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Scenes From a Yellow Wood
It was a crisp October Sunday. One might say it was the Platonic ideal of a fall day in Central New York — the kind of day that makes me feel a little guilty if I don’t spend at least part of it outdoors. If Mother Nature is going to provide an autumnal paradise, you Continue reading
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Birdland
Near the entrance of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, you can grab a little cheat sheet (see picture above) telling you where to find all the exhibits and artifacts relevant to your favorite team. The folks in Cooperstown know that while many of their visitors come out of a broad love of Continue reading
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A Museum You Can Ride On
My previous posts covering exhibits at Fenimore Farm & Country Village ranged from goofball Americana (The Cardiff Giant) to a high-minded attempt to convey the history of the region in a tangible, interactive way (The Otsego Herald). Occupying the intersection of those two concepts is another Fenimore Farm exhibit: The Empire State Carousel. The carousel Continue reading
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The Otsego Herald
If I ever got transported back in time to the 18th or 19th century, I wouldn’t last long. I just don’t have any of the necessary skills needed to make a living in early America. I know nothing of farming. Jobs like stevedore or lumberjack would be way too strenuous. Despite the nautical pretentions of Continue reading
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National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
This past weekend, I travelled to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. I could go on and on about my history of visiting the Hall of Fame going back to childhood or wax poetic about the place of baseball in the fabric of America. Or I could just share some photos Continue reading
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Full Circle
On June 6, 2023, I published the first post of this blog. The post featured a photo, taken that day, of the skies made hazy orange by Canadian wildfire smoke. Today, June 6, 2025, I am posting a picture, taken yesterday of the sky over my neighborhood made orange by Canadian wildfire smoke. This time Continue reading
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Easter Eggs
“‘Remember when’ is the lowest form of conversation.” ~Tony Soprano After finishing the second season of Andor, I decided to watch Rogue One for the first time in at least six or seven years. Rogue One is a film that I mostly like but have always had some mixed feelings about. When I first saw Continue reading
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Immaculate Grid
I’m not much of a video/computer/mobile gamer. Hand-eye coordination was never my strong suit, which put a hard ceiling on how good I could ever get at a lot of arcade and console games. When I was younger, I enjoyed PC-based strategy/worldbuilding games like the Civilization series, but those games are major time-sucks. I simply Continue reading
About Me
Researcher. Marketer. Teacher. Father of adult children and dogs. 20th Century holdover. Central New York native. Long-suffering Buffalo Bills fan. History nerd. Traveler. Vintage advertising enthusiast. Hat wearer.
a.k.a. V.J. 