Tag: U.S. Road Trips

Road Trip Resilience Tested

“It takes a great deal of courage to see the world in all its tainted glory, and still to love it.” (Oscar Wilde)

When Ruth and I returned from India at the beginning of March, we seriously wondered if we had placed our health in jeopardy on this vacation by being exposed to the spread of the Corona Virus. After all, we had flown back from Kochi to Miami on two long flights filled with primarily Asian passengers. So although we in fact remained healthily free of the virus, fear of exposure and resultant home quarantine became our daily norm.

Almost three months later, any thoughts of cruising or plane travel in the near future are quickly dismissed as out of the question now with social distancing firmly embedded in our mind. Yet our enduring isolation has created a powerful need to explore open spaces of the great outdoors again. So these two former teachers will resume our latest road trip adventure from Fort Lauderdale west in June/July with a counterclockwise, loop itinerary as shown in the map photo above.

So tell me fine readers why are two restless wanderers willing to “roll the dice” and get on the road again amidst life’s health uncertainties now? Is it simply too soon? Yet if you settle into the lyrics of this iconic “Traveling Wilburys” song below, I suppose you will hear strongly our answer. “Well it’s alright.”

“Well it’s alright. Even if you’re old and gray.”

The nostalgic spirit of youthful curiosity will never grow old for us along Route 66 and other historic roads “off the beaten track.”

“Well it’s alright. Even if the sun don’t shine.”

Rock and Roll, Indians/Browns sports and a tranquil walk along Lake Erie are always a happy combination to visit in any kind of weather for this Cleveland bred man.

“Well it’s alright. As long as you lend a hand.”

The environmental movement reigns strong in the Pacific Northwest and we are often willing to lend a “go-green” hand there to preserve and protect the fragile natural environment.

“Well it’s alright. Sometimes you gotta stay strong.”

Anticipating those challenging road trip hikes like the deceptively steep gullies at Utah’s Goblin State Park provides plenty of motivation for us to be more mindful of staying physically fit as “baby boomers” throughout the year.

“Well it’s alright. Riding around in the breeze.”

Experiencing the vast expanse of wide open spaces as we traverse the dry deserts of the American West provides an exhilarating feeling of personal solitude and freedom.

“Well it’s alright. If you live the life you please.”

To stand in awe amidst the towering vortexes of Sedona, Arizona radiates the positive energy of peaceful contentment of a life well served.

“Well it’s alright. As long as you got somewhere to lay.”

Breathe in the fresh air of a free flowing, mountainside river that lulls you to sit awhile in lonely solitude. Now that’s the sort of social distancing that I can live with well.

“Well it’s alright. We’re going to the end of the line.”

Traveling over 3,000 miles from Atlantic to Pacific shores by car typically manifests for us as an arduously long marathon. At the end of our journey, you might expect then we would find this spectacular view over a “Big Sur” cliffside to be the ideal spot to bask in the success of what we have accomplished.

“Well it’s alright. Remember to live to let live.”

You might wonder why I would hug this California Redwood tree. Very simply, both of our species are united as living earth companions who share an enduring will to survive.

“Well it’s alright. If you got someone to love.”

Any thoughts of experiencing Corona pandemic loneliness as we travel along the road are banished as so many of our friends welcome us into their lives again in person.

“Well it’s alright. The best you can do is forgive.”

History teaches me to never forget that the lessons of the past often repeat in the present. I thus stand solemnly on our road trips by such important historical monuments as this Gettysburg Address Memorial hoping to find time tested ways toward becoming a uniter rather than a divider of both friend and foe.

16

Living History: A Path Forward

“That’s the thing about time travel. You’re always moving forward, even when you go back.” (James A. Owen)

I’ve always embraced a lifelong passion to read about history which has often revealed to me a meaningful cause/effect connection between the past and the present. So as I closely examine my book cabinets at home today, the historical impact of three writers I have extensively read in my life immediately come to mind. I should first single out James Michener for his informal story telling abilities infused with unique, local settings which inspired my lifelong interest in studying community relics/cultural behaviors. I will also grant special praise to Doris Kearns Goodwin, whose intimate portrayals of the public/private lives of U.S. Presidents have provided me with so many sound ideas for fulfilling my role obligations as a U.S. voter and informed American citizen. A final “shout out” must be given as well to a lesser known writer of historic fiction: Harry Turtledove. For his alternative plot versions of famous events in U.S./ World History stimulated me to think more open-mindedly about controversially politicized issues in contemporary times.

