Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas

Above: Along the road between Wichita and Kansas City

I was hoping to see some snow today, and I did! Landing in Kansas City this afternoon, a mix of snow and rain is blowing horizontal in the high winds as we taxi to the gate. Walking to the rental car, the mix of temperatures in the 20’s and blasting gusts of wind make it feel like the cold is slicing any exposed skin. The car windows are covered in ice, another oddly welcome sight. I’m a fan of winter.

The first consideration of any trip to Kansas City is which barbecue place to go to for lunch. I’m stretching and trying a new place for me today – Gates Barbecue. Gates has been around since 1946. I’ve seen their sauce for sale in different cities across the country. I’m heading to the location on Main Street. I’m always interested in what options a barbecue place has to offer other than the usual beef, pork, and chicken. Gates delivers by offering something I only see in a few places – lamb. I want to try some of everything, but lamb doesn’t come on any sampler plate. I’m therefore left with the only reasonable option of ordering two entrees and cutting back on the sides: One order of pork ribs (short ends), a rack of lamb ribs, and barbecued beans.



I get my order and head to the sauce station. I want to try all three – hot, classic, and sweet. I get a call from home as I’m approaching the station and try to multi-task with disastrous results. The first sauce dispenser is set for fire-hose strength delivery. Sauce hits the small cup and ricochets out over the counter and me. A woman worker watching over the sauce stand looks at me with that “I’m going to have to clean that up, you idiot” look.

I try to clean up, still get my sauce, and still talk on the phone at the same time. I move to the second sauce dispenser, still multi-tasking, it still not having sunk in yet about the delivery strength of the dispensers. Another blast of sauce everywhere. This time as I’m trying to wipe up, sauce somehow gets on my phone unnoticed, which I then place against my ear. I now have sauce on my ear. The lady worker slowly walks over against my protests that I’ll clean it up, while I am of course still talking on the phone. She never says a word, just stares me in the eyes with a glare of icy cold mixed with searing heat, never blinking, never looking down while she wipes the dispensers and the counters. I would have come to Kansas City for this experience alone. Human interaction never fails to disappoint.

Apparently the sauce is popular from this sign at the sauce station:


The judgement? The pork ribs today are good, not great – a little dry and overdone. The lamb ribs are extremely tender and sweet. There isn’t a lot of difference in the sauces, but I like the hot best. None overwhelm the meat, just complement it. The barbecue beans are delicious, a meal all by themselves.

Leaving Gates, I head for the World War I Memorial and Museum. I’ve wanted to see this since I heard it was completed a little over two years ago. It’s on top of a hill with no protection from the wind. On the walk from the parking area into the memorial, I think how you would lose some exposed skin to this bitter wind chill if left out in this weather.



I’m a bit overwhelmed by how well this museum has been designed and executed. It has been crafted with such beauty, imagination, and respect. The original buildings, built in the 1920’s, are classic Roman architecture filled with beautiful murals and exhibits. The new part is extremely well thought in flow and design. Even the theatre is inventive. The screen appears to be about seventy-five long and looks like several silk parachutes strung together. Between the audience and the screen, a life-size diorama is in place with soldiers posed marching through mud and water complete with a full-sized bi-plane overhead. I only have an hour available today, but could easily spend two to three hours. I’m anxious to visit again.



The theater:






After a few days spent in Wichita, I head back to Kansas City. First order of business is, of course, which barbecue place to go to for lunch. I’ve heard good things about Oklahoma Joe’s.



When I open the door at the Strang Line Drive location in Olathe, Kansas, I find I’m at the back of a seventy-five foot line to the register – a positive sign. The line moves fairly quickly. No real surprises on the menu. They do have some inventive sandwich combinations and some Cajun dishes like gumbo and red beans and rice.

The back of the line:


I order a pork (their self-proclaimed specialty) and rib combo with chicken gumbo as the side. The gumbo is good, the pork even better, the ribs excellent. The best ribs I’ve had at any barbecue place is at the chain Famous Dave’s. These are nearly identical in preparation and flavor, and deliciously complemented by Night of The Living Bar-B-Q Sauce. Oklahoma Joe’s is a definite recommend.

That night, I head to Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. It is roughly a six block by three block area of nice to upscale shops. All of the buildings are strung with Christmas lights. Even though it is bitterly cold, it still makes for a nice walk. I finish the evening at Houston’s Restaurant. It’s been years since I’ve had their apple walnut cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream. The grilled chicken salad and the cobbler in the dark wood atmosphere make for a fitting, cozy winter dinner, and a pleasant finish to an eye-opening visit to Kansas City.

Country Club Plaza:

West Palm Beach, Florida

Nashville this morning was cold, windy and rainy with dark ominous clouds. I find a very different scene upon my arrival here in West Palm Beach, FL - bright sunshine over clear skies and 88 degrees. I was not looking forward to the weather on my way here. I think of south Florida as being humid and hot. After leaving the terminal and heading outside, I find it surprisingly pleasant. It’s warm, but in a good way. There’s a breeze that is clean, ocean smelling and refreshing. It’s beautiful.

