Spy - August 1990

Travel is so broadening.

Toad

Armchair Traveling

the lower Chambeshi river by Phil Harwood

Fellow armchair adventurers may recall Scottish explorer David Livingstone in 1877 was the first European to explore the middle and lower Congo River. Leaving Zanzibar with 356 men, of whom 119 survived, Livingstone travelled for 999 days.

In 2008 British explorer Phil Harwood, with help from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, became what is believed to be the first man to travel, by canoe, the 2922 miles from the source of the Congo River to the Atlantic Ocean. His journey took 8 months through some of the most dangerous territory on earth, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

If you are in London today Phil is speaking at The Olympia at 1400, during the Adventure Travel Show.

Should you find yourself at home, his book, Canoeing The Congo is very good read. Available from Phil, or your favorite bookseller can order it for you. It's not a journey you'd likely consider making yourself. While you are waiting for your new book to a arrive, you can always reread Heart of Darkness.

Toad

Odds and Ends

I generally make some attempt to hide my more egregious flaws from myself and the public eye but periodically a public airing is necessary, not to rid myself of guilt (that's the lowest of all excuses) but to take heed and learn from the generous consul and tips for betterment, such confessions elicit.

Today is such a day, when I share my sins in order I may learn, and perhaps save another troubled soul. May the bridges I burn light your way.

I. I am a bounder!!!!!!!!!!!

My trip to Boston was an errand of mercy. My bonus daughter moved in with us soon after her college graduation. She came home for a family wedding (shown holding Joe)and never looked back, and I'm tickled to death. My job (is this boy work?) was to reinforce her goodbyes to her boyfriend (Ben Sidran's point #1), gather her belongings, load her car and drive it home. Easy Schmeesy. Unspoken, was the #1 admonition to bring her dog Milo, home safe and sound (more later). Which wasn't so schmeesy.

I made tres clear, before leaving home, to Mrs. T that I wasn't coming straight home. In fact, publicly and in advance, I rattled the green eyed monster's cage by informing her I had separate dates with 2 attractive, accomplished, vivacious women, who just so happened to live 500 miles apart. For a week I was target of the monster's velvet sheathed jest, butt of her jokes. So what's so bad about that?

Due to the vagaries of travel, I stood both women up.

Ladies, once again, I'm sorry. I'll regret this for a very long time.

2. Why don't I get Angelina?

An newspaper article caught my eye. Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker are the two highest paid female actors in Hollywood. I have no truck with the either women or the sums involved. More power to them, but...

What flaw is in my character that causes Angelina Jolie to leave me cold? Not a scintilla of interest on my part.

3. What's wrong with this picture?

This photo is from Bill Cunningham's "On the Street" column "The Ponies" in the July 3, 2011 NYT.

Any number of us have the individual pieces to copy this look, but don't, for which I'm glad.

Is this one of those" if you have to ask" you'll never get it, sort of things, or may we simply credit advanced age on my part? There is something in me that doesn't get shorts, sports coat and tie, when not in Bermuda.

4: And finally:

While in Boston I had the opportunity to meet local bon vivant and raconteur Yankee Whisky Papa creator of the blog Boxing the Compass. Over postprandial cigars he captured a true rarity of a photo.

In the past 15 years you may count on one hand, having digits in reserve, the number of times I have worn a long tie. May be another decade before I do it again.

Boxing the Compass photo

I liberated the snap below from Manifold Destiny. It's origin, I now know to be Kiel James Patrick, but I don't necessarily disagree with its sentiments, in moderation.

Kiel James Patrick poster

Have a great weekend.

Toad

The gods mock me

Once again Fortuna has spun her Karmic wheel with my name coming up trumps. Armed with your suggestions I'm headed to Bean Town.

By a fluke of geography, Boston to Washington DC, then a quick right turn through the mountains to Mayberry is only a few miles further than than the MapQuest recommended Boston-Mayberry direct route. Knowing the calendar, and observing that the mileage difference is insignificant, I've added Gettysburg (the anniversary of the battle was last weekend) and Baltimore (soft shell crab season) to my itinerary.

So what does this have to do with the Ben Sidran recording? According to Ben, in these few short days I'll cover "the 3 simple constituent parts of Jazz Music in America". You need to hear the song to learn what they are though. While passing your neck of the woods I'll wave.

Remember, not all who wander are lost. Try to get on without me, I'll be home in a few days.

Toad

Food Cravings

In spite of my irregular eating habits, or perhaps because of them, I sometimes get the darndest cravings.

To my mind cravings come in two varieties. The first, more common, is the gotta have it now sort.

For instance I woke up the other day,and after a cup or two of coffee I realized I needed a roast beef sandwich and I needed one now. Not the Arby's skinny beef on a hamburger bun type, but a real honest to goodness roast beef sandwich, on french bread with a bit of au jus. A decent plate of fries would be nice too. Atypical bar food.

Unfortunately it wasn't as easy as it sounds and we ended up on a 50 mile round trip escapade. If you're ever near Mayberry, I recommend O'Connells for roast beef sammys. We had one there, and brought one home. They'll make more.

The second and more damaging is the planned, when I next get to that city, I am going there and having such and such. Invariably these turn out badly.

Many a vacation highlight has turned into a lowlight when we finally got to a destination restaurant and found it completely underwhelming. If you ever planned to hit The Lady and Sons, in Savannah, I'd recommend not.

For better or worse we have two such junkets planned in the near future. The first will be perfect. It always is. We are off to the world's greatest restaurant, Arthur Bryant's of Kansas City next weekend. At the end of the month we're off to NOLA.

Mrs. T won a contest,and the prize was up to a week's lodging in NOLA, with $500 to spend at a list of well known diners. Our visit happens to coincide with the one time local boy, Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. I'm hoping for the best, expecting the worst, and anticipating a couple of fine beignets in between.

Toad