Along with such “bookworm” passions for biography and other past event based readings, I have often traveled with a historic mindset to help me deal with life’s current moment to moment challenges. You might further have noticed that my travel blogs often flashback in time to find relevant human insights from unexpected historic places encountered at unexpected times. You might say then that my writing style sometimes seems reminiscent of “time travel” in the movie “Back To The Future” as if I were Marty McFly imagining myself adapting to what it would really be like if I lived in randomly chosen years before. So step inside my time machine and travel back into the past as I present ten “then vs. now” examples evidenced in the following historic photographs from our world travels.

Walking along the main road of the ancient ruins of Ostia along the coast of Italy west of Rome, I positioned myself behind this casually posing, masculine sculpture. Placing my head on his body facing the vast expanse of marble baths, enormous temples, and multistory apartment remnants, I felt an odd sensation of wealthiness and power amidst this important center of trade in the Roman Empire.

Soccer unquestionably reigns throughout the United Kingdom as a popular favorite in the athletic realm. At the History Museum in Southampton, England, I proudly took my place posing with this trophy replica and absorbed the winning spirit among the giants of soccer stardom.

The opportunity to hold an authentic Revolutionary War musket at the Powder Magazine in Charleston , South Carolina, I obsessed on the the stressful act of colonial times weaponry as demonstrated by the slow loading and firing of this ponderously heavy weapon used then in the heat of battle.

The lighthearted presence of Charlie Chaplin along the lakeshore in Montreux Switzerland invited me to join in with his comical antics to politely tip my hat and dance merrily as he often did during his silent movie career.

I shared matching Hawaiian shirts and the mellow spectator vibe pervading the stands during an Oakland A’s baseball game in posing with this fun loving mascot sculpture during a visit to Jack London Square In Oakland, California.

Before boarding a mid 19th century passenger car to experience a scenic ride on the “Heber Creeper”, a steam driven railway In Heber City Utah, we ducked behind these costumed figure mannequins at the depot to recreate the elegant formality feel of an affluent family traveling 1st class during these Victorian times. Along this slow train ride through the spectacular Wabash mountains, we also sang along merrily with authentically dressed volunteers to favorite tunes of the Old West.

My bumpy journey steeply uphill on the back of a sad looking elephant along the walls of the Amber Fort in Jaipur, India alerted my senses that I would have been physically unsuited for this slow and ponderously dangerous ride during this fort’s “heyday times. Moving forward to the complex’s present, I also felt distinct distaste for such physical abuse of these giant mammals for the sake of capitalistic tourist profit.

The Royal Guard ceremonially protects the queen and her family entourage at Buckingham Palace in London all year around. In posing stoically behind this Guard replica, I realized that I had joined into the patriotic public spirit that the “Changing of the Guard” ritual meant for the continuance of the British imperial crown.

Cellphones seemed no match for a traditional British phone booth for calling home during a Canadian cruise visit to Market Square in Saint John, New Brunswick. For who wants to talk on the cellphone in public view when you can enjoy the traditional British custom of embracing privacy by isolating yourself inside this time tested red box?

As a serious trombone player in the past, I felt a strong urge to join into a cool jazz session in Bourbon Street style as I posed with my wife amidst three music greats performing together in this statue in downtown New Orleans.

Note: In the current era of social distancing demands, I discovered that many of these sites described above are closed or severely restricted in attendance. How then can history help us to adapt to these current touristic challenges in the future?

 

 

12

Road Trip Emptiness Confessions

“In all our searching, the only thing we’ve found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other.” ( Carl Sagan)

What have you missed most as a result of the prolonged uncertainty of the Corona pandemic? As a traveling fool enjoying his freedom of retirement, the answer for me this spring might seem obvious to those who know me. For it’s road trip time of the year and he and his wife are not traveling. This beautiful butterfly must remain stuck as an ugly moth in its cocoon until further notice.

As April proceeds slowly now, logic then dictates that we have very little choice on this matter. For unselfish sacrifices to wear a mask, social distance and stay home must be made now for the sake of health and the better welfare of my country.

Yet the most serious side effect of this current period of social isolation seems to be our deep sense of loss now in being unable to spend “quality time” with our circle of friends now across the country. Clearly, connecting to each of them by “Zoom” is not a suitable answer to this dilemma. For we both deeply crave for a welcoming hug, unmasked smile, or intimate dinner conversation with each of them right now. Perhaps you can get an idea of the depth of our emotional connection to our travel friends in the following photographic memories from past road trip visits.

