This weekend, I had a professional conference at Amelia Island, Florida, and I was talking late one evening with a friend’s husband who travels a lot, and he was saying he carries disinfectant wipes with him when he’s on the road, so that he can wipe down hotel remotes when […]
Author: dadcation
the Hadrian’s Wall walk
Last week, we completed our much-anticipated walk from the Irish Sea to the North Sea along Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, and it was the second life experience (the first one being going to war) I’ve had which I can now describe with the phrase, “I probably wouldn’t choose to […]
Learning History via Netflix and Power Washing
When I was young, I was very interested in the American Civil War. In fact, after reading “The Killer Angels” in school and later seeing its film version, “Gettysburg,” my family took a vacation in which we visited several of the battlefields, including Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg. So, when […]
Father’s Day 2016 — Thanks, baby!
Most of us dads are used to being appreciated a bit as Fathers Day approaches, but should we thank our babies for making us dads? Is that ridiculous or a deep, insightful exercise? Life of Dad and Pampers seem to think such an inquiry falls into the latter category. As […]
Nashville
I learned about an event in the backyard of one of my favorite writers a couple months ago and decided we’d go to Nashville for Memorial Day weekend. The problem was that I had to spend a week at Camp Bullis outside San Antonio (Air Force training) and half a […]
Conversations this month’s Netflix viewings have sparked
I don’t watch much TV, much less with the children. But, since we had a 5-hour drive to Nashville a few days ago (thanks, Memorial Day weekend traffic!), I enjoyed the privilege of talking to the children about what they’ve been watching on The Netflix. For example, in the newer […]
How to give multiple children a method for compromising on entertainment choices
We’re a 1-TV family, and while we have some ipads, we generally prefer that the children utilize skills of compromise and agree to watch something together when they scroll through their Netflix options on Friday afternoons (they don’t get to turn on the TV during the school week). For a […]
Prince – a piano and a microphone
Last week, I saw 2 acts I’ve wanted to see live for 30 years in back to back shows: Prince and Duran Duran. A week later, we learned Prince died and that his Atlanta shows were his last live performances. (photo from Amiee Stubbs, who was 2 rows in front […]
Hiking the 5-mile trail to the Len Foote Hike Inn with children
At Amicalola Falls State Park in north Georgia, you can hike the approach trail to the Appalachian Trail, or you can veer off the approach trail and go 5 miles up to the Len Foote Hike Inn. Given my training for the Hadrian’s Wall walk this summer, we decided to […]
How I came to love concerts
Last weekend, I saw Yacht Rock Revue cover The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album at Variety Playhouse, at it was awesome. Before they did that album, they did Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” with “The Wizard of Oz” playing on a screen behind them, so we could all see […]