Charlottesville April 10, 2026 The other night I visited with my good friend Mark Wilson. Mark and I became fast friends at Darden. And while we fell out of touch for many years, thanks to him reaching out to me we have stayed more in touch. It came up that I had given Mark a green Masters hat, probably in the spring of 1987. Mark told me how the hat became the prize at an annual putt putt outing and that his mom won it many times. After she passed, Mark inherited the ha

April 6, 2026 Take me back.

Amtrak Train 171 April 6, 2026 Friday night Courtney took me to an Ingrid Michelson concert at Lincoln Center. Ms. Michelson is a favorite of Courtney’s. She’s had a couple of “Top 40” hits over the past few years but may be best known for writing the soundtrack to the musical version of The Notebook. It was a very entertaining 90 minutes with Ms. Michelson accompanied by her two backup singers, a string quartet and a pianist. For several songs she brought out friends who

Amtrak Train 171 April 6, 2026 I had no idea how the cranes used to build skyscrapers increase in height. The answer is revealed in this video. I’m sure glad there are engineers who can figure out the loads involved here!

Brooklyn April 5, 2026 (Easter) In Brooklyn visiting Courtney and her pets for a few days. We saw Ingrid Michelson in concert at Lincoln Center, I went to the New York Transit Museum (visit cut short by fire alarm) and later today we are going to see the movie Hopper. We’ve also walked Clarke and Daisy of course and went to an Italian restaurant last night. And played with Kaipo and Ellie, the cats. The apple photos are from a local farmers’ market yesterday. The New York

Amtrak Northeast Regional April 1, 2026 My YouTube feed tends to include at least one algebra or geometry brain teaser a day. So far, I haven’t successfully solved one. 😕. But I have learned something about myself. My initial attempt(s) involve intuitive thinking where I think I can solve the problem (puzzle?) quickly. I get frustrated when I can’t get the correct answer. These kinds of problems require deeper, more logical thinking. And perhaps more trial and error in t

Charlottesville March 25, 2026 I received the following email this morning. It hit me like a 2x4 (although I have never been hit by a 2x4). In spite of changes I’ve made in my life, I still catch myself waiting — waiting for a sign, the “right time”, until I’ve completed my “thorough analysis.” Remember — anchors up and jump right in! From Dr. Kim Foster: Most people spend their lives waiting… Waiting to feel ready. Waiting to feel confident. Waiting for someone to say, “Ye

Insert graphic showing how magic is found outside our comfort zone. Charlottesville March 19, 2026 I had a powerful experience coaching at First Tee last night. Along with a couple of other coaches, I was leading a group of six kids, all but one 12 years old or older. This was the third class of the session where our theme is “collaborating with others.” This week’s life lesson was “being your best self.” Having introduced the lesson, I asked the kids what being their best

Charlottesville Pi Day 2026 Damn. Frustrating. Extremely so. I had a goal and I’ve undermined it by “just this one time” thinking. I’ll only have one cookie. Actually two so t matter. Hell, it doesn’t matter if I can’t lose a few pounds. But of course it does. If I could curb my emotional eating, I think I’d be surprised by the positive effect. This week I gave into it; I’m hoping today I can start anew … again. Helpful thoughts from Google: Shame regarding weight gain

Charlottesville March 12, 2026 Fun to watch this video and realize I have driven a few of these roads. Actually, most of them except the ones in Alaska. The last one in the video is one I will take in June to drive from Chicken, Alaska to Paris, Yukon.

Charlottesville March 8, 2026 Another town I have not been to yet but sure plan on visiting to see if I can find the missing A. Lucin (also known as Umbria Junction) is a small railroad community in Box Elder County, Utah, United States, located along the western side of the Great Salt Lake, 162 miles (261 km) northwest of Salt Lake City. Abandoned in 1936 by its original occupants, the community was resettled by four retired railroad workers and their families from 1937 unti

Charlottesville March 8, 2026 I haven't been to Jackpot. But when I saw its name on a map, I had to look it up -- and consider going there on my next wanderabout. From Wikipedia: Jackpot is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Elko County, Nevada, United States. The population was 855 as of the 2020 census. Located less than one mile from the Idaho border on US 93, Jackpot has been a popular casino gaming destination for residents of Idaho and oth

Charlottesville March 8, 2026 Reno was a major "detraining" point on the California Zephyr. It looked to me like many of them were ready to head to the casinos. From Wikepedia: Reno is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada , along the Nevada– California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County . Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, in the Truckee River valley, on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada , it is abo

Charlottesville March 8, 2026 I am filling in some blanks from my trip across the country. The following information comes from Wikipedia. Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California , United States. As of the 2020 United States census , the population was 16,729, an increase from the 16,180 counted in the 2010 census . History Name Truckee's existence began in 1863 as Gray's Station, named for Joseph Gray's Roadhouse on the trans-Sierra wagon road. A blac

Charlottesville March 7, 2026

Charlottesville March 6, 2026 Yesterday was the first class of the next five-week session of First Tee. To start class, we formed a circle and the kids and the coaches shared our names and our ages. When it was my turn I head myself say my name and “67.” I had this weird sensation that it was someone else saying their name. How could it be me? I’d been busy all week at the gym and coaching First Tee. I was in a Zen place helping the kids improve their golf swing and lea

Charlottesville March 4, 2026 Wow! I've been wanting to take the California Zephyr for several years -- I now I have! What a thrill, especially through the Sierras and the Rockies. If I recall correctly, this video is east of Glenwood Springs. I picked several songs for the soundtrack that I thought were appropriate for this adventure.

Martinsburg, West Virginia March 2, 2026 Psychologists say people who need to be alone after socializing aren’t recharging from exhaustion. Their brains are doing post-processing work on every emotional signal they absorbed, and the more empathetic someone is, the longer that processing period takes. Tension: We’ve been told that needing solitude after socializing means we’re drained — that people are batteries and interaction is the cost. But the latest neuroscience suggests

Psychologists found that people who constantly feel like they’re falling behind in life, even when they’re objectively doing fine, often grew up in homes where love was conditional on achievement. The treadmill isn’t ambition. It’s an old survival pattern still running on outdated software.

The poorest counties in America are predominantly located in the rural South, particularly Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, often characterized by low median household incomes and high poverty rates. Holmes County, Mississippi is frequently ranked as one of the poorest, with a median household income often near or below $25,000. Other consistently low-income areas include Todd County, South Dakota and East Carroll Parish, Louisiana.  Top Poorest Counties by Income & Pove