Weather conditions during the early portions of our road trips can often become extremely wet or cold. So we look forward to warming up during the late spring time thaw with a relaxing walk along a rock strewn creek with my wife’s former high school girlfriend and her hard working husband in Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains.

Whenever we make our way steeply uphill to visit a like-minded soul mate at his apartment in San Francisco, I’m rewarded with stunning views from his patio of the downtown below and beyond. As an “avant-garde” art collector, his latest wall paintings in his living room also arouse my visual interest.

We first shared the company of two endearing athletic enthusiasts when we actively explored the Alaskan coast with them in the 1980s. We thus strive to revive such youthful energy now as they lead us on long, invigorating walks amidst wild, Pacific coast nature near their home in coastal California. Sadly I cannot locate a picture of them below. You will have to settle for us.

Road tripping for three months each year can create homesickness at times with few opportunities for authentic companionship. So why not adopt a treasured pet or two for awhile? Thus a former neighbor family who now resides in Idaho always offer us the warm hospitality of their family cat, dog , and maybe even a few chickens when we visit.

No “Generation Gap” exists in our close connection with two ambitious millennials we annually visit on our road trips in Nebraska. So we will quickly accept their invitation to spend a rewarding day with them at their family cattle farm when invited.

Whenever we traverse Southern California on our road trips, we always appreciate a quiet escape above the pervasive smog and freeway madness below. Fortunately, an old neighbor buddy from Florida and his entire family warmly encourage us to stay at their exclusive mountainside home when desired

My wife’s best friend from grade school, who now resides in Oregon could best be described by me as an energetic risk taker bursting with intellectual energy. So it would be expected that in passing north through this region, our typically intense visits with her and her similarly “brainy” husband will center around deep seated issue discussions/engaging literature readings to indulge our minds.

It’s indeed a rarity in my life when a long-standing personal connection with a family member in my life results from a choice rather than an obligation. Yet our typically enjoyable visits in spring or summer with my wife’s youngest cousin and her outgoing “hubby” in Northeast Ohio inspires my passion to continue supporting legendary sports teams in this region marking my birthplace and childhood home.

A common interest in MLB baseball sparked a longtime friendship with a caring physician and his supportive wife in South Florida. Whenever we visit them in Nevada these days on our road trips, they always take time away from their busy medical routine to share with us fresh words of wisdom, engaging baseball stories, and love of family.

At the end of our road trips, we often lose patience for ambitious sightseeing in our preoccupation to get home. Under these circumstances then, what’s wrong with “gearing down” to share a beer or two with a life loving friend in Virginia ?

*Please note that I now post a daily travel thought concerning the Corona issue from a photographic travel perspective on my Facebook page. Just click on the Facebook button that I recently added to my Word Press home page if desired.

 

 

25

My Travel Shopping Calling

“Anybody can buy. It takes an artist to shop.” (Jennifer Finney Boylan)

I’ve never been particularly accomplished at shopping in our travels. On cruise vacations, for example, I often impulsively ignore bargaining with local merchants at street markets and thus often pay more than seems needed. In addition, during road trip journeys, our CR- V trunk space normally clutters up with sports memorabilia and souvenir trinkets I’ve purchased, making travel essentials we need to access more difficult to find. Furthermore, in the absence of more discretionary shopping habits, my luggage typically carries excessive shopping weight, ultimately burdening our arduous walking treks across Europe. How sad it seems that my well earned reputation of shopping unwisely manifests in my uncomfortable  decision to linger passively outside on a park bench in front of tourist souvenir store while my wife happily browses inside.

I thus strive these days to find effective ways to become a more savvy buyer in the travel shopping moment. It seems, first of all, that I must learn the art of patience in browsing for items and not necessarily feel compelled to purchase them. Furthermore, as I observe more closely how my money-wise wife acts in such travel shopping occasions, I should strive to attain more of a ”minimalist philosophy”of what to bring home. In facing the challenge to maintain my physical/ emotional wellness as a retiree, I can likewise learn more mindful consumerist behavior as a sightseer. How would you evaluate your own shopping habits with respect to some of the most memorable shopping settings from our recent travels?

Amidst the damp chill of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, we entered Boudin’s Market to the pleasing smell of fresh sour dough bread and other bakery delicacies.

