July 16, 2026 – Along the Mill Brook
Here I am at my comfortable workstation, my deck along the Mill Brook in Waitsfield, Vermont. My DCI tour plans have been thrown into disarray. Once again, with reckless abandon, I have decided to scrap the North Carolina tour for the DCI Southwest Championship in the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. Several reasons have led to this change, including the need to connect with the friends of the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps (BAC).
The motivation was watching a YouTube video, “Building a Champion (Extended Cut).” As the tears began to stream, I reflected on the amazing 10-year relationship I have had with those featured in the video since hooking up my wagon with their band back in 2017. I will expound on that story later.
Boston Crusaders finals night 2017.
I last left you back in California following the DCI Rose Bowl, Western Connection, and Gold Showcase competitions. What a pleasure to have experienced the awesome corps out west as well as the Bluecoats, who have honed their 2026 program California style, victoriously sweeping and posting the highest scores so far in the DCI rankings. Now, I need to see the other corps. Snippets, posts, and views online have only whetted my appetite. The DCI Southwest Championships will go a long way to bringing me up to speed quickly. So what if it is thousands of miles away? The wings of man, so far, have been good to me.
My return flight from San Diego to Albany was complimentary thanks to a little help from my friend. However, being on standby required a quick rebooking, but Kelly at Southwest customer service worked magic. She successfully got me there in time to head back to Burlington for an appointment with my cardiologist, Dr. Bob.
Bob and his team corrected a blocked coronary artery in 2020 with a stent, and successfully corrected my Afib with an ablation in April this year. Last year, I took a reset, canceling my Colorado trip due to the anxiety and effects of the irregular rhythm of life. This year, I feel like a million bucks (maybe a billion with inflation since that term was coined), so I am resetting my tour to take on the Texas heat.
The University of Vermont Medical Center utilizes the newest technology, PFA (pulse frequency ablation), as Bob described. In my checked-in bag, I had four bottles of Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing, so I gifted two to Bob, who was very grateful. I said, “No paybacks, just keep fixing people.”
Catching up with the Number Nine Schoolhouse board members, connecting with friends for dinner up on the mountain at the Mad River Glen Ski Area pub, connecting with family by drop-in at work, emails, and texts, I now feel good heading west again for DCI. I will be trusting the wings of man again with an early flight out to Texas tomorrow with one small bag, UBER app, and a credit card. I put out some feelers to others I hope to connect with and get to a rehearsal before the show. Wish me luck.
MORE FROM DRUM CORPS 2026