I’m here for a show at the Cruzan Amphitheater. The weather continues to be great. After a beautiful sunset, the evening stays very pleasant with that fresh breeze still blowing. I happen upon a new food item here for me. It’s an Arepas. It is two yellow sweet corn cakes, like thick cornbread or hoecakes, griddle fried with mozzarella in between them. The lady at the stand says it originates in Venezuela. They can be filled with various sweet or savory fillings. She says they also have them in Columbia where they are called Chapas and are made with white corn. Pretty tasty.

After the show, I head to the Hotel Biba, check in around 11:00 p.m., then head out to find dinner. I drive to Clematis Street. I’ve read that is a popular area in Palm Beach. It’s nice that it’s not crazy or feels unsafe here, just busy nightlife. There is a steady stream of traffic down Clematis Street past clubs booming dance music and people eating at sidewalk tables. Many people walking up and down the street are in their going out clothes. I see lots of “too” outfits: too tight and too short - not always flattering!

I’m on the search for food. I find Pizza Luna, a by-the-slice pizza place open to the street, joining in with their own booming dance music. I get a diet Coke and a slice of bacon pizza so big it hangs off both ends of the paper plate. Grabbing a table on the sidewalk, I sit down to enjoy some great pizza under a beautiful starlit night sky. The palm trees are swaying in the breeze. It’s 73 degrees. I now see why people come here for the winter. It’s like spring in the northern parts of the country.

The Hotel Biba is a boutique hotel that has all of the qualities you would expect in a hip hotel near the beach. It has a small number of rooms and has landscaped courtyards of palm trees and tropical plants with slate walks. The rooms appear to be from the forties with modern artistic furniture and retro colors – seafoam green walls with purple trim in the bedroom and salmon walls with yellow tile in the bathroom.

On Sunday morning, I get going early to have time to explore Palm Beach a little before heading to the airport. After enjoying the continental breakfast at Hotel Biba, with some nice touches like Cuban pastries and Tazo tea, I head north on Olive Street, then cut east on Okeechobee onto Palm Beach. The very large pristine white and sand colored buildings and immaculate palm tree lined streets leave no doubt that I have entered a different neighborhood. The beach is gorgeous. With cooler weather today, breezy and sixties, it’s refreshing and invigorating. The beach itself is a little more rustic feeling than I imagined. It's really nice. A family or two are out enjoying the beach or running their dog. I drive farther down Royal Palm Street to discover the villas, compounds, and mansions facing the Atlantic.

Hotel Biba:

It’s been a nice weekend here in West Palm Beach. It exceeded my expectations. I would definitely return again, especially this time of year.

Portland, Maine

I’ve wanted to return to Maine for some time. I’m hopeful the leaves are still on the trees. One of my most memorable sights was approaching Bangor by air a few years ago in October. The maple trees were brilliant with red, yellow, and orange leaves in the late afternoon sunlight. I’ve never seen anything that brilliant before or since.

Fortunately, even though the prime time was probably two weeks earlier, many of the leaves are still on the trees. A driver picks me up at the airport to take me to the Portland Regency Hotel in the Old Port District. The hotel is a former Armory built in 1895. The rooms are appointed nicely and the staff very professional. A brick street roundabout in front of the hotel along with the surrounding period buildings complete the experience of being in an old, historic neighborhood.

After checking in to the hotel, I have a cab called to take me to the venue. After ten minutes of driving, we arrive at the venue where the show was going to be. I call, get the address of where the show really is and head in the right direction. The driver is a friendly guy who kindly and voluntarily clears the meter and gives me a fresh start. He is typical of the nice folks I meet in Portland.

Following the show, it’s a late night at Denny’s with all of the bands and people from the show eating breakfast and telling stories until 1:30 a.m.

The next morning, I have some explore time before my flight. It’s chilly and overcast, cold enough to need a warm coat and earmuffs. There are nice shops in this part of the city tucked in mostly late 1800’s, early 1900’s buildings. The influence of the French makes itself apparent in some of the architecture. The sea, of course, shows its influence. The weather vane on top of city hall is of a sailing shape covered in gold leaf.

After going up and down the streets of the Old Port district, I head toward the docks to see the real work of the lobster business. After walking down a gravel road between a row of old buildings, I come across this lobster pound. Inside, restaurateurs and chefs shop for seafood, a half dozen men with long knives fillet buckets of fish, and this gentleman is sorting lobsters by weight. Almost all he sorts by sight. Every now and then he’ll set on on the scale that’s too close to call.

After leaving the shop, I head closer to the water. At the water’s edge, I see a light haired sea lion come to the surface and arch back out into the water out of sight. I then look up and see this lobster boat coming in to the harbor.

Both of these fisherman are dressed for the weather:


Loading the lobsters into baskets to haul up to the dock:

It’s time to head for home. A lobster roll bought at the airport is my last taste of Portland. I'm already looking forward to my next trip back here.

Fisk University-Nashville, Tennessee

Today in Nashville was as beautiful a day as one could hope for - beautiful blue skies, cool temperatures, the leaves on the trees starting to change. Our family spent the morning together gathering pecans in our backyard. They're everywhere this year and delicious.

