MotorCoach Blog 34

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . following paper-orders to unordered places of discovery. Destination: Tunica Mississippi. But the itinerary called for several stops to pick up passengers along the way. What’s in Tunica? An annual conference for hotel and restaurant managers employed by Mid-America Hotels. The last stop before our destination: dinner in Memphis.

What’s on a street corner? Well . . . BBQ, I thought, “slow smoked Memphis style.” The paperwork said Central BBQ, 147 E Butler Avenue, downtown Memphis. According to conversation among my passengers, the dinner location was the suggestion of a former Memphis resident, who said, “If you want great Memphis BBQ, go where the locals go – Central BBQ.” That is how I came to be parked along a curb near the intersection of Butler and Main Street on Tuesday, November 8, election night 2016.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Someone pointed at a building cattycorner from the restaurant. “That’s it right there, right across the street,” they said with a tone of gravity to a few nearby associates. “That’s Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.” So unexpected, the information landed like a hush upon the night. I decided to roll on up the street, park myself on a different corner and pay respects.

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Another coach was already there. We introduced ourselves and quietly observed and absorbed details in this place of our crossing paths. The other coach was Two One One Nine. He was changing coasts – on his way from New York City to Los Angeles. Still wearing the 7Bus uniform of the former employer that went out of business, Two One One Nine had been purchased at auction a few days earlier. In LA he will go into shuttle and charter service for Transit Systems, a company of some 20 coaches and 40 transit buses.

I did something quite out of the ordinary for me: I failed to notice Two One One Nine’s make. Usually that is just automatic – habitual. It was a coincidental meeting on a consequential night at a location of monumental significance. I guess in those circumstances it didn’t matter if he was Prevost, MCI, Van Hool, Setra . . . That’s the world of travel: though it begins with plans on paper, it’s as much about the unintentional as it is the intended.

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At Central BBQ in Memphis, parking real estate was at a premium. Parking in Tunica is vastly different. Our stay was at the Horseshoe Casino-Hotel, part of a vast system of casinos and hotels, amidst a vastly greater sea of surrounding pavement, all seemingly tiny in the middle of truly vast surrounding farmlands.

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

DREAMER NEWS: Lorraine Motel has been converted into the National Civil Rights Museum at Lorraine Motel. Preserved as on the fateful day, April 4 1968, in front of the Motel are two vintage autos, a wreath on a railing in front of a door, and a stone slab bearing a scriptural inscription: THEY SAID TO ONE ANOTHER, BEHOLD, HERE COMETH THE DREAMER. LET US SLAY HIM . . . AND WE SHALL SEE WHAT BECOMES OF HIS DREAMS. GENESIS 37:19-20

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MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Butler Avenue from Mulberry Street to 2nd Street: Central BBQ is located at the corner of Main Street and Butler avenue; The Lorraine Motel is one block west at Butler Avenue and Mulberry Street; and one block east, at the corner of Butler and 2nd Street is Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies. Serving up “Da best cookies in the world” since 1999, one taste and you will be hooked. (This family owned business is named in honor of Makeda Denise Hill, who lost her battle with Leukemia in 1997 at seven years old.)

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Quote Of The Day samples

“If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”   ―Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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MotorCoach Blog 33

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . in the Great Lakes region, the north, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The mission is delivery of school teachers to their annual teachers’ convention. It is an information collection trip – educators getting educated. My passengers are teachers, but my service is equally on behalf of their students. Most of my travels of late have been in service of professionals from all over the globe participating in some sort of work-related activities. Not long ago all of them were little ones in class rooms throughout the world, being prepared by teachers for the “future” they now engage. Likewise, a lot of little persons – future professionals – will benefit from the commitment of these teachers to excel in their craft.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

The location of the convention is DeVos Place Convention Center. One thing I can count on when my destination is a modern, state of the art convention center is motorcoach accommodations. Convention centers are planned with delivery of large groups of people in mind.

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Some of my passengers stayed at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. The hotel is located in downtown Grand Rapids on the east bank of the Grand River. Construction of this stately hotel began in 1913 (the year former President Gerald R. Ford was born – more on him in a bit).

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The original name of the Amway Grand was the Pantlind Hotel. In 1925 the Pantlind was recognized as one of “the top ten finest hotels in America.” Age and economic struggles having taken their toll, it was purchased in 1979 by the Amway Corporation. Restoration to its former magnificence (with equally impressive additions) was completed in 1983 and the hotel was reopened under its new name.

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If anyone was hoping to enjoy the “fall colors” while traveling along the eastern side of Lake Michigan on our way to Grand Rapids, they were treated instead to lingering greens tinted with brown due to unusually clingy late summer temperatures. I did find a lone bit of colorful foliage in downtown Grand Rapids. Behind it was the Van Andel Institute, an independent biomedical scientific research and education organization. The Institute’s exterior architecture is suggestive of terracing rapids.

