The Home Stretch

I got the early start I’d hoped for that Sunday morning.  There were only two stops in Little Rock: the historic Central High School, site of the first effort by nine African American students to attend the all-white school 59 years ago, and the President William Clinton Library.  I still had a ten-hour drive home …

Ghosts of Oak Alley Plantation

During my short drive through Vacherie, Louisiana, on Saturday morning, I wasn’t paying much attention to the green stalks rising from the roadside fields at first because I see so much corn growing  in Iowa, I’d assumed this was more of the same.  Then I noticed that their appearance was all wrong and guessed that …

A Three-Hour Tour,…

(Really, the trip’s only 45 minutes each way, but you get the point of the title–I hope–and if you don’t, you should watch more 60’s television.) Friday was thankfully another glorious day, this one in Gulfport, Mississippi.  And I appreciated this because I’m traveling in an area that can get some very fierce storms at …

Tamiami Loop,… and Tallahassee, Too

One thing I learned from my past visits to national parks is that some are not entirely civilized–or more accurately, near civilization’s accoutrements, such as gas stations, stores or restaurants.  One should not enter these parks or even go near them without a full tank and refreshments on hand.  So, when I saw what I …

Singin’ in the Right Keys

For unintended reasons, I continued to rise early and was on the road pretty early. I left Islamarada and headed west down the Overseas Highway. Fortunately, rush hour traffic wasn’t bad, so I made very good time, reaching Key West around 9 a.m. I didn’t have a specific destination in mind, only knew that I wanted …

I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy….

Like every other day in Miami Beach, the 4th of July started as a warm and sunny morning. I began gathering my things so that I could vacate the room I’d been using the four days while in town. Wimbledon men’s tennis was playing in the background, of course. Since I didn’t plan to go …

These Are the Voyages–Florida Supercon (Day 3)

I thought I had more time to get to the convention hall than I did, so I watched Serena kick butt on the tennis court at Wimbledon.  Then, I wanted to kick myself when I discovered that I’d missed Chase Masterson’s Q&A because she is reputed to good for an interesting tidbit or two of …

These Are the Voyages-Florida Supercon (Day 2)

I thought Friday was busy, but Saturday was nearly overwhelming.  Thankfully, I had received an email warning that tickets were sold out, so I knew big crowds were to be expected. I learned a new term: cosplay, short for costume roleplaying.  (My roleplaying on the old Stargame pbem (playing by e-mail) was solely online, so …

These Are the Voyages-Florida Supercon (Day 1)

I woke up early and got dressed for the day.  Even though I’ve attended several all-Star Trek conventions in the past, I’ve not attended a Supercon.  I knew my decision to wear Star Trek-themed t-shirts was a minimalist approach for an attendee at a this type of convention, but I am not into the all …

The Art of Driving, Florida Edition

I got out early Thursday morning, but there seemed to be one delay after another along the way.  Plus, I didn’t account for finally crossing from CDT to EDT, losing another hour.  One delay was my fault.  My original plan was to drive past Tallahassee (Tallytown) heading south and to stay there overnight on my …