Author Archives: Sparky
“Cockroaches” by Jo Nesbo
Copyright 1998 by Jo Nesbo. Translation copyright 2013 by Dan Bartlett. Published by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc, New York. A (faint) silver lining to a miserable day in 2 ERs was that I read the last 200 pages of this book. This is the second of a series of books by … Continue reading
A miserable, unproductive day in 2 ERs
As mentioned previously, Ooma contracted, for the third time, COVID-19 sometime during our 4 days in VA. Two days ago she tested negative on a home test. Yesterday, because she was still feeling short of breath, she decided she would like an X-ray of her lungs, to see if she might have pneumonia. So at … Continue reading
TN8 wrapup
The 8th trip north (TN8) is in the books, so it is time to do the wrapup. By the numbers: 6 hops, 1,615 route miles (269 miles per hop). 13 nights (9 in hotels), $1,539 in hotel charges ($171 per night). 1,844 total driving miles, 56.4 gallons of gas (32.7 miles per gallon). $227.78 in … Continue reading
TN8 Hop 6: New York NY to Worcester MA
250 miles via I-278, Hutchinson Parkway/Merritt Parkway, US 7, I-95, I-91, I-291, local streets to US 202 and MA 122 with a refueling stop and a stop in New Salem MA to introduce Ooma to Jett’s brother Ray and his wife Kim. Cumulative TN8 route miles: 1615. Cumulative car miles: 1844. Car miles since the … Continue reading
4 nights, 3 days in Staten Island
Our original plan for our visit to New York City (a place that Ooma has never visited) called for 2 days touring Manhattan via the Big Red Bus hop-on, hop-off routes and one day driving to Wave Hill and Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. But then, as mentioned previously, Ooma came down with … Continue reading
TN8 Hop 5: Dumfries VA to New York NY
318 miles via VA 294, I-95, I-495 (west of Washington DC), I-270, US 15, I-76, PA 72, PA 343, I-78, I-287 and NY 440. Cumulative TN8 hop miles: 1365. Total car miles: 1455. We drove about 50 miles around northern VA while staying with Devin and Mary. This was not the hop I had planned. … Continue reading
4 days, 3 nights in Dumfries VA
Ooma and I stayed for 4 nights in Dumfries VA, guests of Jett’s son, Devin, and his family. It was a lovely respite from travel and would have been relaxing had they not arranged so many fun and interesting activities for us. We went out to dinner the night we arrived (Texas Roadhouse), with Devin’s … Continue reading
TN8 Hop 4: Rocky Mount NC to Dumfries VA
208 miles via US 64, I-95 and VA 234 with a diversion at the start to get the car washed and a brief lunch break. Cumulative car miles: 1134. There were no extra car miles as this was a simple overnight stop – we parked, we slept, we left. We had dinner in the hotel. … Continue reading
TN8 Hop 3: Charleston SC to Rocky Mount NC
290 miles via I-526 (north and west of Charleston), I-26, SC 52, some county roads, SC 527, I-95 and US 64. 325 car miles since the end of Hop 2. Cumulative car miles: 926. The extra miles were due to our 2 sightseeing trips into Charleston. We stopped at South of the Border to acquire … Continue reading
“Finding My Father’s War” by Walter J. Eldridge
Copyright 2004 by Walter J Eldridge. Published by PageFree Publishing, Inc, Oswego MI. Disclaimer: the author is a fraternity brother. I have had this book in my to-be-read pile for over a year and, frankly, was dreading it a bit. I thought it would be a dry recounting of World War II history. Instead it … Continue reading