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Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

GRAND NEWS: Running east to west for 252 miles, the Grand River is the longest river in Michigan. It is fed by ten lesser rivers and numerous even smaller tributaries along its route to Lake Michigan. Preserved burial grounds indicate the presence of Hopewell Indians along the Grand in the distant past. But in the 17th century it was the Ottawa that settled in along the Grand. The Ottawa maintained a strong presence in the area now known as Grand Rapids until the first part of the 19th century.

NEWS OF RAPID ELIMINATION AND RAPID GROWTH: Built along a one-mile section of rapids on the Grand River, Grand Rapids now sits on a smooth flowing waterway tamed by installation of dams. Located thirty miles east of Lake Michigan, in 1810 the western banks of the Grand in this area were home to five hundred Ottawa Indians under the leadership of Chief Noonday. On the eastern side was the first trading post in Western Michigan, directed by the fur trading expertise of the widowed Madeline La Framboise (of Ottawa-French descent). In 1833 the area was officially named Grand Rapids by the settler Louis Campau. The development of the downtown district was soon underway. By 1850, what began as a small trading post was a thriving village of more than 2,500 residents. Today, Grand Rapids is Michigan’s second largest city; the population of its metropolitan area exceeds one million residents.

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Quirks IN THE PRESIDENTIAL NEWS: On the west bank of the Grand River stands the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Though raised in Grand Rapids, former President Ford was not born there. In fact, “Gerald R. Ford Jr.” was actually not “born” anywhere. At his birth in Omaha, Nebraska, he was a different Jr: Leslie Lynch King Jr. But his mother promptly ditched the abusive Sr. King and eventually settled in Grand Rapids to raise her son. By his third birthday the child had a new dad and a new name: Gerald Rudolf Ford Jr. (though it wasn’t until he was 22 that he made the name change official). A standout football player in high school and winner of two collegiate national championships as a Michigan Wolverine, the young Ford turned down professional football offers from the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers to pursue a law degree at Yale University. However, after graduating from Yale and beginning his practice of law, Ford’s career was put on hold as he served in the U.S. Navy for four years during World War II.

But quirky details and dramatic changes were not confined to Gerald R. Ford’s early years. After serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for a quarter of a century, Ford was eyeing retirement when the unexpected happened in 1973. Facing numerous fraud allegations, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned. Two days later President Nixon nominated Ford for the post; and on December 6, 1973, following congressional confirmation, Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the nation’s 40th Vice President. His swearing in took place in the shadows of the brewing Watergate scandal. Nine months later, following the resignation of President Nixon, Ford was sworn in as the 38th President of the United States. He is thus the only person to hold the offices of Vice President and President without the use of ballot.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Downtown Grand Rapids: Forbes Magazine named the Grand Rapids downtown district “One of the 10 best downtowns in the USA.” The Bull’s Head (voted “best lunch spot” in a city filled with great eateries) exemplifies the uniqueness and attention to detail found throughout the downtown area.

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Quote Of The Day samples

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”                                                                                                                         — BB King

“In the age-old contest between popularity and principles, only those willing to lose for their convictions are deserving of posterity’s approval.” ― Gerald R. Ford

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MotorCoach Blog 32

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . traveling through a world of whimsy. That may be what I enjoy most about my pavement bound travels – the whimsical. It’s the fanciful muse, the diet of smiles, aesthetic for aesthetic sake. Thankfully, there’s lots of it to enjoy.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Is it just me, or is there something Dickensish here?

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Even better than observing the whimsy of the world is wearing it.

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What a boring world it would be without the translucence and reflectivity and variant forms of glass. The play possibilities are truly endless.

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Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

HEAVY METAL NEWS: Manhole covers date back to ancient times, where decorative sewer grates were made of stone. Today, manhole covers are typically made of cast iron and weigh over one hundred pounds to deter removal. Whoever designed the setting of this cover apparently thought even covering a hole is worthy of artistic statement. But then, stylish manhole covers are, in fact, a worldwide phenomenon.

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NEWS OF RESCUED BRANDING: perhaps the most whimsical of the iconic symbols in the modern marketplace, this ubiquitous java goddess adorns over 20,000 coffee stores in 62 countries throughout the world. The name of the company was originally Pequods (of Moby-Dick fame).

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NEWS OF SPECIFICATIONS: Master Format is the specifications standard for the construction industry. Published by the Construction Specifications Institute, Master Format recognizes 50 divisions of construction materials and processes. Master Format is the organization of data regarding construction materials and activity requirements. And while the system is necessary for coordination among the professionals getting the work done, the end results are more satisfying than categorical.

