Published in Modern Review·PinnedMember-onlyA Hillbilly’s Guide: Toronto on the CheapHow a family of four made the vacation work on a tight budget — My family of four, two adult sons and my wife made the trek to Toronto. It was a daunting task with our finances as they were. That said, we made it. It began with our need for a getaway. The boys were out of school (college) for the summer, and…Cheap7 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION-Curated·Jul 30Member-onlyHow I Made $1250 on Vacation Last SummerLast year week took a vacation out west to see Yellowstone, Rocky Mountains National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, Devils Tower National Monument, and Mount Rushmore. We flew into and out of Denver airport and rented a car for our long road trip. …Travel3 min read
Published in Modern Review·Jul 16Member-onlySeeing the Grand Crazy Horse Memorial Under Construction is InspiringStanding Bear Brule Lakota Henry Standing Bear became one of the first Native Americans to attend Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. During school, Standing Bear felt the best way to help his people would be for him to learn about the white world. Standing Bear drew from this experience to build his…Native American Culture5 min read
Published in Modern Review·Jul 15Member-onlyHow the West Was Won by a Travel WriterTravel writing has always been my passion. I love to explore and have adventures in new places. Last summer my wife and I flew to Denver where we rented a car and began our journey. It was a long flight from Tennessee, but the scenery from the airplane window was…Travel3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION-Curated·Jul 14Member-onlyMan’s Best Friend is a Killer — My Boy Killed and Hurt OthersMy boy Ranger is a fearless and fiesty animal with a big heart and doesn’t take guff off anyone. He’s fought other family pets at time when he asserted his dominance. Sadly, today he is killing me. Ranger came into my life just over 15 years ago as a puppy…Dog4 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION-Curated·Aug 4, 2021Member-onlyThe New Parking LotEmergency crews are being held at hospitals — unable to respond to emergencies. Even before COVID, emergency medical services have been dealing with delays and diversion issues since the 1990s. Today, the problem has worsened. Ambulance crews are not only dealing with “diversion” status, where a hospital announces it is…Hospital6 min read
Jun 22, 2021Member-onlyFather’s Day in Bristol, TennesseeThe forgotten parent? Not hardly. Men are men and women are women. We are entirely unique in our own right. We can see the differences in how we celebrate Father’s Day in Tri-Cities. Fathers in the Tri-Cities A quick search divulged hardly any mention of any celebratory events or mention of festivities related to…Fathers Day3 min read
Published in Modern Review·Jun 15, 2021Member-onlyEpidemic Rising Across the U.S.Some companies have seen it coming, and made accommodations. They knew they’d need to position for the upcoming epidemic — just as they were positioning for hyperinflation associated with reckless spending in Washington. …Travel Writing3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION-Curated·Nov 23, 2020Member-onlyWhy Should We Be ThankfulA COVID-19 Thanksgiving — Bah Humbug — Why should we be thankful this year? Thanksgiving — yeah, right. I don’t see it. This has to be the most depressing year I’ve witnessed in my greater than a half-century of existence. Alone. That is how many of us feel. We are alone in a world full of others…Thanksgiving3 min read
Published in Modern Review·Nov 16, 2020Member-onlyThe Rise of a Travel EpidemicDroves of COVID-weary families prepare to take flight — Basking in the limited sun afforded by autumn's arrival, a growing number of people plan their fate. Many of us have had it up to “here” with confinement. A detriment to our psyche is more than we need. We have grown tired of our confines. We are humans. We are…Travel5 min read