Category Archives: Uncategorized

It has been said that the four seasons in Mississippi are— almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas. I have friends who believe that the four seasons in Mississippi are— dove season, duck season, deer season, and turkey season. There are also people who would argue football season, basketball season, baseball season, and football pre-season.Continue reading “My Favorite Season”

L. Frank Baum nailed it when he penned the line, “There’s no place like home,” in his novel about the man behind the green curtain in land of Oz. Five truer words may never have been spoken. Home is where our lives grow fuller and richer. It’s one of the main sources of joy forContinue reading “Home Is Where the Realized Nouns Are”

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, TUSCANY— Yesterday I was having a conversation with one of my travel guests who was talking about being homesick when she was sent to camp as an eight-year-old. I tried to remember a time, over the past 61 years, when I might have been homesick. I have a vague memory of visiting some cousinsContinue reading “Restaurantsick”

Barberino-Tavarnelle, Tuscany— For the past 11 years I have spent considerable time in this region. Specifically in the two towns of Barberino and Tavarnelle in the Tuscan countryside exactly halfway between Florence and Siena. Over the past six years I have led over 600 people, in groups of 25 each, through European cites in SpainContinue reading “RSJ’s Tuscan Top Ten”

BARBERINO-TAVARNELLE, ITALY— Is it possible that one can fall in love with a town? I love my hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi— deeply— and can’t see myself living anywhere else. Ever. But I am a sixth-generation citizen in that part of the world. My roots are deep there. My history is long there. My businesses areContinue reading “Home Away From Home”

PETROGNANO, TUSCANY— A few months after my wife and I started dating, she wanted me to meet her grandmother. We set out on the road from Hattiesburg to north Louisiana, and I asked, “Where are we going?” “Shreveport,” she said. Around the time we got to Jackson, she said, “Actually, it’s in Minden, Louisiana.” AfterContinue reading “Sometimes I Feel Like a Magpie”

BARBERINO-TAVERNELLE, TUSCANY— There’s a big difference between a tour host and a tour guide. A tour guide goes through rigorous training for a particular city, region, or institution. They do a deep dive into history, dates, personalities, and minute details into towns and locales such as Florence, Italy. The detailed comprehension required to become certifiedContinue reading “It Takes A Village (or at least a couple of Dutch People and several Italians)”

ROME— If 2022 had a personal theme created specifically for me, it would be decorated in the green, white, and red of the Italian flag, have Louis Prima music playing in the background, as pasta was served, while I was packing a suitcase. It’s certainly been an Italio-centric year for me. I spent six weeksContinue reading “All Roads Lead to Rome, They Really Do”

Yesterday I entered my 62nd year on the planet. The thing about turning 61 years old is that I thought I would feel differently at this point in my life. I imagine— 40 years ago— when I looked at the prospect of hanging around for six decades, I probably thought I would feel like anContinue reading “The 32nd Anniversary of My 29th Birthday”