Several months ago, I joined a group of my fellow men’s group members from the Church to prepare breakfast for local high school students. It was my maiden voyage in the project; I cautioned this new effort since my only previous skills came from obtaining the Cooking Merit Badge when I was 11.

The kitchen in our Church would be perfect for a medium-sized restaurant; it has a huge gas stove with industrial-sized burners. I soon found myself assigned to frying about 100 sausage patties using two large cast-iron frying pans. Hardly the equipment for a timid, inexperienced chef.

I live in the South, so sausage is crucial for any breakfast project. I had to get these patties cooked perfectly; no overcooking allowed. At the mid-point of my effort, one of the more experienced team members leaned over and asked me if I’d used the meat thermometer to check the proper cooking temperature for each patty.

I looked from the pile of cooked patties to my colleague and confessed, No, I hadn’t. Just as I wondered what I’d do to correct this fatal mistake, he laughed and said he was kidding. Whew, crisis averted. Everything went well, and 35 high school seniors soon lined up for the meal. They didn’t seem to mind that we were serving sausage patties, pancakes (another team member is the pancake king), and eggs for lunch. I’d not seen the damage 35 teenagers can do to a food line in quite a while; it was a marvel to behold (one healthy young man ate 12 pancakes).

For me, this was fun, and I’m now a permanent volunteer; however, I did realize that I’d be a lousy line cook in any diner, especially Waffle House.

In a city like Rome, art, history, and the Spiritual World are all intertwined. or most visitors to Rome, Ground Zero is St. Peter’s. This is a Church that soars and surprises. While the dome is legendary, in a quiet alcove, you’ll see Michelangelo’s most famous sculpture, carved from a block of Carrara marble, The Pieta.

This sculpture radiates an incredible sense of peace, even from behind the protective glass. After a horrible incident in 1977 where an individual damaged the Pieta with a hammer, it was encased in bulletproof glass. 

It wasn’t always protected like that, and when I first visited to see it, I could stand right next to it, feeling the smooth marble and touching the small marble band where Michelangelo had chiseled his own signature for all to see.  This is the only sculpture he signed. I took this photo during my last visit to Rome. While I couldn’t touch it again, I could certainly feel its power.

 

 

In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, we heard the incredible sound of chimes in the middle of a lovely pasture. The chimes are inside the Tower of Voices, a visual and audible reminder of Flight 93’s crash in 2018. The structure is unlike any other; air flows through the tower walls to reach the inner chimes.

On the day we visited, we were the only two people for miles around. Just as we walked toward the tower’s base, the wind picked up, and we heard the faint sounds of the 40 individual wind chimes. Suddenly, they all began to chime; we were surrounded by the most peaceful melody I had ever heard. It is incredible.

It’s something you will never forget.

Over time, I’ve taken thousands of photos in places around the world. When I travel, I walk, experience, and enjoy everything around me. I’m always looking for an unusual scene to capture, and this image is one of my favorites.

Early one morning I was walking in one of the main sections of Florence, Italy. In a small square, vendors were setting up their wares for the day; Florence is known for high-quality leather items, and this is a photo of a stack of lovely, brightly colored leather eyeglass cases.

I love the color of the cases, and maybe more than anything, I admire the creativity of the person who made them. Art and craftsmanship are around every corner of the city, and I’m so glad I found this fantastic shopping stall.

Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco isn’t a restaurant; it’s a world-class seafood emporium crammed into a tiny space. Here, the Sancimino family and their trusted associates and relatives serve up the best crab, oysters, salmon, and fish you’ll find anywhere in The City.

There’s plenty to drink and some of the best sourdough bread ever within easy reach. Once you arrive at the counter (no tables) and find a seat, it’s best to leave everything to your competent server. You will not be disappointed in anything.

My family and I have been going to Swan since I was a little boy. Over time, I’ve visited many, many times, and each time I walk away thinking of my next visit. I live on the East Coast now; however, as soon as possible after arrival in San Francisco, I head for my first meal there, and even if there’s a front line (which there nearly always is), it’s worth it.

When you do visit, ask to speak to Steve Sancimino. I’ve known him and his family since they were kids. They will take better care of you than any other restaurant servers on earth, and best of all, they will recommend things they love to eat themselves!

Thanks, Steve, for the memories and meals.

The US Air Force is developing a pilotless aircraft called the XQ-58A Valkyrie. It is powered into flight by a rocket engine; it has a stealthy design and can carry missiles.

Even more incredible is that they can fly alongside Air Force pilots as “capable wingmen.” The plan is to build 1,000 to 2,000 aircraft for an estimated cost of $3 million each… This is, by the way, about $78 million less than the cost of one F-35 fighter jet.

One of the most remarkable facts about this aircraft is that it is entirely operated by artificial intelligence. The article I read stated: “The aircraft will serve as a ‘loyal wingman’ to the human pilot, knocking out targets considered too dangerous for a human-piloted plane.”

Imagine this: if “Maverick” could get his hands on one of these babies, he would be a one-man Navy squadron. Now, that is what the military calls a “force multiplier.”

Dolly, you are fantastic; you have described the perfect way to live your life. Long before her superstardom, a local Knoxville grocer named Cas Walker sponsored a radio show; at the age of 10, in 1956, Dolly began her remarkable career in singing and songwriting.

People everywhere suffer from economic, social, and medical issues, yet they, like you, find ways to help others. I’d like to be more like you, for sure. I live about 25 miles from where Dolly was born and raised; she is our local heroine. She’s a part of the fabric of Eastern Tennessee, having started her career on a local radio show and gone on to achieve global fame and recognition for doing the right thing.

She’ll surely never, ever rust out.

Everyone (including me) had, at one time or another, a Rolodex on or near their desk. This was a critical item in every businessperson’s toolkit.

Many job interviews included this: “How’s your Rolodex? Is it up to date?” Nothing could compare to a bulging wheel of sales and business prospects. When one begins a new job, the first item out is a tattered, updated wheel of paper entries. It was a mark of success.

The critical companion to one’s Rolodex was, of course, an actual telephone set. Before every phone call, you had to flip through the cards, looking for the right prospect. If the person you were calling wasn’t with the company, you’d reach into the Rolodex and draw a line through their name. Very low-tech but hugely influential.

Sure, we have instant access to practically everyone on earth with our electronic devices; I use them daily. However, there’s nothing tactile to the process; I can’t look at an entry in my iPhone with the same sense of connection that I have with a Rolodex. After years of lugging one from place to place, I finally took the cards out and tossed them all into the bin.

While I do embrace change, I haven’t given up one other crucial business and social tool: my fountain pens. I’ll never stop writing actual letters and notes.

In a few months, the US Open Tennis Championships will take place. Since I was on a rant recently about the cost of food and feeding families, take a look at this. The event has a signature cocktail (of course) named the “Grey Goose Honey Deuce” cocktail. A key component of the drink is a garnish of two honeydew melon balls. Last year, they sold over 400,000 drinks at $22 each. That’s $8.8 million in Honey Deuce sales. The prices will likely be higher this year,

Moving on to other statistics, attendees will consume 90,000 pounds of beef (equivalent to 225,000 hamburgers and hot dogs), 85,000 pounds of poultry, 9,000 pounds of crab, lobster, and shrimp, 400,000 individual berries, and 12.5 tons of lettuce. They will consume 35,000 pounds of tomatoes, 66,000 bananas, and 7,000 specialty tennis ball cookies.

When I think of a recent posting from Costco, none of the above should come as a surprise. Apart from the drinks sold, the statistics resemble what Costco sells to fans for tailgating and barbecues before a football home game in Knoxville, between Tennessee and Alabama.