I had never been to Oracle Park, San Francisco, home of the Giants. Which, for those of you in the UK and elsewhere, is this city’s baseball team. Here, let me digress to say that I am somewhat “elsewhere” myself when it comes to baseball. I grew up in an isolated desert setting with no neighbors, a disturbed household which included one European doctor who had no real idea of what baseball was, let alone how to play it. But that’s history. Yesterday, I made my own history by finally getting Read more [...]

Defeated. That was the word that came to mind when Jane and I finally made it home. Our trip had been a spectacular one. Or spectacularly adventurous. But at that moment the adventure seemed foolish. Not to mention empty. I knew this was partly a function of mood. We had some bad luck at the end of our trip. Let me go there first. Queen Mary 2 has a way of stopping periodically to helicopter a passenger ashore. If this sounds like an exaggeration, consider our fairly recent experience. In March Read more [...]

Defeated. That was the word that came to mind when Jane and I finally made it home. Our trip had been a spectacular one. Or spectacularly adventurous. But at that moment the adventure seemed foolish. Not to mention empty. I knew this was partly a function of mood. We had some bad luck at the end of our trip. Let me go there first. Queen Mary 2 has a way of stopping periodically to helicopter a passenger ashore. If this sounds like an exaggeration, consider our fairly recent experience. In March Read more [...]

Professor of law at the University of Arizona, James Diamond, wonders “Is Healing Possible in the Wake of Rampage Shootings?” Good question, Jim. And normally I ask this question of myself, about myself. Individual shootings like mine don’t make the headlines for the most part. But their cumulative effect is considerable. Take my word for it. Or don’t. Just do the math. People are killed in ones and twos around the country every day…in circumstances that can be clearly linked to crime Read more [...]

It was mid-afternoon on Friday, and Cindy was racing up and down the hallway declaring “I’m horny, I’m horny.” Ike, who was hanging just out in the doorway to my room, muttered that he had something for Cindy to sit on. None of us doubted this. Ike had seven children. Which prompted Perry to turn to me and observe, “Maybe Ike has done a little too much sitting.” I reacted to Cindy with excitement and intimidation. She was a paraplegic who could use her two strong arms to achieve considerable Read more [...]

Death Valley. In anticipation I had it right. A chance for a few days of sun and no rain and warmth. And we had those things, just not as expected, travel being what it is. The first of which is that Nevada, true to the Spanish name, is snowy. Just look at the peaks approaching on State Highway 160. Apparently, anyone who is anyone knows that the mountains here are beautiful. Red Rock Canyon State Park being just one example. And there they were, tall snowy peaks, high enough to be above the Read more [...]