Horseback Swimming

Horseback Swimming

Horseback Swimming “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Winston Churchill In the summer of 1977, we took the last of our Model A trips across the American West. Technically there were five trips in all, if...
A Brief Engagement

A Brief Engagement

A Brief Engagement “You know that tingly little feeling you get when you like someone? That is your common sense leaving your body.” Unknown When I was twelve, I was enthralled with Karen, eleven, who lived around the corner. We had a somewhat tumultuous...
Time to Go!

Time to Go!

Time to Go! “‘Just in case’ is the curse of packing.” Alexandra Potter Let me say this: I’m terrific at stuffing the travel belongings of five people into a mid-sized SUV. But the very thing that serves me in packing a car hurts me in packing a...
The Blaneys’ Plymouth

The Blaneys’ Plymouth

The Blaneys’ Plymouth “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” Simone Weil Mrs. Blaney lived at the end of our street in an old, Spanish style house, whose every room opened to the garden. The house had been the original farm house of the...
The Window That Opened the Door

The Window That Opened the Door

The Window That Opened the Door “Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.” Tim Fargo While in between quarters at UCLA, I had a sudden interest in learning to make stained glass windows. In reality, it wasn’t all that sudden, as I had been...
Funeral Crashers

Funeral Crashers

Funeral Crashers “If you can sit happy with embarrassment, there’s not much else that can really get to you.” Christian Bale When I was twenty-four, eating breakfast and reading the paper one Saturday morning, I noticed an obituary about a guy who...