John Wise

Watching the solo selfie crowd preen and pose in public while snapping three to five images of themselves has become my spectator sport. Tilt the head down or up? Do you add a pout or cock the head a bit off-center so your eyes look up from under the eyebrow? Slight smile or a toothy grin? Cup in the hand in the shot, or maybe shift the perspective to focus on a better background? These people/models are not taking these self-portraits for others; they are part of the portfolio of presenting themselves as a manufactured image of themselves that is most appealing to them. In effect, they are dating themselves.

Image created with Dall-E

Late last year, I found myself updating some old travel posts and verifying links I had included, only to find them leading nowhere. Many of the businesses that made an impact on us a dozen years ago have ceased operations as they must have been unsustainable. People die, tastes change, and the world evolves. I get all that, and I’ve typically embraced change, but something else is at work here in the United States, as many mom-and-pop operations haven’t weathered the times.

While particular destinations grow more and more popular to the point that Caroline and I no longer feel the same attraction, the traditional mom-and-pop businesses that serviced travelers are falling by the wayside.

After enough posts have been checked, when I’m looking for the same thing in Europe, I find that there’s a judicious number left. I’m verifying again and again that the majority of businesses we’ve visited in the past ten years are still open.

Disappointed that so many services that we’ve enjoyed here in the States are gone. I suppose it’s indicative of our form of capitalism that everything must churn and, ultimately, die.

Image created using Dall-E.