Out and About Blog by Norm Stutesman

This week’s column is a continuation of last week’s, so back to the campsite. Thursday, July 21, had a weather forecast of being extremely hot, with a chance of severe thunderstorms. I’m pretty sure that Mother Nature was at one time was a member of the military’s Delta Force. Delta Force has said, “You can run, but you can’t hide.” …

This week’s column actually deals with getting Out and About. What a concept! Ten years ago I used the column to inform you readers about things going on in and around St. Joe County, but like so many things, change happens. On July 17, my wife and I left for a week of camping at Yankee Springs, south of Grand …

Brad Sugars once said, “If you can’t be positive, at least be quiet.” You don’t have to look far to find negativity these days. A good example would be the current political campaigning that has been going on for at least six months, and will continue until election day next November. The constant mudslinging makes me think that perhaps we …

“The customer is always right” is a phrase that has been around for years. Ninety percent of the time, it’s the truth. Let’s concentrate for a moment on the other ten percent. The uninformed might become extremely upset because they were told that they were not allowed to bring outside food or beverages into an eating establishment. The customer thought …

Three Rivers has always been my hometown. I was raised here, then ventured out into the real world soon after graduation from high school. For the next thirty-three years, I lived in the Chicago area, Denver, and Las Vegas. I always thought of Three Rivers as my hometown because of the people and the sense of tranquility that made up …

We still have two months left before school starts, so if you’re undecided as where to go for that summer vacation, I strongly suggest that you stay right here in Michigan. There is so much to see and do, and you don’t need to spend a lot of money. If you’re interested in camping, there are plenty of state parks …

Probably one of the most popular words used today is “change”. “Change” is inevitable. We can’t move forward without “change”. I’ve never been a big fan of change, especially when it’s big. One of the obstacles that members of a civic organization must face is when a new member joins the group and comes up with an idea that involves …

One thing I’ve learned from doing this column is that my personal opinion on anything is better left unsaid. This pertains to topics on religion and politics most of the time. There are times that I find myself standing on that soapbox and expressing my feelings quite openly. After I prepare a column, I go back and review what I’ve …

I spent nine years working for a Japanese freight forwarder in Chicago. During those nine years, I was able to become familiar with the Japanese language, but not enough to follow the dialogue in foreign movies featuring Japanese actors. Thank God for movies like MIDWAY, where most of the script was in English. I am also a little familiar with …

Monday was Memorial Day, a day to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. There were several parades in St. Joseph County, which, hopefully, many of you attended. The parades, by tradition, or respect, were silent, which means that you shouldn’t have heard any sirens. In Three Rivers and Mendon, there was an honor guard …