For years, I just assumed Martensdale St. Mary’s (IA) was a small Catholic school with stellar baseball, bolstered by a non-boundaried policy that allowed players to drive from miles away to join a successful program. I was wrong. In the midst of following a winning streak building off a 43-0 state championship run in 2010, I learned that it’s Martensdale-St. […]
Category: Travel
Sweet Auburn and the Kings
Reading time: 4 minutes The neighborhood wasn’t alluring in a touristy sort of way. Despite those including myself that flocked there in respect of one of the greatest Americans ever born, there were plenty of locals living a dream I would label a nightmare. “Buy me a cheese sandwich, just one cheese sandwich,” she uttered. I’m disappointed now that I […]
Two Trips and Three Fingers
(Nyesville, Indiana) – Nyesville, Indiana was once an active coal mining area. Located in west-central Indiana not far from the Illinois border, the area today is more noted for the annual Covered Bridge Festival that includes stops in nearby Rockville. I wouldn’t call it a tourist destination. I made trips on consecutive weekends to a town that no longer exists, […]
A Backstop of Memories
(Solon, Iowa) – A chain link fence sits just beyond second base. There was a time years ago when that barrier was a temporary snow fence, erected in the fall to keep football fans from entering the stadium anywhere other than the main gate. Just beyond that fence is a set of bleachers for the visiting team’s fans, most eventually witnessing defeat as […]