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Musings from the Rim of the World
A blog by Buzz Anderson
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The sun also rises…so far 235 pages
As some of you know, I am currently writing a sequel to my historical novel, Five Hundred Moons. The title of my new book is Ten Thousand Suns (the number of moons and suns corresponding to the timeframe for each respective novel). So far, I’ve written 235 pages.
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Celebrating the boys and girls of summer
Three of my grandchildren play Little League, from T-Ball to Majors. Watching their games is near the top of life’s pleasures. The oldest is totally absorbed with baseball. He plays catcher and his favorite player is Buster Posey, which is surprising because Buster hasn’t played in a few years. I…
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Recalling David Molinari and the news that once was
I think it’s safe to say that most of us have had teachers who influenced the choices we made in life. I’ve always considered my high school journalism teacher, David Molinari, as being such a person. He taught eighth-grade English at Capitola Junior High, then moved on to Soquel High…
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New Year, New Adventures: Enjoying a beautiful day at UCSC with the grandkids
The day after New Years was beautiful—70 degrees, clear skies, and fresh air. Jennie and I had the grandkids. Despite the weather, they were watching videos.
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Let’s make a deal!
My brother and I had a TV in our room, going back as far as 1960, when I was six years old. We thought it was cool to get up at 5:30 AM and flip on the tube…
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Spread out, keep your head up, and use both feet!
I first played soccer when I was thirty, joining a local co-ed team that needed someone foolish enough to play goalie. I actually liked the game and wished I could have played it in high school…I lasted until I was forty when a very strong woman kicked me in the…
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THE LEAVING ROAD – A poem for my new book
Tell me again how my father died…A poem for my new book.
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Switcheroos: How to make an interesting speech
Recently, I switched Rotary clubs, joining the Santa Cruz chapter. My friend and neighbor, Dave Smith, also wanted to join the Santa Cruz group, so we signed up together. As rookies, we were informed that we would have to give Red Badge speeches about ourselves. To spice things up, we…
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How life informs our political perspective
My brother Bill wrote a political memoir. It’s well-researched and well-argued. While I may not agree with everything in it, much of what he writes hits home.
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When Art is more than Art
I love political cartoons. They make me laugh more than the funnies—even the ones that I wholeheartedly disagree with can induce a big chuckle. And I am so gladdened by the fact that our society provides such freedom of speech and the press that conflicting views can be equally represented,…
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Long, long ago and far away…another place, a different time
Jennie and I just got back from a four-day visit with friends in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We stayed in the Las Campañas area, home of one of the three couples that made up our traveling group. It was a beautiful place on the high mesa, populated by piñon pines…
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A wedding, two birthdays, Little League, and a big launch
Busy May—a wedding, two birthdays, and a book launch! Not to mention a dozen Little League games and a garden growing tons of flowers, veggies, and weeds.
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Tuesdays: tee offs, one putts, links to the past
I play golf with Bob Frey every Tuesday. He routinely shoots fifty yards beyond me and one putts the green. He’s 86 years old.
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The most influential person in your life
Aunt Dotsie was a superlative artist. She created hundreds of beautiful pieces—landscapes, portraits, still lifes, water scenes, and a host of other subjects. She photographed her work and kept the images in a big binder. She had the idea to write poems to go along with her paintings and then…
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To be sure, no one ever got hurt too bad
I found myself the father of three teenagers (a five-year age span). But in reality, I played the role of old-school male role model for about three dozen other young hellions.
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For all who wander are not lost
In the past few weeks, Jennie and I have taken a couple of road trips relating to my historical novel, Five Hundred Moons. These were short, two-day excursions—just long enough to feel rejuvenated and offer some relief from our daily routine. Our first getaway was to the small valley…
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It’s (almost) all fun and games
There is a saying that I’ve heard, “Granddaughters are the best reminders of the beauty and innocence of childhood.” I find that to be true…
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Winning isn’t everything, but it sure feels good
Sixty-six years ago, in 1957, the 49ers played the Detroit Lions in an NFL playoff game at Kezar Stadium. My father, uncle, and two other prune ranchers from South San Jose had season tickets, and they were all looking forward to attending the game. As luck would have it, my…
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Socrates and Virtue in Pursuit of Truth
“Knowledge is the ultimate virtue.” “An honest man is always a child.” “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
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Woof! Snuffle! Lick! Dog cuddles!
Some of my earliest memories are cuddling up in a dog fort surrounded by the earthy smells of a canine lair, then falling asleep with my head on a soft, warm, furry belly.
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Life, Strange Times, & Redemption on a Sea of Change
A young man walked into the store and asked to speak privately to the owner. He seemed nonthreatening, so I invited him into the office and offered him a seat. He didn’t sit down but instead reached into his pocket and pulled out a $100 bill
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Can a father be his son’s role model?
Recently, I had occasion to wear an old camelhair coat to a memorial service. The coat previously belonged to my father. It’s warm, still stylish, and fits me well. While putting it on, I reached into the inner pocket and felt a folded piece of paper….
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Are you “wowed” when you watch a sunset?
