Nostalgia

We were trying to enjoy the sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains from our perch in the sky when suddenly everything went silent….totally silent. All we could hear was the wind whispering as we headed downward. It turns out that if a plane descends too quickly, the carburetors freeze up, causing the engine to stall. Might this celebratory "three-hour tour" be our last? ...

From handwritten lyrics to the earliest gear used to create a hip-hop beat; from moguls to social issues; from East Coast to West Coast and everything in between, the Rock Hall's new exhibit spotlights at a time when the world was undergoing massive social and economic changes. ...

Sue and I spent our first day or two as a married couple in Radford, Virginia. I was looking around for a nice downtown place for me and my bride to have a good, hearty, country breakfast together. What could go wrong? ...

This Mother's Day, Patrick O'Connor shares memories of his mother-in-law; a woman who was the last of a group of seven women who were friends, confidants, and support for each other for 60+ years. They called themselves the Dreamers, forming a bond in high school in the mid-1940s. Frances Mae Resek Rottman was the last living member of the group; the Last Dreamer. Her story of friendships, place and time, once very common, are now a memory. ...

When we settled into our winter home in Florida, my wife Janice and I realized we’d have to adapt to certain Southern customs and cuisine. Boiled peanuts are odd, does this menu say, “cheese and grits ravioli’? and that’s a hard pass on chicken livers and gizzards at the breakfast buffet. But if there’s one food item that’s an American staple, it’s ice cream… though we’re learning there are significant regional variations.  ...

Remember when “Saturday Night Fever” opened in December 1977? Disco was already on the rise but this movie starring John Travolta and featuring Bee Gees hits took disco totally mainstream. Re-live the funky disco days of the past — with a twist — at Boomer Bash West Disco Inferno, April 12. ...

Ted Alexander grew up with Cleveland radio. As a kid, he pushed the tortoise shell buttons on his beige knit sweater as if they were the knobs on the radio. He spun the beads on his playpen like he was tuning in a station and used his rattle as a microphone. Today, he hosts a popular oldies radio show at Gold 93.7 WQGR. ...

It's frustrating to have photos and home movies that you can't easily see or copy. If you want to preserve or digitize old photos or family videos on VHS tapes (remember those?), your local library can often help. ...