The basics

 A psychotherapist by training and experience, I am drawn to what we in the South call "characters," those interesting individuals who add color and flavor to the casserole of life. Places can do that, too--restaurants, museums, houses, stores, intentional and unintentional attractions can be the cherry on the top of a visit. If a local character is the "You have to meet Miss Suzy" of a place, what I am drawn to is the tourism equivalent, the "You don't want to miss..." of the area. I am collecting memories of such places, and I fondly call them "American cheese."

I love to travel. I go to all kinds of places and take in all manner of experiences as I go. And just so you know:  I appreciate a wide range of performing and visual arts. I like the symphony and ballet and theater and other traditionally accepted cultural venues. I go to the Louvre, the Prado, the Metropolitan Museum and the like whenever I have the chance. Case in point, my daughter and I had season opera tickets for several years when she was in high school, and we had wonderful times enjoying those performances. I have taken student groups abroad in order to expose them to the finer things.

However, this blog is not about those important (sometimes far too self-important, but that's another topic) places. As I travel, I collect memories and stories and impressions and sometimes pictures of places that deserve to be celebrated. I have had far too much fun to keep my on-the-road experiences to myself. So here I go, sharing my American cheese adventures with you. Bon appetit! Or, maybe more aptly, "on your mark, get set, let's GO!"

Say CHEESE!

When you want people to smile for a picture, you don't tell them to say, "Broccoli." It's always cheese. Because cheese makes people happy. You know I'm right.

So, a few more introductory ideas. American cheese is a good thing. No disrespect here. I do not celebrate vainglory, so if an attraction exudes pomposity rather than self-amusement, you probably won't find it here.  Of course, I could err in my assessment. It could happen. I laugh with, not at my subjects. I just hope they agree! Finally, I would give a "laurel and hardy head-nod" (apologies to Mel Brooks) to these slices of Americana. I hope you will, too. And I hope their proprietors smile back at me.

This is Superbob, my muse. More on him soon.