Category Archives: Offbeat

I scream, you scream, we all scream for…

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Ron Haines

My life’s come back to ice cream. At home as a kid in Kankakee, Illinois, it was an evening ritual to have a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and some peanuts while sitting in the living room … Continue reading →

Posted in Offbeat, Paddling, Road trip | 6 Comments

When you’ve got an itch…Part 6

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Ron Haines

This is the loon edition. Loons are wonderfully interesting birds, fun to watch, really pleasant to listen to, and not nearly as plentiful as other types of waterfowl I see on the waters of the Northeast. It’s the only waterfowl … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Offbeat | 6 Comments

Gone before I could get there

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Ron Haines

I recently drove over to Fisheating Creek for a paddle with the alligators and planned on stopping in at an interesting rural country store/restaurant for a late lunch in nearby, very small, Palmdale, Florida (population just under 600). The Florida … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Offbeat, Paddling, Photos mostly | 11 Comments

Big holes in big trees

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Ron Haines

As much as one might abhor the thoughtless touristy tradition of driving through a hole that’s been hacked into a majestic redwood tree, one has to admit that the iconic photo of a car doing just that has planted the … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Offbeat, Photos mostly, Road trip | 3 Comments

Weed, CA

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Ron Haines

Weed.   In marketing parlance, it’s a great name for a California municipality to have on the eve of the November 8 vote on Proposition 64, a bill to legalize the recreational use, possession, cultivation, and sale of marijuana. This in … Continue reading →

Posted in Offbeat, Road trip | 1 Comment

A perfect pit stop

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Ron Haines

I usually don’t stop for lunch on the road, but by mid-afternoon, especially in the summer, I am always on the lookout for an ice cream stand. That thought was on my mind when I drove into tiny Hardwick, Massachusetts … Continue reading →

Posted in Offbeat, Road trip | 2 Comments

Rustbucket

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Ron Haines

About 30 yards off of Royalston Road outside of tiny Fitzwilliam in rural New Hampshire sits this pickup truck. From the looks of it, it’s been there a while.  It has snow chains on, all ready for winter. The word … Continue reading →

Posted in Offbeat, Road trip | 1 Comment

Tribbles

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Ron Haines

If you’re of a certain age and watched a certain TV show you know the word and what it means:  small, voracious, constantly-multiplying, creatures that take over everything and scare the crap out of everyone because of the trouble they can … Continue reading →

Posted in Appalachian Moutain Club, Grumman canoe, Nature, Offbeat, Paddling, Trash Patrol | 2 Comments

Swan song

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Ron Haines

Not mine, the swan’s.  I have been seeing and photographing a lot of these critters lately and the phrase ‘swan song’ came to mind.  What’s that all about? So I dove into the internet to find out what I don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature, Offbeat | 3 Comments

The mural of the story

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Ron Haines

I drove through Lakeland, Georgia, a while ago on my way to somewhere and spotted a large painting on the side of one of the buildings. I turned off the main drag and came around the block to take another … Continue reading →

Posted in Offbeat, Photos mostly, Road trip | 9 Comments