What's in Dave's Head

An annual fall tradition Donna and I have is to take a day trip to the Catoctin Mountains, about an hour north and west of us between Frederick, Maryland and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It’s a beautiful drive, with farms and livestock dotting the landscape foreground while behind is the foliage displaying its pre-death flameout of color. We arrived around 10:30 and the parking lot at the visitor center we normally park at was full. We parked illegally just long enough to get directions from a ranger to a different nearby lot, and drove up Center Road to find it, at the head of a trail we hadn’t tried before. The 2-1/2-mile hilly hike through the thick woods took about an hour and a quarter. The quiet and sense of serenity is remarkable. The weather was spectacular -- sunny, crisp air, and temperature in the mid-60s.  However, as in previous years, we didn’t see, as I had hoped, elk, mountain lions, giant pandas, pythons or zebras. In fact, the only wildlife we observed...

Last weekend Donna and I took a road trip to Detroit to visit Donna’s sister Barb, who had arranged for us to see Paul McCartney in concert at her company’s suite in the brand-new Little Caesar’s Arena. In so many ways it was perhaps the most incredible thing I have ever experienced. I don’t know if people who weren’t around in the 1960s can understand what an impact the Beatles had on our culture. They didn’t just reflect the crazy, tumultuous times, they, perhaps more than any other band, helped drive it. They made a triumphant maiden U.S. tour in 1964 after their first two U.S. albums had done well. They were instant sensations, with their distinctive look – moppish haircuts and skinny trousers – and sound. They appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, which was watched every Sunday evening by 50 million Americans, and teenaged girls went wild. The band’s manager in the early years, Brian Epstein, was a master marketer. There were Beatles fan magazines, Beatles fan clubs, Be...