When it came to sailing, my dad was a crafty old fox. He was not the most daring, so he never tried to time it so he was one of the first across the starting line. Starting with a 5 to 10 minute deficit meant he had to scheme and plot how to catch up.... Continue Reading →
As a young man in college, one time, some friends needed me to babysit their kids. I did it as a favor, but they wanted to pay me. After refusing money, They asked me if I wanted to partake in smoking weed. After some negotiation, I just left with two joints that I didn’t really... Continue Reading →
We have jaunted over to Spain for a few days. Unfortunately, we seem to have come during Seville’s busiest party week, and we don’t do that kind of party. I tend to think of the two, Portugal and Spain, as nearly identical. They have been connected at different times and developed in parallel ways.... Continue Reading →
When we started hiking along the seashore in Portimao, Portugal, the first thing I saw was rocks, almost islands, offshore of the rocky points. Sometimes, at low tide, you can walk on the sand out to some of the islands, but other times, it is surrounded by the gnashing sea. It is amazing. If... Continue Reading →
We arrived in Kenya and immediately started Swahili language school in Nairobi. While there, Our Mission put us in touch with a Missionary family moving out of their house in Nakuru. We could rent the house, hire the night watchman, adopt the cat and buy the car. This sounded like a great package deal, so... Continue Reading →
Being a Californian, I have traveled a variety of times through the Gold Country. When John Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill, it set off the 1849 gold rush. There ensued a huge influx of mostly poor people seeking a fortune in the gold fields. At first, people panned for gold, but as the good... Continue Reading →
The family was camped by a High Sierra lake for a week, with some friends. The next day, the friends were going home and we were embarking on a long trek. The trek entailed a long hike down one trail and another up a second trail to a point just ten miles from us. Since... Continue Reading →
We came to Portugal hoping that the dry and sunny weather of summer would have started. Instead, our plans were disrupted by rain and cold. There were sunny days where we attained our hopes of outdoor activities. Unfortunately, our return was not to a cozy abode. We shivered in our warmest clothes. Desperately, we... Continue Reading →
The sun poured its beams upon our basking bodies. Suddenly the grating voice of our dad erupted into our heat slumbering brains, “you better put on the foul weather gear.” We erupted into frothy talk, “He doesn’t know what he is talking about.” “It is so nice, how could it get wet.” We should have... Continue Reading →
We took our faithful, neglected, Ping Pong table and painted the white lines in phosphorescent paint. Then we did the same for the net, the balls, and the paddles. Now we were ready for Halloween. Every Halloween, the staid Doctors and their proper wives came to our house for our Halloween party. We tried to... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 