Episode 2/Takin A Walk on Walden Pond with Wally Brine

Announcer:

On this week’s episode of Taking A Walk With Buzz Knight.

Wally

Hey, Wally Brine here, and I am having the most delightful day taking a walk on the paths around Walden Pond out in Concord, and I’m with Buzz Knight, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Announcer

Here’s Buzz.

Buzz

One of the many joys of taken a walk is doing so with a friend. Someone who you truly enjoy hanging with, someone special, it’s even better when it’s at a location that is special. Today, I’m taking a walk I’m here at Walden Pond with the one, the only Wally Brine, radio icon, salt of the earth, storyteller and friend

Buzz

Wally. I am so excited to be here. Taking a walk with you at Walden Pond.

Wally

Oh God, isn’t this wonderful.

Buzz

My God!

Wally

Look at this. I could sprain both ankles on this path today.

Buzz

You don’t want that to happen.

Wally  :

This is, this is a treacherous studio you got here.

Buzz

It’s such a beautiful place, but I did pick one of the more rugged paths here.

Wally

Thanks a lot.

Buzz

I’m Sorry.

Wally

It’s okay. Geez!

Buzz

Wally, how are you? My friend.

Wally

Oh, I’m great. I am great. And you know, I really enjoyed the Pandemic.

Buzz

What was the most fun about it?

Wally

Well, I never get sick, because I wear a mask most of the time and probably many, many people have experienced this. We don’t get colds anymore, because we’re wearing masks when we go into any place. I don’t have one out here. I don’t wear one, but If you go to a restaurant, which my wife is very nervous about doing, so we don’t do that very often, unless it’s outdoor seating. But even going into a Walmart or whatever you got a mask on and I think it’s really made us a healthier community.

Buzz

Well, it’s good for people who are shut ins because they don’t have to do anything different. Right.

Wally

Yes, Very good point.

Buzz

Yeah. But yeah. And fun by the way, remember fun.

Wally

I remember fun. Yeah. But what was your original question? I kind of got you off track here.

Buzz

I just asked how you were

Wally

How I am. Yeah. Well, I’m good. I’m good. Yeah. I’m retired for those of you listening in Czechoslovakia. I used to be on the radio and that was five day a week, early morning job. And-

Buzz

It was a grind?

Wally

It was a grind, but not that bad. I mean, I don’t want people feeling sorry for me. It wasn’t that bad, but the hours were not particularly good, but yeah. So it’s nice to be able to sleep in a bit.

Buzz

What’s an average day look like for you?

Wally

Well, I used to wake up or get up at 2:30 In the morning. So, now, I don’t get up till 6:00 and people think, 6:00 geez that’s still really early. Well, not when you’ve been getting up at 2:30. 6:00 is really sleeping in. So. I get up at six. I’m a huge sports fan. SO, We have a network in Boston, New England Sports Network, NESN. They do the Bruins Games and Celts Games and Red Sox Games. So they have this 30 minute recap of the previous day sports every morning. They just keep repeating it starting at six o’clock. So I always watch that and I’m able to stay up to speed on what’s going on with my favorite teams.

Buzz

And then, So what happens after that?

Wally

Well, usually I’ll have some breakfast, I have my wife is a fabulous shopper. She goes to the grocery store every week and stock up on all kinds of stuff.

Buzz

Healthy stuff too?

Wally

Well, a lot of it is. Yes, which is not my thing really. But you know she’s got the yogurt and the flax seed, all kinds of things that I never used to eat. But I’m trying to be good now.

Buzz

You look fabulous by the way.

Wally

Oh, well, thank you. Do you think so, really?

Buzz

Very svelte

Wally:

Oh, that’s not true.

Buzz

Boyish. I might say.

Wally  :

Boyish. Well, I don’t know about that, but-

Buzz

And you got a nice haircut for me too?

Wally

I did. I wanted to look good on microphone. So yeah, I got cleaned up quite a bit.

Buzz

All right. So back to your day, the rest of the day.

Wally

Well, I try to do one thing a day and I think I’ve told you this before.

Buzz

Yes. I love this.

Wally  :

I try to. This was my wife came up with this. You should try to do one thing a day. So, you know-

Buzz

I Could hear her saying that to you.

