Loving the Swamp
Anyone who has visited the Central Valley in the summer understands the heat. Intense and often in excess of 100 degrees, the daytime temps can manhandle you. Some may object,...
Hurl's Treehouse
Winning State (part 2)
In 1997, Wheeling High School won the State Title in Congressional Debate for the first time since the program began in 1985. That’s the headline that garnered the attention in...
Winning State (part 1)
At the top of the stairs in the Collin College building where I teach, there are side by side water bottle filling devices, the one on the right slightly taller...
A Duck, a Watch, a Nickel, and a Rock
In literature, we call them symbols. There’s the green light at the end of the dock in Great Gatsby. Or what the three harpooners represent in Moby-Dick or the Mississippi...
To All the Birds I’ve Loved Before
(This is an updated and improved version of a piece I wrote a few years back, sort of a Thanksgiving leftover. Like a lot of leftovers, it tastes better the...
One Question
(For my dad and Harold and all the others). On Veteran’s Day, I remember. Growing up, and later when I visited home from Chicago, I probed my dad for details...
From Soho to Brighton to Bellevue Bowl
Growing up in a small town may sound romantic and idyllic, but to a kid, it can be pretty dull. Looking back now, it was safe, simple, and I had...
Writing a Blog Post: A Timeline
11:02 a.m. Mindset is key. Choose the appropriate setting. I have trouble writing at home because there are too many distractions. When his parents sent him to his room for...
Who in the World Is Edward Hopper?
In 2015, Melanie surprised me with a birthday visit to the Chicago Art Institute. As I wrote in my last post, I had been exploring art for a few years...
For the Love of Art
To say I’m no expert on art is akin to saying I’m no heart surgeon. In other words…Duh. I took an art class at Merced College and remember not a...
