Half of a 50th Bitrthday Celebration It’s Key West on October 31st. Key West, Halloween, Christmas, his dog Cuter, Family and then me, Cutest.That would probably itemize, by importance, Cute’s six favorite things. I’m OK with that.* But where we were this Halloween, Key West, was pretty much another excuse for grown-ups to party and dress up, or not and just observe – that was me due to a mask failure. The evening rain had stopped and the atmosphere was already festive when

Those who raised the most money for charity got to be the king and queen and in the court. Key West, Florida where inhibition and exhibition collide during Fantasy Fest week. In 1979 a group of locals gathered to see how the shoulder time between Labor Day and New Year’s and its lack of visitors could be changed to entice tourists to come down and fill the void. Thus, Fantasy Fest was born, where the hearty could party for one week in late October. Cutest knows that Key We

The other day we saw an article about an Overland Park man who was displaying nearly 400 carved pumpkins in his yard. It got us thinking how much we miss outdoor holiday celebratory decorating. As we live in a condo, opportunities to view those displays around our neighborhood are more limited. So, we decided to take a little tour one evening and see what creative people out there are doing. We began at 124th Terrace and Nieman. The creator, Daniel Taber aka “Dan the Pumpkin

Thanks to Cinema Treasures website -- a great location for old photos. Oh, to be 16 again here in 21st Century K.C. Cutest and I marvel at the variety of today’s choices for anyone at any age to go out and kick up their heels. Before nearing the tail end of the 20th century, fun and affordable places to take a date were thin pickings. Just a few decades ago, if I really wanted to impress a girl, my go-to location was the Plaza. The fact that I even knew how to get there impre

To celebrate Cute’s latest birthday, I thought it only appropriate to take him to a favorite spot, or at least a spot that makes his favorite beverage. Hint: It wasn’t a dairy farm. So off we and Cute’s Blue Springs-based family went to the East Bottoms, home of Knuckleheads AND J. Rieger & Co. Some interesting homes and manufacturers inhabit the neighborhood as well as railroad tracks and some of the worst roads in Kansas City, which is saying a LOT. Jacob Rieger’s dis

You might not know the National Barbershop Quartet Association began right here in KC. Cutest and I received an invitation to attend a wedding held this past week at the historic downtown Muehlebach hotel, found at 12th and Baltimore. I was happy to attend, contrary to many other wedding invites, as I am a fan of older architecture with character. Cutest enjoyed the wedding and its spirited vibe where she witnessed lavish flowers and spiffy clothing that hid most everyone’s

You know how when people ask you, "How was your trip?" they really don't want a day-by-day itinerary. They only want the highlights, the disasters or bad weather or horrendous crowds, all so they won't be jealous. Or maybe, if they're true friends, just maybe they will listen to up to three (max) things you really liked. One thing we learned, whether it’s Mackinaw City or Mackinac Island, both are pronounced identically with the "NAW" ending. The "-ac" spelling comes from the

Art fairs are a mixed bag of the known and unknown. Locally there was the just concluded Westport art show, and at the end of month, the Plaza Art Fair. Toss in your third grade grandchild’s “art” collection display and you have a broad spectrum of people and events to take in. But as Cutest and I observed this past weekend, there’s much more to see, whether you are ready for it or not! Canines! Why do folks feel compelled to leash up man’s favorite four-legged friend and dr

Very saddening - the line was too long inside so I didn't get to taste a childhood favorite. My UP Granpa always made them when they visited for a month. Always in the winter of course. We landed in Traverse City, which gave us a taste of another small airport. After a nice, green, heavily treed two hour drive, we arrived in Mackinac City which was the second surprise. Basically think the Ozarks’ Bagnell Dam strip with fewer smoke shops, tattoo parlors, bars and marijuana

Partly thanks to those folks who sell salt in containers sporting the girls dressed in yellow skirts and toting yellow umbrellas, KC now has a great new amphitheater. It sits in an area surrounded by grassland and newly built warehouses not far from Parkville but located in Riverside, MO. The Morton, current name rights holder, sports a 12,000 padded seat amphitheater. This quite comfortable venue is where you can see and hear ‘60s and ‘70s top rock groups or modern day bands

