(Photos by Jim Clash) It’s one thing to see a photo of a tornado, yet another to see the real thing. I grew up in Laurel, the...

Jim Clash and pilot “Bulldog,” canopy down, ready to taxi for their supersonic F-16 flight. (Photos by Art Harmon) At Eglin AFB near...

My granddad and I had a lot in common, including an uncanny proximity to famous race tracks Photos courtesy of Richard Friend Some of my...

(Photos courtesy of Jim Clash) It’s extremely rare for a civilian to score an edge-of-space ride in the backseat of a U-2 spy plane....

A 1992 tournament was supposed to be a relaxing break from a tumultuous year. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. The year 1992 was a memorable one...

All my life, I had wanted to witness a total solar eclipse. But it was always too cloudy, or I was someplace where the thing wasn’t...

I frequently reminisce with my mom, who will be turning 80 this September, about my childhood in Laurel in the 1970s and 80s. And until...

My late father once told me something about class reunions: For the 5-, 10- and even 20-year get-togethers, everyone will be bragging...

Father’s Day hits a bit differently for those of us whose fathers have sadly passed on. My dad, Al Friend, passed away in 2018—which has...

Sometimes, back then, the summer was really hot. Even the dogs, normally running, barking, and protecting our house from who knows what,...