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Posts published in “Essays”

Tweeker Takeover

When I got home from my trip I struggled with the padlock on the gate, finally got a wrench from my car and banged it open, and noticed my lounge chair was in the middle…

The Old Man & The Backpack

It is the third week of September and I am at Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park, getting ready to embark on my first backpacking trip in nearly 35 years. The setting is familiar, as…

A Hairy Tale

Irene sat in the chair at her hairdressers. She was getting a perm so she'd look good for her upcoming 75th birthday celebration. She was deep into gossip with Marge, the salon's owner, when, in…

Marching

Marching for a cause was hardly an innovation in this country by the time the now historic August 1963 March on Washington took place. There had been hundreds of previous processions, some dating to the…

Ukiah Soundtrack: Howls & Roars

An out of town guest was visiting for a few days and while we were on the back deck dawdling over a sampler of Ritz crackers, Velveeta cheese and PopTart hors d’oeuvres, we discussed Ukiah’s…

William Saroyan

I'm not sure that William Saroyan, author, playwright, and genius, can be legitimately described as a San Franciscan, but we like to claim him, although he was born in Fresno and now spends most of…

Election Time: A Vote for Bach

Ithaca, New York. Next week brings local elections to this college town in the Finger Lakes region of the Empire State. There will be a new mayor and a new town council. A couple of…

Naval Findings

My work site was three flights below ground level, taking me into the bowels of the earth. There, beginning at 6 a.m., I began my shift in the surgical suites at the world's largest Naval…

Escape From Southern Humboldt

Why is life so boring in Garberville these days, so boring I’ve been desperately trying to get out of town and drive to Mexico. It’s not just me, a lot of people are bored and…

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