A short trip with the shortest blog I (Cutest) have probably ever written. Cute and I wanted to leave the heat and humidity for a while so we flew to California and drove from San Diego to Santa Barbara. We did succeed in losing the humidity, but California was (is) in the midst of a heat wave and the temps were in the upper 80s up to 90 something. Nonetheless, we managed to see many interesting sights - flora, history vignettes, ocean views, but no fauna. We learned that A

The Berlin Wall. Yes, that one in Germany of so many years ago, not the wall that sits on our southern border that ignites debates during happy hours. The wall we will be highlighting today is legendary stuff that your grandparents, parents or history teachers may have bored you with. Cutest and I know that many fellow “Boomers” lived prior to, during and post wall-world headlines. But during our embarrassing acne years, a great number of us slept through current events clas

Cute insisted I wear the celebratory headgear he bought me. Several weeks ago, Cute told me to save August 6, 7, 8 on my calendar. Why I asked. “You’ll see,” said he. Not very satisfying, but for once in my life I held my tongue. That was very uncomfortable by the way. Three weeks ago, I asked for more details and he told me we would be in the car. This immediately excited me because there’s nothing I like better than a nice long ride in a car. A few days later, he assuaged

Cutest here, thinking about the last couple months and this blog which I’ve put off doing for reasons unknown. Too much else to write about methinks. You are probably like us in that you have a “cause” or two or six that you particularly believe in and support as you can. You send money or you physically contribute in some way, you tell your friends, you go to “galas” or parties occasionally, you do what you can to help people, freedom, the environment, education, whatever.

From the shoreline paralleling the KC women’s soccer stadium overlooking the Missouri river, and as light rain had me wishing I had an umbrella, I couldn’t help but reflect on Tina Turner belting out those famous lyrics from Proud Mary as I watched over 600 participants in the MR340 float by. This doesn't capture 600 rowers but believe me, they were out there. This race began at 7 AM, not Cutest’s normal wake up-activities-time. So I, accompanied only with coffee in hand, wa

Yes, of course that's me, Cutest. There's even a picture of Cute in this blog. Why yes it is. Too too hot. Too hot for floating in the lake, with our legs stuck through the arm holes of oversized life vests. Too hot to sit in the big screened-in porch with a fan going overhead, trying to enjoy the placid beauty of the lake and trees and the occasional roar of a too-big boat. Too hot and too humid to breathe without feeling like the air is going to choke you. But, we said c

Thanks to Ease My Trip for this photo. Boom went the dynamite, or C-4 or whatever demolition teams use these days to implode a building. This past Sunday afternoon at 4 PM, one of the Plaza’s destination hotels, Embassy Suites, tumbled down. Unfortunately neither Cutest nor I were there to witness the explosive occasion. I was enjoying one of my frequent siestas while Cute was keeping her youthful figure* by doing miles in the condo’s workout room. I was bereft that I missed

Ahh, the provincial farmers' market. Where sweaty farmers display home (farm?) grown produce in shiny primary colors or coated with the remains of their earthly habitats from rickety tables adorned with penciled price signs which were always lower than at the grocery store. Well, not so much anymore if you travel to Overland Park Market's new digs at 79th and Marty. We went this morning (NOT at the crack of dawn) because I, Cutest, was looking for heirloom tomatoes (not to

Well, it's cloudy, raining, and the forecast is NOT good. So as an extra blog, in case you're extra bored like we are, we thought we'd show you fireworks. These are not the kind you usually see. We saw those last night in Blue Springs and were counting on more tonight . . but we'll see. Those forecasts are so often wrong. Instead, since Cute always buys fireworks for his grandchild's big display, we went to Riverside and chose, from among several, the tent nearest to RedX

(Definitely not Cutest) Unless you have been: A. Out of the country this past week; B. Have refused to watch or listen to local news; or C. Are so tired of words like pitch, match, striker, or Messi that you leave your ear plugs in, then you failed to witness Cow Town becoming an international soccer city. To crank up the Norwegian fan base before that evening’s match at Arrowhead, a parade from the Power and Light district to Crown Center was organized for that morning. A s