The only smoking I can advocate anymore is back on the grill deck and any time I need a quiet escape from the rest of world that's my "go to" place. Outside of a good smoker and some hickory wood there are only two things you need when it comes to BBQ...

One thing great about having a teenager in the house is that I get to see all the summer adventure movies that come out. My kid Molly, loves the Marvel Comics series so we've seen The Avengers, Spiderman and the latest epic adventure of Batman –...

This past Saturday our great escape weekend included a car trip to the historic Elms Hotel in Excelsior Springs for the 6th Annual Missouri Wine Festival. The game plan was to learn some more about our native vineyards from the people who know best, try...

Our great ESCAPE weekend included a birthday swim party for 8 teen-aged special needs kids at the neighborhood pool. Having a child with Down syndrome, we're somewhat experienced in this area but watching other people's children in a pool takes a little...

One thing I've always wanted to do is Run with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain and this past weekend we did the Kansas City version of that event but it was much safer. This event was the 1st Annual Running of the Bull-e-vard (as in Southwest Blvd)...

Last Friday we kicked off the weekend in style by cutting work for the day and opting instead for golf. Not just any old golf mind you but the annual Douglas County Benefit Golf Tournament for Special Olympics. Our team score did not win the tournament;...

It was another spectacular Great Escape weekend and this one was right in my hometown - Overland Park! I'm talking about the 2-day free concert at Corporate Woods called "Jazz In The Woods". Every year we look forward to grabbing a lawn chair and a...

I found the perfect way to start my GREAT ESCAPE weekend … the 16th Annual Gladstone Blues Festival kicked off Friday evening in Oak Grove Park with Alice 102 Local Edition band The Nace Brothers. We listened to some great blues-rock and watched a...

Stay-Cations are the best of all worlds! No packing, no running, no airports, no overpriced bad hotel food and no long car trips! We have the best of all worlds right in our own home. Our neighborhood opens the pool on Memorial Day Weekend and it...

There's a list of famous movies I've never seen for one reason or another. I refused to watch "Gone With The Wind" on a regular television and waited till it came to out as a special viewing at a local theatre a couple years ago … I'm glad I...

I'm a city slicker kid born & raised but a couple times of year my friend Brad saves me by taking me out to the country and letting me work the land. He's a city kid too but was raised on a farm and he now owns a couple hundred acres about an hour south...

This weekend I just had to get away from it all … I needed to go someplace that was relaxing and peaceful; not necessarily away from the hustle of the city but someplace that would take my brain in a new direction and I found the spot. When it...

Hey, it's Thom here to tell you how I "escape the ordinary" with CommunityAmerica. Check this blog weekly and join in the discussion! Sometimes bad weather is a good thing and Sunday's rain was a true gift in our house. It shut down the...