Tales from the Corners

A friend of mine posted on Facebook, “Lovin’ the cool weather” in mid-July in an above-average hot summer in Hotlanta. It was no joke. We received the respite that I was wishing for only days earlier. The cool-down greeted the metro area after a quiet downpour on a Thursday night leading into a Friday morning. The pleasantness hit me when I was done with work on Friday afternoon. The breeze was like something that we typically experience in October. I always tell my daughter, “Embrace the moment when it’s here.” I know that it doesn’t sink in now as she listens to the modern pop music on her Droid phone which seems to do everything but make quality calls. But, perhaps my fatherly philosophical speeches will one day sink in when she finds out that time fights us. I know this because I have a good memory and from that, I know that she’s much like me in so many ways.

Over 30 years ago, I recall the endless summers of adolescence when I was too old for camps and too young to work. I reme…

I was there about six years ago and my memory was being challenged. I don’t remember it being long, winding, hilly, shady and well-maintained. Welcome to Alpharetta’s Big Creek Greenway. This 8-plus-mile paved trail that peacefully co-exists with Alpharetta’s Big Creek is a great little exercise respite in the Atlanta metropolitan area.


During the hot summer months, I recommend driving over to the trail on a weekday morning. You can breathe somewhat in the morning and the crowds are not there. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of walkers, joggers and rollerbladers, but they’re fewer in numbers and easy to get around.

For me, going downhill on the Alpharetta Big Creek Greenway gives me resistance and going uphill, gives me a good push. The cool breeze from that push is complimented by the awesome scenery on this well-preserved trail that wends its way through the lazy pines. No sound emanates from the still creek, but the American Robins, Blue Jays, Bluebirds and Cardinals fill t…

"There’s a lot of tension this morning," the TV reporter announced on the recent Fourth of July morning.

Where was the tension? It wasn’t on the New York Stock Exchange’s floor. The markets were closed for the day. In fact, very few things were open for business on the country’s 235th birthday.

No, the reporter was talking about the tension at Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest on New York’s Coney Island. Apparently, every Fourth of July, competitors gather to stuff their faces with these so-called famous hot dogs within minutes. I still wonder where the infamous hot dogs reside. Just trying to imagine human beings attempting to swallow these things made me want to regurgitate my breakfast. The reporter was bantering with the anchors about a man named Joey Chestnut who seems to be a "the-guy-to-beat" at this contest. Last year was a bit of an off year for Chestnut: he downed only 54 hot dogs, but still walked away with the Mustard Belt due to a lack of competit…