The-Vast-Night-Of-Fear-Bob Davis Podcast 937

Vast Night Of Fear and Peak Summer Days

Firstly these peak summer days make me reminisce. We’re going to do that and more in The-Vast-Night-Of-Fear-Bob Davis Podcast 937.

Lot On My Mind

Secondly done a lot of political podcasts this month. Time for an easy talker. No prep. Or plan. Just what’s on my mind.

Striking A Perfect Chord

To begin with I watched a movie the other night that really struck the perfect chord for the times we’re living through.

The Vast Of Night

Certainly you should check out The Vast of Night when you get the chance.

Anger Incubator

In the same vein I noticed a news story the other day that says America is an ‘Anger Incubator’. Even more it reminded me of a recent podcast this month which wondered whether we’re all delirious. You can hear it here.

Find out more in The-Vast-Night-Of-Fear-Bob Davis Podcast 937.

Is Fear The Root of Our Anger?

In addition rather than anger I submit America is really an incubator of fear right now. Fear is what drives the anger.

And this is why, for instance, The Vast of Night is so good.

Perfect Summer Days Are A Contrast

But on the other hand, when we hit one of these perfect summer days, it gives me some perspective. Even more it strikes me as strange that we’re living in caldron of fear and anger with the wind in the trees and the sound of cicadas.

Sounds, Smells and Sights of Summer

Even the sound of a train rolling through the neighborhood reminds me of times past. Similarly, the feel of burnt grass or warm asphalt under my bare feet

And the smells! Right after a thunderstorm. In the early morning hours.

Do We Control Outcomes?

Finally, I think our fears are related to the certainty we can’t control outcomes right now. Not even a little.

Embrace The Heat

In conclusion it’s a short summer in the upper Midwest. Embrace the heat. Sleep with the windows open. Get out in the vast night and capture a look at the stars. Share it with someone before the heat leaves us.

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The-Vast-Night-Of-Fear-Bob Davis Podcast 937

Missouri Storm Chaser Steven Coy-Podcast 634

First Road Trip of the summer in effect! I’ve been very interested in Storm Chasing as a sub culture for a while. Lots of storm chasers these days. Steven Coy is just 21 years old, but already an experienced storm chaser. We join Steven in his hometown of Stover Missouri, and on his family’s farm which turns out to be a great place to chase a storm. In Missouri Storm Chaser Steven Coy-Podcast 634.

Storm Chasing Ground Zero

As Wall Street is to finance, Hollywood is to the film industry, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma are to storm chasing. OU student and avid chaser Steven Coy is deceptively young. I say deceptively because his experience and knowledge become obvious in this podcast.

An Interview and a Storm to Chase

Steven Coy talks about his interest in storm chasing. His heroesMissouri Storm Chasers FaceBook page is over eighty thousand strong these days. No hype on the FB page. Just good content to let people know about potential threats. Stover is in a ‘blind spot’ for radars at regional centers. Storm chasers like Coy perform a service for locals.

They Call Him The Weatherman

It is Saturday. Mobile Podcast Command is parked at the local storage facility on the west side of Stover, Missouri. Steven and his mom show up for the interview. After, the Coys invite me out to the family homestead a few miles outside of town. Not wanting to impose, I decline. A few minutes later they are back. In Missouri Storm Chaser Steven Coy-Podcast 634.

Chasing On Foot

Ok, off 6 miles down the road. Then a gravel road. Then a rutted driveway. A few hundred feet more. Twenty minutes later we are out by the shed. Here on the back 40, or the front 40 if you take Steven’s mom’s word for it. A vista from which to chase “on foot” as Steven says. This is where he takes a lot of photographs.

Coy Delivers

With a practiced eye and a little help from an extensive radar application on his phone, Coy precisely predicts the path of the storm. It will come right to us he says. When the storm hits, right on schedule, we head for the horse barn to take cover and take pictures. Steven measures wind velocity at 78.5 miles per hour. I thought the building was about to come down. He calls it in to the weather service. They sound skeptical. Later we hear about damage in a nearby town consistent with that windspeed.

I get an education about the nature of these thunderstorms, what causes tornados and how they form. When the storm clears, it’s time to wrap it up. From here it’s onto Oklahoma, and more hail. Thanks to Steven and the Coy family for making sure I was safe during the storm. There’s a lot of unwarranted criticism these days of young people. Steven Coy is one young person doing what he loves and learning everyday. By the way, Steven’s mom days if you leave their house hungry, it’s your own damn fault!

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Missouri Storm Chaser Steven Coy-Podcast 634

Planning First Summer Road Trip-Storm Chasing-Podcast 632

Americans are allowing themselves to disregard most of the news they don’t agree with. Everything is ‘fake news’, unless it tells me what I want to hear. For those addicted, disengaging is nearly impossible. It’s important to realize in a concrete way, there is another world out there. There are many escapes. One of the best is travel. Time to prepare to head out in Planning First Summer Road Trip-Storm Chasing-Podcast 632.

Getting Ready

Planning the trip. The moment before the trip begins is almost as fun as the trip itself. Makes me recall getting ready for camping trips as a boy. Everything laid out on the floor for packing in the back pack. Calling friends and figuring out what everyone was bringing. What we would be cooking over the open fire.

Storm Chasing

This Memorial Day weekend I am Storm Chasing! Many things on this week’s check list. Getting Mobile Podcast Command checked out. Renewing my drivers license. Getting a haircut so I can do my You Tube videos. Loading in the sound board, microphones, the office stuff, and the food. Double and triple checking.

Into The Belly Of The Beast

Some of the underrated but fertile Tornado Chasing areas include Southeastern Iowa, Northeastern Kansas, Eastern Arkansas and Western Texas. Then the standard destinations for Storm Chasers. Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. We will chase the storm chasers and get an idea of what this tribe is all about these days. In Planning First Summer Road Trip-Storm Chasing-Podcast 632.

Nature’s Summer Show

Storms are obviously bigger than all of us. Uncontrollable. Following these storms takes you through rural America. Two lane roads. Farm roads. Small towns across the Midwest and Mid South. Places made famous during the Bonnie and Clyde era. Places generally forgotten but magnificent in their own way.

It’s All About Anticipation

Join me planning the first three legs of this summer trip, with a hint of what is to come after. This isn’t a vacation. This is how the Bob Davis Podcasts works on the road. No talking heads. No one telling me what to think. Nothing but the open road, a clean windshield and fuel tanks full. (Editor’s Note: A few hours after posting this podcast I realized I referred to the movie ‘Twister‘ as ‘Tornado‘. What was I thinking? Maybe ‘Sharknado‘? LOL)

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Planning First Summer Road Trip-Storm Chasing-Podcast 632