How do you best handle failure? 

“A step backward after making a wrong turn is a step in the right direction.” (Kurt Vonnegut)

My grandfather used to spend much of his spare time tinkering with objects to make them work better. When I visited him for long stretches at a time in Tampa, Florida in my early teens, he might for instance be trying out a new tv antenna, restringing his fishing reel or even carving out chess pieces to make them look more real. When something he did failed to work, I noticed he’d  patiently just go back and try it again. 

Know then that our recent road trip visit to the former winter home of Thomas Edison in Fort Myers, Florida along the Calloosahatchee River felt very much the same as these memories of my grandfather. For from a historic perspective, I note that Mr. Edison also knew very well the bitterness of failure that often accompanied his trial and error attempts to build and market such revolutionary inventions as the incandescent electric light, Edison storage battery and listening phonograph player. Yet with so much world fame already secured from such hard earned efforts,  a question arises as to why he needed to reside on  this land parcel in a relatively rural region of Florida during the “golden years” of his life?

So taking a deeper look at Mr. Edison’s longtime winter residency in this subtropical coast city from 1885 to the time of his death in 1931, it’s clear to me  that he did not move here to just “rest on his previous laurels.” Take for instance my curious glance at the thick strand of trees lining the estate entrance to begin my tour. For Edison began there in the 1920s a period of laborious botanical experimentation here, to pioneer one of the first attempts to grow rubber successfully on American soil. Next following an easy to read app guide, we made our way on the ground to such well preserved locations as the original Edison main house and restored laboratory study. At the time, I noticed  Edison’s flair for making good use of the latest inventions of this era in these important interior environments as well as providing detailed use of space in arranging comfortable furniture and various other objects so he could either work or relax successfully. 

Upon also concentrating my attention on the outdoor environs of Mr. Edison’s property for much of this day, I observed Mr. Edison’s great love for building “state of the art” additions to relax according to his favorite hobbies in this mild climate. There’d be plenty of opportunity for him to thus cast off his rod and reel on the river from a private fishing pier spanning a 1500 foot long. When lavish entertainment of guests “struck his fancy”, he undoubtedly mingled with his esteemed family or guests around his lavishly designed swimming pool which also contained a changing area and private showers and tea room When he desired a place to just quietly or read, write, his tropically manicured “Moonlight Garden” must have fulfilled these leisurely needs as well.

I must confess my intense interest in applying Thomas Edison’s “never quit” method to my travels. For I need to sustain more functional solutions to times when home life crises restricts my time allotted to travel. My trial and error goal thus over the next year or two would be to test out a few suitable oases we can visit as Mr. Edison did in Fort Myers to best fulfill our hobbies and social interests during future long term stays. At this point in time, I envision either Northern California, Central Arizona, or the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado as definitely desirable. Enjoy the photo tour of the Edison winter home.

Source Material (Click links below)

https://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/7-epic-fails-brought-to-you-by-the-genius-mind-of-thomas-edison-180947786/

How does the struggle for Civil Rights in America  impact your life? 

“Music has the power to break barriers, uplift communities, and inspire change.”(Count Basie)

I’ve noticed lately a distinct change lately in the concerts I’ve attended. The crowds predictably are older and the set lists are longer for sure as bands usually play their entire repertoire of compositions popularized during my teen and college years era. To further lengthen these concerts, I’m observing  the artist typically takes time to reflect about personal events that impacted their musical careers.       

Accordingly, I witnessed last week on our recent mini road trip the addition of a storytelling nostalgia component to go along with the celebrated return of the great Count Basie “Big Band” in St. Petersburg, Florida. Know then that a major highlight of this Black History event at a local college happened to be a pre-concert panel discussion of local cultural leaders discussing the historic relevance of that Monday evening concert.  

In this regard, the legendary jazz orchestra last performed in this city over sixty three years ago. While Basie often seemed uninterested  in showcasing his own star status, his band’s historic appearance that day must also be placed in the context of their united “stand” against such inferior racial  treatment they often faced on the road at that time period.  Click on the following video to obtain greater  knowledge of the late Count Basie the person and performer. 
https://youtu.be/_j_ne0FTRcI?si=MEv6l6tVVkpZO8v2

How inspiring to realize then that Count Basie’s music represents an African American equality success story. For his “Big Band” carries on into its ninetieth year of world wide tour play amid escalating white supremacist dangers in America today.  Looking back then at my own past as a former rock and jazz  musician, I also exhibited  strong energy to perform competently on my trombone, hoping to  potentially help change the world for the better.  Listening to my music today, I still feel this way today! Enjoy the photos.

