June 2016 archive

Lunch with a Stranger

Alice sat on a bench, against a wall, under the shade of the tree to her right, and the tree to her left, and the trees lining the wall behind her. She opened her lunch bag to pull out a tuna sandwich she had packed the night before. It was her routine action of her …

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Time to Smell the Flowers, and Other Summer Fun

This is my last blog for a couple of months. My wife Maureen and I just bought a new car and we’ve decided to put it to good use this summer. That, and a garden that is fast becoming a handful. I said “grow little garden, grow,” and it is! Now, other than the tomatoes, …

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Chautauqua?

What do you think of when you hear the name Chautauqua, Chautauqua, New York? The first thing I thought of was an Indian Tribe. Was I wrong! Wikipedia says, Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. …The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture …

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Coffee Shop Chronicles, Father’s Day edition: Saying goodbye

Starbucks Rt. 40, Delaware April 2006 Last week, I hugged Roomie down in Maryland, and that’s when it hit me: I’m saying goodbye. I almost cried. I’m moving soon, so it’s time for those farewells, that talking to the people I should’ve been talking to all along. My Grande Java Chip Frappuccino turns into a …

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Driving Detroit with Dad

“Dad would like you to drive the van,” my mom says to me. “It’s easier for him to get in and out of it.” Despite my dad’s notoriously poor behavior as a passenger, I immediately respond, “Sure, I’ll drive.” Then I conjure an image of how the rest of my family will react when they …

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