At the Sunday Bastille Market in the Marais district of Paris, we purchased fresh fruit, baguette, wine and then headed to a neighborhood park for an inviting picnic lunch.

Pikes Place Market in Downtown Seattle provided us a tantalizing variety of fresh seafood displayed on icy racks from Pacific waters.

On a a torrid summer day on a cruise stop in Barcelona, Spain, we discovered this colorful gelato stand along the La Rambla corridor as an ideal dessert choice to cool off from the oppressive heat that day.

The festive carnival atmosphere along Bourbon Street in New Orleans provided an enticing invitation to reinvent ourselves with new masked/costumed identities.

At the Route 66 Museum in Kingman, Arizona , we rediscovered our fondness for living those “happy days” in small town America during the 1960s.

The addictive sights/sounds of delicious candy pervaded our senses as we toured the Chocolate Land Factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Homemade recipes of “Old South” cuisine captured our interest as we walked along the central corridor of the Charleston, South Carolina City Market.

At Old Town Santa Fe, New Mexico, we curiously browsed at local shops displaying a creative array of Native American/Mexican art pieces.

Walking around midtown Manhattan, my wife could not resist looking for hip shopping bargains at the “cosmopolitan department store, “Uniqlo”.

At Shakespeare and Company Bookstore in Paris, I could easily find the right book for me to read in my travels.

At the Center for the New Age in Sedona, Arizona, I discovered the perfect rocks to enhance my spirituality interests.

This month, my wife and I will embark on a Princess Line cruise covering various ports in the Caribbean/Latin America. A major question thus arises about how I might open my spending wallet wisely to celebrate this holiday season?

 

11

Journey From Mind To Soul

“Like a path frequently traveled becomes clear and well-marked in the forest, so too does the path to your soul become more clearly marked in your consciousness.” (Genevieve Gerard)

Have you ever been stuck in a rut of mindless, habit forming routine? Perhaps you might then undertake the following experiment to search for solutions solely within yourself. Choose a desired location you have already visited accompanied by a memorable photograph of that place. Using all of your senses, examine closely the details of that photo presented. Then close your eyes and visualize opening up physical sensations such as warmth/ coolness, tightness/ looseness, or shades of color throughout your body. Pay particular attention to this flow of energy emanating from the tip of your head down to your throat, chest, stomach, and pelvic region.

Thus encased in this relaxing cocoon of evolving self perceptions, you’re ready to make a critical mind/soul connection. What “gut feelings” or new understandings now come to mind about yourself or the ever changing world around you? Witness the following examples of such self-revelations inspired by the following photographic display from my recent travels.

1. Cultural Learning

In examining these two photographs from past European stays, I notice the following: (1) Ordering a simple hot dog can be a confusing ordeal at this German meat market, (2) How strange that young people go wild for oldies swing jazz in this Paris club. Hmm! It seems that my prior assumptions regarding what I am accustomed to expect in travel can be “blown away” by what seems real.

2. Historical Learning

As I observe these cobblestone walking paths/old town walls in Quebec City, I travel back in time and imagine these medieval structures inviting me to slow down to the “horse and buggy”pace of medievalism.”

3. Scientific Learning

Gazing with awe at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, I witness steep canyons slowly sculpted by wind, rain, and the Colorado River below. I thus feel humility that my opportunity to be alive on earth miraculously exists in this mere speck of geologic time.

4. Artistic Learning

How can I make better use of my “right brain” to pursue more imaginative enjoyments of travel? Perhaps an extraordinary array of clouds, flowers and rocks as depicted below might make wonderful settings for stimulating my wandering artistic imagination.

5. Interpersonal (Sociological) Learning

In revisiting this country store in the small town of Jeffersonville, New York, I sense that animals can often be your best companion when you travel.

6. Economic Learning

As this mini car attests in Paris, if I realize that less is better on the road, I might similarly find some wise strategies to “downsize” at home.

7.Psychological Learning

In the desolate, inland tundra of Iceland depicted below, I can appreciate the meditative potential of loneliness experienced in a quiet place.

8. Geographic Learning  

 Ruth and I often traverse the mountainous terrain of America’s National Parks in our road trip travels. Observing the arduous task of ascending to such high ground overlooking this unfolding panorama beyond, I can more easily see how we can conquer any fears of facing the unknown ahead in travel.

9. Religious Learning

As I humbly observe the inner serenity emanating from these beautiful floral surroundings in India, I imagine then that spiritual connections can be felt anywhere in travel.

