On my first trip to California, I hitchhiked on U.S. Route 460, which is a major East/West artery. Right away I got a ride from two girls who were about my age; I was still…
Posts published in “Essays”
In this space last time we covered the early life of Eliza Durbin Bowman. Additionally, the previous piece contained some history of the relations of Indians and whites in Humboldt County in the 1850s and…
There is nothing quite like a good nap, especially when one is getting on in years and the normal nighttime sleep cycle starts getting interrupted by certain hydrological imperatives, the accumulated stressors of middle age,…
If you’re a politician these days it’s hard to separate yourself from the pack. Everybody wants better schools, affordable healthcare, a livable wage, an unpolluted environment, less crime, and fewer homeless and drug addicts on…
You never know what you’ll turn up at a book sale. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. While working on the Mendocino County history I’m writing I was thrilled to pick up “Mineral Commodities…
At 16, I passed the GED exam, received a high school diploma and was granted emancipation from my parents. I asked my dad if I should join the army. “Hell, no,” he said. “You don’t…
In my father's day, people who did specialized, skilled things were called engineers. He was an electronics engineer. He maintained the radar apparatus at Chincoteague Island, watching for German U-boats. Later he designed circuitry for…
“Flight 75, you’re cleared for take-off.” “Roger that. I’m rolling.” Wednesday, Feb. 6, was the last time that once-familiar conversation was heard at Mendocino Transit Authority (MTA), and it was spoken with deep affection between…
It won’t be a political tragedy, no matter who wins, but I can’t help seeing the district attorney’s race as the sad, final act