The churches in Johns Creek are in the heart of the only part of summer that I didn’t much care for as a kid – the annual Vacation Bible School season.  Some churches around town have already made it through VBS, others are about to start.  But I promise you, within each class there is at least one kid who doesn’t understand why he’s there. It’s not that I really minded going to church as a kid.  Like most kids, I was fairly apathetic about the whole thing.  It was no big deal to give up an hour for Sunday School and an hour for services each Sunday, though I didn’t mind when we occasionally …

A young, mortally wounded militiaman lay still, clutching his muzzleloader as the Redcoats stepped over him – pressing on toward the heart of Charleston. His last thoughts were of his family back in the colony of Georgia. Though breathing was getting harder for him, the pain was easing now – the light was before him.  He closed his eyes and faded away. “No Man’s Land” seemed an endless stretch of mud and blood-soaked French countryside. The “Doughboy” – cut down by the Kaiser’s soldiers during a futile charge – knew he would never see home again.  His only concern was how they would tell his …

It was one of those warm, pleasant nights in Johns Creek this week and I was puffing on a very nice Avo Uvezian out on the deck. Charlie was grumbling a bit more than usual despite his favorite pacifier – a large Milkbone dog treat.  I knew what he was irritated about.  His visit to the vet for a check-up this week was of the unfavorable “probing” nature. “Felt like a victim of an alien abduction,” he snarled. “I know,” I responded. “How, Dude,” he asked indignantly.  “How could you possibly know?” “I had to visit the bank this week,” I replied.  “They needed to ‘update’ my info.” “Didn’t see…

The guy that owns my favorite cigar shop in Johns Creek has a great “man cave” in the back; a room decorated with overstuffed leather chairs surrounded by a tasteful collection of art to enhance the cigar smoker motif – and a killer big screen TV. A few of us, his loyal clients, congregate from time to time to burn a few leaves and sort out the concerns of the day.  Yesterday we were discussing the passing of Mike Wallace and Dick Clark.  Someone mentioned that old adage that celebrities and other noteworthy people always pass in groups of three. I mentioned Levon Helms, drummer for The Band…

It was Friday afternoon.  I was driving back to Johns Creek after working on an investigation in Dawsonville when I decided to stop for gas at the Kroger on GA-400 and Highway 53.  As I turned into the parking lot I noticed long lines leading to the gas pumps…then I noticed why. Gas was $3.49 per gallon!  It seemed that a new RaceTrac down the road had started an old fashioned gas war and people were lining up to take advantage of the low prices.  And that’s when it occurred to me; we let our tendencies to acclimate override our common sense. Remember how, just a few months ago, the thought …

Charlie and I were on the deck, last night, indulging in our favorite vices – an Avo Uvezian Churchill for me and a Milk-Bone for him. We had just finished dinner. Since it was the evening of St. Patrick’s Day we, naturally, had Chinese takeout. After a while of relaxing in the warm night air, Charlie did his characteristic dog stretch and yawned, then sat up from his treat and looked at me. “Hot today, wasn’t it, Dude?” “It was a bit warm,” I replied, “which surprises me.” “Why do you say that?” Charlie asked. “Well, I’m still waiting on winter,” I answered.  “What?” “Remember last year and …

I was sitting at the counter of the Johns Creek Waffle House the other morning, having a cup of coffee… and, of course, a waffle. A retired man was seated just around the corner of the counter reading a newspaper – and kindly offered a section to me.  After a few minutes he spoke, making a sweeping declaration of the general state of things in society. “No one takes responsibility anymore,” he said, “no commitment.” I agreed as I took another sip of coffee and flipped to the back of the business section of the newspaper. “Like marriage,” he said as he dropped his paper and looked directly at …

The fragrance of red roses fills the air at quiet, little rendezvous spots all over Johns Creek.  Intoxicating bubbles of champagne rise through crystal flutes reflecting the warm, seductive candlelight of this most romantic of evenings. It is Valentine’s Day and the night is filled with intimate anticipation, hot flirtation … and private “eyes” watching through zoom lenses. As a private investigator, I can tell you that, traditionally, Valentine’s Day is the busiest time of the year for us, thanks to cheating lovers.  Work in “domestic cases” – the term the court system uses for “divorce …

I was down on 2nd Avenue in Nashville the other day, working an investigation for a client. I decided to grab a hamburger at one of the “nighttime hotspots” that are open during the daylight hours since they aren’t very crowded around lunchtime. I stepped into B.B. King’s Blues Club and was not disappointed.  This jazz saloon, with its roughed-out brick walls and eclectic artwork, serves up some of the best musical entertainment in town every night – and that’s saying a lot in Nashville. But unbeknownst to most, the Blues Club also serves up some of the best food during the day – and it made …

Now that we’re a couple of weeks into the New Year, I’m noticing fewer and fewer joggers in Johns Creek. It’s not the weather. True runners hit the pavement rain or shine, snow or sleet like postal carriers in days of yore. No, this is the beginning of the annual New Year’s Resolution Fade. Those year-end promises to do, be or generally act better are beginning to wane.  The most obvious tend to be the joggers. Their progress can be seen in public. But there are others less overt; the wannabe weight-losers, future non-smokers, “new leaf” do-gooders, etc. All have the best of intentions at the…