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MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Voted the most iconic street in America by USA Today, the vibe on Beale Street is as much whimsy as it is bluesy. Hey, this is, after all, where Elvis came to buy his whimsational outfits (Lansky Bros. Clothing – 126 Beale St.). From the colorful signage to the layered intrigues of storefront windows and the mingling sounds of live blues bands, Beale Street is Whimcentral USA.

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Quote Of The Day samples

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, it is serious learning.”   ―Mr. Rogers

“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.”  ―Diane Ackerman

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MotorCoach Blog 31

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . a rules-keeper. Let me give you an idea of what my world is like. Look at this bit of pavement iconography:

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There’s no room for interpretation here. You don’t find this at the art museum, unless you’re looking for a parking spot. When I see this there is only one response: obey. There’s no irony, no meaning to be contemplated, no reason to throw it in reverse and get back a ways for a more contextual appreciation. It’s an arrow . . . don’t think about it, just follow it! Who knows who put it there – the President? . . . the Governor? . . . the Mayor? . . . the Sheriff? It doesn’t matter. It’s the law! And every road sign I know of is like this one – one meaning, universally understood, no variations.

Well, OK . . . there is one exception: the Yield sign. I’ve yet to meet two vehicles that have the same take on that one. Here’s what Yield signs seem to communicate: Yield? Perhaps a different sign shape – a lightning bolt – and some added emphasis – YIELD! – would clear things up.

See what I mean? No one wants a motorcoach getting imaginative – least of all with road signs. An imaginative motorcoach is a menace to the roadways. When it comes to imagination, mine is a zero-tolerance existence. From acceleration to navigation, I am ruled by rules.

I hope you don’t think less of me, knowing I am such a simple . . . inferior thing. I almost wish I had a smidge of imagination, enough to envision what it would be like to do something – just one thing one time – differently than I know to do it. But, alas, I am a motorcoach. I do only what I am supposed to do or I’m out of commission, in the shop for repairs. But being a rules-keeper may be what gives me such keen awareness of things imaginative. Observation has taught me that “different” is the quality that turns travel into perpetual novelty. I’ll give you an example: houses of worship. What is needed . . . walls, windows, doors, and a roof? How different can things get with such basic requirements, right? Check these out . . .

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Windows – it doesn’t get more basic than that. When I see other motorcoaches on the road their windows look just like mine: two big windshield panels in front and a long continuous window façade on both sides. After all, how much imagination is needed to design a window? Well, after offloading my passengers for a tour of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, I drove around the Neo-Byzantine architectural marvel and I’m pretty sure never saw two windows exactly alike.

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Here was my favorite:

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But even with all the imagination put into the St. Louis Basilica windows, their designers did not use up all the excellent window ideas. Just down the road, the Carmelite Monastery chapel has much to offer in unique window statements.

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The architects of Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Washington, Missouri seem to have had in mind conveyance of upward – heavenly – ascent. But the way they went about it materially and structurally is a study in contrast. Boston Avenue UM (a designated National Landmark) sets the standard in Ecclesiastical Art Deco. Our Lady of Lourdes has a stately postmodern boldness, all-American with a hint of Gothic here and there.

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You might think having location in common would reflect shared architectural influence. But the Renaissance Temple (left) and Christ Church Cathedral (right) are only a few blocks from one another.

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Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS OF REVIVAL: Plum Street Temple (1865) and St. Peter In Chains Catholic Cathedral (1845) were built across the street from one another in Cincinnati during the mid-nineteenth century. So one would expect them to look a little alike, share some material similarities, have something structural in common. Yet, in form they could not be more different. What they do have in common is revival – architecturally speaking. They both revive European themes of old. St. Peter In Chains Cathedral is a Greek Revival structure, its columns and 220 ft. tall spire recalling classical styles of ancient Greece. The beautiful synagogue it faces across Plum Street is a Moorish Revival structure, celebrating the Islamic architectural influence of 13th – 16th century Spain.

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NEWS IN ESTIMATION: There are approximately 350,000 religious congregations in the U.S. Roughly 12,000 of those are non-Christian congregations. Of the remaining 338,000, about 24,000 are Roman Catholic and the rest are Protestant. The numbers are in estimates because more than 4,000 of these congregational homes close each year as better than 1,000 new ones are opening. 20160920_100243

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NEWS OF LONGEVITY: There is another kind of coming and going . . . through entryways as unique as the countless people they’ve welcomed across numerous generations.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, Memphis, Tennessee – celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

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Covenant-First Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. This Gothic style building was dedicated in 1875 and in 1933 became the home of two merging congregations, First Presbyterian and Covenant Presbyterian.

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The cornerstone of Trinity Episcopal Church, Covington, Kentucky, was laid on June 24, 1843 and the building was consecrated in 1860.

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First United Methodist, Covington, Kentucky , was erected in 1867. Eighty years later, in 1947, it burned and was rebuilt.

