November 30, 2025

PILGRIM’S PROGRESS!

HOWDY PILGRIMS! (Do you think John Wayne said this to the 102 passengers who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620?) You never know. In any case, I hope you and yours had a delightful Thanksgiving. We had a large family get-together and a big turkey. (I’m not referring to myself here!) Our feast was wonderful and during dinner I entertained my fellow pilgrims with some edifying information about the holiday we were celebrating.

For instance… did you know that turkey was probably not on the menu at the first feast? (Too hard to catch or kill, and a pain in the butt to cook.) In all likelihood, the pilgrims and Indians ordered take-out. (whatever they could take out of the stream) Maybe they had Chinese. You never know. Nowadays, Americans eat about 46 million turkeys on Thanksgiving… and 50 million pumpkin pies! Gooble gooble!

Would you like to guess which US president made Thanksgiving a national holiday? (Here we have a number of turkeys to choose from!) If you said Abe Lincoln, you’re right! (Biden and Trump were the first to offer a pardon to every turkey in the country!) Do you think that was a “fowl” joke?

Lest I forget, I should say a word or two about last Friday’s football game between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. As some of you know, I hold 3 degrees from the A&M university system, but I’m not bitter about losing to the drug-enhanced, testosterone-filled thugs who play for the Longhorns. Not bitter in the least. Actually, I feel sorry for U.T. After the big game, some Aggie broke into the University of Texas library and stole the book! The police recovered the book, but all the pages had been colored in by the thief! But, hey, I’m not bitter.

On a more uplifting note, my new historical masterpiece, titled, WONDER OF THE WEST, won another gold medal this past week for “Outstanding U.S. History Book of 2025.” The award was presented by the NIEA, which is the National Indie Excellence Awards. (now in its 19th year!) I am greatly honored to receive the gold medal, and I truly appreciate the substantial financial remuneration. (i.e., loot) If you happen to find yourself in Washington, D.C. next week stop by the Hay Adams Hotel (near the White House) and say hello. (I’ll probably be in the lobby, signing books and drinking martinis.) Of course, I may have to testify at some hearing while I’m in town. You never know.

In closing, I hope some of you were able to watch a portion of the Netflix show “Death by Lightning.” (The story about President Garfield’s life and death.) Some of this sordid tale was based upon my enthralling history book, titled, THE SECOND MOURNING. Not to sound arrogant, but had they followed my entire book I think the show would have been much more interesting. The assassin, Charles Guiteau, was actually the more fascinating historical figure. Alas, I do not make the final decisions.

Well, my dear friends, I shall now take my leave…. Have a wonderful week and remember that Christmas is only 25 days away! (also remember my shirt and pants sizes… just in case you’re inclined to buy me a gift! Hey, you never know!) I’m only kidding about the clothes. I much prefer cash!

Take care and love to all,

Doc Yanoff

October 26, 2025

SACREBLEU! ANOTHER GOLD MEDAL!

BON JOUR, mon ami….. I am delighted to announce that my new U.S. history book, titled, WONDER OF THE WEST, has recently won a gold medal at the 2025 Paris Book Festival! Oi la la, what a pleasant surprise. The award was presented for the “Best U.S. History/Biography of 2025,” and marks the 5th literary award that the book has won. A scheduled award ceremony (which was supposed to be held in the Louvre Museum!) has been moved to the Jardin des Tuileries, so if you should find yourself in La Ville Lumiere (The City of Light) in early December please drop by for a glass (or two) of champagne.

In the meantime, please remember that copies of WONDER OF THE WEST can be readily obtained on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and leading bookstores across the country. (That would be our country, the USA, not France.) So what else is new these days? Well, as I mentioned on my last blog, we met some wonderful folks on our recent river cruise. One couple, Peter Vernasco and Pamela Anderson, own Olivewood Ranch, and they produce the BEST olive oil I have ever tasted! They sent us a couple of bottles of their award-winning oil and it was truly marvelous. If you’re looking for a thoughtful gift this holiday season, you should check out their website. You won’t be sorry.

Pete and Pam were friends with Dr. Jim Gemmer (and his lovely better-half, Anne) The good doctor and I shared a memorable beer in the Black Forest and had some sparkling conversation throughout the voyage. As I’ve said many times, the best part of travel are the interesting folks you meet, and this trip was no exception.

