1985 Chapter 8: The swan dive May arrived and the days became surreal, I had my new job working for the City of Port Aransas. The 100-plus mile trip I had been making with my Dad’s 74 Chrysler that got 8 miles to the gallon on a good day, became a 2-minute drive to the… Continue reading

Crossroads at Junction City  I was asked to provide a lunch for a group of executives where I work. With nine people attending, they would be ready to eat around 1:00 PM on a Thursday afternoon. I did not hesitate when I was asked if this was something that I would be willing to do. … Continue reading

The inevitable season  I have been down this road better than 50 times that I can likely remember. It is the same and individually different. It always starts with the warmth of kitchens and a smell that brings me back to childhood days of crisp mornings, fresh paper, and the electromagnetic hum of fluorescent ballast.… Continue reading

How Drill and Ceremony saved me  The General is coming. This is an announcement I have heard many times. From the moment these words were spoken, intensive repetition commenced. Hours of duplicating every step taken, every word shouted, every head turn and every order to present arms. It was out of this, that a large… Continue reading

2000 Mistakes  Remember those wonderful Bob Ross shows we used to watch on PBS? When Bob decided that the scene needed some “happy little trees” in the background, he seemingly waved the brush over the canvas with a scribble motion and the trees came to life. It was always a joy to watch.  I never… Continue reading

 It’s coming from the feel That it ain’t exactly real Or it’s real, but it ain’t exactly there -Leonard Cohen, Democracy 1992 It has been like that lately. There are many points of focus and there are distractions too. Echos of Another Earth seem normal these days. I hesitated to make popcorn one day because… Continue reading

 The daily use of Dad’s car continued. I drove the truck to work once or twice, but there was always something that made me feel that it was not quite as dependable. The crop-dusting cloud of burning oil behind it as I climbed the bridge of the causeway into Flour Bluff didn’t help either.  Photo… Continue reading

 I almost fell for it. The storm of time had pounded the resolve that I grasped like a sunken post during a tornado. I was happy with my determination to hold on. What I did not count on is the cunning deception that whispers about the miles walked, the struggles fought, and watching the surroundings… Continue reading

 I woke up in the morning. The gravity was inconsequential. I stepped out onto the porch and looked off into the distance and I owned the land as far as I could see. It was mine and it always would be mine. I went out and navigated my day. I saw it but did not… Continue reading

 I knew I should have prepped the cabbage last night. Instead of razor-thin shavings of bright green cabbage, I opened the cooler and there they were, two green bowling balls without the holes. But, hey, I am good with a knife. I am not stupid-fast, more like efficient. I got this. My one-hour lunch excursion… Continue reading