Ivan Rebroff who was neither “Ivan” nor “Rebroff”,became world-famous for singing Russian Folk Songs. My Father always cherished an old “contraband” record of Rebroff’s incredible voice.

[Read more →]

Today’s “then and now” is in bustling downtown Olathe, KS.

Looking west along Park Street between Chestnut and Cherry in Olathe. Shows these businesses: Hyer Boot Company Building; Shriver Hardware; Taylor Drug, Laborers AFL-CIO, TG&Y. (1960’s)

Looking west along Park Street at Chestnut in Olathe at buildings under construction (1970’s).

Same view today.

[Read more →]

I am a big fan of the “Kansas City: Then and Now“  and “Kansas City: Then and Now 2” books. No matter where you live there is a history and as much as everyone makes fun of old people and their “back in my day” stories, they are actually very entertaining. These books tell the [...]

[Read more →]

Dean Reed was an American singer who was more popular in the Latin America and the USSR than in the USA. He would have turned 70 today. Because he was a communist sympathizer he was one of a few English-speaking performers approved to entertain the Soviet people. I remember as a child playing his records [...]

[Read more →]

Roy Orbison was probably a better singer than Elvis, he was just lacking in the looks department. Kind of like me, except I can’t sing either. Roy composed and performed some of the most memorable and touching songs ever recorded, but what I like the most about his music is that I can sing with [...]

[Read more →]

This morning I drove past some weird-looking railroad machinery of unknown purpose:
It reminded me of some machines I saw during my heroic two years in the military service. Most of these I have never seen in motion. Many of them were on so called conservation, which meant they were waiting for their time when enemy [...]

[Read more →]

As I man unable (and unwilling) to grow a good quality facial hair, I am always fascinated by what some male specimens can cultivate on their faces. This morning I was wasting time educating myself at a wildly popular website detailing the history of Johnson County KS, when I ran into a whole compilation of [...]

[Read more →]

For a person with a surprising and painful lack of childhood memories I seem to remember a lot about the Moscow Summer Olympic Games of 1980. I remember where I was at that time and remember watching the games on a 12 inch black-and-white TV. Since the 1980 Olympics were boycotted by the USA and [...]

[Read more →]

I you’d like to find out what’s going on in American prisons you have two choices: commit a small crime or read the best-selling Prisons For Dummies series. It’s a lot harder (but not entirely impossible) to get yourself locked up in a Russian correctional institution, so for the only other practical choice I recommend [...]

[Read more →]

I think I know a thing or two about the circus. When I was growing up© my parents took me to the circus 4-5 times a year and it wasn’t a traveling circus or a tent. My city had a permanent circus building and every few months a new program would come to town to [...]

[Read more →]