video that launches it: facebook.com/watch/live/?v 5567515233674&refnotif¬ifid1609874476125581¬iftlivevideoon Facebook I just emailed them to inclu... read more
2019 MOST DANGEROUS U.S. CITIESfrom 2019 in ( life / travel / usa / crime )
escapehere.com/destination/25-most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us-in-2019/?streamviewallThis article is dated December 2018, and it's based on 2017 data, but whatever. :) roadsnacks.net/most-dangerous-cities/RoadSnacks has a similar list here , and here's ... read more
WHERE YOU BELONGfrom 2019 in ( culture / people / geography / usa )
I've been in middle Tennessee the past 25 years, grew up in northern California, spent most of my 20s in L.A., but according to play.howstuffworks.com/quiz/which-region-the-united-states-fits-you-bestthis site I should move to New England. They say... You would fit in well in New Engl... read more
VISITING OLD SACRAMENTOfrom 2018 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
/images/old-sacramento-1.webp Observations while walking around Old Sacramento with Elizabeth:Jul 14, 2018 2:38pmAs I sat on a bench in touristy Old Sacramento, a little boy walked by and asked Are you a statue? I had to laug... read more
THINGS TO DO IN NASHVILLEfrom 2011 in ( life / travel / usa / nashville )
Actually, in and around Nashville. adventuresci.org/Adventure Science Center alphamom.com/family-fun/activities/50-things-to-do-with-kids-in-nashville-before-they-grow-up/Alpha Mom... read more
TOUR OF NASHVILLE (2011)from 2011 in ( life / travel / usa / nashville )
/images/e-laughing-pumpkins.webp Elizabeth and I played tour guide to my sister harmonyhaven.wordpress.com/author/jeanniewomack/Jeannie , her daughter Tiffany,... read more
S.F. IN 1906from 2010 in ( education / history / usa / california )
Things were a lot more freely-moving back then. And the kids seemed to be having fun. Reminds me of Russian traffic today, only they have slightly newer forms of transportation now. :)A film taken from a streetcar traveling down Market Street in San Francisco in 1906, a few days before the earthquake/fire destroye... read more
TRIP TO ROANOKEfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
I'm home after a long trip to Roanoke, VA and back. It was quite an experience overall. The 1-3/4 hour drive to SMF was punctuated by the puppy screaming and howling in the crate behind me in the van. She messed the newspapers once and I stopped and changed them. Once I got to the airport, I put her into the carry-on targetbla... read more
VISITING FAMILY IN KANSASfrom 2005 in ( life / travel / usa / kansas )
Kansas. What an incredibly boring state. Tara, her sister Sandie, niece Destiny, and I flew from Nashville to attend her youngest sister Stephanie's high school graduation in Council Grove. Tara and I figured we'd find something to do that night upon arrival in Kansas City, followed by more touring the next day before catching up with th... read more
CHARLESTON AND SAVANNAHfrom 2000 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
Charleston, SCWe drove ... and drove ... and drove -- 10 hours or so- from visitmusiccity.com/Nashville until finally reaching Charleston, South Carolina. Along the way, we stopped in Asheville, North Carolina at the Biltmore Estate because Tara had forgotten to get postcards when we were there... read more
NEW ORLEANSfrom 2000 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
We flew into New Orleans about noon time on a Friday. Since the room wasn't ready for such an early arrival, we walked four blocks to the pier and decided to ride the paddle wheel boat Natchez. It basically goes a mile up the Mississippi, then heads back. You'll see a lot of other international cargo ships, and the h... read more
CALIFORNIA, WHAT A TRIPfrom 2000 in ( life / travel / usa / california )
Before we left, I took Austin to his Grandma Joy's house. We had a good visit and he took to her immediately. I left him on Friday morning and drove back to Nashville. I was supposed to get my ear drums cut open for the plane ride because I had ear infections, but the steroids and antibiotics had put a negative pressure situation in my ears ... read more
THE BREEDERS CUP AT GULFSTREAM PARKfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / horse-racing )
...with a side trip to Miami from Ft. Lauderdale.
/images/horse-racing-gulfstream.webp I flew from Nashville to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for the Breeders Cup horse races at Gulfstream Park (actually Hallandale). It was fun just being the... read more
ALASKA, A TRUE WILDERNESSfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / alaska )
I've always heard people use the words wilderness and Alaska in the same sentence. It didn't mean a lot to me until recently when my wife Carla and I cruised the Inside Passage of Alaska. The state is huge, but it still takes a good seven days (round trip) to cruise up and back on the western coast. We stopped at ... read more
ST. LOUIS TRIPfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
Tara and I made a quick trip (if you can call a five-hour road trip quick) to St. Louis over the Labor Day weekend. We visited their historic Old Town district along the river where they were hosting the Big Muddy Blues & Roots Festival. That was just good timing on our part. We had not originally intended to see it, but since it was free we hun... read more
QUICK TRIP TO CHICAGOfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
/images/bill-tara-memphis-1998.webpTara and I left Nashville for Chicago on a Thursday morning. At the last minute I decided to let my cat Myca out. I figured he would return shortly after doing his business in the neighbor's bushes, as usual, and I could then lock him in the house for the duration of our tri... read more
ATLANTA TRIPfrom 1999 in ( life / travel / usa / blog )
Tara and I just got back from a long weekend in Atlanta. It was nice to see the town. I'd passed through before but never stopped to look. The first touristy thing we did after finding our hotel -- the downtown courtyard.marriott.com/Courtyard-by-Marriott , which was much better than the targetblan... read more