The demolition ran into a snag. A piece of equipment broke, and the wrecking of the old hotel stopped for a few days, leaving a solitary four-story turret rising above the rubble. Maybe it was an elevator shaft, I couldn’t … Read More
Rafting the Mississippi
It isn’t a big raft. In terms of cubits, it’s a two-by-four. But it has a big back yard, a mile wide and 1800 miles long. And it became the summer palace for a big thinker who has no … Read More
Cuisine Along the Katy
Fresh cut flowers sprout from vases atop linen tablecloths. Real silver serves up the best fare this side of the Savoy. The attention to detail befits royalty. In movies, mysteries and memories, the railroad dining car is the centerpiece to … Read More
Jacks Fork Rescue
The Jacks Fork was high and so was I–paddler’s high–when we heard the screams for help. Three young innertubers were stranded on the bank. They’d lost everything: tubes, cooler, flipflops and cell phones. Yes, cell phones. On a break from … Read More
Interview with a Vulture
“Stay away,” she warned. Surprised she didn’t fly away from me, I asked what was wrong. “Ate too much,” she said. “Too heavy to fly.” I’d never been so close to a vulture. But it’s true: when they gorge themselves, … Read More
Burma Shavings
It was about as far back as my memory goes, back when I was practicing my phonics on Burma Shave signs. My family unit rolled out of Rolla, leaving Route 66 in our rearview mirror, headed for the springs. Our … Read More
A Roll of the Dice
Leaving Tuscumbia is still an adventure on the back roads. No less than five swinging bridges aid in connecting Miller County. Four can support your car, if you’re brave. The fifth supports your drinking habit. I knew about the good … Read More
Feel the Burn
The first known grist mill along Camden County’s Little Niangua River was burned to the ground by unknown assailants in the middle of the night. It was 1864, and the mill family barely escaped alive. Today, nothing remains of Burnt … Read More