A good cup o' Joe

There was a day that I used to stop regularly stop by Starbucks and order a Venti Soy Latte. A decaf in the evening.  But those days are gone.

Now, I hate Starbucks. Maybe it's the silliness of ordering. For those of you who enjoy your mocha choka venti latte half-caf soy cappuccino smoothie -- great. Just give me a good cup of coffee.

Last weekend, during an act of desperation, I found myself inside a Starbucks ordering an Americano. I thought that was a plain as coffee gets at Starbucks.

Even with a lot of cream and sugar, its taste resembled what I imagine battery acid would taste like.

I work with people who cannot pass a Tim Horton's without stopping for a half-gallon.  With it's added chicory, it is double strength battery acid.

In our office, we used to buy whatever was on sale.  Lately, we've been drinking Folgers, but it doesn't have the greatest flavor either.

While some of my co-workers complain about how strong I make the coffee while my friend Wanda (FromUnderTheWillow.blogspot.com) once told me we make "Church Coffee" in our office.  That's a reference to those 50 cup urns of coffee where people never really know how much to put it, so they put in about three tablespoons to make brown water.

Probably the best coffee, in my humble opinion, comes from McDonald's.  It's always hot and fresh in the morning, when I want my cup of Joe. A runner up would be a brand called Master Chef we had in the office for a while.

Grand View

A view of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library as seen from the Grand Gallery Overlook level of DeVos Place convention center in Downtown Grand Rapids, MI. That's the Grand River in the foreground.

Part of a totally revitalized downtown, the Ford Museum is a great place to spend a day in G.R.

The view with the naked eye was much more grand.I'm signing up for a camera class for some help using my digital camera.

Read all my blog entries at BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

The Old Days

Back in the old days, the local mortuary served as an ambulance service as well. They hearse was used to transport the sick and injured to the hospital and, if they expired, to the mortuary.

This classic Cadillac was on display at the Michigan EMS Expo in Grand Rapids, Michigan last week.

I'm keeping my eyes open for my own classic ambulance.  (If you see one for sale, let me know!)

More blog entries are at: BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

Postcard Pay Dirt 2

I don't want to sound obsessed, but here's another piece of Huron County history that found it's way into my hands.

As you can see, the one-cent postcard was sent to the Huron Grindstone Co. in Port Austin, Michigan.  These were cards sold my the post office for sending short notes and other messages in a day when no one was worried about confidentiality.

The postmark is from Croswell, Michigan, another rural community in Michigan's Thumb. Take a look at the year: 1892.  This card was mailed nearly 120 years ago!

As you can see (click on the cards for a better view), the card, dated Aug. 1, 92, was sent by Pastor W. D. Cole, requesting the cornerstone for the Elkton Presby. Church -- ordered by W.H. Wallace of the W. H. Wallace Stone Quarry just west of Pigeon -- be shipped to the Bad Axe Marble Works, Bad Axe, for lettering.

This card represents:

• Elkton, Michigan
• Elkton Presby Church
• W. H. Wallace (Quarry)
• Bad Axe Marble Works (still in business)
• Huron Grindstone Co.
• Pastor W. D. Cole
• Croswell, Michigan

What a great piece of history!

Read more blog entries at BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

Hhhhhhhhcckk-P'TOt

Isn't that an interesting headline?  It's suppose to be a phonetic sound, but I'm not sure it's correct.

It's the sound of someone spitting.

Nice subject huh?

WHAT, and I mean capital W-H-A-T, is up with people spitting in public?

It's one vile act that (usually) men perform and, in most states, it's a crime!

In Battle Creek, Mich., it is a disorderly conduct offense. In Prescott Valley, Ariz., spitting on sidewalks or in public buildings could bring a $500 fine. "Expectorating on a public surface" in Virginia is a violation of state law. And in New York City, letting phlegm fly is a quality-of-life crime that is rarely enforced -- unless the offender is caught in the subway.

Really?  People pee in the NYC subway.

I digress.

My point is that spitting is unsanitary, unhealthy and totally unnecessary.  Unnecessary, unless you're busy performing miracles.

Mark 8:23 says, "He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”"

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A Blog Before Its Time

Stolen from
Mark Rummel's Facebook Wall.

My friend (and former boss) Mark Rummel recently pointed out that his "All The News That Fits We Print" column in the Progress-Advance (and later the Newsweekly) newspapers, was a blog in the pre-blog days.

How true!

Since two of his former employees, Wanda Eichler (From Under The Willow) and myself, are writing blogs, I'm sure he could get some pointers should he decide to start a blog of his own.

So old friend, I think the gauntlet has been thrown down, the keyboard is in your court!

For my few blog followers, if you're interested in reading MWR's column on the right, just click on it to enlarge it.

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TUESDAY TALLY: Fun in GR

Having just returned from nearly four days in Grand Rapids, Michigan, it's easy to tally up a list of my favorite things to do in West Michigan's largest city:

1. Visit the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, the legacy of our 38th President who was never elected to the nation's highest office.
2. Walk across the street to the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
3. Another amazing place is Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, a truly breathtaking display of natural and man-made art.
4. Stop by The B.O.B. -- That's the "Big Old Building" converted into a multifaceted entertainment center and restaurant complex.
5. Have dinner and join the fun at Mojo's Dueling Piano Bar and Restaurant.
6. Ride bike along the riverfront.
7. Check out the grand architecture of the Amway Grand Plaza hotel (where I stayed on my most recent visit).
8. Head over to the John Ball Park Zoo.

GR is one of my favorite cities.  Check it out for yourself: experiencegr.com

Read all the BareNakedBill blog entries at BareNakedBill.blogspot.com