Speaking of friends, I would like to thank Helena, The Princess of Portugal, and her charming husband, Baron Lee, for hosting another extraordinary gala feast last week. On this occasion, The Princess made FEIJOADA, the national dish of Brazil. (Basically a hearty stew) It was wonderful, and I managed to consume a meager two helpings… and lots of good, red wine. My wife loved the meal, but slightly embarrassed herself. She asked our host if a Brazilian was the number after a trillion!

Well, as I’m sure you know, Halloween is just around the corner. Need some fun facts? Do you know that 41% of Americans believe that ghosts really exist? (80% believe that they’re going to get an IRS refund!) Last year, Americans spent 700 million dollars on Halloween costumes! (Roughly what my wife spends at the mall each year.) I can’t prove it, but I really think that Halloween (which is America’s 2nd favorite holiday) was invented by someone affiliated with the American Dental Association. Have you ever seen what candy corn does to your teeth? Thank God it’s at least a vegetable.

For those of you who have inquired about the 2026 Caribbean Book Festival, I am thrilled to announce that I will be participating in several discussion groups. So far, I’ve signed up for gigs on St. Bart’s and St. Thomas, but I’m sure more stops will be added as the festival nears. I shall, as they say, keep you informed. Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and a generous supply of Alka-Seltzer. (I hear they sell rum on some of the islands!)

Well, amigos y amigettes, I must take my leave. My wife is dragging me (again) to our Sunday morning tennis lessons. I know how to play, but she insists that my game could improve. (Isn’t that why they invented cheating? To eliminate the need to practice?) In any case, remember my motto….. “When in doubt, call it out!” Have a wonderful (and joyous) week… and keep your eye on the ball. (Even though the racket works better!) Love to all,

Doc Yanoff

December 24, 2024

‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

Actually, it still is the night before Christmas. (at least for the next few hours) In any case, allow me to quote a famous Texas farmer who said, “Hoe, hoe, hoe!” I would have made an earlier post, but my darn computer was out of whack. I’m not even sure what a whack is, but I seemed to be out of one. Nevertheless, I am back in business and would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my wonderful blog followers a MERRY CHRISTMAS and/or HAPPY HANUKKAH. I hope that Santa or FedEx brings you all the toys you asked for… assuming you’ve been a good little elf this past year.

In order to improve my mind, (good luck with that) I’ve been reading all of Shakespeare’s plays, and today I finished “As You Like it.” I enjoyed the play, but I’m a little confused by one of the lines. The famous line that reads, “All the world’s a stage.” If that’s true, and all the world’s a stage, where is the audience sitting? Just saying.

Anyway, I love the holiday season, and I especially enjoy watching some of the old Christmas movies. (anything except “Die Hard” and that Chevy Chase thing) My absolute favorite is the 1951 version of the classic movie, “A Christmas Carol,” starring Alistair Sim. I love all the special effects, but to be perfectly honest, the movie scares the Dickens out of me! (Come on, that’s not a bad literary joke!)

I haven’t always been a big fan of Christmas. I was kind of ugly as a child, so my parents would hang me up and kiss the mistletoe! Which reminds me, if a rocket scientist has a foot problem do they get treated for mistletoe? (Get it, missile-toe?) All right, that joke barely got off the ground.

So, aside from these lousy jokes, what else is new? Well, as you may have heard, my new history book, titled, WONDER OF THE WEST, recently won a major literary award and was named as “One of the Most Notable Book of 2024” by the good folks at Shelf Unbound Magazine. If you’re looking for a memorable gift this year, you can order a copy on Amazon.com or at Barnesandnoble.com (If you send me an airline ticket, I will come to your house and sign the book!) By the way, I’m talking about a round-trip ticket.

Two days from now we are off on another adventure, but this time we’re staying local (sort of) and taking the entire family to La Cantera Resort in San Antonio. They have wonderful decorations this time of year and the kiddies love to ride the boats that float along the river walk. (The water’s a little cold for swimming, unless you consume an appropriate amount of tequila.) Still, with great food and shopping nearby, I’m sure a good time will be had by all. (assuming the grand-kids don’t find out what room I’m in and wake me up too early!)

Lest I forget, (or drink too much tequila) allow me to wish everyone a HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR! I hope 2025 is a marvelous year for you and yours, and I’m very grateful for your continued friendship and support. I’d like to dedicate this blog to my dear friends, Farah and Mike, who have gone through some tough weather in Florida… and deserve a MUCH BETTER year ahead. (with no darn hurricanes!)

I’ve included some random photographs of 2024… so scroll down if you’re interested… LOVE TO ALL!

Doc Yanoff