Small chunks of ice fell from the glacier above; I could not see Justin. He was somewhere at the upper end of the rope I was holding, over the ledge, climbing higher. The wind picked up as the morning sun rose over the southern tip of the Andes Mountains. Cold found its way to my... Continue Reading →
Waiting for Sally
#hurricanesally
Red-Lined
I almost let the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack pass unnoticed. What with the pandemic, upcoming elections, fires in California, and seven tropical systems spinning in the Atlantic, I had little bandwidth left to focus on a date in history. If it wasn’t for my son's participation in the Stephen Siller Tunnel to... Continue Reading →
Goats – Short Story
GOATS “Edna, get real. It’s just two nights out” A light rain splattered the windshield. I flipped the wipers, smearing bug guts across the glass. “Can’t you give me two nights?” “I’ll give you eternity if that’s what you want,” she said. “That’s not it,” I said. “I want you to have fun.” An eighteen-wheeler... Continue Reading →
Ventana – Short Story
“You see that notch, right there on the top of that mountain?” Jack said, extending his arm. “Look through it. See that ridge behind it? That is where the Spanish buried their gold.” Jack and I had just hiked up to the top of Mount Pico Blanco on the Big Sur Coast. The blue Pacific... Continue Reading →
To the Point – Short Story
Chris began to question the wisdom of his trip. It had been just three days since Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast, leaving more destruction than he had anticipated. He picked his way on foot through the rubble and down Howard Avenue toward the eastern edge of Biloxi to find his grandmother’s house, and... Continue Reading →
I’m still here
First, I want to apologize to all my readers for leaving you in the dark. It is true I have not posted anything on this site for over a year. If you are reading this now, I am amazed that you kept your access to my blog open. So, where have I been? Well, after... Continue Reading →
Hiking the Mississippi Gulf Coast – Part Seven
We started our hike today at six o’clock in the morning to try to avoid the oppressive heat that had engulfed South Mississippi. There was to be no shade along our path, and what little breeze we could expect of the warm gulf was not going to help much to cool us down. It was... Continue Reading →
Hiking the Mississippi Gulf Coast – Part Six
It had threatened to rain on previous sections of this hike, but so far, we were spared a deluge - not so lucky today. The forecast predicted morning showers, so we came prepared with raincoats and umbrellas. Shortly after leaving our car at Jones Park in Gulfport, dark clouds gathered in the northeast and slowly... Continue Reading →
Hiking the Mississippi Gulf Coast – Part Five
We met again at Sharkheads in Biloxi to begin the fifth leg of our hike across the Mississippi Gulf Coast and were joined by Sue, a friend of Gail’s, who is an expert biologist and an avid birdwatcher. Just our luck, because soon after we started to hike down the seawall, we came to the... Continue Reading →