A.G.E's Joint

Cherished memories? Given the holiday theme. you would think I would go all mushy about great family times, or special presents (like the purple Schwinn Fastback I got when I was 10), or whatnot.  But if you have been reading me for any length of time, you know I don't get into the cinnamon and clove falseness of the Feast of Conspicuous Consumption. My hero was pre-ghost Ebeneezer Scrooge and his wise words about pocket-picking.  That said, I do have an interesting story. The week after Christmas 1979, I was scanning the want ads in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before lining my cat box with them. My eye landed on a 4-line one for an Accounting Clerk, if interested call this number. Well, I was unemployed at the time and while I still had a little money in the bank, I didn't see that holding out for much more than a couple of months. So, I called. The perky secretary told me to bring my resume up the day after New Years.  The office was on the third floor of an offic...

I like to hike. Let me rephrase that: I like to hike the unusual places. To find the little pockets of heaven stuck in the pits of hell. They are out there. All you have to do is look. A good example is the  South Peachtree Creek Trail . Tucked between two busy roads near Emory University, it runs in a old growth oak forest that makes you forget the world. I recently did another trail fitting this description:  Doll's Head Trail . It is located in Constitution Lakes Park, created from some abandoned industrial land in a somewhat desolate area of Southeast Atlanta. The park itself is a mix of low wetlands and fairly new growth forest tucked along 1/4 mile of railroad. The Doll's Head Loop is part of a longer trail called Rail Ridge. It is an art project begun in 2011, using discarded toys and building materials to make you stop and think. As the sign says, there is poison ivy and other nasty invasive plants here, so bushwhack at your peril. Most of the display...