Tuscaloosa’s Riverwalk
On game days in Tuscaloosa, traffic grinds to a chaotic crawl as some 100,000 fans converge on the west-central Alabama town’s football stadium. However, during the other 350 or so days of the year, residents and visitors seek out other diversions, including the town’s libraries,…
Holiday Weight Gain? It’s Ozemplicated
BOOMers, it’s a challenge we face every November/December during the Season of Justifiable Over-Indulgence. We know (with rare exception, and I’m jealous of THOSE people) we’re likely to add a pound or 10 to our weight. Putting it on is effortless. We continuously seek an...
Living Well on Less
When Carla and Bill Simmons downsized from a large suburban home to a cozy two-bedroom condo, their friends expected them to feel deprived. Instead, they felt lighter — financially and emotionally. Without the big mortgage, endless rooms to clean, and constant home repairs, the couple...
Historic Fryemont Inn
There’s a distinct difference between North Carolina’s Fryemont Inn and just about any modern hotel. The run-of-the-mill hotel, regardless of its glamour, brand or rate, will never exhibit a “Book of Memories” on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. But Fryemont’s grateful innkeepers...
Gravy-Stained Gratitude
November has a funny way of sneaking up on us. One minute we’re sweating through early fall football games, and the next we’re Googling “how to thaw a turkey” and wondering where we stashed the good tablecloth (and if the cranberry stain from 2019 still...
BOOM! COVER PROFILE: Martha Smith
Martha’s story is one of faith, resilience, and deep compassion. A longtime Montgomery resident, she treasures the city’s small-town warmth and connections. Her 27-year career in community banking not only built her confidence but also taught her the importance of caring for others—a passion she...
Fly Fishing the Smokies
If we’re shooting a movie, it’ll be a cross between Deliverance and Hawaii Five-O. A scene from Deliverance was allegedly filmed nearby, but skipping over the lake at forty miles per hour is more like a scene from Hawaii Five-0… minus the sunshine. Storm clouds...
To Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave
One hundred years ago, tragedy struck at the site of what is now Mammoth Cave National Park. Nevertheless, the heartbreaking incident led to nationwide recognition of the astonishing cave system and the surrounding area. With over 420 miles of mapped passageways, it’s the largest known...
Where’s Johnny?
It was the original “must-see” TV. The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Two decades after his death, Carson’s name remains in the news. For 30 years, he was the gold standard in late-night TV. For 30 years, he drew tens of millions of Americans (when...
Trunk or Treat Turmoil
Halloween used to be simple. Throw on a sheet, cut out two eyeholes, and you were a ghost. Done. These days? Every kid looks like they just stepped off a movie set with costumes that cost more than my first car. I’m out here duct-taping...