Orel Family

Port Austin, Michigan. August 12, 2024. 2:40am I booked the motel room in early June. Port Austin , in our favorite cute little motel up by Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay . Tip of the thumb, with gorgeous sunsets, quaint little eateries, art barns, farm stands, and easy access to a dark sky preserve. I made the reservation for Sunday, August 11th, the best night for the annual Perseids Meteor Shower s. Astrophotogaphy mode -- the Auroroa moves, and I got a meteorite! Port Crescent Dark Sky Preserve. August 12, 2024. 1:01am. Then Aaron came home at the end of his semester. Then Ezra decided to come, too. And then... at midday Sunday afternoon the motel called. They had some water issues in the room and had to cancel the reservation. Should I cancel the trip? To spend more time with the children? The forecast was iffy, this was my chance if I wanted it.  Port Austin, Michigan. The Autora is out! August 11, 2024. 11:18pm A friend had texted me, "Pray to the sun gods," which meant ...

John Fogert at Pine Knob, August 4, 2024 I've written previously about my childhood rock heroes: The Beatles. Bruce. And John Fogerty. Fogerty, and CCR, was a taste a acquired largely during my first years in college, when I graduated from the Fantasy Records "More Gold" compilation I had bought as a kid to the entire original Fantasy catalogue in 3 neat double albums, creatively titled "1989/69," "1969" and "1970," and then finally daring to purchase the lamentable "Mardi Gras" and Fogerty's first two solo albums as cut-outs. Eventually I even located the pre-CCR "Golliwogs" singles on another Fantasy collection.  Still, it's been a decade since I last saw John play live. Oh, he's been around, but typically sharing the stage with performers I had no desire to see, even performing as an opening act. I wanted the full treatment, and last night I got it. Fogerty's "Celebration" tour came to Pine Kn...