The first day of December began like most of the other days on our trip when Tom’s alarm rang at precisely 6:00am at the Reid Ridge Lodge in Blue Ridge, Georgia. For most of that early morning, as my photographer…
Tag: George W. Bush
343: I’M GOING HOME – TO SAY GOODBYE, TO FIFTY-EIGHT, WHO FELL FROM THE SKY
It was the moment of truth when Tom’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Thursday July 24, 2025 in our hotel room in Dixon, Illinois. My photographer had tweaked his knee the previous evening at Lowell Park, but he figured the…
296: SWEET CAROLINA, GOOD TIMES NEVER SEEMED SO GOOD
My photographer’s wife did a good job getting us safely into Columbia, South Carolina, and she did an even better job finding a parking spot in close proximity to the South Carolina State House. It was 2:15pm on April 30,…
284: GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOM, WILL YOU FLY ME TO THE MOON IN HUNTSVILLE?
My two companions got an extra half-hour of sleep on the morning of Saturday April 20, 2024. When Tom’s alarm rang at 6:30am, we still had well over two hours before launch. Yes, I said launch, because our first and…
269: SHOCK ME – A DAY OF RECKONING AT MOUNT RUSHMORE LEFT ME PARALYZED WITH GRIEF
Monday, September 18, 2023, was a very special day for my photographer and his wife. When Tom’s alarm rang at 6:00am, the first thing my companions did was wish their twin grandsons, Bo and Rory, a happy ninth birthday. The…
258: A BEAUTIFUL MORNING IN DAVENPORT WITH BARACK, BUSH, AND THE BOY ON A BRIDGE
When Tom’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Friday September 8, 2023, I knew it was a lot later than my photographer’s original plan of a 3am wakeup call had we not left home a day earlier. Tom and his wife,…
219: IF YOU BUILD IT, MLB WILL COME AND RUIN IT
For a little over two hours on the morning of Friday August 5, 2022, my dream of standing on the spot where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper all performed for the final time at the Surf Ballroom…
170: A KINDER, GENTLER VISIT WITH BUSH 41
Tom’s phone alarm went off at 6:20am on Friday October 22, 2021. I watched as he sat up on the couch, looked out the window, saw it was still dark, and reset his alarm to 7:10am. All I could do…
166: AMERICAN GIRLS INSTEAD OF JFK? SAY IT AIN’T SO!
The tenth day of our trip began at 6:00am when Tom’s alarm sounded. It was Sunday October 17, 2021 and we were still in Midland, Texas. But not for long. I heard my photographer mention as soon as we saw…
165: I FOUND MY MOJO WITH ‘DOMINIQUE’ AND GEORGIE
October 16, 2021 began when Tom’s alarm rang at 7:00am. A little less than two hours later, the three of us were headed to school – even though it was Saturday. My photographer had waited an extra day to visit…