I have been known to open and close a museum, meaning I show up waiting to be let in and they have to kick me out. I’ve worked in a museum environment and I know that it takes more than… Read More ›
Travel
A Ghost Town that’s Not Quite Dead: Crappy Places to Be From
Barstow, Texas is a town in West Texas, not far from the corner where New Mexico juts into the Permian Basin. The census sign at the city edge, from 2000, claims that there are 400 people living there, but I… Read More ›
In which I go to prison….
I really enjoy visiting my co-blogger Naomi. She lives in Houston Texas, and like most natives of Texas loves showing off her state. She will usually give me a list of choices for things we could do. One choice was… Read More ›
Gas Station Tacos – Fine Dining in the Oil Field
My job sometimes requires me to travel into small, remote towns, where there are not many stores or restaurants, but there may be a very large number of people working because of the boom in industry that’s going on. Work… Read More ›
Free Truck, slightly used
Hiking near Lake Franklin Pierce is always lovely. The roads are dirt, and shady. Cars are few, but there is one truck I am always happy to see. No one quite knows when this truck was left in the woods…. Read More ›
Frog City, USA
Last week, I was driving across southern Louisiana between New Orleans and Houston on I-10, and pulled off at a random exit for a pit stop and refreshments. As I turned into the Dairy Queen parking lot, a giant metal… Read More ›
Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans
I first ate at Mother‘s in New Orleans about 20 years ago. My ex and I were on a weekend trip with another couple, looking for some lunch, and were directed to this place for some good local food. The… Read More ›
An American Teen at Versailles
More on the “Blood and Guts” tour: Another site that is high on the bucket list of Parisian must-see places is the Palace of Versailles. While visiting an enormous building filled with paintings and gilt furniture might not seem related… Read More ›
Pho Tai and Chicken Fried Steak
I’m sitting in a small restaurant, located in a strip shopping center at the edge of Conroe, Texas. It’s a family-owned place, clean but sparsely decorated. I’m not sure what the theme is supposed to be. There are paintings of… Read More ›
Martin Gardner’s Desk: A humble desk, generations of genius
When is a desk something more than just a desk? I recently had the honor of touching a writing desk with a history. This desk was given to the prolific and talented writer Martin Gardner when he was a young… Read More ›
Two Different Girls 