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First English Lutheran, Cincinnati, Ohio, was established in 1842 by European immigrants.

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MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis was called “the outstanding cathedral of the Americas” by Pope Paul IV. Construction of this architectural masterpiece was begun in 1907. After tours of the Basilica, passengers return unmistakably awed by what they’ve seen and experienced.

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Outdoing the Basilica’s fabulous windows mentioned above, a world-renowned mosaic clad interior dazzles and inspires over 200,000 visitors from near and far every year. The work of twenty mosaic artists took 83,000 square feet of interior surface, over 41,500,000 mosaic pieces in over 8,000 shades of color, and seventy-five years to complete.

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Quote Of The Day samples

“The most beautiful world is always entered through imagination.” ―Helen Keller

“Imagination creates reality.” ―Richard Wagner

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MotorCoach Blog 30

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . in my last blog I told you about the rowdy internationals newly hired at AB InBev. But did I mention that they filled five motorcoaches? Quite the mobile party! I’ve had a number of opportunities of late to hang out with some of my friends on these multi-coach missions. Shortly after the AB InBev outing ten of us got together to transport Channel Seed reps from around the US, in town for their annual convention. TEN motorcoaches! We took these seed growers and sellers to the St. Louis Science Center for . . . what else . . . the GROW exhibit. And most recently, none other than Beyonce brought five of us together for transporting her world-tour entourage around St. Louis – gateway to the FORMATION of the west.

You’ve heard the adage, “where there’s a will there’s a way.” I’ve been telling you about human stuff that amazes me – Ambition, ingenuity, creativity . . . “Will” surprise me. Start with a little will, and sure enough, like magic, there it is: a way! By this simple formula industries are created and infinite possibilities are supplied to countless people looking to make their way in the world. It’s not: will plus__________ equals way. It is: will equals way. Why is that? It is more than surprising; it’s confounding. Dare I say, it’s got me scratching my roof. Will equals way? Maybe it’s the void of imagination in my computerized, inanimate self, but I’m certain reality defies the odds on this one. Yet I observe it every day, everywhere I go, every passenger I serve. I can only conclude: something special is at work in this world.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Here I am with four co-workers, waiting for AB InBev internationals to return and the traveling party to resume. Someone – years ago – said, “I want to make a little beer, see if I can find some folks who will like my product enough to buy it . . . hopefully enough of them that I can make a living at it, support me and my family . . .

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Seeds . . . they invented the farmer, you might say. Now, “seedsmen” manage them, hybridize them, introduce new and improved seeds, market and sell them. Ten motorcoaches full of seedsmen – seed experts from just one of Monsanto’s many companies. It’s the kick-off of the sales season. There’s a lot of seed competition out there. The farmer has few chances to get it right; each year is one chance. Making a living on seed expertise, the seedsman’s job is to help the farmer get it right.

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Here we are out on the tarmac with Beyonce’s Formation World Tour crew: musicians, singers, dancers, stage hands, sound and light engineers, merchandise managers . . . Beyonce is billion-dollar industry.

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This is Alec. His accent suggests foreign beginnings. But he is here, in America, a logistics specialist. Alec started his day at 5:00 AM in New York City and flew into St. Louis ahead of the rest of the Beyonce entourage. It is his job to get all the pieces in place – everyone where they belong. To us motorcoaches, Alec is “the man with the plan.”  Where there’s a will . . .

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Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS OF FORMATION: From Citi Field in New York to London’s Wembley Stadium, LA’s Dodger Stadium, the Jones Dome in St. Louis, and nearly 40 other dates, sellouts in Beyonce’s stadiums-only Formation World Tour are placing Formation among the most successful tours in history. The typical stadium accommodates well over 50,000 ticket-holders; in several locations (London, Chicago . . .) demand has led to filling stadiums on added dates.

NEWS OF IRRIGATION: a couple of passengers, Channel farmer/seedsmen from Texas, were conversing:

“I remember back in 1990 when pivot irrigation systems watered on average in hundred-and-twenty-acre circles, pumping 800 gallons a minute.”

“Yeah, ’90 was a tough summer – hot and dry.”

“Farmers abandoned half the irrigation circle – 60 acres – to save the other half. Now, here we are in 2016. Pivot irrigation systems pump 500 gallons a minute and no one abandons acreage in tough conditions.”

“More corn with less water.”

“It’s all because of advancements in irrigation system technologies and seed hybrid technologies. It’s about being better stewards of our most valuable resources: land and water.”