Wally

So, some days I’ll empty the dishwasher and I’ll check off one thing a day and then clean out some stuff in the garage or take the car and get it washed. So, you know-

Buzz

One of my favorite depictions of that, that you captured in photo that I love if I just want to put a smile on my face, I at the picture and it’s you with a toilet seat with your head through the center of it. And you said that was your one thing for the day.

Wally

Yes. Well, I think we should mention that my wife is in the real estate business and occasionally she has me help her move things around in a property that she’s listed or whatever. So, sometimes very rarely, but sometimes there’s a little heavy lifting, not too bad.

Buzz

Which, path here do you think we should go down here at the Walden Pond? We’re going, this is woods path. Does that sound like?

Wally

Yeah, that was fine. Yeah. Yeah.

Buzz

What do you think, Henry David Thoreau would’ve gone yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s fine. As he was Walking here.

Wally

Yes. Henry David Thoreau. I don’t know if your listeners know about Henry David Thoreau, but he actually had a cabin here. And a little tiny they’ve recreated it to whatever his specs were and had room for a bed, like a little wood stove he would stay there for weeks and write and play his guitar and Don Henley would come over and he would compose things. It was, yeah. He was an interesting guy.

Buzz

Very interesting. Very thoughtful. And you know, walking and thoughtfulness and mindfulness all go hand in hand. As the name Wally Brine and the mere mention of Wally Brine goes with mindfulness. Yeah. Really thoughtfulness and all those things.

Wally

So let me, let me give you a little bit more about my day though.

Buzz

Okay. The podcast has no end date. I can hear the whole, I can hear literally like a travel log your day.

Wally

A lot of times I will get up, have my breakfast and then, and this counts as my one thing a day. I put the cushions out on the patio. I roll up the umbrella, put the cushions out and I have a motorcycle and that’s one of my favorite things to do. I have several rules about the motorcycle. Number one, it’s not the greatest thing in the hot summer, because it’s just too uncomfortable. So the best time to ride, I-

Buzz

Especially with your shirt off as you’re riding.

Wally

Yes,` the best time I think is spring and fall. I mean like in the fall when the leaves are starting to change and you go for a motorcycle ride. Oh my God. It’s fantastic. And usually there’s a FRAP at the end of the road. That, you know-

Buzz

A Bedford Farms FRAP.

Wally

Yes.

Buzz

Right?

Wally

Yes. So you know, there’s that. And then I have a boat down in Rhode Island that my dad had purchased and I inherited and we go boating quite a bit. Not, not a lot, I guess, but weekends and when we can get down there, see my wife’s still working. So that curtails a lot of trips through Rhode Island.

Buzz

Well, you’ll find a way.

Wally

I find a way .I mean, I hate to go down there and have fun without her, but-

Buzz

A guy has got to do what he has to do.

Wally

Occasionally it happens, yeah. So, there’s that, let’s see, what else do I do? We joke about the pandemic, which isn’t funny, that’s really curtailed a lot of the things that you can do. I’m probably, once this thing is over, if ever, I mean, supposedly it’ll end at some point, there’re other things that I have on my wish list.

Buzz

You’ll travel?

Wally

Yes. Love to travel. That’s awesome.

Buzz

But I do feel one of the hidden benefits. I hate to put it that way of the pandemic has been, we live in such a beautiful area, whether it be your estate that you have in Massachusetts or your Rhode Island estate that you have-

Wally:

Estate, I don’t, that’s a little eyebrow, but yes. Okay.

Buzz

But, We do seriously live in this amazing, amazing part of the country. And I know for me personally, I rediscovered or discovered new places to go to, to walk now having two dogs. You know, it’s been a joy really. And then the other joy has just been, I don’t know, it feels like there’s been more of an influx of nature. I don’t know why I don’t know if It’s because there was less traffic or something like that, but the more influx of nature has been truly delightful as well. So, I think there’re things finding or rediscovering, beautiful places, such as Walden Pond. And I know they’ve experienced the Walden Woods project people a boom attendance during all this.

Wally

Good ,I did not know that.

