Walks in the Woods
News of the World, Puccini Restaurant, The Band, Ted Williams, Curb Kicked
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue features my five favorite footpaths, a harrowing 400-mile journey, a house used as a Civil War hospital, the band that backed Bob Dylan when he went electric, a legendary left-handed hitter, and curbside dining. I hope you enjoy the picks and pics.
Fave Five 48: Walks in the Woods. Captain Kidd (News of the World), Historic House (Puccini Restaurant), Robbie Robertson (The Band), Splendid Splinter (Ted Williams), and Curb Kicked.
Fave Five Lists: Walks in the Woods
For over 40 years I have tried to walk outside for at least one hour a day. On Sunday I completed my annual circumnavigation of Kent Lake in Milford, Lyon, and Green Oak Townships. It is 8.5 miles long and now takes me 3 hours, although it used to take 2.5 hours when I first completed it years ago. I don’t think the path is any longer now, so I must be slowing down.
This reminded me of another circumnavigation, this time of an entire nation rather than a lake. In 2018, I walked around the entire Vatican City, the smallest country in the world.
Five Favorite Footpaths
Here are my favorite woods to walk in near Northville, Michigan.
Maybury Hiking Trail Loop - this trail around the pond pictured above is the one closest to my home and I walk it frequently. Maybury State Park was once the site of a tuberculosis sanatorium.
Hines Park Trail - this trail starts in Northville, and I have walked its many sections. I have hiked the entire 17.5-mile length starting in Dearborn the last two years, and I plan to continue doing so every October in memory of Max Bromley.
Bennett Arboretum Pathway - parallels Sheldon Road from Seven Mile Road in Northville to Five Mile Road in Plymouth. It is nicely wooded and includes hills and bridges.
Bennett Arboretum Trail - in the woods between Hines Drive and Sheldon Road, part of a cross-country course that includes a shoe tree tribute to the great retired English teacher Chris Cronin of Northville High School, who was an outstanding coach in cross-country, track, golf, and basketball.
Kent Lake Loop - I have walked sections of this Kensington Metropark trail many times, biked around it several times, and walked its entire length annually. Barb’s sailboat is in Kent Lake, so I often walk while she sails there.
Book Best Bet
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
This is another one recommended by my sister Joan. I liked the story, the characters, and the setting. The movie version starring Tom Hanks was a faithful adaptation.
From Amazon: National Book Award Finalist—Fiction
In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction from the author of Enemy Women that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.
In the wake of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news of the world. An elderly widower who has lived through three wars and fought in two of them, the captain enjoys his rootless, solitary existence.
In Wichita Falls, he is offered a $50 gold piece to deliver a young orphan to her relatives in San Antonio. Four years earlier, a band of Kiowa raiders killed Johanna’s parents and sister; sparing the little girl, they raised her as one of their own. Recently rescued by the U.S. army, the ten-year-old has once again been torn away from the only home she knows.
Their 400-mile journey south through unsettled territory and unforgiving terrain proves difficult and at times dangerous. Johanna has forgotten the English language, tries to escape at every opportunity, throws away her shoes, and refuses to act “civilized.” Yet as the miles pass, the two lonely survivors tentatively begin to trust each other, forming a bond that marks the difference between life and death in this treacherous land.
Arriving in San Antonio, the reunion is neither happy nor welcome. The captain must hand Johanna over to an aunt and uncle she does not remember—strangers who regard her as an unwanted burden. A respectable man, Captain Kidd is faced with a terrible choice: abandon the girl to her fate or become—in the eyes of the law—a kidnapper himself.
Restaurant Recommendation
Puccini Restaurant 12901 Ali Ghan Rd NE, Cumberland, MD 21502
On our drive east from Columbus, Ohio, Barb and I stopped for lunch in Cumberland, Maryland. I looked for a non-chain restaurant, and this one looked very popular. We grabbed one of the last tables available outside and enjoyed a fine meal served at a leisurely pace.
When in Maryland, even Western Maryland, take advantage of crab. I started with house-made cream of crab soup: rich and delicately seasoned soup with morsels of crab meat. It was excellent.
I followed with a Chesapeake pizza: crab dip based with baby shrimp, tomato slices, cheese and basil. It was light and nicely done.
Barb ordered the crab cake sandwich: 5 oz. house made jumbo lump crab cake on a kaiser roll with lettuce and tomato, served with a taste of Rosie's coleslaw. Not bad.
From the restaurant: Casual dining in a historic setting, famous for its wood fired pizza and hometown friendliness.
History Highlights
1819: The house was built by Jacob Hoblitzel, on land that was a grant to Colonel William Lamar after the Revolutionary War.
August 1st, 1864: The Battle of Folk’s Mill took place adjacent to the property.
August 2nd, 1864: The house, then owned by George Hinkle, was used as a temporary hospital for Union & Confederate soldiers.
Marvelous Musicians
Robbie Robertson died on August 9. 2023. I featured his autobiography recently and promised to write about his music. With Robbie’s passing, Garth Hudson, who turned 86 on August 2, is the only remaining living member of the original lineup.
My sister Joan introduced me to The Band through their first two albums, Music from Big Pink and The Band, which sounded so distinctive and compelling. My brother David and I later bought Stage Fright.
