Spring can be a trying time for us here in the Upper Peninsula. It can be 65 degrees and gloriously sunny one day and 35 degrees with a rain/snow mix the next. But we persevere and wait because the rewards are just around the corner and they're so gratifying when you find them.I stayed at the Four Seasons Resort in Pembine ... Continue Reading

It happens every year at about this time in the Upper Peninsula: Spring teases us. You wake up one morning, look out the window, and the sky is a royal blue, and the sun is streaming down on you--a long, lost, warming friend who's finally decided to return after a five month absence. The temperature soars into the 40s, and ... Continue Reading

All right, a confession up front.I watch "American Idol." Every week. Just about every fricking show. And I've been doing it for most of the last ten years.It's embarrassing. Aside from news and sports, I watch very little else on TV--no sit coms, no cops and investigators series, no reality shows.And that's the thing about ... Continue Reading

I had a couple of free hours at Chicago O'Hare on my way back from Arizona a few days ago, and decided to put the time to good use.I counted how many people at the airport were either on their phones or their computers.Among those sitting down, it was almost exactly half. Among those walking, about one in eight were on ... Continue Reading

The temperature in Marquette Wednesday: 15 degrees. The temperature in Scottsdale, Arizona: 75 degrees.Scottsdale--that's where I'm headed for about five days, not only for a respite from our winter cold, but also for a trip back to my youth, a half century ago, when I was a baseball-loving youngster.I've always wanted to ... Continue Reading