Tuesday Football Fun

So I finished reading Rome Haul, but something more important intruded in my world today.  The Concordia Lutheran High School Cadets varsity soccer team had a terrific game, and one member of that team is my son.  (It was a tough game for Wayne, but their keeper had real heart--he made some great stops!) 

Anyway, before I get serious(!) about literature, I'm going to have fun with real football (not handegg--but that's another matter).  And Manchester United won today, too.  A good day all around!

Karl uses his head

Karl goes biking

Concordia Cadets vs Wayne Generals on 9-15-2009

Rome Haul

One of my many historical interests is transportation history, and within transportation history I have a particular love for the canal era in American history.  Of late I've been reading some new and rereading some older books touching on the Wabash and Erie here in Indiana, the Ohio and Erie, Miami and Erie, and the Sandy and Beaver (my personal favorite due to its tunnels) canals in Ohio, the Mainline of Public Works in Pennsylvania, and, of course the wonderful New York Canals.  Everyone knows (or should know) the Erie, but the canal system of New York also included a several other wonderful branches, including the Chenango and Black River Canals.  The latter has inspired a recent  book and video.  The book is titled The Forestport Breaks: A Nineteenth Century Conspiracy Along the Black River Canal, and the story is wonderfully told by Michael Doyle.  The video is Little Ditch: The Black River Canal.  Check out its website at http://www.4thcoastproductions.com/littleditch.htm.  Both are worth the effort!  Also, you might want to see Black River Canal (NY), which is part of the terrific Images of America series (featuring books on all sorts of cool stuff, including the Horseshoe Curve).   The bottom line, however, is that this little excursus has driven me back to Walter D. Edmonds volume, Rome Haul.  It's been years since I have read this, but what a great little book.  There are some marvelous vignettes in it, and I hope to post a few over the next few days.

Life is cruel...

I admit that I spend a lot of time thinking about "what might have been."  But I don't spend much time regretting the past.  in fact, the only meaningful regret I have in my life is not going to Ohio State and playing the Sousaphone in TBDBITL and dotting the "i".  In other words, my life is pretty good!

But can you imagine being Pete Best?  On the very cusp of success, you get kicked out of your band and replaced by a dorky looking, 2nd-rate drummer.  OUCH!

Life is cruel.  Read about it here (sorry about the long link - hope it works):

http://www.spinner.com/2009/09/03/original-beatles-drummer-pete-best-tells-his-side-of-the-fab-fou/?icid=main

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