All of the songs on their 1969 self-titled second album are great:
Across the Great Divide
Rag Mama Rag
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
When You Awake
Up on Cripple Creek
Whispering Pines
Jemima Surrender
Rockin' Chair
Look Out Cleveland
Jawbone
The Unfaithful Servant
King Harvest (Has Surely Come)
I love their unique and appealing music. It will endure forever.
From Wikipedia: The Band was a Canadian-American roots rock group including Rick Danko (bass guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (keyboards, drums, vocals), Robbie Robertson (guitar, vocals), and Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar). Between 1958 and 1963, they originally formed as The Hawks, a backing band for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins. In the mid-1960s they gained recognition backing Bob Dylan, and the 1966 tour was notable as Dylan’s first with an electric band. After leaving Dylan and changing their name to the Band, they released several albums to critical and popular acclaim, highlighted by the songs "The Weight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."
According to AllMusic, "For roughly half-a-decade, from 1968 through 1975, the Band were one of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world." Music critic Bruce Eder described the Band as "one of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world, their music embraced by critics ... as seriously as the music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones." The Band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them 50th on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time, and ranked "The Weight" 41st on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. In 2008, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, they were inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson OC (born July 5, 1943 in Toronto; died August 9, 2023 in Los Angeles) was a Canadian musician. He was lead guitarist for Bob Dylan in the mid-late 1960s and early-to-mid 1970s, guitarist and songwriter with the Band from their inception until 1978, and a solo artist.
Robertson's work with the Band was instrumental in creating the Americana music genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as a member of the Band, and into Canada's Walk of Fame, with the Band and on his own. He is ranked 59th in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitarists. He wrote "The Weight", "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", and "Up on Cripple Creek" with the Band and had solo hits with "Broken Arrow" and "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", and many others. He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters.
Robertson collaborated on film and TV soundtracks, usually with director Martin Scorsese, beginning in the rockumentary film The Last Waltz (1978) and continuing through dramatic films including Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), Casino (1995), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Irishman (2019), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).
Media
The Weight
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Across The Great Divide
My Playlist
Sports Star
On this date 105 years ago, Ted was born. He is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four decades.
Ted Williams, the Splendid Splinter, was the game's greatest left-handed hitter. He was my dad's favorite player—they were born in the same year. As a budding baseball fan in Omaha, I sent Ted a letter asking for an autographed photo, which he sent me. I never saw him play in person, but I saw him on television in his final season, 1960.
Ted was the last player to hit over .400 for a season. His career was interrupted twice by military service, during World War II and the Korean War, or he would have amassed even greater career numbers.
From Wikipedia: Theodore Samuel Williams (born August 30, 1918 in San Diego; died July 5, 2002 in Inverness, Florida) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960; his career was interrupted by military service during World War II and the Korean War. Nicknamed "Teddy Ballgame", "the Kid", "the Splendid Splinter", and "The Thumper", Williams is regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history and to date is the last player to hit over .400 in a season. His .482 on-base percentage is the highest of all time.
Williams was a nineteen-time All-Star, a two-time recipient of the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award, a six-time AL batting champion, and a two-time Triple Crown winner. He finished his playing career with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs, and a 1.116 on-base plus slugging percentage, the second highest of all time. His career batting average is the highest of any MLB player whose career was played primarily in the live-ball era, and ranks tied for 10th all-time with Billy Hamilton, a dead-ball era player.
Born and raised in San Diego, Williams played baseball throughout his youth. After joining the Red Sox in 1939, he immediately emerged as one of the sport's best hitters. In 1941, Williams posted a .406 batting average; he is the last MLB player to bat over .400 in a season. He followed this up by winning his first Triple Crown in 1942. Williams was required to interrupt his baseball career in 1943 to serve three years in the United States Navy and Marine Corps during World War II. Upon returning to MLB in 1946, Williams won his first AL MVP Award and played in his only World Series. In 1947, he won his second Triple Crown. Williams was returned to active military duty for portions of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve as a Marine combat aviator in the Korean War. In 1957 and 1958 at the ages of 39 and 40, respectively, he was the AL batting champion for the fifth and sixth time.
Williams retired from playing in 1960. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, in his first year of eligibility. Williams managed the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise from 1969 to 1972. An avid sport fisherman, he hosted a television program about fishing, and was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame. Williams's involvement in the Jimmy Fund helped raise millions in dollars for cancer care and research. In 1991, President George H. W. Bush presented Williams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award bestowed by the United States government. He was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Time Team in 1997 and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 1966. In his induction speech, Williams included a statement calling for the recognition of the great Negro leagues players: “I've been a very lucky guy to have worn a baseball uniform, and I hope someday the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in some way can be added as a symbol of the great Negro players who are not here only because they weren't given a chance.” When Pumpsie Green became the first black player on the Red Sox—the last major league team to integrate—in 1959, Williams openly welcomed Green.
Williams ended his career with a home run in his last at-bat on September 28, 1960. He refused to salute the fans as he returned to the dugout after he crossed home plate or after he was replaced in left field by Carroll Hardy. In 1991, on Ted Williams Day at Fenway Park, Williams pulled a Red Sox cap from out of his jacket and tipped it to the crowd. This was the first time that he had done so since his earliest days as a player.
Career Highlights
Picture Pun
All I wanted was a seat at the table, but instead, I was kicked to the curb.
