• No Spaghetti, Mom

    No Spaghetti, Mom

    When I turned 16, I got my drivers license almost right away, but I was told to stick close to home until I could demonstrate that I was responsible and trustworthy. I was on my way back from the library late one afternoon, with both hands on the steering wheel, when out of the corner Read more

  • School Lockdown

    School Lockdown

    Or, how I got around the fence I visited the old neighborhood once again today, while in Covina, California to attend a memorial service for a childhood friend. I got the idea to walk around my elementary school, which I like to do every few years. I don’t really know why I do it, other Read more

  • Stealing an Orange

    Stealing an Orange

    Growing up in Southern California, I never took notice of the bougainvillea, hibiscus, jacaranda, avocado or orange trees that surrounded me. It wasn’t until I’d lived in the Bay Area, New England and the Pacific Northwest that I began to appreciate them. My town of Covina California was famous for its oranges, and in 1909 Read more

  • Sticker Balls

    Sticker Balls

    A Warm Welcome from an Old Pal When I was a kid, there was a sweet gum tree out in front of my house, planted around the time I was born. The kind that sheds those little prickly seed capsules. The fresh, heavy green ones hurt when they hit you in the back of the Read more

  • One Evening on the Concorde

    One Evening on the Concorde

    In 1999, I flirted my way into an upgrade on the Concorde from London to New York, but that’s another story. I’m not going to attempt to describe the joys of flying supersonic, as they’re pretty well-described elsewhere. Suffice to say it was one of the top 10 memories of my life. But I do Read more