10. Political Learning

From our recent cruise stop in Barcelona, Spain, angry political protests in favor of Basque political freedom again capture my attention. It seems I must make travel more of a grassroots, protest mission against human injustice. Making more visits to local museums/bookstores and street bars overseas might help me to undertake this activist mission.

 

13

Clearwater: Timeless Mellow

“Don’t wait for the sunshine to brighten your day.” (Anthony T. Hindi’s)

Ruth and I certainly needed a relaxing break from lingering family crisis now. Yet I fully expected the rapid approach of Tropical Storm Nestor toward the west coast of Florida would complicate our pre- booked plans to enjoy the Clearwater Jazz Festival last weekend. I mean how could we even expect the open air concerts would even go on stage at Coachman Park in the presence of expected high winds and torrential rains stirring along the adjacent Gulf of Mexico shoreline? When Friday’s concert schedule would in fact be cancelled, we thus contemplated other strategies to “mellow out” in response to the increasingly likely idle time.

Under these unusual circumstances, I deeply reflected about past fun times experienced in the Tampa Bay region as a financially strapped college student at the University of South Florida. In particular, I reasoned how I might have best “chilled out” in the moment then to escape the pressures of academic performance off campus. Other Plan B alternatives to combat the storm would also surface as I “flashed back” to days of curious wandering during extended stays with my grandparents in Tampa in my teen years. I thus wondered how I would have acted on a rainy day then as an outdoor loving adolescent in the company of my most caring grandfather?

As it turned out, bad weather may have changed our plans, but it did not have to actually ruin our entire weekend. Life can often challenge us with unexpected scenarios like this, but our will to be resilient should be stronger than that. Enjoy the following photographs.

The four mile bridge extension, Sunshine State Skyway, towering over Tampa Bay watershed can be a perilous route to cross in times of inclement weather. However, spectacular panoramas at “stop off” points along the way on Friday afternoon invited many interesting photographic opportunities.

In spite of the the ominous overcast conditions overhead, it felt safe enough to wander around curiously during a brief stop at the northern end rest area of the bridge. With great interest, I spotted a lone plaque offering remembrance of a disastrous ship crossing nearby on May 8, 1980.

Stopping for a casual lunch that day at Pas- A – Grille Beach, we made a bold decision to take a relaxing walk along a deserted beach amidst these threatening skies.

At Capogna’s Dugout Sports Bar, on Saturday afternoon, we dodged the worst of the storm by gathering with other USF alumni in community spirit at a Bulls Football Watch Party.

With clearing skies luckily expected , we battened down with our rain ponchos to brave gusty winds/periodic showers to watch Blood Sweat and Tears and Chicago on Saturday evening provide powerful musical memories of their pop rock stardom.

Finally enjoying cool and dry weather on Sunday, we opted to spend a pleasant morning sunbathing along the silky smooth sands of nearby Clearwater Beach.

Finding the perfect seashell along Clearwater Beach provided an excellent cure for my “monkey mind” obsessions about missed opportunities this weekend.

We may not look as young as we used to, but in the spirit of this inviting poster, you might say we revived our ageless mellow in Clearwater.

4

Magical Mania Of Scoreboards

” If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?” (Vince Lombardi)

In this modern era of digital information overload, how do scoreboards capture my live sports attention during baseball/football season at home? Tradition holds that competitive game action for me should hold my interest firmly to the winning and losing end. Yet at major league baseball games, I now find myself impatiently overlooking each inning by inning compilation of player/team statistics on the big, Jumbotron scoreboard. Under these unusual circumstances, I instead long for a strong personal connection unrelated to the game experience. Likewise, I find myself consistently ignoring the unfolding drama of gridiron battle on the field now at an NFL football game in favor of the dazzling sensory blast of pure entertainment energy emanating from the giant video screen above.

I realize, however, that the expanded functions of today’s scoreboards have resonated deep seated meanings in our road trip travels. Picture for example, the end of our long and tedious driving days on our road trips. In the relaxed setting of a small town baseball park, curious glances at the scoreboard have revealed to me a vital community connection of where I am and why am I are visiting there.

In visits to college campuses, you might also imagine my thrill at re-experiencing youthful enthusiasm as I join in with the lively masses of at a college football game in a scoreboard barrage of “rah rah” energy. Or on those more sedentary occasions when the weather turns bad or I do not feel up to driving, the multifaceted features of the IPhone/I Pad becomes my main ticket to experiencing new scoreboard mania.

