
The author snapped this photo of the Delta jetliner he flew aboard to Germany. In the column he referred to it as a DC-10 but in all probability it was an MD-11. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
A large group of my friends – large enough to physically overpower me – escorted me to the airport for my recent trip to Europe. They know I’m a weenie about flying (as if I hadn’t collapsed into their arms… READ MORE

Planes wait at skyways at Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport in this 1997 photo. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
It was not a good day to fly. To the north, an evil brew of clouds simmered. They’d been cooking in the August sun for hours, and now rain threatened to spill over. But more than rain bubbled in those… READ MORE

Image courtesy of picryl.
And God said, “Let there be bureaucracy”: My Destin correspondent, Winona Havey, who frequently ponders the imponderable and mails me the results, forwarded to my attention this little gem, which I now forward to you: “In the beginning, God created… READ MORE

Image courtesy of Flickr user Lance H. Bates under the auspices of a Creative Commons license. https://www.flickr.com/photos/7977365@N08/5709021472/
A number of people called, e-mailed, faxed, or contacted me via the Intergalactic Council to let me know what a rube I am for suggesting flying saucers are a figment of the collective unconscious. One person even admonished me to… READ MORE
Feel no evil: Have you heard the medical expression “target organ”? I’m told it refers to the organ that becomes the target of all your health fears, sometimes to the point you actually feel pain in said organ. Worried about… READ MORE

Image courtesy of Olaf Growald, Wikimedia Commons.
The death penalty? The righteously wrathful were rubbing their palms last week as jurors in the penalty phase of the Timothy McVeigh murder and conspiracy trial decided he should die for his crime. His crime – the April 19, 1995… READ MORE

Image courtesy of Flickr user lilbluelola. — Performance Against AIDS: Frankly Scarlett in downtown Fort Walton Beach will again be the venue for Performance Against AIDS V, a fund-raiser for OASIS and its efforts to improve the quality of life… READ MORE

Image courtesy of Pikist by way of a Creative Commons license.
Let the good times roll: Skinny teenagers capered across the stage at Fort Walton Landing as I stood astride my bike, trying to ignite matches by rubbing them between my flab rolls. It was Saturday night’s Battle of the Bands…. READ MORE

Image courtesy of Flickr user Bryan McDonald by way of a Creative Commons license. https://www.flickr.com/people/28155182@N06
Gator growl: One of my long-held suspicions has been confirmed by researchers at the University of Florida. This will come as good news for Steve Spurrier, and maybe not such good news for the unborn children of Gator fans –… READ MORE

Image courtesy of the National Hurricane Center.
The list of hurricane names for 1997 is out, and what a sorry list of names it is. The A storm will be called Ana. I have a friend whose name is Anna, so I will not say anything bad… READ MORE