Source Material:

https://ilovetheburg.com/count-basie-orchestra-wada/

How do you best manage the enduring wrath of wintertime?

“Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows” (Helen Keller)

The St. Petersburg city region along the west coast of Florida provided  a relaxing road trip “getaway” for Ruth and me Iast week. While it gets crowded there in springtime from the annual “snowbird” invasion, we felt savvy enough to find a quiet spot to relax on the beach from this tourist frenzy. So we immediately thought of  Fort DeSoto Beach, located at the southern tip of this peninsula as the  best site to  just sit or stroll.  So I enthusiastically wrote the following poem as we lingered around these tranquil bay waters the  day after a severe  wind and rain storm event shut down our outdoor activities in this area. Enjoy the photos.      

SUN COAST SKYWARD

Warm rays settle softly upon my skin

A soothing tan let the healing begin

Morning mood lifted, a heartfelt  high

Who cares if there’s no hookup to “wifi”

Dark skies vanish in golden glow

Freeing all life with chance to grow.

Florida solar beams so pure and free

Plenty of sunshine for Ruth and me!”

What do you like and dislike about Florida as a seasonal  tourist destination?

Florida – It’s dreamers it’s builders, it’s mavericks, and it’s scoundrels. Sometimes all at once.” ( Beatriz Williams)

Many might think of Florida as a glamorous place reminiscent of my cover photo above. So why I have I rarely taken the opportunity as a long time South Florida resident to spend more than a day or two in one place throughout the state of Florida?  Perhaps I can best explain such disregard for the “Sunshine State” as the old saying goes with “familiarity breeds contempt.” To illustrate my reasoning more clearly, consider I’m simply not feeling the urge these days to (1) sun- tan my body look on a sun-kissed beach, (2) engage in child play fantasy on a Disney or Universal Park ride ,3) cast my rod and reel patiently for hours in hopes of catching a whopper sized fish, or (4) watch the “oohs and awes” of spectators associated with alligator wrestling or other displays of wild animal tricks at a “tourist trap” facility. 

Know then I’ve normally considered it a major accomplishment to release myself from my Florida doldrums  by way of a speedy drive on I-10, I-75, or I-95. Such decisions I must say make good sense to me as I realize there’s not much reason to stop along these limited access highways anyway other than make an occasional Buc-ees” walkthrough or rest area pit stop. I instead prefer to just listen to my music as we hop around freely for long distances while measuring these cross country vacations in weeks or months at a time.

But reality sets in quickly when extenuating circumstances at home now dictate immediate changes to our upcoming travel plans. For in order to salvage this vacation,  I need to shorten our trip length severely and eliminate out of state destination options given the uncertain personal  predicament I now face. Obviously that also means figuring out ways  to re- program  myself then from such negative Florida conditioning. Thus my current research  hopes to find “quality time” activities happening in the early spring no more than four or five hours from Fort Lauderdale. 

So as a result of such anticipated change in travel outlook, I’m plunging in fully to enjoy Florida on my own terms. So take a glance in the captioned photos below with what I’ve come up with for our upcoming mini road trip adventure. This lineup of intended bookings includes two MLB baseball game matchups , four live music gatherings, a renowned historic landmark, a popular spring festival and a shopping  artwork extravaganza. Stay tuned in as I re-connect with you about this experience down the road. 

Disney Springs Art Walk ( Lake Buena Vista)

“We should seek out all the doors which still remain ajar…”(Angela Davis)  

What future travels that you desire linger beyond your grasp right now? 

My wife Ruth and I exist as a traveling team, well schooled for completing our vacations on our own as much as possible. For since the mid 1970s, our track record of self guided accomplishment includes numerous air, land and water journeys encompassing six continents along with extended  roadtrip adventures throughout the United States in all fifty states.Yet there’s been “trying” times when our overseas adventures, in particular, have been restricted by major life events such as the recurrent COVID crisis or immediate family health issues that pop up with little warning. Now seems to be one of those occasions.

