The Life in My Years

An anthology of life

“Black and white is mix of toughest simplicity and easiest complexity.” ~ Vikrmn, Corpkshetra I’m a late arrival to this party, the black and white photo challenge, hosted by Anne Sandler. Better late than never? “There are some locations I go to and they scream black and white to me because of the ambiance. For …

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When we started out, we hadn’t included a ghost tour in our plans. Thing is, when you cover 8000 miles over sixteen states, the diverse American story is bound to offer up a collection of spectres. The ghosts that we encountered weren’t those mischievous, annoying spirits who move the furniture about while you’re out of …

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Friday, May 21, 2021 Day four Mother Nature. Sometimes she can be a real; you know, that “B” word? When she gets to feeling a little fishwifey, she’ll cut loose with an earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I live. I had a friend in Missouri who used to hunker down when the …

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Thursday, May 20, 2021 “Pardon me, you left your tears on the jukebox” That’s George Strait on the radio. It’s day three of a month-long road trip. We’ve travelled down the eastern side of California’s San Joaquin Valley and are now passing through the Mojave Desert on the Southeastern edge of the state. When it …

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The fish house The carcass of the Nantucket Restaurant lies at water’s edge on the northwest corner of Crockett. The Nantucket was a local seafood joint, one of those simple, honest, unpretentious places that offered an easy atmosphere, neighborly service and a good meal at a fair price.  The best thing on the menu was …

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Crockett, California (known to locals as Sugar City) can be a hard place to figure. At a glance you might take it for a Rust Belt community of the Midwest, sitting on the shore of one of America’s great rivers. There’s a factory, the big old brick C&H Sugar refinery that sits on the edge …

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“The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.” ~ Ernest Hemingway I was a junior in high school when Earth Day was established. A group of us went to one of the local San Mateo County beaches and picked up trash. It was along about that time that an oil spill took place …

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“Waves are the voices of tides. Tides are life.”  ~ Tamora Pierce Take me to the beach. Just don’t let it be a crowded one; not a Santa Cruz, where hordes descend for thrill rides and corn dogs on the boardwalk or to build sand castles or play a game of Frisbee. I don’t need …

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Fort Point is one of San Francisco’s often overlooked jewels. Built between 1853 and 1861 to guard the inlet to San Francisco Bay, the fort, surrounded by water on three sides, rests on the southern shore of the Golden Gate. While it is a historic fort, one doesn’t have to be a history buff to …

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Anyone who’s visited San Francisco, since 1972 has seen the Transamerica Pyramid, one of The City’s most iconic structures. I was in my teens when the building design was unveiled and quickly met with derision from the media and from public officials. It was criticized as something that would be more appropriate on the Las …

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