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Gathered Along the Way

(returning visitors should consider a refresh after opening a story)

Personal memoirs, travels, and stories gathered along the way


(Some stories that appear in published books have been removed from the website while the books remain available. Follow the links for more information)




Breakfast in Pahrump  -  2 breakfasts, forty years apart

 A Special Cup of Coffee  -  4 coffee cups and the stories behind them 

Murder at Midnight - Workman and Cox were murdered, and embers of anger and resentment still burn 40 years on

Blood Mountain - discovering the mountains of North Georgia

Salters Pond, Beau Geste, and the Return of the Vikings - a celebration of life

Passages in Stone  -  a portal between the generations closes

Burial Detail - remembering military funerals and Fort Bragg

Remembering the Dugout and Larry Lisciotti - remembering one of the greats

Manchester Redux - the home town

Pilgrimage - old ghosts come to Camp 16

The Ocean House - passages and eras

Joan Osborne - Revisited - an appreciation wrapped in a memory or two

Bobby Fischer - In Memoriam - remembering the troubled chess genius

The Cosmic Bridge of November, 1999  -  with a nod to Thornton Wilder

Talking to Carla Jean - on pain

Maizie - a dog lover's story

Reunion - the past exacts a final payment

Brautigan Gift - recalling the works of Richard Brautigan

Dog Day Afternoon in the Laguna Mountains - a hot dog story

Suit - strange day on Mount Diablo

Snow Day  -  free enterprise in Manchester

A Husband Dies - a wife remembers - 03/09

Worms  -  an old memory is recalled in LA

Cheers and Slainte  -  celebrating the Scots and Brits in my life

Shoehorn  -  story of a California Weekend

Bridge Inspection  -  a night mission in Vietnam leads to a strange encounter

On a Beach on Nantucket - youth and love on Nantucket

La Grange - a story for the season

Mt San Jacinto, Summer, 1992  -  another special encounter

Mt San Jacinto, Winter, 1991  -  a special encounter

September, 1959  -  a moment of early angst

Out of a Blue Sky  -  old ghosts come to Marina del Rey

Mt San Gorgonio  -  two summit attempts on the highest peak in Southern California

Leigh Lake  -  an adventure in the Cabinet Mountains of Montana almost leads to tragedy

Paper and Fire - stirring old embers that still burn

Empty Bottle - remembering past moves and relocations

I'm Seeing Keith Richards in the Morning - passages

The Grass of Mt Diablo - seasons of possibility

The Power of Symbol  -  the education of a young boy

With Carlton Fisk, Forever  -  game 6 of the 1975 World Series

Signposts to Afghanistan  -  a look back at the Army years, and at dreams gone by 

Death Valley Wind - the first trip to Death Valley

Induced Enlistee - the Army years

Snow Day at the Dugout - freedom and hard work

Off the Shoulder of Orion - a personal lament

In the Mind of the Artist - new images appear

Baseball and Coffee - another story from baseball

Sto Lat - 100 years

Desert Holly Espresso - (with images) I find a special oasis in Trona, California

Dreams - ruminations over a long-ago dream

Saint - thoughts about a special friend and artist

Sentinel Snow - an October blizzard in Yosemite (with images)

Norman - the neighbor's dog

Beginnings -  revisiting my motorcycle roots

Pasadena Lunch  -  a family moment at the dentist

October 5, 1980  -  a motorcycle accident and its aftermath

Scouting, and the Tattoo Merit Badge  -  free enterprise comes to the Jamboree

The Product  -  I revisit a direct sales horror show

Chairman of the Board  -  I try my hand at direct sales

Houseboat - On Lake Don Pedro with the Allen Family

The Fokker U 2 - The Boating Life with Ed Mainville

Piece of Work - sometimes a good idea bears no fruit

Awash and Adrift on the Hockanum River - a memorable canoe adventure

Song for Hollister - the urge for going, 10 years on

Reluctance - revisiting the literary life in California

Popcorn - on Popcorn and the Past

Martini Movements - melodies and themes of life

Elevator - on the Little Tokyo express

The Cuyamaca Mountains - Joy and Renewal - How wild areas renew the human spirit

Incident at Evergreen Lodge - Risk in the Wilderness

Remembering Hot Tuna and Rodney King - A celebration of youth and music

Ghosts of Vietnam  -  mirrors to the heart are found in strange places