Nonetheless, while our travel plans currently shrink as to time and distance, the global bucket list accumulates newly sought places for the future when the time’s right to visit. Know then at this point of our lives, the main emphasis lies with matching a much desired activity of lower physical exertion with the right place to experience it. That reality means we might need to reconsider our consistent avoidance of commercially run tours. For it seems prudent that as travel savvy seniors, we now need to “weigh in” more on whether such packaged offerings might offer some advantages for us concerning cost, health, time, and effort  with regard to future destinations we’re most interested in visiting.

So join me as I “think big”again about our future travels. First, examine below five photo motivations that hint at my prioritized site selection list for such future world roamings. In the caption space following each photo, I then reveal these activity desired destinations of mine followed by privately organized tour offerings to feasibly market interest in why we should visit each of these places.

How do racial equity matters impact your interest in professional sports?

“We all have different hearts and hands; heads holding various views. Don’t you see? Different is beautiful and together is beautiful too.” (Andy Warhol)

There’s a perplexing problem lingering now in 2025 concerning the degree to which diversity, equity, and inclusion should continue to be promoted at all levels of government in our country. As one glaring example, consider that President Trump last week issued an executive order ending official recognition of all activities and events which celebrate Black History month in February this year. A few days later, he reversed himself and retracted  his words. But one must reasonably ponder why did he find reason to approve this “white supremacist” decree in the first place, considering it seems radically “out of touch” with what’s happening, “demographic wise”, in our country today? As a result, he’s aroused the ire of thousands of protestors who now gather in America’s city streets to demonstrate this executive action and many others that have been recently forced upon this country.

So I’d like to re-frame the issue of diversity in a more realistic sense. Know that the Super Bowl has evolved over the years to embrace high level competition with positive racial progress in mind.To illustrate that diversity trend, take a look at my featured photo above which showcases that two black quarterbacks, for the first time in Super Bowl history, will be leading their teams as the opposing “signal-callers” this Sunday (Patrick Mahomes and Jaylen Hurts). It’s also notable that eight quarterbacks of black racial origin have excelled in Super Bowl action for their teams in the fifty nine year history of this widely popular event. Take a closer look at some of their milestone football accomplishments by clicking on the website below.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/complete-history-of-black-qbs-in-the-super-bowl-from-doug-williams-to-historic-chiefs-vs-eagles-rematch/

So enjoy the football action and halftime pageantry on Sunday.  But I also urge you to take some time then to take a “hard look” at our President, who will be an attendee at the game. Will he open his “eyes and ears” to this spectacular showing of diversity that day or is does it proceed as just another “reality  show”, staged publicity appearance? 

How much time do you spend trying to make your life perfect?

“The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.”(George Will)

I rode my bike on this crisp South Florida morning around our new condo complex looking for the perfect place to rest. I settled for a park bench on a gently rising ridge overlooking an old oak tree strand. But then after a few minutes sitting there, it occurred to me that I enjoyed looking at this habitat’s imperfections as some trees stood  flimsily crooked and others lay seasonally dead. Taking wild nature’s cue on this matter then, I wrote the following poem.

PERFECTION’S UNDOING

I gaze upward nightly in awe of magical cosmic dust

 

But often fail to notice steady neighbors I can trust.

 

I descend far below to fear earth shaking heat

 

But miss kicking fires out just under my feet

 

I look back to mimic time’s eventful chains  
                                  

But rarely gather up human losses or gains 

 

I feel passion ahead hoping future utopia arises 

 

But ignore subtle smiles as intrinsic prizes

 

Stop trying to struggle surpassing the status quo

 

Let inner peace grow to enjoy life’s flow

---

What’s one personal image about your town or city  that reminds you of being at home?

“Home is where the heart is.” (Pliny the Elder)

Sometimes when I travel long distances on those road trips for months at a time, I experience sudden feelings of homesickness. Strong memories of being back home in Florida typically accentuate then when I’m driving and playing music along the way. But not just any kind of music! It might for instance be a stirring protest song like Jimi Hendrix’s  “Star Spangled Banned” rendition to remind me how I fought injustice during turbulent times happening while attending University  in Tampa during the Vietnam War era. Or perhaps I’ll feel stronger in hearing a  Michael Jackson tune such as “Beat It”, which invokes reminders of my past struggles to teach inner city kids in downtown Miami. 