So imagine it’s game day again and settle into the following photographs of scoreboard impressions from our recent travels.

I long for the days when you would leisurely watch a live Major League game with strict focus on inning progress with a paper scorecard in hand and an occasional glance at a simple scoreboard.

Sadly, however, only Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago remains as authentic reminders of the old days of manually operated scoreboards that strictly focused on key game statistics in Major League Baseball games.

So I often lose concentration on the game these days as I stare constantly at the ever changing collage of information offered by the Jumbotron scoreboard. Notice how many people in the photo below are not actually watching the game action on the field.

Such non-game communication with game spectators on digital scoreboards at times breeds narcissistic silliness. Why not watch the game instead?

Judging by the woman depicted on the screen, I could also fulfill my own sports fantasies in digital magic. Where have you gone, Eric Stamets?

Would you oppose as I would this historic backdrop along this centerfield wall becoming torn down for another Jumbotron scoreboard?

In similar fashion, would you prefer as I do an unobstructed view of gorgeous San Francisco Bay or a new, information cluttered Jumbotron?

Maybe a better use of big board” scoreboards would be to disdain selfie hedonism and offer greater hope to unify our much divided country.

Perhaps the future of scoreboards will evolve into more artistic forms of creative expression. Would you recognize this recently discarded sculpture as post- home run fireworks gadgetry at Marlins Park.

So in spite of my reticence to change scoreboard tradition, I too have become “hooked” on the much needed, positive energy of “big board”digital glitz.

Perhaps then the magic mania of scoreboards will help the Miami Dolphins to finally win one this Sunday.

 

7

Coming Home To College Reflections

“Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

I’ve always embraced the stimulating “buzz” of community ideals existing in the college experience. For this reason, I have often considered such youth vibrant institutions as a “second home” option for extended stay visits. I can reminisce then with great satisfaction about my early adulthood years as a Masters Degree student, dutifully walking to and from the campus library every day to join so many others in diligent pursuit of academic excellence. I also recall how good it felt to be part of a university community as a tenured professor where students/faculty cared deeply about academic learning.

In a similar fashion, I realize that my early retirement from teaching frees up my time to find new ways of exploring the magnetic attractions of the college collegial experience. Witness my spirited discussions with fellow alumni from the University of South Florida Alumni Club each fall as we recapture the campus energy of cheering on our hometown team during college football live broadcasts. Or picture a lazy summer Sunday in Fort Lauderdale when I often feverishly scan the local newspapers for university offerings of cultural/musical interest for the week ahead.

From a traveling perspective, such nostalgic college memories provide similar homebound longings during our long, road trip separations from family/friends each spring. Consider a centralized open space on campus, for instance, as an ideal spot for this traveler’s peaceful solitude with my wife, Ruth from the daily rigors of the road. Or embrace the familiar “air” of youthful intellectual energy from those nostalgic walks around campus amidst stately centers of learning proudly standing from the historic past. You might reason as well how a student union facility on campus functions as an ideal place for us to settle into a college community presence so far from home. With such feelings of finding the spirit of home in academia firmly in mind , I present a photographic display of favorite college images from our recent travels.

The picturesque “green” of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi provided a restful picnic stop to enjoy informal family moments typically shared at home.

Surveying several Confederate Soldier era monuments from the Civil War along the main campus “green”, I realized that these legendary heroes of the defeated Rebel forces had found an honorable home in this ” Old South” setting at the “Ole Miss” campus.

The distinguished statue presence of Civil Rights hero James Meredith at “0le Miss.”also reminded me that a university provides a home for those who foster equal opportunity for bettering oneself for all races, creeds, and colors.

The modern campus of California Polytechnic University inconspicuously lies along the remote coastal ridge near San Luis Obispo, California. Yet a series of Buddhistic offerings at the bustling Student Center provided a much needed home for student gatherings to experience “spiritual enlightenment” on campus.

The Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library at the University of Texas main campus in Austin functions as an impressive landmark documenting the extraordinary political legacy of LBJ. In my tour of this museum, I felt a warm human presence of being welcomed behind the scenes into his Presidential world and Texas home.

A strong tradition of home field, winning college football unites Vols fans at Neyland Stadium on the main campus of the University Of Tennessee in Knoxville. I similarly felt this show of “Vols Fever” in my brief tour of this campus.

