I like bacon. No, let me rephrase that. I love bacon. I like it crispy, and I like it by itself or as part of a greater whole. Bacon belongs on cheeseburgers. Bacon belongs on salads with ranch dressing. Bacon absolutely makes a BLT. Club sandwich without bacon? No thanks. Bacon on an omelet? Of course. Bacon with scrambled eggs. You betcha. Just a pile of bacon, heaped on my plate, when passing by the chafing dish in line at the hotel breakfast buffet? Don’t judge.
If you’ve ever been to either of Disney’s Magic Kingdom parks in the U.S., you’ve more than likely gone on one particular ride aimed at kids, whether you had any children with you or not. It’s an indoor ride, in a boat, in a dark building filled with barely-animatronic singing children from a variety of countries, and the same simple song plays the entire time you’re there. You’ve got it now, right? It has to do with the size of our planet. And, no, it’s not Pirates of the Caribbean.
After the publication of “Bats, Balls, & Burnouts” more than two years ago (has it really been that long?) I came to the realization that I’d basically just put a huge chunk of my past and my life on public display. Not all of it, but a lot. As you probably know, the original manuscript was so long it would have resembled the New York City phone book once it was published, so a lot of bits and stories ended up on the virtual editing room floor. And, having been a child of the 50s who went to college as a baseball player in the 70s, some of the more raucous stories were not suitable for family viewing. It was the 70s. And then the 80s. It’s just how it was.
So we just got back from a wonderful trip to Colorado, where we met the newest addition to the extended Doyle family. Little Maci Novotny not only lived up to the reviews and hype we’d been hearing, she outperformed them all. One of the sweetest little girls I’ve ever seen or met, and by far the least fussy little baby I’ve ever been around. I don’t think she cried for a total of two minutes the entire time we were there, and that was Friday to Monday. Such a sweetie, and her “rookie” parents Erin and Eric have taken to the assignment like seasoned pros.