Dec 6, 2021Member-onlyHow Dare They?A saga of a table by the window aboard the Deliziosa. How dare they? All I wanted was a quiet cup of herbal tea and a sweet croissant while gazing out over the ocean. But they stole my table. How rude! I felt cheated, disrespected, and a little angry. I was tired. I love to travel, and I love my wife…Travel9 min readTravel9 min read
Nov 19, 2021Member-onlyHow a Mere Gondola Ride Redeemed Venice for Two Weary TravelersI was sorry our gondola ride on the canals of Venice had come to an end. For many reasons, some of which may not seem obvious. The gondola ride, unlike other parts of the journey, was everything I could have hoped for. * The boat: Beautiful, flat-bottomed, made of various…Travel6 min readTravel6 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Sep 6, 2021Member-onlyI Should Have KnownIt was always thus — I did not want to admit that things would not go as planned. Especially to myself. But I did know. How could I not? The plans had been made by my family back home. When they are involved, nothing ever goes as planned. Still, I was about to spend a…Family12 min readFamily12 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Aug 27, 2021Member-onlyTell Me Of ItShare your joy! Tell me of it. Are you not at my side each morning when you say you will be? Does not your smile light my day? Does not your voice cause my breast to swell with love? Do you not come to my bed each eve, at the end of the…Nonmonogamy2 min readNonmonogamy2 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Jul 28, 2021Member-onlyAn InvitationDangers lurk. Stay safe out there! This is an invitation to all my rugged individualist friends: Hey, good buddy, let’s go hunting out in the wild. Bring the camp gear. Bring the guns. Let’s get some game for the freezer and maybe a trophy for the wall. …Hunting3 min readHunting3 min read
Feb 15, 2021Member-onlyBeach Camping in Beautiful OkinawaWhat could possibly go wrong? When I was stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, the military had a ‘retreat’ location at Okuma Beach on the north end of the island. Okuma was beautiful, with swaying palms and clear turquoise water lapping up onto a brilliant white-sand beach. …4 min read4 min read
Feb 6, 2021Member-onlyThe Red BaronThey serve the tables and dance, I’ve been told, naked. In the 1990s, the Angeles City area surrounding Clark Air Base in the Republic of the Philippines was not very family-friendly, as is often the case in areas immediately surrounding military installations. The area around the base was full of…Phillipines6 min readPhillipines6 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Nov 9, 2020She Called My BluffA blush with Marge. You are only young and innocent once. I was young, once. I am not sure I was ever innocent. …Military5 min readMilitary5 min read
Oct 19, 2020Randy’s Random ErrorNobody is perfect Today, I have to admit to taking extraordinary joy in another’s mistake. Noting, if you will, the clay feet of one of my heroes. I don’t think it’s Schadenfreude. I certainly wish him no ill. I did, of course, have to jump into the fray with other…2 min read2 min read
Published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece)·Sep 18, 2020Embarrassment to the Ninth DegreeOr: Why I No Longer Have Any Secrets Five young women stood in dim light gathered around a stainless steel table. On that table, I lay on my back, a thin pillow under my head, a thinner cotton hospital gown gathered up under my armpits. From that crumpled gown to…6 min read6 min read
