Caught Smoking
Like any curious teenager, I took up smoking, in a classic scene, three young boys walking down an empty railroad track in the wintertime. Literally, on a dare I took my first puff (menthol) and…
The Bad News About Butch
Sensing danger is a survival skill. If you have it, you may live long. If not, well… I guess you aren’t reading this. Years ago before we were married, Carrie and I went to a…
Treehouses Are Cool
Cherry Street Treehouse There is something unusual about age. When you are young and small, things all around you appear quite large. When you are older and bigger, not so much. When I lived on…
The Shrinking Box Game
There once was a cat named Gabriel who thought he might be part dog. when he was young he would run the house but later it became a jog. He shared his noble home with another.…
Shooting Water Through My Teeth
I wanted a bike for my birthday. I was six years old and had long left the three wheel world of biking. But my only experience on two wheels was limited and I had not…
Walking on Water
If I had a nickel for every river story I could write, I would have $8.45. Well I’m not even halfway there yet so here’s another one. Although our river friends are in the story…
Casting a Movie
What does Michele Phillips, Tim Conway and I all have in common? The answer: one night in Lansing, Illinois. You may remember that I worked at an Italian restaurant as a dishwasher in the story:…
Super Glue and Eye Drops
Here’s some good advice, never store these together. The consequences could be disastrous… or could they? I met a girl through a friend of a friend. I’m halfway to Kevin Bacon on this one, an…
Christopher Francisco’s Secret Plot
Christopher Francisco was a renaissance man, like the fashion of cloth he wore, like the name he bore. Christopher was a renaissance man. He made his way through the day in way that made no…
Highschool Rivalries at the Cub’s Game
I must admit up front, I’m not a huge baseball fan. I have friends and family members that are religious to the sport. It’s just a little slow for me. I do like the excitement…