North Country Trail Celebration 2024: August 22, 2024 – St. Ignace, Michigan Yay! I am in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After a long and winding road trip from Vermont, I have reached my destination for the third phase of my summer tour. I am at the Little Bear Sports Center in St. Ignace, Michigan, the hub of activities for the North Country Trail Association Annual (NCTA) Celebration. If … Continue Reading →
Peak a Week
August 17, 2017 1:30 PM I am sitting just upstream of my humble home on the rocky bank of the Mill Brook. It was running at a pace when I returned from my drum corps tour on Tuesday night. I was following a fast moving storm. Now it is at its normal summer run, incessantly babbling. My sore feet are soaking in its … Continue Reading →
Post Championship Reflections
August 16, 2017 – Back on the Mill Brook After two days on the road, I returned to my home on the Mill Brook last night after making my way back from Indianapolis. I did it in increments stopping along the way to cat nap and visit my sisters again. I passed the BAC souvenir truck on Ohio I-70. Greg, another one … Continue Reading →
BAC Annual Banquet
August 13, 2017 – BAC Annual Banquet 12:00 Noon I am sitting in the balcony at the Prospect Theatre located in a well-restored neighborhood in Indianapolis. It is Sunday, the day after the DCI World Championships. Everyone has just enjoyed a delicious brunch buffet. This historic theatre is a perfect place for the gathering of members, parents, staff and volunteers – the BAC family … Continue Reading →
DCI Finals
August 12, 2017 – Finals Day 12:00 noon It is finals day! I am downtown at the Claddagh Irish Pub, plugged in and ready to write. I am at the perfect table to work and I have a very nice waitress. I just ordered a Daredevil Brewing Co., Lift Off IPA from Speedway, Indiana. When in Rome… I have one can left of Heady … Continue Reading →
DCI Semi Finals
August 11, 2017 – Semi Finals 3:00 PM I am in downtown Indianapolis. Tonight the Boston Crusaders are going into the DCI semifinal competition in solid 6th place following the preliminary competition last night. This is where the corps has been ranked by Drum Corps Planet for most of the season. At one point in the season, BAC was ranked 5th based on DCP … Continue Reading →
DCI Quarter Finals
August 10, 2017 – Preliminary Competition 11:30 AM It is a show day and our third day on the campus of Grand Park. The brass sections are going through their warm up with wa, wa, wa, wa, waaa increasing and then decreasing in half steps in succession. They are accompanied by the hum of the mowers cutting the adjoining natural turf fields. Ensemble rehearsal … Continue Reading →
Pursuit of Perfection
August 9, 2017 – Good morning Indiana! I hit the air mattress in the back of the Volvo about 10:30 PM last night. This was long before the members returned to the Red Roof Inn just outside of Indianapolis. Lights out for them was midnight. Breakfast was at 7:00am this morning. It is another fine day here at Grand Park where the Boston Crusaders … Continue Reading →
Indy or Bust
August 8, 2017 – Indy or Bust 8:30 AM After a dawn patrol drive, I am now sitting at a rest area in rural Indiana, 50 miles from Indianapolis. Once the parking lot cleared at the Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon last night, I posted the last update to my blog, put away my computer and headed west. Around midnight, I pulled off … Continue Reading →
Drums Along the Mohawk and Massillon II
August 7, 2017 – Tour of Champions, Massillon 7:30 PM I have been driving all morning through western New York and Pennsylvanian to Ohio. Last night at Drums Along the Mohawk in Rome was my first day back on the volunteer job – prop crew with the Boston Crusaders. I gave my ticket that I had purchased months ago to my nephew who joined … Continue Reading →
Allentown – Day 2
August 6, 2017 Rome Haul Today, I am on my way to Rome, New York, as smallish venue for Drums Along the Mohawk. I will be staying in Clinton visiting my sister on the farm in her beautiful Italianate farmhouse. It is a private residence that would rival any bed and breakfast in Vermont. What a treat from the life on the road at … Continue Reading →