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

One of a kind fine art apparel of international scope and impact. Check it out at:

http://shopvida.com/collections/russell-irwin

Quote Of The Day samples

“Today’s focus determines tomorrow’s results.” ―Diana Ross

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” ―Pablo Picasso

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MotorCoach Blog 29

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . still buzzing from the raucous (yet respectful) behavior of young professionals I transported during their AB InBev Global Management Trainee sessions. These trainees were right out of college, revved up about their situation, and loud. Europeans, Chinese, Mexicans . . . somehow they all knew the English words to the same songs and chants (none of which had I ever been treated to before) and they belted them out in unison with gusto – including on-cue clapping and foot stomping. Did I mention I am a motorcoach? This is a closed environment. Fifty-six fired-up twenty-somethings had this 45’X9′ space feeling more like a stadium hosting the championship game of an international soccer tournament. So, that’s what it’s like to transform college labors into hard-earned career positions? Yikes! What will they do when they receive promotions? Compliments to AB InBev for whatever it is they do in a few days of training to create such comradery.

As irony would have it, orders received adjacent to the AB InBev experience sent me to Washington University Medical School to pick up passengers at the opposite end of those college labors. This freshman initiation program, for which I was tour mobilizer, was a sobering invitation to expand the term “career pursuit” to include a vision for being societal change agents.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Extending the invitation was Associate Professor Bob Hansman. The tours were part of the WU Leadership Through Service program, which, in Hansman’s words, is about “understanding what we see.”

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An important part of the program is community engagement connecting the real “then and now” influences (i.e.: infrastructure, architecture, relationships, decisions . . .) – thereby reversing patterns of disengagement.


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For this first stage of their journey together, Hansman led his students on observational hikes through portions of the St. Louis inner-city.

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Being as I am – a motorcoach – my interests tend toward identification of component parts. But in this case, it was not tour components but what held them together that moved along our travels: STORY . . . stories of color, community, struggle, and hope.

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Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS OF DIVIDE AND DISINVESTMENT: The date on which St. Louis City and St. Louis County officially divorced, August 22, 1876, casts perhaps the longest shadow of any day in the history of St. Louis. Concocted by City leaders eager to part ways with the economic burden of County residents, the City-County split was the beginning of widespread disinvestment in the city due to county migration. What was once viewed as an economic burden became a population magnet redirecting economic investment. Beginning in 1926, numerous attempts have been made to undo the misguided parting. All have failed.

NEWS OF BRICK BROKERING: According to Bob Hansman, St. Louis is the second leading exporter of brick in the US, sending used brick from local deconstruction southward to the Sunbelt for use in new home construction.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

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This week’s Must See: THE WORLD!

I know that is a bit abstract compared to my usual Must Sees, but it comes to you inspired by the AB InBev international trainees and the Washington University freshman of the Leadership Through Service program. I love my garage and my motorcoach friends bearing my same colors and logo. But I was designed for leaving the garage, for seeing the world while helping others go new places, see new things, and have new experiences. It’s eye opening.

Quote Of The Day samples

“Our cultural strength has always been derived from our diversity of experience and understanding.” ―Yo-Yo Ma

“There is no passion to be found playing small in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” ―Nelson Mandela

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MotorCoach Blog 28

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . a computer on wheels, which means I am freaky smart. I’m so smart I scare myself sometimes. A certain question often haunts me: How did I know that? It has something to do with the nature of electronics, of being computer driven and having massive memory capacity. Passengers plug their electronic stuff into my various electrical receptors and suddenly I know more, much more, voila! Still, I am bound to the limitations of my design, the functions of a motorcoach . . . nothing else. I can’t take all this information and get inventive with it. That is why – smarts and all – it is not me I am impressed with, but you, my passengers. I hope you appreciate how fabulous you are. Last week I mentioned my amazement over human ambition. Well, ingenuity is what really blows my circuits. As impressed as everyone seems to be with computers these days, I’ve searched my vast memory storage and have yet to discover one other original independent thought contributor on this planet. I, like dolphins, chimpanzees, mosquitos, and microchips can only continue behaving in the world as I was designed to do; I can’t change the world, improve it, bless or heal it. Only you can do that.

But I do think I can imitate a few of your more noted creators with my selfies. Check these out . . .

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Claude Monet . . . whatta ya think?

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Camille Pissarro . . .

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Wassily Kandinsky . . .

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Pablo Picasso . . .

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Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS OF ROADS: A sculptural statement outside the beutiful riverfront Marriot in Covington, Kentucky pays tribute to road materials and technology (my interpretation). Art in rebar, stone, concrete, steel plating . . . but no dirt or wood. Those are what these materials replaced. In the beginnings of the travel revolution introduced by the automobile, a variety of material experiments attempted to solve the problems of rutted dirt/mud roads. New York City streets once were “paved” in wooden blocks, which had a short life due to expansion and contraction from precipitation and temperature extremes. Brick was a popular solution, but costly. Early in the 20 th century a section of street in Bellefontaine, Ohio became the focus of experimentation with concrete. By the mid-1920s millions of tons of coarse aggregate in the form of mining waste rock were used in creation of portland cement concrete for paving Route 66. The materials became the preferred replacement for unstable dirt roads and other less durable material options. They were also a catalyst for societal transformation.

