[November 20, 2024] Here is some good news. That skinny small-town boy from the Deep South – and born on the bayou (like the 1969 CCR song) – turned out okay. I would marry and have two children; the happiest days of my life were their birth and their growing up. Nothing is more important or fulfilling than… Read More »
[November 9, 2024] “We’re moving to Little Rock!” our Dad announced off-handedly as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. But in just a few short weeks, the family was pulling up stakes, packing our suitcases, saying our goodbyes, and leaving behind the lives we’d come to love. The Missouri Pacific Railroad kept giving our Dad new… Read More »
[November 2, 2024] The small model plane engine was really loud as it sputtered to life. Dad and I readied the control-line model airplane to fly that early Saturday morning. Neither of us had any experience flying model planes, and stupidly, I’d purchased a high-powered model, the most difficult to fly. My Dad’s advice before takeoff was, “flaps… Read More »
[October 25, 2024] As I lay on my back, gazing up at the countless stars in the dark night sky, I searched for the constellations that my Dad had taught me to recognize by name. The easiest constellation to spot was the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), which resembles a large soup ladle. It was late October or November,… Read More »
[October 14, 2024] Our unexpected discovery of an abandoned, old town north of Abilene, Texas, near Lake Fort Phantom-Hill was something special for my friend David and me. We’d heard from others in our neighborhood about lost towns scattered throughout the area and within driving distance of our home. And there she was, sitting pretty and waiting for… Read More »
[October 4, 2024] The psychological impact of the Cold War on kids and adults is immeasurable and likely deeper than anyone imagines, for good and bad. And those kids like me were confused as to exactly what that meant. As it has been called since the late 1940s, the Cold War was an outgrowth of mistrust, superstition, and… Read More »
[September 26, 2024] As I look back from my late adult years, I’m now more appreciative of my Mom for pushing me – as a skinny little tike – outside the house to play with my brother and my friends. And also for her to restrict how much time I could spend watching television. The weather was unimportant,… Read More »
[September 19, 2024] Arriving at the Texas Tech University campus in early May of 1970, this would be the first time I’d ever been away from home for more than a few days since Boy Scout Camp. College was about to become a doozie of an adventure, beginning with my first day checking into Gordon Hall, one of… Read More »
[September 12, 2024] A small group of ragtag civilians were riding in an Army passenger bus painted a dull OD green, all strangers to one another. When the bus comes to a stop, a huge Drill Sergeant jumps onboard – in perfectly starched fatigues and Smokey the Bear hat – and starts barking commands and cussing like a… Read More »
[September 5, 2024] Arriving at the Texas Tech University campus in early May of 1970, this would be the first time I’d ever been away from home for more than a long week at Boy Scout Camp. College was about to become a humdinger of an adventure, beginning with my first day checking into Gordon Hall, one of… Read More »