On The Fly

Podcast, " We Remember Moments. " "We don't remember days; we remember moments." Wrapped in the cozy warmth of a down bag, I'm jolted awake from a deep slumber - nature calls.  The rustle of my sleeping bag shatters the silence. The sweet aroma of the mountain air fills the senses, and that ever-present biting cool crisp air on your cheeks! It's day three of my first wilderness-backpacking trip in the High Sierra Mountains (elevation 10,500 feet), 20 miles southwest of Bishop, California, camped at  Dingleberry Lake . The zipper moans as you free yourself, then the struggle to find your wool sweater, pants, and shoes to stumble into the brisk morning air. Another zipper whines as you quietly crawl to escape the protection of your mountain shelter. Darkness surrounds you. It's early morning, late summer. It's tranquil, except for the soft gurgle of the trout stream that lulled you to sleep last night. Finally - clear weather, the rains have stoppe...

Podcast -  Happy Birthday, Richie ! As hard as it is to believe, Rock-n-Roll legend Ritchie Valens would have turned 80 years old this past Thursday. He was born Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13, 1941, in Pacoima, CA.  Among his peers, Sunny & the Sunglows, The Sir Douglas Quintet, and Thee Midniters, Ritchie Valens created themes heavily based on 1950s R&B music. Ritchie is considered a forefather of the  Chicano rock  movement and modern Latino rock music. And one of the pioneers of contemporary rock-n-roll music. As a young man, Ritchie Valens was a gifted guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Among his most recognized hits, Come on Lets Go, Donna, We Belong Together, and La Bamba, to name a few.  He made his national debut on American Band Stand hosted by Dick Clark on October 6, 1958, in Philadelphia. Sadly, Ritchie Valens' career was too short. His recording career lasted eight months, professionally active from 1957 through 1959. Along w...

Podcast - Cruise Vacation . Memorial Day is just days away, May 31, 2021. The beginning of summer vacations. Have you thought about what your summer vacation will look like this year? Some of you may opt for a cruise ship vacation. Now, I'll be candid here, a cruise vacation? I'm not too sure about all this. For readers of this blog, our holidays always involved hiking the mountains, bicycling, driving cross country, exploring, and physical activity. Our Jersey neighbors had convinced us we needed a "real" vacation. Time for relaxation; live music, Broadway shows, wandering the ship, people watching, enjoying the majestic scenery, and pampering. Allow me to take you back to June 2013. "Good evening, Patrick and Lori. Did you have a fabulous day?" says our head waiter AJ as Charles, the assistant waiter pours our drinks. "Tonight, the chef recommends the lobster tail. We begin with a fresh seafood salad, prawns, shrimp, and mussels. Of course, you'r...

Podcast - Freedom 7; 60th Anniversary . "Man must rise above the Earth - to the top of the atmosphere and beyond - for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives." - Socrates 500 B.C. May 5, 2021, will mark the 60th anniversary of the launch of Freedom 7. Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr. became the first American in space. A 15-minute sub-orbital flight, a day for the history books; the entire world was watching. NASA and the world had witnessed many trial runs explode violently on the launch pad. The space program was in its infancy. Unlike today, there were far too many unknowns. This prompted me to pull out one of my favorite books from my office library,  Light This Candle , by Neal Thompson, copyright 2004. Light this Candle is a biography of Alan Shepard, Jr. you won't be able to put down. Its - "Story-telling at its best . . . every page is alive," says David Hartman, U.S Naval Institute. In the opening pages, you read endorsements from...