We spent part of the afternoon visiting the Fisk University campus with the goal of seeing the Stieglitz collection at the Carl Van Vechten Gallery on campus. The Gallery recently re-opened after a lengthy closure. The collection, a gift from Georgia O'Keefe in the 1940's, contains works by Renoir, Picasso, Cezanne, Stieglitz photographs and more.



The most famous painting of the collection is Georgia O'Keefe's Radiator Building at Night - New York, 1927. The school has been offered 25 million dollars for this work.



It was a joyful afternoon spent at the Fisk campus. It is fall break, so we nearly had the place to ourselves. The Carl Van Vechten Gallery was a refreshing, renewing place for my mind and spirit. It is a true treasure in Nashville.

Philadelphia-New Jersey

Above: The clock tower of Independence Hall

I rode the bus with Big Daddy Weave to Collingswood, NJ, just outside of Camden, NJ and Philadelphia, PA. Every visit I've made to New Jersey confirms why it is called the Garden State. The variety of beautful trees alone could keep my attention all day. The old Scottish Rite Temple in Collingswood is a grand place that is like a step back in time - old theatre seats, stained glass windows, a dramatic arch over the stage. Even the dressing room make-up chairs with their leather upholstery, ornate cast foot and head rests and white porcelin arms are large antiques from another era. It will make a wonderful venue for the show tonight.

After the show, I get to visit the greatest convenience store ever - the Wawa. They have great food here. My personal favorite is the jalapeno cheese filled pretzel. It sounds crazy, but it is amazing. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

The next day before my flight, I get a chance to visit Philadelphia. I've been once very briefly, but didn't get to really see some sights. I've wanted to come here for a while.

My primary destination is Independence Hall. Seeing where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution debated is quite a sight. The tour guide was outstanding. It felt like a theatre presentation.

I walked around the surrounding areas taking in what I could in the few hours I had, places like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution and the Liberty Bell. What an experience. I'm so glad I finally made it here.

Georgia: Peachtree City

I'm headed to Peachtree City, GA for a show. I've driven down I-24 this way several times before, but today may be the prettiest drive I remember. The leaves are just starting to change. It's hard to find more natural beauty than middle and southeastern Tennessee and northern Georgia. Gorgeous. The drive across Nickajack Lake never fails to bring a sense of awe of the beauty here.

I spend the night at the Hampton Inn just outside of Peachtree City. The beds are especially nice at Hampton Inns, making for a good night's sleep. I wake up to a nice sunrise and get a few hours work done while I have this quiet time.

I was going to gas up last night, but I couldn't find a single station anywhere that had gasoline. I start driving back and hope that I'll find a gas station along the way. I drive all the way to Calhoun, GA, stop for a Five Guys Burgers and Fries lunch and a tea from Starbucks and figure there should be gas here. Still nothing! I drive all the way to Manchester, TN before finding fuel. Crazy.

What an enjoyable drive this weekend - to enjoy this beauty, listen to music, think. Time well spent.

Texas: The Alamo-Amarillo

I got to spend most of the weekend with Superchick in New Braunfels, TX and Amarillo, TX. I arrived a little early in San Antonio and stopped by the Alamo. I've never been there before. There was a lot more to it than I knew. I'm glad I went.

I walked down to the Riverwalk across the street to grab some lunch. I looked over a few places and picked Boudro's. I ordered this lobster with empanada that was fabulous.

I punched in the address to the Superchick show and headed to New Braunfels. The GPS overshot it by about ten miles. It must have been meant to be, though. It took me to the biggest outlet mall I've ever seen in San Marcos, TX. I actually was needing to buy some clothes - no, really! After a little shopping, I headed to see Superchick. Again, what nice people here.

I headed home for thirty-six hours, then reconnected with Superchick in Amarillo. I've never been to Amarillo before. It reminds me a little of Kansas - long golden plains and a lot of good looking steak houses along the road. This sounds boring by now, but more wonderful people. They're what really make Texas a great experience.

Alabama-Tennessee-Kentucky

I'm making a three day run through Birmingham, AL, Humboldt, TN, and Murray, KY. The Birmingham folks are wonderful as usual. The show tonight is at the Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts. It is absolutely beautiful, a real treasure preserved by the people of Birmingham.

The people in Humboldt, TN are the definition of southern hospitality. They couldn't be more giving. I get to shoot hoops with Jay against the guys from Rush of Fools. Big fun.

We hit Murray, KY in the middle of the night. I wake up in my bunk thinking someone is shoving the bus back and forth. In reality, it is high winds, remnants from Hurricane Ike, I guess. Looking out the window onto the Walmart parking lot where we're parked, an unmanned, high-speed shopping cart race powered by the driving wind is in progress. Shopping carts are traveling at high speed down the hill, then crashing into the curb. Fortunately, none hit the bus or any cars.

Uganda - more photos

A few more photos from Uganda.



This is the airstrip at the nature preserve:

Air traffic control here:

Waiting for the planes to arrive:


Our guide Henry:


It's an interesting contrast between the massive grace of the elephants and the delicate movement of the monkeys: