exploring life and love with pictures and words
Somewhere between sleep and waking, I float in the periphery of a sweet dream. I want to stay here soaking up its warm light, but the image fades, and peace slips away. A familiar ache creeps into my subconscious and I reluctantly recall the reason for the void I feel. I miss someone. I’m surprised... Continue Reading →
Grief . . . There is no escaping it. All of us will experience a big loss in our lifetime, most of us already have. If we’re lucky we may have time to prepare our hearts for the inevitable passing of someone we love. In other instances we will never see it coming and we’ll... Continue Reading →
The coffee shop empties as the morning shift locals make their exit, and the noise level quiets to a low hum. Staring into space, I absentmindedly click the end of my pen against my chin. I’m searching my brain’s thesaurus for an adjective to describe a snort, the laughing kind. Loud comes to mind, but... Continue Reading →
“Fa Caldo!” It’s hot! I hear the phrase again and again, as the temperatures along Lake Como have been hovering in the low 90s for days. My cousins and I escape the heat in Mandello, and head for higher ground in Lierna. It’s not significantly cooler, but there is a small pool, a garden hose... Continue Reading →
He is a bright boy, articulate and creative. He has a natural curiosity and a variety of interests. He loves to learn new things, but not in the traditional school setting. There he feels anxious and inadequate. In the classroom his attention wanes, his mind filled with worried about his ability to do a task... Continue Reading →
Late Sunday morning, still in pajamas, I sit cross-legged on the sofa, looking through a dusty storage box for a photograph of my mom. I don’t have a specific one in mind, it’s more of a treasure hunt. I hope to find a photo I haven’t seen in so many years that it feels brand... Continue Reading →
I wake up long before my alarm, my bladder is in charge these days. I don’t get up right away. Instead I lay in bed and ruminate about those things that are large and looming in the darkness and somehow fade away in the light of day. Shuffling to the bathroom I wonder, why are... Continue Reading →
Have you ever run into someone you haven’t seen in ages, or met up with friends for a happy hour and been greeted with a non-compliment? You know, a comment that expresses an observation or states a fact about one’s appearance but is a few words shy of being an honest to goodness compliment. Still... Continue Reading →
Words with Strangers . . . Words with Friends is my guilty pleasure. It satisfies my psyche on so many levels. My competitive side loves to clobber my opponents. I enjoy banter with friends as they laugh emoji style when they receive my “GRRRRR” messages indicating they are beating me. I’m a terrible loser. I... Continue Reading →
The pier is packed. Spectators six deep watch the finals of the Vans US Open of Surfing below. I wedge myself into the crowd trying to get a glimpse of the last heat. One of the surfers bobs in and out of my view, but I can’t stand on my tiptoes long enough to see... Continue Reading →
Bare Naked in Public 