So consider how a traveling band might similarly decide to title themselves with a city, state, or country whose past emotional impact on them inspires their creative musical talents. For wherever they play near or far, their performances become filled with “catchy” song lyrics and impressive stage components that provide clues to their passionate attachment to that special place.

In fact, I’ve determined there may be hundreds of bands currently operating in the United  States that operate under such place name titles.So let’s look at little deeper into the reasoning for seven bands being so geographically associated. First study carefully some attached photos below. Following each image, look at the information about the band’s name, musical genre and one particular song of interest here. Finally, click on the link that follows for each of them, to observe some visual clues and song lyric meanings presented. See if you can guess why each location can be conceivably considered each band’s special musical home. 

Rock n’ Roll – Random Cats Memphis (One Night In Memphis)

https://youtu.be/Rr2K8lPLbxk?si=c412k5GTC78HmNkh

Classic Rock – Chicago (Take Me Back To Chicago)

https://youtu.be/7GOXPTkjCwE?si=12kGloSk_2pDwkJj

Progressive Rock – Kansas (Dust In The Wind)

https://youtu.be/-w5WQQ8Yqmw?si=eBV4S72W55iGIH9f

Rap/Hip Hop  – Winnipeg’s Most (All That I Know)

https://youtu.be/5VAF3ypMS84?si=mdH22StkJMJ-RwQr

Jazz- Manhattan Transfer (Boy From New York City)

https://youtu.be/5ZF6m659-z0?si=fkrikwMBMh9lONDJ

Country – Florida/Georgia Line (Round Here)

https://youtu.be/p1oL37ycONQ?si=kIgTcA5iVnx8XDP7

Latin Pop – Miami Sound Machine (Rhythm Is Gonna Get You)

https://youtu.be/6NwVD8RbS6Y?si=Wl9LaKtP2gqct85X

 

 

What do you miss most as you endure the long wrath of wintertime? 

“Just living is not enough…one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” (Hans Christian Anderson)

I’ve been thinking lately how fortunate it’s been for me to enjoy the great outdoors in the heart of winter season this year. For I’m again enjoying temperate weather conditions in South Florida while most  of the country lies dormant in extreme cold conditions. I might have considered Southern California as another place to find balmy weather now, but those ravaging fires recently represent a serious safety threat to those who attempt to venture outside. Even in the desert environs of Arizona, the higher elevations for so many communities would likely produce extreme weather risk.

To exemplify my point, in scanning through a plethora of Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach County happenings last weekend, I felt very confident that I could find something to do spontaneously in the open air with Ruth at a  nominal cost. With weather conditions calm, I could prepare casually as usual by wearing my short pants, perhaps a Hawaiian shirt and sneakers. Parking lots would of course be likely full but that would be no big deal. For in stretching my legs a bit more to and from a vehicle space farther out, I’d be taking the time then to more fully enjoy our interesting subtropical flora and fauna. 

So I call to attention all of you  “snowbirds” to feel what fun it felt like to soak up some “sun rays” as I chose to do in “country bumpkin” fashion at a local Strawberry Festival last weekend. I suspect that you would have then enjoyed exchanging  those slushy piles of snow removal you plow through now with the opportunity to  pick fresh fruit in these gorgeously green fields. Other luscious fruits and flowers in season featured at the venue’s farmers market  might similarly have been entering your mind as well as you stared at those dead leafless trees of yours in frigid January.       

You’d probably also grown weary of being cooped up  with your family and pets for extended times in your window shut home. So you might have felt a strong urge to amuse yourself with an animal or two in this fair’s  petting zoo to enjoy some fresh air conditions. For the same reason, those kids of yours would probably be getting restless at home on those long winter days as well.Thus, I’d further reason you’d be thrilled at the chance  to let them go outdoors to play in the sand  or build something harmless there.

So why wait for springtime to arrive? Just shed those winter coats and boots, break a smile, and come on down south where there’s always plenty you can fancy doing at any time  The “Sunshine State” awaits you.! As a side note of Florida interest, coming up in late February will be the much larger Strawberry Festival in Plant City. Check out the link below. Enjoy the photos.

https://flstrawberryfestival.com/