The Smokehound

Last night I went to the Filos Greek Taverna across from Pulaski Park.

Inside, it has a unique decor:

Generally you would associate pizza with Italian cuisine, but ya gotta try the pizza at this Greek joint. It is superb!

The first rays of the rising sun come pouring through the front windows of the Haymarket Cafe. You may notice that the New York Times is in front of me.

Despite their terrible bias and shameful abandonment of journalistic standards during the Trump era, the Times remains worth perusing. It still covers topics, whatever the spin, that other papers simply do not.

From the Haymarket I headed to the bus stop.

Soon I arrived in beautiful downtown Amherst.

I headed over to Amherst College to visit their library.

I was a few minutes early and the Robert Frost Library wasn't open yet, so I walked over to the nearby war memorial for those from Amherst College who died in the two world wars. It is one of our Valley's most beautiful spots.

On the giant marble disc is carved the names of the young patriots.

Some gave all.

While on the subject of untimely deaths, I must express my regret for the sudden departure of Eddie Gallagher. He used to live on Wilbraham Road near WNEU and his grandpa was a former chief of police. Eddie was also a good friend to my buddy Bodie Chesbro. God, he could be fun to hang with. His obituary doesn't say so, but before he went to college in Maine he did a few semesters at UMass. Eddie used to come by my dorm room 403 (O3 is the chemical symbol for ozone) in Cashin after his classes (or between them) and we'd have crazy pot parties. Damn he loved weed, so much so that we called him "The Smokehound."

My, oh my, what is becoming of my youthful companions?

Late night downtown stroll.