Just before the sun dipped into the western horizon, a golden aperture appeared near the mouth of the Pajaro River, a bright orange reflection from a glass window, angled just right as to shine brightly into our eyes. The occurrence brought to mind the green light that appears in F.…
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Home is where your head is…
I talked of growing up in Capitola and my family’s history in the area, realizing, within sight, I could point out several places that sparked childhood memories.
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Musing of a poet on the rim of the world
I recently submitted a poem to the Morton Marcus Poetry Contest…I did not win the poetry contest—however, I did get an email from the sponsor, Catamaran Literary Reader, informing me that they were “releasing” my poem back to me. (I hadn’t realized they were holding my work captive, but I…
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On Writing about Strong Women
Literature is full of classic novels portraying strong female characters. Titles like Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice, and My Ántonia, to name just a few, have graced old and new bookshelves for many years. History, as depicted in both fiction and nonfiction, has been shaped in large part…
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A while back, I built a Little Free Lending Library
A while back, I built a Little Free Lending Library. You know the kind: a boxy receptacle with shelves, a pitched roof, and small swinging glass door housing used books on various subjects.
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A test of faith. Please pray for my tree.
This may be a test of faith. For the past several years, we have been growing in our front yard a very tall, very large Zutano avocado tree. It’s on the sunny side of our home, so Jennie and I most evenings take our glass of wine out to a…
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Down the coast from my house sits Villa Maria Del Mar
About three blocks down the coast from my house sits Villa Maria Del Mar, a stately three-story wooden hotel first built in the 1890s to accommodate mostly Catholic vacationers
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A car trip through the beautiful Sierras
This, in a roundabout way, brings me to a local issue regarding the renaming of Cabrillo College
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The nice thing about having a blog?
You can write anything you want and be assured very few people will actually read it.
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A poem about the Ohlone people
While writing and rewriting some poems recently, I realized I never wrote a poem about the Ohlone people that inhabit my novel. In so many ways, I want to pay tribute to them and yet not speak for them. It’s not for me to define their worldview, I can only…
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My poems are “accessible.”
A while back, I compiled some of my poetry and had Community Printers in Santa Cruz print up two hundred copies, which I distributed to family and friends. I did three readings and maybe sold a half dozen books. All in all, a great experience. I have continued to write…
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Recent Storms
I’ve been thinking about recent storms that battered the Central Coast with high winds, twenty-five-foot swells, six-foot tides, and copious amounts of rain.
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Adventure in Lombok Strait—2003
This blog has nothing to do with my novel, Five Hundred Moons. (Did I hear some sighs of relief?) No, it’s about my son and his friends and an adventure in Lombok Strait—2003. An experience they would just as soon forget.
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Destination: New Friends, Books, and BBQ – The Texas Book Festival
At 5:00 AM, Jennie and I threw our human necessities into the Toyota. Destination: New Friends, Books, and BBQ – The Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas, home of my first and only editor, a person I’d never actually met.
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A Large Mushroom Cloud—California Wildfires and the Ohlone Way
Recently, I noticed a large mushroom cloud over the Gabilan Mountain Range, east of Salinas. Like most news junkies these days, I went online to investigate.
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Reunions and Reviews…
The past two Saturdays I’ve been involved with two reunions—my 50-year high school reunion (Soquel High) and a family reunion that Jennie and I hosted at our house (all descendants of my grandfather). Both affairs were enjoyable. I got to visit with people that I’ve been close to for many…
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What’s in a Name?
The original title for Five Hundred Moons was In the Name Of. Throughout the entire writing process that was the name of the book. I even had my daughter-in-law design the cover art with that title in bold print. I assumed most people would add their own opinion as to…
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How I Learned to Write
Since I published Five Hundred Moons, several people, including some I’ve known since third grade, have made the comment, “I didn’t know you could write so well,” or posed the question, “How did you learn to write?”
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Watsonville Rotary Club: Book Talk
I recently spoke at the Watsonville Rotary Club about Five Hundred Moons. I had told the president that if he was ever in a bind about a canceled speaker I could fill in at a moment’s notice. In just two weeks’ time, such an occurrence materialized.
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My Wedding
On June 27, 1981, at 5:00 pm I stood next to the altar in the Mission Carmel Basilica, waiting for my bride to appear from the courtyard about a hundred feet down the center aisle. Below me, entombed in stone crypts, were the bones of three men—Father Juan Crespi, diarist…
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Traveling along the Central Coast
While traveling along the Central Coast, Jennie and I took a trip down to Anzo Borrego Springs to see the wildflowers. Unfortunately, rainfall in the desert has been so sparse this year that we were mostly treated to cacti, dry shrubbery, and the occasional ocotillo bloom.
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A short road trip…
Jennie and I took a short road trip down to Oceanside a few months back. The brief trip was a spur-of-the-moment getaway
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My Adventures in Book Writing…
When I first saw the printed and bound copy of my book, I was overjoyed. Four-plus years of writing, researching, and editing had finally come to fruition. Little did I realize my adventures in book writing were just beginning.