Dale Ertel, Reptile Wrangler

 Winding through the “crooked and steep” roads of the Ozarks near Berryville, Arkansas, it would have been easy to miss the intriguing and very colorful hand painted sign on the side of the road, but Veronica caught a glimpse of it. “Did that sign say Snake World?”

Lucky for us, Dale Ertel was standing in the front yard of the dilapidated dwelling that houses the exhibition. Dale and his family originally cohabitated… CONTINUE READING >>

 Winding through the “crooked and steep” roads of the Ozarks near Berryville, Arkansas, it would have been easy to miss the intriguing and very colorful hand painted sign on the side of the road, but Veronica caught a glimpse of it. “Did that sign say Snake World?”

Lucky for us, Dale Ertel was standing in the front yard of the dilapidated dwelling that houses the exhibition. Dale and his family originally cohabitated… CONTINUE READING >>

From the Minors to October

 Ah, autumn. A nip in the air, the trees are changing, football is back, but mostly… October baseball.

I’m a sports fan. I grew up on minor league baseball. The Wichita Aeros were a big part of my youth and the first professional sporting event I ever attended. That sticks with a guy, I was hooked. Back then the minors were a bit different than today. Of course you had the young prospects fighting to make the bigs but there were also some old vets playing out their string. You don’t see that anymore. The parent club won’t pay the freight and wants the roster spot for a possible future “player to be named later”. I saw some good ones coming up and going down. Vida Blue as a teenager throwing… CONTINUE READING

 Ah, autumn. A nip in the air, the trees are changing, football is back, but mostly… October baseball.

I’m a sports fan. I grew up on minor league baseball. The Wichita Aeros were a big part of my youth and the first professional sporting event I ever attended. That sticks with a guy, I was hooked. Back then the minors were a bit different than today. Of course you had the young prospects fighting to make the bigs but there were also some old vets playing out their string. You don’t see that anymore. The parent club won’t pay the freight and wants the roster spot for a possible future “player to be named later”. I saw some good ones coming up and going down. Vida Blue as a teenager throwing… CONTINUE READING

Jump Up! St. Croix

Four times each year the people of St. Croix take to the streets of Christiansted for Jump Up, a Caribbean flavored festival showcasing music, art, food and dancing.

The town is packed with revelers on the oceanfront boardwalk and throughout the narrow, 18th century Danish streets as native and tourist alike “jump up” and celebrate all things Cruzan.

Traffic is closed to vehicles as pedestrians visit the shops, drink in the bars and streets, eat local dishes and, at every turn… CONTINUE READING >>

Four times each year the people of St. Croix take to the streets of Christiansted for Jump Up, a Caribbean flavored festival showcasing music, art, food and dancing.

The town is packed with revelers on the oceanfront boardwalk and throughout the narrow, 18th century Danish streets as native and tourist alike “jump up” and celebrate all things Cruzan.

Traffic is closed to vehicles as pedestrians visit the shops, drink in the bars and streets, eat local dishes and, at every turn… CONTINUE READING >>

The Appy Crawl Philosophy

We take making meals out of appetizers very seriously. Having them at multiple restaurants is even better. For one thing, it forces us to walk off some of the food between stops, for another, we get to try several different places without destroying our credit rating. We’ve dubbed this bopping from eatery to eatery the “Appy Crawl.”

The most successful Appy Crawls involve three or more restaurants. The trick for the novice is to stay relaxed and not plan too much. It’s even better if there is something fun going on–a street fair, a music festival or just a hectic area of town with lots of goings on. Don’t worry about reservations–most busy restaurants will allow the ordering of appys in the cocktail area–a splendid place to be–the people watching abounds! Try to finish up with dessert and coffee–but not ever ever in the same place you had appetizers.

At every establishment…CONTINUE READING >>

We take making meals out of appetizers very seriously. Having them at multiple restaurants is even better. For one thing, it forces us to walk off some of the food between stops, for another, we get to try several different places without destroying our credit rating. We’ve dubbed this bopping from eatery to eatery the “Appy Crawl.”

The most successful Appy Crawls involve three or more restaurants. The trick for the novice is to stay relaxed and not plan too much. It’s even better if there is something fun going on–a street fair, a music festival or just a hectic area of town with lots of goings on. Don’t worry about reservations–most busy restaurants will allow the ordering of appys in the cocktail area–a splendid place to be–the people watching abounds! Try to finish up with dessert and coffee–but not ever ever in the same place you had appetizers.

At every establishment…CONTINUE READING >>