Looking Homeward

My father’s younger brother followed him into World War II like a pesky little brother would ready to do his part ready to make his mark These two blonde, blue-eyed boys one year apart in age Uncle Dail followed my father down the dirt roads that they drove sometimes too fast from a place where … Continue reading →

The House on Tenth Street

I passed by this old house one evening alive with candlelight where it stands on 10th Street it has been there since the early 1900s against ratcheting time life expanded and dissolved like the neighborhood bakery barber shop, trinket stores horses and carriages replaced by autos Bonnie and Clyde roamed the backside of these streets … Continue reading →

Twillia’s Birthday

Today is August 17th, and it is Twillia Garvin’s birthday. Twillia was a lovely southern woman, a hard working, resourceful wife, a loving mother, and a treasured grandmother. She was born a long time ago, but her influence has persevered through the years for those that loved and knew her. It was not long after … Continue reading →

High Flight

Some people may remember the lines of this poem from Ronald Reagan’s speech on the Challenger Disaster. A friend of mine shared it on Facebook, bringing back those memories for me. The poem High Flight was actually written by John Gillespie Magee, an American pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force in the 2nd World … Continue reading →

The Pessimist Writes About Love

Did I mention it was Proclamation Season? It’s all a mix of the usual, but every now and then something a little different comes along, something that makes you feel a little better than you may have before, something that reaffirms belief in love, magic, and all those mushy things that we sometimes like to … Continue reading →

USS Pampanito

The USS Pampanito now sits docked in Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco honored as a national landmark. Going down below, the remnants of a not-too-distant-but-well-remembered past is perfectly preserved. The designated areas are tiny, and one wonders how all those men staffed at various times on the ship managed in such close quarters. And for … Continue reading →

The Sentimental Journey

Mr. and Mrs. Briggs recently celebrated their 70th Anniversary, celebrating long and happy lives, the gift of a wonderful family, and a journey together that began in a honeymoon cottage in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1943, and…. During World War II, a beautiful love story unfolded in this quaint little North Texas Town when a … Continue reading →