Tag: Five Hundred Moons

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 decided to do our talks about each other.…

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 and surrounded by the Jémez and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. The sunsets were otherworldly, intensified by thunderheads and the occasional lightning strikes. The day temperatures fluctuated from the mid-seventies to the high eighties—perfect weather for the seven-thousand-foot elevation.…

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 publish them in book form.

However, the words did not come easily.

So she asked me to write poems for her.…

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 town of Colusa……

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……

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 dad became ill a couple days prior and told my uncle to take his son……

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.…