Category: MUSINGS

IN THE COMMUNITY, MUSINGS1 Comment

The Music Mentor, Mr. I, Is Now The Teacher of the Year

The Baseball Storyteller

When you develop a passion for something at an early age, a mentor can help enhance that passion so it will stay with you for life.  A youth sports coach who takes the time to show a Little League child how to throw a change-up.  A published author who helps a young writer explore new ways to engage an audience.  A Girl Scout leader who stays after meetings to work with her troop on fundraising flyers.  Or, in the case of my son, a music teacher who not only developed his talent, not only made him a better drummer, he made … Continue reading The Music Mentor, Mr. I, Is Now The Teacher of the Year

IN THE COMMUNITY, MUSINGS, TRAVEL1 Comment

Windy Hike At Goddard Park With The Adventure Crew

The Baseball Storyteller

The Labor Day Holiday weekend typically drives people to the beaches of Rhode Island for one last beach hoorah before school starts.  Even though the official end of summer doesn’t fall until late September, most view the Labor Day weekend as the end of summer.  The weather in New England in September is as varied as any part of the year – humidity, high temperatures one day and gusty winds, heavy rains another.  With the hurricane season producing storms from A to Z in late August to October, sometimes Mother Nature puts an unexpected spin on Labor Day weekend plans like cookouts, … Continue reading Windy Hike At Goddard Park With The Adventure Crew

MUSINGS, TRAVEL1 Comment

This View Never Gets Old – Summer Edition

The Baseball Storyteller

Professional tennis players and fans have made their way to Flushing, NY and the United States Open.  Lifeguards are exchanging phone numbers and emails in between taking down swimming lanes and packing up lifeguard chairs.  College football games have started to dominate Saturday’s sports calendar.  A familiar school bus is parked in front of my neighbor’s driveway.  The term “orientation” no longer refers to navigating your way through the campground.  What do all of these signs point to?  Well, I’m not going to say it out loud.  Let’s just say, that a certain season is nearing an end and another … Continue reading This View Never Gets Old – Summer Edition

IN THE COMMUNITY, LOCAL BIZ, MUSINGS, TRAVEL1 Comment

New Pedestrian Crosswalk Signs Point To A Safer Wickford Village Experience

The Baseball Storyteller

Depending on which internet site you read, the pedestrian crosswalk quite possibly dates back to ancient Pompeii, with huge blocks built into common roads to allow for people to cross safely.  Of course, they didn’t have cars in ancient Pompeii, to my knowledge, and so the modern crosswalk was designed around the turn of the century, and may be because of an op-ed written by a concerned traveler who wrote “Could you do something to help the pedestrian to recover the old margin of safety on our common streets and roads?” (Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_crossing)  Fast forward to modern Rhode Island and Wickford Village … Continue reading New Pedestrian Crosswalk Signs Point To A Safer Wickford Village Experience

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The Swim Tether Keeps Me In Place and In Shape

The Baseball Storyteller

Every year, about this time, the Save The Bay swim event happens.  It is an amazing spectacle of open water swimming combined with a dedicated organization intent on saving our most precious Narragansett Bay for the present and future of Rhode Island.  I was lucky enough to finish it two years, 2009 and 2010.  I love open water swimming.  In fact, I prefer open water swimming to lap swimming in an indoor pool.  Open water swimming is not just about fitness, its about connecting with nature – the ocean, lake or bay you are swimming in.  The scenery of the coastline, … Continue reading The Swim Tether Keeps Me In Place and In Shape

IN THE COMMUNITY, LOCAL BIZ, MUSINGS, TRAVEL2 Comments

New Traffic Pattern Merging Onto Post Road Outside Wickford

The Baseball Storyteller

As many North Kingstown and Southern Rhode Island drivers now know, there is a new traffic pattern on Post Road here in North Kingstown.  For those of you who do not know, there is a new traffic pattern on Post Road here in beautiful North Kingstown. The traffic pattern reduces the old Post Rd (pre-July, 2016), to one lane starting at the traffic light across from Wickford Appliance.  For those of us used to two lanes on Post Road, the new traffic pattern has received mixed reviews based on people I have spoken to. One area of concern I have … Continue reading New Traffic Pattern Merging Onto Post Road Outside Wickford

MUSINGS1 Comment

The Point In Time When I Learned About Race

The Baseball Storyteller

Some years before I was born, my father enlisted in the United States Navy to serve our country.  Meanwhile, my mother was building her career as a nurse at school in Colorado.  Still further back, my father grew up as an “Army Brat”, starting in Chattanooga, TN then several stops throughout the Unites States of America until he and his family settled in Berlin, Connecticut.  Around that same time, my mother was born and raised just outside Cape Cod in Wareham, Massachusetts, where there was a diverse group of immigrants living and working.  Each parent went to school with or … Continue reading The Point In Time When I Learned About Race

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You Don’t Need A Tire, You Need A Tube

The Baseball Storyteller

Have you ever come across this scenario?  You have a flat tire on your bicycle.  Maybe you are handy in some ways, but changing the tire on your bicycle is not your strong suit.  You bring your bike into a bicycle shop and ask a technician “I have a flat tire, I think I need a new tire.”  Only to be met with “You don’t need a new tire, you need a new tube.”  Of course, the tube is the thing that inflates the tire which goes on your bicycle wheel, which then goes on your bicycle so you can … Continue reading You Don’t Need A Tire, You Need A Tube

IN THE COMMUNITY, MUSINGS, TRAVEL1 Comment

Slow Down, Don’t Go Around – The Breakdown Lane Issue

The Baseball Storyteller

Years ago, while training for the Save The Bay Swim, I took a break from my swim training and went for a bike ride.  I was living in Wickford Village at the time and got right onto Boston Neck Road and headed south towards Narragansett.  Boston Neck Rd. was and remains a very busy one lane road, with retail shops, ice cream shops, pedestrians, and cyclists like myself.  About halfway through my ride, I ran into a situation that caused an accident.  I was riding my bike in the breakdown lane and a motor vehicle put his/her left turning signal on … Continue reading Slow Down, Don’t Go Around – The Breakdown Lane Issue

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What Most People Don’t Know About Professional Athletes

The Baseball Storyteller

Picture this.  An incredible man is a medium size American city in the Midwest decides to leave for greener pastures.  This man has been a staple in the business community, creating buzz for the city for close a decade.  He has personally overseen charitable work and has been present for ribbon cuttings, donation events, fundraisers, and much more.  He is well liked by his peers.  The people around him call him “a benefit to our community” and say things like “we are better off because of him” and “this man helped turn our city around.”  Now picture that man to … Continue reading What Most People Don’t Know About Professional Athletes