Being linked efficiently with convenient pedestrian bridges to the center of downtown Knoxville, the Univ. Of Tenn. also serves as an accessible home of academic learning offerings for the surrounding Knoxville community .

After our long trek across the vast Great Plains prairie on our last road trip, a short visit to Colorado State University in Fort Collins provided a first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains. We now realized that a much needed oasis for us resided nearby in a cool and quiet home stay for mountainous inner reflection.

In a brief tour of the University of Illinois in college town Champaign, historic murals at the student union provided vivid evidence that this building served as as a popular home hub of unified student gatherings for both fun and serious academic study.

As we traversed the main campus of the University of Washington, in Seattle on foot , we witnessed the blossoming freshness of a new spring arrival. It seemed then that each plant “screamed” to us of the critical need to preserve the surrounding natural beauty of our “Mother Earth” home.

Returning to my undergraduate roots of academic success at the University of South Florida in Tampa, I fondly recalled the freedom of living on campus away from my home for the first time.By fostering a strong self sufficient outlook on my own then, I had learned to make future use of this quality later in life to strongly pursue independent strategies for travel.

 

10

Cleveland: A Blast Of Rock & Roll Past

 

“It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled,
It’s been a long time since I did the Stroll.”
Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back,
Let me get it back, baby, where I come from.
It’s been a long time, been a long time,
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time. Yes it has.” (Led Zeppelin, Rock and Roll)

In spite of my inevitable emergence into the dreaded senior years of life, a steady dose of “rock and roll” fuels a renewed sense of youthful vigor these days. My friendships, it seems, share a similar anti- aging disposition. I think of my sports buddy in Santa Cruz California, for example, whose fanaticism for buying/selling oldies albums grows into a productive source of extra income after retiring as a teacher. Or I contemplate my spirited lunchtime chats about rock &roll legends with a former professor colleague in Fort Lauderdale who delivers popular lectures at a local Jewish Community Center about famed rock icons of the past. Social media interactions with my baby boomer Facebook friends daily also reveal a heavy bias toward classic rock postings of upcoming concerts, You Tube video clips, and nostalgic slang/paraphernalia.

As for me, a travel heavy lifestyle keeps rock music most relevant as I strive to search online ( eg.Stub Hub and Bandsintown…)for live concerts to book in conjunction with road trip itineraries, weekend “getaways”, cruise shows, and European festivals. Fittingly then, my short visit to Cleveland Ohio, last week, would provide plenty of magical musical moments in my latest visit downtown to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I urge you now to this settle into the musical vibes of “Cleveland Rocks” in the following photographs.

The intense Southern croons of Elvis Presley, the “King”, evoke timeless memories of his musical greatness at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Cousin Brucie rolled the AM radio waves with rock&roll madness on date night Saturday’s as simulated on this music box.

Historic galleries here revealed that dressing for the part of rock and roll stardom in the past required creative imagination.

With teenagers buying 45 rpm records like this Beatles song in mass, early rock & roll appeal spread widely throughout America via record players and jukeboxes

So did “boombox” blasts from cassette tape cartridges later.

If you were cool to rock & roll music you often read Rolling Stone Magazines like the ones displayed in this exhibition.

Vivid memories of “The Who” presence in this gallery reminded me that a guitar never seemed safe from physical destruction at the end of their “gigs.”

An eye catching poster such as the the one shown here would often promote an upcoming live performance before the advent of the Internet.

In today’s times at the Rock Hall “Garage”, you might even create your own musical “riffs” of classic rock & roll tunes.

Or visit downtown Cleveland and re-embrace in an open arena setting the “retro” aliveness surrounding a classic rock & roll concert.

5

Binding Echos From The Road

“All for one and one for all.”( Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers)

I never enjoyed engaging with others in contentious issue confrontation and feel proud that I survived to have completed over thirty years of successful, multicultural teaching with such peaceful intentions. Thus removing a timely potion of “Critical Thinking” from my bag of teaching tricks, two basic questions comes quickly come to mind. 1) Is there any hope for building “bridges” of common agreement rather than “walls” of polarizing dissent in today’s angry “right wing” vs. “left wing” political environment? (2) What Democratic political candidate from this week’s national debate for U.S. President would best capture such compromise appeal to bring our country together again? In my hope to elect a new leader who embraces unity’s call for ALL AMERICANS, I thus present some thought provoking images in the self made, slide show below from our recent road trip travels.

3

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