Month: October 2020

Grizzly Bear!

Posted in Alaska, bears, California, church, friends, grizzly bear, guardian angel, guns, hunting, nature, relationships, travel, vacation, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) An Amazon robot punctured a can of Bear Mace, sending 80 employees to the hospital before Christmas. It reminded me of this true account told to me at a holiday party. In 2008 you take your wife, Liza, and your teen-aged kids to Alaska. You stay near the Princess Lodge in a fishing cabin… Continue reading Grizzly Bear!

Melanoma and Me

Posted in biopsy, California, cancer, Carmel, dermatologist, equator, melanoma, memoir, skin, skin cancer, sunburn, surgery, UCSF, VenezuelaLeave a comment

This is the kind of post that is scary to write, knowing that melanoma is the deadliest type of skin cancer. When I got the call, I was hiking in one of the most beautiful places on Earth near Carmel, with two friends, a happy couple who happened to be in town. “I have melanoma,” I said… Continue reading Melanoma and Me

The Stars Have Aligned

Posted in abolitionists, Arabic, Biden/Harris, Black Lives Matter, demonstration, dogs, hate, historical fiction, insurance, memoir, Republican, slave owners, slavery, Sue Monk Kidd, teens, The Invention of Wings, Trump 2020Leave a comment

Okay, maybe not stars, but three things happened today that are related enough to fashion a blog post from them. I was only ten pages away from finishing The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd when I closed it to go have lunch with two of my adult children. On the way back from… Continue reading The Stars Have Aligned

Jack London — Was He a Racist?

Posted in Ayran, California, Call of the Wild, Coronavirus, Covid 19, culture, Dr. Seuss, Hitler, Jack London, John Wayne, pandemic, racism, racist, Spanish Flu, The Scarlet Plague, To Build a Fire, White Fang, white privilege, white supremacistLeave a comment

Who doesn’t love the story The Call of the Wild? I used to teach it and also Jack London’s doomsday story called To Build a Fire when I taught 7th grade in Council Bluffs, Iowa. White Fang is another Jack London story that my 8th grade remedial boys liked to check out from my personal… Continue reading Jack London — Was He a Racist?

Horseback Riding on a First Date

Posted in allergies, bar, dancing, Ecuador, horse, horseback riding, hospital, marriage, parachute pants, relationships, weltsLeave a comment

(re-run) Juan met two women one night while dancing in a bar. He had a matchbook with one of the Donna’s phone numbers on it and another matchbook with the other Donna’s name and number on it. He couldn’t remember which was which, so he picked a matchbook and called. “Hi, this is Juan. Are… Continue reading Horseback Riding on a First Date

Wasabi on a First Date

Posted in attitude, bathroom, California, chemistry, dating, dinner, flirting, hairdresser, humor, poop, relationships, restaurant, romance, waiter, worstLeave a comment

(re-run) They had the same hair dresser.  She was coming in as he was going out. He asked for her phone number. She gave it to her hairdresser to give to him. There aren’t too many eligible men in their seventies, especially one that still had his hair! Garth took Gladys to a nice Japanese… Continue reading Wasabi on a First Date

Fleet Week and the $10,000,000 Lot

Posted in Alcatraz, barbecue, Bay Area, Blue Angels, Facebook, Fleet Week, fog, friends, hiking, Marin County, memoir, military, relationships, San Francisco, SausalitoLeave a comment

(re-run) When I moved to the Bay Area, no one explained what Fleet Week was. But after many years, I finally figured it out — big ships, military stuff, the Blue Angels. The Blue Angels are six military jets in formation flown by some amazing pilots. They fly over the city of San Francisco for… Continue reading Fleet Week and the $10,000,000 Lot