Moline, Illinois was settled by morally upright migrants from New England, people whose families had been in America for several generations, God-fearing Protestants who appreciated the value of a good day’s work and railed against the evils of drink. Given the pleasures to be found in downtown Moline today, those founding Moliners must be
We’ve had some crazy weather this spring – nasty thunderstorms, tornadoes, epic floods - could the locusts be far behind? In St. Louis our streak of unseasonably cool days came to an abrupt end around Memorial Day, as we were forced into summer mode with a blast of heat and humidity. Further north, warm weather has been
Winter driving sucks. I know this. I have 12 hard-earned years of winter driving experience in Minnesota and Wisconsin. You can’t be in a hurry. You have to stay alert. Try to drive during daylight hours if it’s snowing. Pack your trunk with a survival kit. Steer into the skid. Pump your brakes to slow
What a contrast. Friday I ran myself ragged covering territory from Hanover to Rapids City, Illinois, roughly 60 miles. Between 8am and 7pm, I visited 19 park and recreation areas, toured 8 museums/attractions, and ate lunch at a biker themepark restaurant called Poopy’s whose menu makes liberal use of the word shit. In my
I love small town museums. Most owe their continued existence to a core group of believers who donate unimagined amounts of time to the lofty goal of preserving the town’s history for future generations, even as those generations are indifferent to that very history. In spite of their best efforts, the museum is usually a