Buzz

Yeah. So even Though they’ve had to shut down the facility itself, they still offer a lot online and all of that. So I think it’s a byproduct this happen for sure.

Wally

Well, the other thing that I do quite often now is bicycle riding. And as is the case here, I’ve been over here on my bicycle .I don’t live that far from here, but again, like on a motorcycle, when you are out on a bicycle and the smells that you go through on a bike ride, it’s just, it’s awakening. And it’s really a cool thing and the leaves of course, will be really starting to kick up their aroma in the fall and that’ll be great.

Buzz

One of the things I love about Wally is how he tells a story. And literally you light up when you tell a story,

Wally

Really.

Buzz

You do. You don’t even realize it. So what’s the earliest you remember somebody telling you a story?

Wally

Oh, wow. Well, clearly it would’ve been my mother. Oh, I know what it was. I can actually answer this. My dad grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts, which is just outside of Boston, maybe 10 miles. I don’t think it’d be more than that. And he lived in, in Arlington Heights, his older brother used to go out the woods because back then development had, we’re talking 1930s, 1920s, probably the, the Arlington was still a pretty small community. And his brother would go out, looking for firewood for the family wood stove in the kitchen. And they would, his brother would go out first. And my father was maybe still in school a little later because he was younger. And then he would go out and at the edge of the woods, this is the perfect place to do.

Wally

He would go. And he would stand at the edge of the edge of the woods. And my, his brother would be up in a tree with a saw and he’d be sewing away. And they had this call that they used to do. Like, you know, that kind of thing. And my father used to tell me this story when I was a little kid, you know, it was a bedtime story. Yep. And I could visualize his, my uncle, his brother up in a tree with the saw and my father wandering through trying to find him. And I I’ve never forgotten that story. That was, that had a big impact on me. I know it’s pretty simple, but you know, I knew both characters in the story and,

Buzz

And it’s, it’s visual too. Yes. You could see it happening in, in real time almost, which is the beauty of it. I’d like to make a motion here. That one of the greatest stories that, that you’ve told you can tell a version of it. If you like, it’s up to you. I don’t want to embarrass you, but this Tiffany story oh, geez. Is, is, is a legendary story. And I’m my motion that I’m going to make here is that Twas the night before Christmas gets replaced by the Tiffany story, what do, what do you think of that?

Wally:

I’m okay with that. Yes. Yeah. Do you want me to tell it right now? Okay. Why not? All right. I was, there’s no better time. I was working in Boston at the Prudential tower, or we were getting close to Christmas I wanted to get my wife a Christmas, present something nice. You know, I didn’t want to cheap out. Of course. So I went to the mall in the city right across from where we worked at the Prudential tower and there was a Tiffany’s in there. And I thought, you know, I’ll just go in. I have no idea what I’m looking for, but I’ll see what I can come up with. So I’m walking around, Tiffany’s, I’m looking in all the, you know, jewelry cases and stuff.

Wally

And of course it’s pretty pricey in there as you may know. So you looked at me as if you didn’t think I’ve ever been in there. But anyway, go ahead. So up on the back wall were shelves and there was a, a silver teapot up there. And I was like, that would be perfect. Because Jodi loves tea. And you know, probably several times a week she will brew a pot of tea so that I want to get that. So I said, so eventually the woman came over that was working there and she can I help you? Yes. How much is the teapot up? That, that one right there. It was beautiful. It had a nice little fancy handle on it. It wasn’t big, but it was nice. She said that’s $62:50. I’m thinking to myself, geez, $62:50. I can afford that. So I said, okay, I think I want to get that.

Wally

And thinking in my mind, I’m going 62 50. That’s not really spending that much on my wife. I said, what about like a cream thing, a creamer and maybe a sugar bowl? Oh yes we can. Yes. We have something that matches that teapot. I go, great. I want to take that too. So she goes and she gets everything, puts it on the counter, I’m looking it all over. And so I’m figuring in my mind, okay, if the teapot is $62:50, the creamer can’t be much more than 25, 30 bucks, the sugar thing’s probably the same. So I’m barely over a hundred dollars now. So I said, okay, I want to take those. And that’s not really enough. So, I said, what else, what else can you show me? So she takes me over to this jewelry case and there was a beautiful necklace in there.