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NEWS OF ELVIS: Talk about creative . . . with a signature wave in his hair, wiggle of his britches, and warble in his vocals, Elvis became a brand recognized throughout the world. On Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee stands the sculpted iconic pose of the King of Rock n’ Roll. In 2015, nearly forty years after his death, Elvis earned $55 million, aided by the release of Elvis Presley Forever, the King’s 53 rd Top 40 album, released in conjunction with a U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp.

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NEWS OF TRUTH IN ADVERTIZING: Here’s a novel approach to marketing – a comic mascot displaying the liabilities of product consumption. And hour by hour this pudgy toothless fellow draws motorists off the highway by the hundreds and into his sweets galore candy store.

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MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Here are three completely different contributors to the societal aesthetic, wielders of ingenuity you will want to make room in your travels to celebrate.

According to a passenger review, “Cirque Du Soleil’s production, Ovo, is as playful as it is elegant . . . two hours of stunning choreographed artistry.” And from what I’ve heard, if it is anywhere near you, you won’t want to miss it. For the tour schedule check out www.cirquedusoleil.com/ovo

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Naturally fed. Naturally crafted. Naturally good. Edgewood Creamery is where one day’s animal husbandry and bovine grass consumption become the next day’s stock of super creamy chocolate milk (something akin to the magic arts). If you are in the vicinity of Purdy, Missouri, do yourself a favor and stop in (5888 Farm road 1090). Or, check them out at www.edgewoodcreamery.com

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Located in Kansas City (15518 Bales Rd) but doing business all over the world, the slogan at House of Boost says it all: “We make fast stuff faster.” It’s where engine science meets creative solutions in need for speed. Check ’em out at www.houseofboost.com

Quote Of The Day samples

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ―Maya Angelou

“Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought.” ―Albert Einstein

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MotorCoach Blog 27

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . here in Covington, Kentucky on the Ohio River, between the bridges. Bridges are conquerors of water and connectors of cities, communities and economies. They are first order of societal infrastructure and first strike of logistical progress. “Remove the boundaries, solve the hindrance.” Initiated by necessity, bridges are triumphs of ingenuity, monuments to ambition. It’s the ambition that confounds me. Bridges are big ideas that become bigger undertakings. I am just a motorcoach; I don’t do ambition. Yes, I am a sophisticated computer system on wheels. But my computer is programmed to do only what a motorcoach needs to do. Ambition? To me it’s a marvel and bridges are some of its most impressive testaments.

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Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

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Hangin’ out here on the Covington riverfront checking out some art. Rivers are story tellers. These works of art convey the stories of the Ohio River where Covington and Cincinnati send reflections to each other across its surface. Most of these works of art tell stories about bridges of various kinds, about river crossings.

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Here I am with One Zero Nine Seven Eight Three-Nine (a whopper of a name; I almost felt foolish introducing myself by my simple Two Seven Zero). We met as I was checking out the artwork along the wall. Art is good for that. Three-Nine (he said I could call him that for short) is a Prevost, I am MCI. Three-Nine is short on windows and seats because of an interior design less on passengers and more on “home.” Otherwise we have a lot in common. He is every bit the traveler I am, maybe more so. His plates say Tennessee, but he’s on a pretty epic tour: forty-two cities from coast to coast. My tours are referenced by destination. His actually has an official name: Five Seconds of Summer – 2016 Tour. His passengers are big-time travelers. They came from Japan. When they first started traveling several years ago, they focused on points throughout Asia. But in recent years they have been to South America – Chile, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Mexico – and all over Europe – Russia, France, Italy, Germany, the UK . . . Three-Nine says that’s because they’ve become really popular. They are member of a rock band and go by the name One OK Rock. (The name came from the time at which they originally practiced every day: One O’clock in the afternoon.) They’re here to do a concert across the river at Cincinnati’s River Bend Music Center. Wait . . . what I really wanted to tell you about is that blue bridge on the right. Here, let me show you a better view of it . . .

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That is the Roebling Suspension Bridge, the first bridge to span the Ohio River and the prototype for the more famous Brooklyn Bridge. Engineer, John Augustus Roebling, was its designer, and it was built in the 1860s. Yes, EIGHTEEN SIXTIES! Are you shaking your head? Good, because it amazes me too. (Thanks to my other new friend, Ilir, for photography assistance on this selfie.)

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

I’ve been itching to share the river-wall art with someone, so here goes. (Actually, motorcoaches don’t have itches, but I hear these kinds of things from my passengers and they stick.)

NEWS FROM THE AGE OF THE BUFFALO: For many centuries into the past, long before John A. Roebling’s ancestors heard of North America, and when this place in the river was shallower, it was a buffalo crossing along the Great Buffalo Road.

