Occasional Musings by Kevin Russell
August 7, 2021, 4:20pm – Allentown, PA Yup, by the sheer grip on the wheel at 9:30 and 2:30, and the pedal to the mid-metal, I have transported the loaded Silver Bullet and myself to Allentown, PA. Ten bucks gets the choice parking spot behind the Hamilton Family Diner, one block from J. Birney Crum Stadium, home to DCI’s East Coast Championships. This year … Continue Reading →
August 3, 2021 Zoom is the operative word as I traversed several states in the pursuit of my favorite summer things – hiking, and the musical and visual experience of DCI, youth performances. Caffeine, cruise control, and rock n’ roll was the mode in the Silver Bullet (Volvo) and I arrived safely at Patriot Place in Foxboro, MA in record time. 80 + 1 … Continue Reading →
July 24, 2021 Today is Saturday, and I gave my feet the pleasure of a walk around the Waitsfield Farmer’s Market and a short stretch of the sidewalk, crossing Main Street twice. The past week, they have propelled me along roughly forty-six miles of hiking in the Green Mountains and the Champlain Valley. Not accustomed to that much confinement in my waterproof boots, I … Continue Reading →
July 18, 2021 It was a day in the Green Mountain National Rain Forest. Intermittent, sometimes strong and steady, the rain did not deter our progress along the Oak Ridge and Moosalamoo Trails. Long-distance hiker Denali (trail name) and I were off on her 4,700-mile mission to complete the North Country Trail. We were traversing the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, near Ripton, Vermont, a proposed route … Continue Reading →
July 12, 2021 “It was like the stadium was wrapped in a curtain of love,” remarked Tim Martin following the opening night of DCI. Tim had just been inducted into the Carolina Crown Hall of Fame with three other deserving Crown Family members – Jim Williams, and Susan and Ron Murphy. “I’m just a drum corps kid from a drum corps family,” Tim said … Continue Reading →
July 9, 2021 The anticipation is palpable. After 22 months of no live drum corps, I am heading to Charlotte, North Carolina to join friends, the Martin Family, for a night of music and celebration with the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps. These past several months I have enjoyed the online content and virtual performance of the various corps, frequently checking out YouTube … Continue Reading →
September 13, 2020 I’m a little behind in my putting down some words here along the Mill Brook, so it is time to catch up a little. This is the time of year that we enjoy the crack between the seasons here in the Mad River Valley. That is, the time when we get the Valley back to ourselves, with visitors and second homeowners … Continue Reading →
August 3, 2020 As I sit here along the Mill Brook, I am thinking about where I would be in my drum corps tour this year if it had not been for the dreaded Covid-19 that spoiled that parade. I would be in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Oh, how I miss the annual mecca of sound and sight at J. Birney Crum Stadium. It was the … Continue Reading →
August 1, 2020 On this day, I and hiking partner, Lisa explored Hoffman Notch Wilderness in the eastern section of the Adirondack Park. The mid-point of our hike being Jones Hill for the prominent views into the wilderness area. Lisa is a member of the Adirondack Club (ADK), Onondaga Chapter and avid hiker in the north country. We chose a oneway route that traverses … Continue Reading →
July 26, 2020 What an energetic, healthy and fun crew of trail workers are the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) members from Central New York State. On this day, I had the pleasure of joining five of them for a work party on the North Country Trail (NCT). Members of the Onondaga (Syracuse) and Iroquois (Utica) Chapters of the ADK met up in Speculator for … Continue Reading →