Occasional Musings by Kevin Russell
August 16, 2023 – Along the Mill Brook Sunday, the morning after DCI the finals, I did not need audio traveling home from Indianapolis to the Mad River Valley of Vermont. The musical repertoires ingrained from weeks of intense listening to 2023 DCI drum and bugle corps shows that climaxed last night with the World Championship Finals rang in my cranium non-stop. My heavily … Continue Reading →
August 12, 2023 – Indianapolis, Indiana The past two days were a blur. Each year, I find more things to occupy my time in Indianapolis before I go into the oil can to watch the drum corps shows. Therefore, I have had less time to catch up with you daily. Preliminary and Semi-finals are in the books. The top four drum corps are ranked … Continue Reading →
August 10, 2023 – Indianapolis, Indiana 9:00 am Oh, how the days fly when you are having fun. Once again, I have made it to Indianapolis for the DCI World Championships. I am again behind in keeping up with you on my 2023 DCI tour. I left you two days ago in Ohio on the way to Canton for my last outdoor drum corps … Continue Reading →
August 7, 2023 – Along the Lincoln Highway I am woefully behind in keeping you posted on the excellent drum corps shows I have witnessed in the past three days while in Pennsylvania. Today was another travel day after two days in Allentown and one in Pittsburgh. I am just outside Canton, Ohio, in this lovely park, not far from the Football Hall of … Continue Reading →
August 4, 2023 – Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area 10:00 am I’m sitting here along the Delaware River on a bench that I built out of two large stones, a log, and a 12x48x2” milled board, all flotsam found on the sandy bank. I am about midway through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It is my favorite route to Allentown, with … Continue Reading →
August 3, 2023 – Lawrence, Massachusetts. Yay, I’m in the Boston area for a live DCI show tonight! Yesterday, I detailed the Silver Bullet, my aging Volvo XC70, and loaded it up for my two-week tour auto tour of Drum Corps International (DCI) competitions. First is the Boston Area Show in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The Boston Crusader will host a smallish show with only three … Continue Reading →
July 27, 2023 – Along the Mill Brook Here, I sit on my deck along the Mill Brook. It is the middle of the DCI season, and I am left with only my computer to enjoy the shows before hitting the road for my auto tour. We received another saturating rain today. It cleared around 4:20 pm, so I headed out for my daily … Continue Reading →
July 16, 2023 3:00 pm – Downtown Denver My return of the rental car took a hybrid route of major highways and county roads across the flat upper plains past the watered cornfields. Water isn’t the only thing extracted around here. Several well-heads and storage tanks are evidence of significant hydro-fracking for fossil fuels. One wonders about the air quality of the communities and … Continue Reading →
July 16, 2023 – Fort Collins, Colorado It is an absolutely perfect day in Fort Collins. After a hearty Mexican breakfast of Huevos Rancheros, I found the Mason Trail. It is a busy Sunday morning with bikers, runners, and walkers. I strode about at a fast pace for about 30 minutes before stopping at this intersection with signs and benches. Looking at the map, … Continue Reading →
July 13, 2023 – Along the Mill Brook When it rains, it pours! That is the story here in this humble valley nestled in the eastern foothills of the Green Mountains of Vermont. The Mill Brook has been doing its job without incident while I was away on my mid-west DCI tour of Illinois and Wisconsin, shedding copious amounts of water off Mount Ellen, … Continue Reading →