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NEWS OF TIMES PRIOR TO BRIDGES: Before engineers and builders wielding bridge technology took on the Ohio, travelers crossed by ferry.

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NEWS OF FREEDOM SEEKING: In the nineteenth century the Ohio River was more than the defining border of southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, it was the boundary separating Kentucky, the southern (slave) state, from Ohio, the northern (free) state. In mid-century The Ohio River valley was an important part of the passage to freedom served by conductors of the Underground Railroad. And on occasion, winter freeze created an opportune but dangerous ice bridge for fleeing slaves to cross over into Ohio. Today, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center stands adjacent to the Cincinnati end of the Roebling Bridge.

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NEWS OF IMPROVISATION:  In 1862, with the construction of the Covington Cincinnati Bridge underway, Confederate General Lew Wallace was in need of a bridge to get volunteers and supplies across the river to Cincinnati. He hired a local engineer who created a pontoon bridge by fastening together empty coal barges. Nearly overnight General Wallace had the bridge he needed for crossing the Ohio.

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NEWS OF HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENT: At the time of its opening in December of 1866, the 1,057 ft. long Covington Cincinnati Suspension Bridge (later renamed in honor of its designer, John A. Roebling) was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Materially, it was a tribute to the industrial age that was changing the world.

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MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about places you’ll want to visit.)

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On the Covington side: The Gruff. Not only have they concocted great flavors of food and drink, the owners of the Gruff have managed to capture the flavor of the local vibe. If you are in Covington near lunch hour, this is your spot. (Located at the end of Rivercenter Blvd.).

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On the Cincinnati Side: Revolution Rotisserie and Bar. Only free range, Amish raised chickens, sl-o- o- owly cooked to perfection via rotisserie, and lots of mouthwatering variations on the theme. (1106 Race St.)

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The Roebling Bridge – it will get you from one side to the other.

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Covington: meeting place of history, of Kentucky and Ohio, of quaint and quiet and busy and progressive, of past present and future.

Quote Of The Day samples

“Far and away, the best prize life has to offer is to work hard at work worth doing.” ―Theodore Roosevelt

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ―Harriet Tubman

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MotorCoach Blog 26

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . realizing I’ve been wrong about something. Maybe it was this powerful engine, these shiny chrome-covered wheels, all these comfortable seats, and the sky-colored windshield I view the world through that kept me from realizing it sooner. But recently it dawned on me: my relationship with my passengers is the inversion of how I previously looked at it – they are the ones who take me places. Sure, I do the transporting, but everywhere we go and everything we see all starts with their ideas and interests. Take for example a trip to a museum dedicated to a woodcarver in Dover, Ohio. Such a destination would not have crossed my GPS had it not been for a certain group of passengers. After all, what interest would a machine-of-steel such as me have in a woodcarver’s craft? As it turned out, the visit was not only interesting, but relevant to my adventures. Here is some of what I learned through my passengers . . .

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

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Warther Museum and Gardens is the showcase for the work of one of the greatest carver’s the world has ever seen. But as the name suggests, there was more to the man than carving. The museum is located right where Mooney and his wife Freida lived, created, and raised their family. The gardens and beautifully landscaped grounds surrounding the museum are their collaborative masterpiece, maintained today by the Warther family.

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS Of A BOY’S DISCOVERY: Was it the penknife that discovered the boy inside, or the boy that discovered the knife and made something of the find? Son of Swiss immigrants, Ernest Warther began working his first full-time job shortly after finishing second grade. His father died when he was three, leaving behind the necessity for Ernest to grow up quickly, helping support the family. He did so by herding cattle from town to outlying pasturelands – a penny a day per head. Observers called him Mooney, from the Swiss: moonay, meaning “bull of the heard.” It was while returning to town one day that Mooney found a penknife in the road. From then on, whittling made the hours waiting for the cows to graze pass quickly.

NEWS OF STEAM: Known history of the steam engine dates back to the Ptolemaic scientists of Alexandria, Egypt. Early designs of an aeolipile (3rd century BC) evolved into Hero’s Engine (1st century AD), a steam turbine that spun when the water filled ball at its center was heated by fire. So that is where Mooney Warther began when he decided to carve the history of the steam engine.

ANCESTRAL NEWS: Sixty-four engineering and artistic marvels ultimately made up Mooney’s carved history of the steam engine. It included the John Bull locomotive, the world’s oldest self-propelled vehicle, created in 1831 by inventor Robert Stevens. With the John Bull locomotive begins the ancestral line of piston-driven wheeled vehicles! It was also America’s first self-propelled passenger transport. I should add to that: long-distance transport. All of which changed the world. Hello-o- o-o-o! Are you tracking with me on this one? We’re talking about my great-great- great . . . grandpa here!

