Ararat Ridge Zoo and Christmas Lights at the Ark Encounter 2025

Here is a quick look at the zoo at the Ark Encounter and some of the Christmas lights!

Ark Encounter Light Show 2025

Here is a look at the 2025 light show at the Ark Encounter!

Petrified Forest Arizona 2025

We had a great visit to Petrified Forest in Arizona in April 2025!

Walnut Canyon National Monument Arizona 2025

One of the many great National Parks we visited in Arizona was Walnut Canyon!

Random Thoughts on Friday (Breathe 2am)

 Anna Nalick's "Breathe (2am)" came on the other day.  I like that song.  Seems like it just came out the other day.  I still kind of think of it as a new song.

As far as songs I like go, it is a fairly new song, though I just looked it up.  It is over 20 years old.

It is one of those songs that brings back a memory.

Some songs remind me of a road trip, or a high school dance...  maybe seeing a movie with some friends when I was a kid.  "Breathe" reminds me of interviewing for a job- and as much as I hate to admit it, it was about 20 years ago.

I had a job.  Not to get too detailed, but it was a job I liked.  I enjoyed it.  I liked the people.

A professional acquaintance liked what I was doing at my job.  They set up a meeting with some people at another job.  I didn't know a lot about that job, but I knew it was similar to what I was doing.  And I knew the pay was a lot better.

Let me skip ahead a bit, because the end of the story is not the point of the story.  I had a great interview.  I took the job.  It was a good job.  I was there for a while- until I left the area.

BUT, I drove to the potential new employer's office for that meeting/interview.  I had to park in a parking garage and walk a bit to get there.  I was nervous and anxious.  I felt like I was about to cheat on my current job.  I know, I had to do what was best for me and the fam, but it felt kinda wrong at the time.  

As I pulled into the parking lot in that garage, "Breathe" was on the radio.  "Just breathe" was the best advice I could have before going to that interview.

Sometimes you just have to relax, focus, and breathe.

Hampton Inn Downtown Owensboro 2025

We watched the Owensboro Christmas Parade from the Hampton Inn Downtown!

Owensboro Christmas Parade 2025

We took in the Owensboro Christmas Parade from the Downtown Hilton!

Random Thoughts on Friday: The Death of Todd Snider

I just wanted to make a brief mention of the passing of singer/songwriter Todd Snider.  I always thought of him as a folksy alt country type.

It looks like his death is still somewhat mysterious and he died at a relatively young 59 years.

He wasn't one of my favorites, though I liked him a lot.  I did get to see him live, a couple of decades ago.  He opened up for 10,000 Maniacs at a club in Columbus.
 

I have mentioned before that the Maniacs are one of my all-time favorite bands, and in the early 00s, I would go see them any chance I could.

We were totally unfamiliar with Todd at the time, but we were seated at a table with a couple of fun guys who were there just to see Todd.  He had his following too.

He played with passion and heart and was very original.  I remember picking up a couple of his CDs a few days after the show.

The show gets sweeter in my memory as time goes by, 10,000 Maniacs were great that night, AND they had a great opening act.

The club was wallpapered with flyers for the show, and I would walk out with one (see photo) a favorite souvenir from the night.

Montezuma's Castle, Arizona

Sent in 1953, this postcard shows Montezuma's Castle.

634 Coffee and Cafe Bainbridge

We had a great visit to 634 Coffee and Cafe in Bainbridge Ohio!

Chapel of the Holy Cross Sedona Arizona 2025

Here is a quick look at the Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona Arizona!

Random Thoughts on Friday- The Newspaper

 I have been thinking lots about that great, old source of news- the newspaper.  Remember those?  It's strange to think that a new generation has come up with out this in their lives.

I do remember being young and fishing around for the comics section.  As I got older, I would check the sports section to see how my favorite baseball teams were doing in their division.

