Rage And Despair In The Business Center

by Kevin Burton    Dear, gentle, intelligent Page 7 reader, may I ask you a question?    What would you say is the key element, all things considered, in the business center of a hotel? What makes a business center a business center?    If you were told by a hotel employee that, yes, said …

Dakota Territory Welcomes The Burtons

by Kevin Burton    After more than half a century’s absence, I returned to the Dakota Territory last week.   We determined that the covered wagon wasn’t roadworthy, so my wife and I took the Toyota instead.    This was part of our long-awaited, much-needed vacation.  We think Kansas is a great place to be, but …

The Road Is Good For What Ails You

by Kevin Burton    “When I hear that siren call baby, I just can’t help myself,” croons Bonnie Raitt. She’s authentic and believable and I get it.    The tune is “The Road’s My Middle Name.” It’s from her album “Nick Of Time” and I get that too.    The road is the life blood …

Sister Cities Make The Most Of Boring Names

by Kevin Burton    My first editor used to say there are no boring towns, only boring people. I am with him on that.    I always smiled at the thought of his then kindergarten-age daughter repeating that at school and getting into trouble. No idea if that ever happened.    When my wife was …

Overchoiced And Underconfident

by Kevin Burton My longtime beep baseball team mate Mike Miller who pitched for the Columbus Vipers is famous for calm under pressure and for saying “It’ll all work out.” So it was his voice I heard in my head Sunday night when I realized, against all odds, I was in position to get four …

Words Borrowed From Foreign Languages

by Kevin Burton    When I travel to foreign lands such as Mexico or Mississippi, I bring back souvenirs. I’m sure you do too in your travels.    Some of the souvenirs we bring back are words and phrases. Today we look at some favorites from the Merriam Webster dictionary. Their list is of words …

Saginaw USA, Why Not Exactly?

by Kevin Burton    I think I’ve found America kids! This after considerable searching. You’ll never guess where.    Listen to this:    “The Saginaw Valley Rail Trail is one of Saginaw County’s gems, stretching 11 miles from St. Charles to Saginaw. It incorporates a number of natural features including: seven bridges over various rivers …

Getaway Day, Above The Old Routine

by Kevin Burton    Tomorrow is Getaway Day and there’s just nothing like it.    It’s World Series week in the land of beep baseball, baseball for blind players. Getaway Day is about heading to the competition site and into another world.    If you’ve never seen beep baseball, check it out on You Tube.  …

A Magic Carpet Ride To New Orleans

by Kevin Burton    While at the Quiet Knight bar in Chicago, Steve Goodman saw fellow singer/songwriter Arlo Guthrie, and asked to be allowed to play a song for him, according to a story on Wikipedia.    “Guthrie grudgingly agreed, on the condition that if Goodman bought him a beer, Guthrie would listen to him play …

The God Of The Detour Knows The Way

by Kevin Burton    One of the ways I tried to witness to my late father was to encourage him to listen to the radio ministry of Dr. Tony Evans.    Evans leads The Urban Alternative out of Dallas, Texas.  Evans is a dynamic speaker. I thought my father might be tiring of my dime …