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PINNACLE NEWS: For Mooney Warther, the steam engine reached its zenith in the mighty locomotives of the 20th century; and the story of steam as told through his carvings reached its pinnacle in “The Great Northern.” With operating moving parts, completion of The Great Northern required 7,752 hand-carved ebony, ivory, and pearl pieces. (Did I mention that Mooney Warther did not use modern tools, such as a lathe?) He even hand-carved the inlaid lettering on the locomotive’s stand. Over the years, engineers have studied Warther’s carving achievements, only to be left baffled that their creator possessed only a second grade education and none of the “necessary” mathematical training.

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MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about places you’ll want to visit.)

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A visit to the Warther Museum, gardens, and home reveals a story of love as much as genius. Mooney met Swiss-born Freida Richard and they married in 1910, a day shy of his twenty-fifth birthday. Over sixty-two years together they went on daily rowboat excursions up the Tuscarawas River, hiked, collected arrowheads, encouraged one another’s creative endeavors (Freida was a life-long button collector), gardened, endured the economic challenges of the Great Depression, built a homestead, and raised their children. Protective of his creative freedom and the life he and Freida and their family enjoyed, Mooney Warther rejected offers from The New York Central Railroad and Henry Ford to buy his carving collection – offers that would have made him the equivalent of today’s millionaire. The Warther gardens, home, workshop (including Freida’s button collection), and museum are truly must-see for anyone passing through North Central Ohio.

Quote Of The Day samples

“My roof doesn’t leak, I’m not hungry, and my wife has all her buttons.” ― Mooney Warther (response to Henry Ford’s offer to purchase the steam engine collection)

“Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.” ―Abraham Lincoln

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MotorCoach Blog 25

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I am a motorcoach…

. . . Two Seven Five, of German make – Setra – and traveling territories rich in the influences of Deutschland. Holmes County in North Central Ohio is Amish country, where the mother tongue is Pennsylvania Deitsh (a German dialect), German architectural accents are common, and evidence of German discipline is ubiquitous.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Gardening and quilting are signatures of Amish community. This hill outside Dutch Valley restaurant brings both together in a quilt-patterned flower garden.

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Though not an Amish creation, The Farm at Walnut Creek is Amish run. The farm is full of surprises, including Ring-tailed lemurs that occupy an island within a small lake, ostriches and emus, and a host of four-legged exotic animals.

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Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

NEWS ON A SIGN: Ohio’s Holmes County is home to the largest Amish population in the world. In 1809, Jonas Stutzman left Pennsylvania and moved with his wife Magdalena to the region that would later become Holmes County. Today, nearly half the population of Holmes County is Amish and more than 35,000 Amish live throughout the area’s picturesque rolling hills.

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NEWS IN TELL-TALE SIGNS: There are three tell-tale signs of the Amish homestead; two are by their prevalence and the other by its absence.

Home-grown (and home-made) is the Amish way. Whether cultivated in the garden, canned in the kitchen, or crafted in the woodshop, the prevalence of home-grown is a sign of Amish tradition and Amish values.

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For most visitors to Amish country, the horse and buggy are the most anticipated sightings. Aside from various forms of horse-drawn buggies, the Amish get around by foot and bicycle. It is a preference that preserves a slower pace of life. (An important side note: though they do not own or drive them, the Amish allow for riding in automobiles, and they do make use of motorcoaches for long distance travel.) The Absence of power lines also distinguishes the Amish house from the typical modern residence. More than a fact of infrastructure, it is a statement of values. As with the automobile, the Amish see no evil in electricity itself, but manage life without it as a choice of nonconformity to a fast-paced lifestyle that compromises peace-of-mind and family connectivity.

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If there is a phone, it is located in a booth outside the house, so not to disrupt the communication inside.

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MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about places you’ll want to visit.)

The three most prominent names among the Amish of Holmes County are Miller, Yoder, and Troyer. But you only need to remember one of them if you’re in the area and have an interest in homemade candy. At Troyer Homemade Candies you can watch the multigenerational tradition of crafting delectable treats. You can also taste a variety of free samples while you decide which ones you want to take home.

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In Walnut Creek, Ohio, the hills are round, the roads are windy, and the draft horse still has a job on the farm – in front of the plow. When you want to go where quiet is as beautiful as the manicured landscapes, head to Walnut Creek in Holmes County. (Well, there is an exception to the quiet factor: in the fall, Holmes County is the #1 destination in the U. S. for color seekers.)

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Please come aboard, join me and my passengers for a trip through the countryside to a local marketplace. We’ll encounter a few buggies, see some calendar-worthy farmlands, and even pass by an Amish wedding.


Quote Of The Day samples

“If you can’t have the best of everything, make the best of everything you have.” ― Amish Proverb

“you will always leave something behind . . . your influence.” ― Amish Proverb

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