As someone who has been fortunate enough to travel a lot, there was a time when I would look forward to getting the newspaper at a hotel!  This was kinda big at one time.  Often, a local and/or national paper would be left by your door or even slid under it for you to look at in your room that morning.  This was great, especially in the days before the internet, or even before everyone had the internet on their phone.  

If we were on the road seeing a concert or a minor league baseball game, I would always save the coverage of the event we were in town for.  It was like a bonus souvenir of our trip.

It was interesting reading the local papers too, just to see what was going on in the area.

Now, sometimes you MIGHT find a few copies of a paper in the lobby of the hotel, but its not the big deal it used to be.

Millers Furniture, Bakery and Bulk Food West Union Ohio 2025

There is a great Amish community in southern Ohio.  Miller's is one of the Amish businesses that I love- they are famous for their pretzels, donuts, and sandwiches.  

Montazuma's Castle, Arizona

Montezuma Castle- National Monument. Prehistoric Indian ruins, 54 miles east of Prescott, Arizona.

Montezuma Castle Arizona 4 2025

We had a great visit to Montezuma Castle in Arizona in April, 2025!

Random Thoughts on Friday

 And so it is the middle of November, heading into December.

I do get very excited for Christmas.  There is a big difference between Christmas now and Christmas when I was a kid.  A few things I remember....

My family wasn't wealthy, but I do feel like I was taken care of, and I did get to enjoy my childhood.  For Christmas, I could ASK for about $30-40 worth of stuff.  I loved GI Joe and Star Wars toys, and I got a lot of that.  I remember one year peeking through a small opening in a gift-wrapped package to me that was under the tree.  It was the Jabba the Hutt playset and I could barely contain my excitement.  Waiting to open it was torture.  One year I got a Lego Castle.  That was something special.  I would usually get one bigger gift and several smaller ones, plus a stocking of candy and small toys.

I am sure my memory is distorted a bit, but we had a nice artificial tree we would put up every year.  There were multicolored blinking lights.  Waking up around three in the morning to find the gifts under the tree with those colorful lights.....  well, it was magic.

That magic would be impossible to recreate now.  

For some reason I really remember being with my parents and shopping at K-Mart....  it always had a nice Christmas vibe.  Christmas music would be playing on their sound system.  I CAN still get that same feeling now.  Not at K-Mart, of course, but at other stores.

We have our Christmas traditions now.  We always make a trip to Indianapolis around Christmas time (I have talked about that on this blog before).  A couple of other places, to me, have a strong association to the holidays too.

Our first visit to Gallup New Mexico 2025

While in Arizona, we realized it wouldn't be that far to drive to Gallup New Mexico.  None of us had been to New Mexico before, so we did it!

"Bear with Me" by Don Theye

On our recent visit to Arizona, we stopped by "Bearizona", a great drive thru type of zoo near Flagstaff.

The visit was a no brainer.  The place looked cool.  AND, we had visited "Bear Country USA" in South Dakota a few years ago.  We would find out that members of the Casey family started both attractions.

Anyway, while we were at Bearizona, I picked up a nice book on Doc Casey, the founder of Bear Country USA, and the father of the founders of Bearizona.
 

This isn't a huge book- its just a nice, short read about Doc's life, and some of the early days of his South Dakota attraction.  There are a lot of stories involving the family and their roles in the family business.  This is just a nice read after a visit to one of the Casey attractions.

Firecreek Coffee Co Flagstaff Arizona 2025

We had a nice time drinking great coffee at Firecreek Coffee Co. in Flagstaff Arizona!

Concert Memories: The Eagles Indianapolis, IN 9/20-21/1995

So, after visiting Winslow Arizona, I dug through my scrap books and found these tickets!  This was my first time seeing the Eagles on their big reunion tour.

My pal Mark from college and I hit the road from Berea Kentucky and spent 2 nights in Indianapolis, a pretty big deal for us back then.

I remember we spent about $70 (a pretty good amount of money for us at the time) for a room at a nicer hotel.  Once in Indy, we found there was a budget place (I think it was called the "Dollar Inn" or something like that) where we got a room for a little over $20 a night.  We were thrilled with the price.  For two college dudes on a road trip, it was perfect, but it was the kind of place I would not stay at now.

