Author Archives: Sparky
A week in Worcester MA
Our home for a week in Worcester MA was the home of my brother-in-law, Ray, and his lovely wife, Kim. It was mostly a stay-at-home week, but the main reason for even being in MA was my 55th college reunion. Or, more specifically, a fraternity reunion that coincided with my 55th college reunion. There were … Continue reading
TN_12 wrapup
This was a quick trip north. No sightseeing. Just a few days with friends and family. By the numbers: Highlights: Lowlights: Planned and actual routes: The greatest deviations from the plan occurred north of Brooksville FL where we didn’t get on ether I-75 or I-10 and north of Dumfries VA where we took a westerly … Continue reading
TN_12 Hop 3: Montclair VA to Worcester MA
576 miles via VA 234, VA 28, VA 7, US 15, I-83, I-78, I-287, I-95, I-495 (west of Boston), MA 9 and US 20. Auto miles 596. Cumulative hop miles: 1611. Cumulative auto miles: 1631. The 20 non-hop miles were due to a trip to the casino near Montclair VA. This was another very long, … Continue reading
“The Forgotten Man” by Marcus Miller
Copyright 2017 by Marcus Miller. Self-published. This is the first of a series of 6 “forgotten man” books by Miller. The forgotten man is cast in the image of Jack Reacher – an iconoclast loner who roams the world, carrying few possessions, owning nearly nothing. But trouble finds him and he has an almost supernatural … Continue reading
TN-12 Hop 2: Brooksville FL to Montclair VA
This was a LONG day of travel – over 14 hours door-to-door. 839 miles via US 19, FL 24, US 331, US 301, I-95 and VA 234 with a short detour near Savannah GA, several construction delays, fueling stops in FL and NC and a lunch break in SC. Total miles: 1042 Total hop miles: … Continue reading
TN_12 Hop 1: Lehigh Acres FL to Brooksville FL
196 miles via FL-80, I-75, FL 52 and local roads. This was a simple hop marred only by some slowdowns in Sarasota and Tampa. We were surprised that our destination was 28 miles from I-75. But there were few turns and the roads were good. We stopped twice before we got on I-75 – first … Continue reading
“Smoke Screen” by Sandra Brown
Copyright 2008 by Sandra Brown Management Ltd, published by Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc, New York Britt Shelley is a young, ambitious television news reporter in Charleston SC. She is a rising star. But she goes to a party hosted by her old friend and occasional lover, Jay Burgess, has a … Continue reading
“Never Call Retreat” by Bruce Catton
Copyright 1961 by Bruce Catton. Published by Broadway Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc, New York. This is the third of the three books in Catton’s American Civil War Trilogy. It covers from 1864 to the end of the war. As with the other two volumes, it provided me with a new perspective … Continue reading
Carnival Venezia 2 Day 8: Disembarkation
We started the day at 6:30am, finishing our packing (just the little bag and backpack – we packed the large bag last night and put it out to be taken ashore). We had breakfast with Paul and Carol and wished them well on their much longer (about 11 hours) drive home. Then we disembarked, found … Continue reading
“The Inmate” by Freida McFadden
Copyright 2022, 2024 by Freida McFadden, published by Poisened Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Naperville IL The Inmate is my first Freida McFadden book and probably won’t be my last. It was well-written, with intriguing characters and many plot twists. But it read more like a horror story than a mystery. The protagonist, Brooke … Continue reading