I have to say, 2011 was a weird, interesting, frustrating and revealing year — all at once. And I’m glad to see it fade into history. So, what do we have to look forward to in Johns Creek in 2012? Well, it’s still too murky to successfully predict, but it would seem that 2012 will have more guns and witness a strange political finish as well as the end of time — or perhaps just an era — I don’t know, the experts are undecided. Starting the New Year with a bang! Here’s an interesting bit of statistical bread crust for your New Year’s Day meal. The Federal Bureau of Investigation processed more…

Each year, at some point amid the food, fun, family and festivities between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I have a tendency to find myself a quiet place, settle in with a cup of coffee and a fine cigar and take a walk back through some old holiday memories. This year I wandered across Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and singing cowboy legend Gene Autry. As a TV news reporter in Dallas in the 1980s, I was assigned to interview Mr. Autry – or, as he told me with his famous smile, “It’s Gene. That’s what my friends call me.” Now, like millions of kids, I grew up hearing his hit songs on the …

I’ve been talking with a number of Johns Creek business owners and store managers over the last few weeks and they generally agree – the Christmas buying season has been "soft" so far.  And many are worried. They see a lot of customers “just looking” but not really buying. And those that are buying are buying much less than usual for this time of year … which is very unsettling to small business owners, given the fact that those Christmas season numbers have been getting weaker over the past few years. For example, like most of their colleagues in sister stores around the area, some of the …

Like everywhere else, this “short week” in Johns Creek is the start of the annual month-long holiday shopping season – even though that tradition seems to start earlier and earlier each year.  I think Labor Day is now considered the official start of the Christmas shopping season, though I hear the shopping mall and retail lobbyists in D.C. are pushing for a “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” fireworks display at the annual Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall, preferably near the Washington Monument. That would allow for the hanging of commercial sponsors’ banners from the great …

It was certainly a pleasure speaking with those of you who dropped by Johns Creek Precinct 17 to cast your ballots during last week’s election.  I’ve been an election official there for some time now and those of us who work the precinct always enjoy visiting with the voters who take a moment to exercise their basic right as Americans by casting a ballot on Election Day.  In fact, many of you fall under the heading of “regulars” to us; we’ve seen you every time we open the polls and have come to recognize you even before you get your identification out and sign off on your paperwork. It was …

Our dog, Charlie, and I were sitting out on the deck the other evening enjoying the brisk autumn night when I mentioned how I have always liked this time of year. “I know what you mean, Dude,” Charlie replied. “The air is nice and crisp, there are some really great smells floating on the cool breezes – burning leaves, steaks on the grill and those wood-burning, open pit fireplaces like the one we fire up most nights – and the rabbits even seem to run a little faster this time of year; makes the hunt more interesting.” For Charlie, being a beagle, that’s a big deal. “Yeah, I like the smell of …

I’ve worked as a poll clerk in Fulton County for several years now, watching the election process at the grassroots level in Johns Creek.  I’ve encountered a lot of good people – usually the same ones every election. Traditionally, each time those of us at Johns Creek Precinct 17 open the polls on Election Day we try to guess how many voters will turn out.  It’s just a thing we do – like office workers guessing the gender, weight and birth date of an expectant co-worker’s soon-to-be-born baby.  I’m very happy to say that, generally speaking, the voters in Johns Creek tend to turn out in …

I recall, as a kid, looking forward to the “book mobile” at school.  Once or twice a year, in my small east Texas town, that big trailer would appear in the school parking lot on a bright, clear morning – or maybe it just seemed like it was always a bright, clear morning – and our class would get to go and peruse the latest books for sale.  You got to buy anything you wanted.  All you needed was money, and it was one of those rare times that my parents, especially my mom, who happened to be a school teacher, never baulked at a request for a few dollars.  Money for a book was never a problem…

The other night, while Charlie and I sat outside noticing how much cooler it has finally become in the evenings, Charlie looked up at me as he lay on the deck crunching away on his Milkbone treat. “Dude, what’s on your mind?” He always calls me Dude, “You look like you’re a thousand miles away.” “Naw,” I said, “I’m still local – sort of.” “Whaddaya mean?” “Well, I was trying to figure something out,” I replied. He sat up, “What is it?” “People,” I answered.  “More specifically, the attitude some people have.” “Ah, man, don’t get me started,” said Charlie. “I was talking with a few folks in …

Business, as it frequently does, sent me flying his week. And as usual, it was an adventure in commercial air travel – where each flight turns into The Little Shop of Horrors at altitude. There was a time when I enjoyed flying – I even became a pilot when I was younger.  Yes, boys and girls, once upon a time commercial air travel was a joy...and a cinch. It was great: the feeling of being above it all, getting that bird’s eye view of the world and not dealing with the vehicles on the road. I enjoyed getting where I was going in a hurry and with little hassle. Then it started getting stupid – …