The Rock Star

The Rock Star

The Rock Star “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong.” Groucho Marx My uncle Jack was a contractor, the youngest Eagle Scout in his troop, the mayor of La Canada, and one of the finest people I’ve ever known. He built a...
A Hot Breakfast

A Hot Breakfast

A Hot Breakfast “There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.” Walt Streightiff One of my earliest memories happened at breakfast when I was about two and a half. My dad was out of town on a business trip, and my...
A Man For Others

A Man For Others

A Man For Others “Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.” Roberto Clemente I don’t recall seeing Roberto Clemente play baseball, but I probably have, because I...
The Duke and Johnny

The Duke and Johnny

The Duke and Johnny “To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while.” Josh Billings John Wayne was a big name when I was a kid. My dad met him a few times, which made him even bigger in my mind. He was...
The Haunted House

The Haunted House

The Haunted House “Good things happen when you meet strangers.” Yo-Yo Ma When Aunt Janice and Uncle Gordon married and moved from Los Angeles to Tarzana, my family followed along. We lived a mile away, and my aunt and uncle’s house was like a wonderland...
The Corn Maze

The Corn Maze

The Corn Maze “Fear can make you stronger.” Anonymous On one cold and blustery night, when my twin girls were eleven, we went with their friend, Nicole, to the Pierce College corn maze. Tall and thick and waving in the breeze, the maze covered a couple of...