It was 10 p.m. when I reached Kingdom City. Fresh water filled a labyrinth of potholes in the parking lot of the Iron Skillet Truck Stop. The depositor, a monstrous thunderstorm, fled the scene, churning east down the highway, framing … Read More
Erifnus Caitnop
So I set out to feel every crack in Missouri’s pavement. As with all stories – and symphonies and carnal acts – it was an uneven ride. Although a dozen friends and a handful of reporters rode with me on … Read More
I drove all the roads
The map called out the names; I traced the stories. Every fold in the Ozarks, every bend in the rivers, every drive down the main drag in 700 towns reminded me that even as my map sets the stage, it … Read More
Book Club Gives Valentine to Governor’s Mansion
On this day, next to the ancient fireplace where generations of Missourians warmed their feet, the Tuesday Club’s gift to the old mansion drew every admiring eye. Over many decades, the needlepoint art that stretched across the old wooden … Read More
Speech at Governor’s Mansion
I never thought I’d utter these words, as I turned to Cheryl: “What do I wear to a tea?” She dressed me, and offered one command: “Don’t slouch.” At the event I stood before five dozen attendees in the Governor’s … Read More
The Genius of Clemson
Samuel Longhorn Clemson said it: “Our long national championship is over.” Well, it was a football fan, mistaking the ghost of Mark Twain, and replacing his real name with a footballized name, lamenting mighty Clemson’s defeat, and misquoting our most … Read More
A Tsunami with Joplin Winds
Scary spectre: “Stronger than Wilma, Katrina, Rita, Andrew. And it could become the strongest hurricane ever on the planet to make landfall when it hits tonight somewhere south of Puerto Vallarta.” Near its path, half a million people live or … Read More
Born in the Shadow
The Earth cast a shadow across its moon the night my daughter’s boy was born. The shadow moon glowed red like a fox bathed in dusk. Children know the moon has a face, the face of a man who, during … Read More
World’s Greatest Dog
The world’s greatest dog? I had a while to think about it, sitting at Mizzou’s veterinary hospital. Our dog Baskin was ill with life-threatening symptoms that propelled us to this hospital. There we sat, among other needy dogs and their … Read More
Missouri Travel Crew Wins Emmy
John Robinson and his car have driven every mile of every road on the Missouri state highway map. He’s written two books about their adventures, and now a web series highlighting their discoveries has won an Emmy. Finding Wild Missouri … Read More