As I've traveled around the country (and the world) I've noticed a few recurring themes. Some of them are easy to spot, such as cafe wall decor with the same "down home" phrases or t-shirts with the same broken English phrase throughout Southeast Asia. Others take some time to recognize and appreciate, like The Three … Continue reading Three Sisters
When I have a road trip planned, it's easier to wake up early. Granted, I don't usually leave at 5:00 AM, but on Sunday that is what I did. I was attending a quarterly Oklahoma Route 66 Association meeting in Weatherford that afternoon and wanted to spend the morning exploring southwestern Oklahoma. Since that was … Continue reading Comanche Territory & Frontier Towns
I celebrated Independence Day near the banks of the Arkansas River in Tulsa. My perch was an exterior stairwell on the sixth floor of the Sophian Plaza, about a mile away from the city's largest nighttime fireworks display. Lately I've felt that I haven't had enough time in my days; it was nice to slow … Continue reading A Model Ford
In 2007, I was a technical support manager for Cingular Wireless, soon-to-be AT&T. I'd been with the company six years at that point and had been there for the transition from pagers to one-way-text capable phones to monophonic ringtones to basic internet access. I watched as Blackberry held on to the smartphone market against all … Continue reading iPhone – 10 Years Later
This is the final entry in my series about my time with Michael Wallis on the Midwest leg of his book tour for, "The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny". If you've missed any previous installment, here they are: Springfield MO & KC Kansas City KC to Columbia … Continue reading On the Road with Michael – Home Again
(other installments of this series here) Tuesday, the final full day of my journey with Michael Wallis. We got off to an early start since we had a drive to Illinois first thing. Before we even left St Louis, though, Michael had a live interview with the Sam Madonia morning radio show in Springfield. The … Continue reading On the Road with Michael – The Best Land Under Heaven
Our last day in St Louis served as a bridge between the Route 66 world that Michael Wallis is so associated with and the western history that serves as the backbone of his literary output. It included a literal bridge, too, as it happens. During the downtime I had on Sunday, I'd made a startling … Continue reading On the Road with Michael – St Louis III
(other installments of this series here) Sunday was another gloriously slow morning. I drank coffee & ate the last two donuts from the Donut Drive-In while I looked out my window at the flower bed. I checked the news, did a little writing, and generally lazed about until about 10:00. I was pleased to see … Continue reading On the Road with Michael – St Louis II
(previous installments of this series here) Saturday got off to a joyously slow start. I'd slept better than expected, considering the fact I could hear conversation in the next room clear as day. We didn't meet up for breakfast until about 10:00 AM. On the way down, I noticed the station Midway had a bunch … Continue reading On the Road with Michael – St Louis
(previous installments of this series here) Friday morning, we slept in. Of course, sleeping in for me (and Michael as well) meant waking up around 8:00 instead of 7:00. I took my time getting ready, puttering around my hotel room with mediocre coffee and a few of our remaining thumbprint cookies. Looking out the window … Continue reading On the Road with Michael – Columbia to St Louis
Rhys' Pieces 