The Holiday Inn
It was the summer of 1969 and I needed a job to make a little cash. I had just finished my second year of school at Wilkes College – a...
Gonzo Skydiving
At 4500 feet the glider pilot signaled to me it was time. We put our hands on the top of the cockpit canopy and pushed up hard against...
On Drawing A Line In The Sand
There will be unequivocal moments in everyone’s life when they must make a decision that will dramatically affect their existence moving...
On The Purpose of Life
The physical hardships of aging, while daunting, provide a sort of exclamation mark on your life at this point in time. When you begin to...
Camel Sex in Pittsburgh
While I didn’t understand its significance at the time, watching two camels having sex in Pittsburgh has had a profound effect on my...
Neighbors
We are fortunate to have had such magnificent neighbors for the 30+ years since we built our home, I thought I’d share some of the...
The Last 72 Hours
The “F” word, Yep, I use it all the time. The “N” word, Yep, I've used that too. But the “C” word! The “C” word! I've never used it and...
Perseverance
“Surround yourself with people better than you are.” My brother-in-law, the wisest man I know, told me that 50 years ago. I have always...
“We May Have to Remove Your Colon…”
The words went right over my head as they prepared to move me into surgery. When the doctor said “You are beginning to go septic”, I knew...
On the Border
It’s been so long, but the memories are still here. It was somewhere on the border between New York and Canada. Four of us made the trip...
The Invisible Tree
Complacency has always been my biggest nemesis. Seeing as a person is different from seeing as a photographer. I always try to keep my...
He-Man Sushi
Every two years I make the trip into Riverside / Corona to requalify for my CCW (concealed carry). Firearms Training Associates in...
Nothin’ But the Moon…
Anyone who tells you they ain’t scared jumping out of a plane at 12,500 feet at midnight for the first time with nothing but the moon to...
Teamwork
Only three times in the 25+ years I spent as a software architect was I a member of a team of developers who epitomized the notion of a...
He’s Real. I Seen’im Twice
People who scoff at the existence of the devil are the ones most easily seduced by his charms. For those of you who are unaffiliated (no...
It Has Gotten Weird Enough for Me
I don’t take drugs (excessively) and I don’t take hallucinogens (intentionally). I had already had my first cup of coffee this morning so...
Counting Cars
It was an hour before we were to be married and I’m sitting on the front porch of our beautiful three story, zillion room home in Long...
What Happens When Phyllis Wakes Up to Find Six Strangers Sleeping on the Living Room Floor?
They sure weren't there the night before when she went to sleep... 1980 was sort of a watershed year for me. I had just left my job at...
Mushin
The concept of Mushin was explained to me by a Japanese friend of mine the night before Sasha was born. I struggled for many years to...
On the Road of Hard Knocks
The best compliment I ever received regarding my prowess as a motorcycle mechanic (I can tear down to the last nut and bolt almost any...