Wally

And I asked her how much it was, the price escapes me now. But it was probably $400 maybe. So I’m like, okay, this is going to be good. I’m going to be a hero at Christmas with all this. So I said, okay, so what am I going to owe you now? And of course the $62.50 was $6250 and the creamer and the coffee pot were probably two grand each. The necklace is $400 or $500. She named some ridiculous price. I mean thousands of dollars, right? And I’m like, no! and I had to try not to look stupid though. I was really stupid. So I said to her and I knew I couldn’t get all this. I said, I’m going to have to make up a couple of changes here. Why don’t we keep the necklace? I really, I don’t think I can afford to keep the teapot and the creamer and the sugar thing. And, and anyway, it was pretty embarrassing to say the least, I love it.

Buzz

I could see it as you were telling that story. I could see it as If I was there.

Wally

Yeah. Well you should have been there.

Buzz

And I would’ve been pointing at you just laughing my ass off. You know what I mean.

Wally

Oh Geez.

Buzz

Oh my God. You know, one of your favorite things. I know is food.

Wally

Oh yeah.

Buzz

I think it’s probably top three favorite things sure. For you?

Wally

Oh, absolutely. Right.

Buzz

Yeah. We don’t have to, we don’t have to get an order of what your top three favorite things are.

Wally

Don’t need to embarrass you. Well, I was a fan of what was the, the guy’s name on Popeye that used to eat all the hand hamburgers. Wimpy. Is that it wimpy?

Buzz

Yes.

Wally

I got the right name. So I used to watch Popeye cartoons because my dad was in the business and he had a kid show and he used to show Popeye cartoons. And I loved Wimpy because he loved hamburgers and I loved hamburgers. And so I think the line was I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. And so still today hamburger is maybe my top favorite thing to eat. And you know, being, like being in new England, love fried clams. Could go to. could name two or three of the best places around for fried clams. And then of course I’m a steak guy. So you know, any good steakhouse I’m there. I’m willing to go.

Buzz

Well, how about three places that are sort of buried treasure sort of spots that maybe people have heard of, maybe they haven’t, that you like of any type for breakfast, lunch, dinner or anything?

Wally

Oh, Okay. Well let’s do Helen’s in Concord. They have great breakfast there. Very good. And the wait staff is great. They’re delightful. It’s a busy place. It’s tough to get into, but it’s very good.

Buzz

I know people there, so maybe I can help

Wally

You do. Okay. And you know, as far as like steak places, of course, Capital Grille, when they burst on the scene, been quite a few years now they have excellent steaks and a buddy of who used to work there has his own place now called The Federalist in Walham Mass. And that’s got great steaks too. And what am I leaving out? Those are, well, those are some good ones. Yeah. Those are good ones. Those are good ones. And then for seafood, which I’m not a gigantic fan of seafood, but I do like fried clams And my there’s a couple of places up in Essex that are very good.

Wally

The Clam Box, which is actually in Ipswich, I believe. And then there’s a place called Varnams which is in Essex, I think. And what’s the big one right on the main drag in Essex. Everybody goes there. And of course I can’t remember right now, but if I had my phone, I could look it up. We could call them, but I don’t have that with me. But I know many of you out there are screaming at the speaker right now what the name of the place is and it’s escaped me. But anyway, though, that town Essex, which the for fried clams. Excellent. Excellent.

Buzz

So did you ever think in your lifetime, you see two things become legalized, betting and marijuana.

Wally

Did you ever, I never would’ve believed it well betting. I mean, first of all, I don’t gamble, so it didn’t really matter to me the marijuana thing. I never thought that would be legalized. I thought that for the rest of my life, I would be calling up Joe and seeing what was available. But, but no, and I hate to be a proponent of a drug like that, but you know, in all honesty, I would rather see my kids who are all adults now, all 20 of them. I would rather see them doing a little smoking of weed than getting all messed up on booze. Because I think it’s more dangerous. Alcohol is more dangerous. That’s just my opinion. I, and maybe I’m wrong who as if I’m right about that though.