The shows were great and we had a good time.  We had general admission seats both nights, and I remember both shows were note for note, move for move, exactly the same.  At one point Joe Walsh went over and messed with Don Henley and it seemed so spontaneous.  The next night, he did the exact same routine.

Still, we were glad to be there, and to be at both shows.

As a side note, this was one of my first visits to Indianapolis, and it is now one of my all-time favorite towns.  I try to get there at least a couple of times each year.

Random Thoughts On Friday

 While on the road recently driving by myself I stopped by a place for lunch.  I don't want to mention the name of the place, but its a small chain with a good reputation.  Counter service.  Think fast food but a little nicer.  A meal is going to cost $15 to $20.  If you go there, you aren't going for a cheap value meal.  You are going for a quality meal.

Anyway, I was there at an off time- I usually stop at restaurants at off hours to avoid crowds.  Well, a couple of guys come in and go to the counter.  They chat a bit, then the employee at the counter rings them up.  One guy pays.  The guy that pays then leaves.  It was something I noticed, but didn't think much about, but me and the one guy (the guy who did not pay) are the only people in the dining area.

That guys comes over to me, after the one employee at the cash register goes in the back for a moment.  He tells me that he is struggling, and he got a meal for his kid, but he asks if I could buy a meal for him.

I don't know if I have brought it up before, but I did social work and worked in mental health for decades.  I consider myself a sympathetic and charitable person....  but I don't give to people on the streets like that ever.

I told the guy that I was struggling myself financially and that I couldn't help him.  He simply walked away.

The boldness of the situation is obvious.  The guy just suckered someone else into buying him a meal that wasn't cheap, and he was trying to sucker me too.

A restaurant employee brought his meal out to him and the guy was out the door.

I asked for a manager and told them about the guy asking me to buy him a meal.  He thanked me for telling him, and he said the staff there was familiar with the guy.  He seems to convince someone every few days to go in there with him and buy him a meal.  They said they couldn't really ban the guy, because he is a paying customer, indirectly.

I know times are tough right now, and I don't know the guy's story (I do have years of social work experience though.....  I am fairly certain that I can guess his story), but if you are truly needy, and your family needs help with food, begging for people to buy pricey restaurant meals for you is not a good use of your time.  Just my opinion.

Bearizona Arizona 2025

While we were in Arizona, we visited the wonderful "Bearizona"....  a drive through zoo!

Historic Perk Coffee Springfield Tennessee

We loved the cozy, friendly coffee shop, Historic Perk in Springfield Tennessee!  

Concert Memories: Everly Brothers Homecoming, Central City, KY 09/05/1992

Oh, I found this!  I just put up the video of the John Prine and Everly Brothers Memorial in Central City.  Well, I was able to catch one of those special Homecoming Concerts back in 1992!  I had a great time.  Prine, and the Everly Brothers sounded great.  Check out the start time by the way....  I want to say that the music was still going on until 2am or so.  If I remember right, the Kentucky Headhunters ended the show, and I was absolutely blown away by them.  Their drummer did a solo and threw out his drumsticks to the audience.  Then he continued on with the solo using his hands.

James Best- from the Dukes of Hazzard was a cousin to the Everly Brothers, and he came out to say hi to the crowd.  As a side note, James Best is one of my all-time favorite actors.  I was thrilled to see him.

Singer Toni Childs was there...  I was really impressed with what she was doing musically, and I went out and got her album.  I don't think this mostly country loving crowd was interest though.

The Everly Brothers had to stop doing their homecoming concerts shortly after this, and the event would continue without the Everly Brothers and John Prine.  Attendance would be a fraction of what it was before.

Seeing John Prine do "Paradise" IN Muhlenberg County IS an all-time concert thrill for me.

Seip Earthworks Bainbridge Ohio

The Seip Earthworks are near Chillicothe Ohio!