Buzz

I Don’t know. What’s you’re right or wrong about, but so who, who cares? We’re just taking a walk of Walden Pond. Yes, that’s right. So what does it matter? Beautiful day air is just crisp.

Wally  :

I know.

Buzz:

Right. It’s just awesome. What’s the most fun that Wally Brine has with his pants on?

Wally

Well, as I mentioned, I love boating, but that’s only like a pair of short pants for boating. But with my pants on, no, you know what buzz, I pretty much like everything. I just enjoy life. And I learned that from my dad who just embraced living. You know, working, playing whatever it was. He just appreciated every second he had. And I kind of follow along those lines.

Buzz

As long as I’ve known own you and I would see you almost every day, And Wally, I used to whenever Wally would come in to my office and he would say, what is it you do? Right. And I would come up with some feeble attempt to rationalize my existence. And while he would look at me and he would just call BS on it, he’d go really come on. Oh. But I never, in my time of seeing you on a regular basis and then subsequently, you know, I would see you less if I was traveling, but I would still see it. I don’t recall you having a bad day. Now you may have, but I don’t recall you ever like exhibiting that behavior and wearing that. And we all have it,

Wally

But look at the life I led. I mean, first of all, as a kid,I had like, I had a leave it to beaver life. You know, I was living in a pretty nice neighborhood and I went to a nice school. My friends were awesome. And then when I got into the radio business, which is something I wanted to do, because my dad did it and I went to work with him when I was little and thought, wow, this is cool. Play all your favorite songs and you know, be a DJ that was fun. And I worked with marvelous people in the radio business. I’ve just been really lucky. I’ve really been lucky. My business partner in Boston, Loren Owens is a phenomenal talent and he covered up all of my flaws and I would be talking about something that I didn’t know what I was talking about. And he would be able to jump in and pull me back out of the hole. And then, our subsequent teammates great people, sports, people, voice talent. I just worked with just marvelous people. I was just so lucky.

Buzz

And it really certainly in the time that we worked in it as really a tremendous business, right. I mean a tremendous business to be part of.

Wally

Yeah, I have a buddy whose son is in it now. Now, we’re getting a little older, you and I, but his son is like 40, maybe 45. And the business has changed a lot. Technicality it changed a lot like I loved going into the studio and doing the show, cueing up records and playing them and loading up the machines with the commercials that are coming up next. You don’t do that anymore. It’s all computerized. You just hit the button and it goes by itself. And I think that’s kind of sad in a way.

Buzz

I do too.

Wally

It’s not hands on

Buzz

It’s not hands on, because yeah, Right. The mechanics of it were part of the magic of it. I would agree completely, but taking it full circle, I think talking to people who are around the business today, there is less joy. And I think we’re walking here, there’s tremendous joy walking here where the friend that’s part of the beauty of taking a walk, the business that we just discussed, it was joy, you woke up and you were like, let’s take the day on. There were tough moments certainly to get through. Right. I mean, like 9/11 just as an example, but it was also that responsibility that you took seriously. And there was joyful moments, celebratory moments, sad moments. The joy part disappearing definitely makes me sad, but you know, that’s, the way things evolve

Wally

And we’re not the only business that has this issue.

Buzz

Exactly. It’s tough. Tough out there. Right. But I take great joy in taking a walk. I take great joy in taking a walk with a friend such as you and this just been spectacular.

Wally

Oh yeah. This is wonderful. I don’t get to Walden Pond as much as I should. I live what, 15 minutes from here, but buzz this is a great spot right here. This little trail you’ve found. I think we got a… Oh look, the Thoreau house. The arrow goes that way. We got go see if he’s in.

Buzz:

You want to see if he’s over there?

Wally

Yeah. Let’s go check him out.

Buzz

All right. Wally. Thank you for taking a walk with me.

Wally

Oh! It was my pleasure. Thank you for inviting me. And I hope everybody has a fabulous end to this year and a great start to next year.

Announcer

Taking A Walk With Buzz Knight is available on Spotify, iTunes and wherever podcasts are available.

Buzz Knight is an established media executive with a long history of content creation and multi-platform distribution.

After a successful career as a Radio Executive, he formed Buzz Knight Media which focuses on strategic guidance and the development of new original content.