I did these 14 things in 2014. “But wait!” you say. “There are 15 things on this list!” That’s because I’ve added one more “thing” that I didn’t actually do … but I’m not telling you which one, so I can preserve my deniability for the other 14. Got it? OK, here we go....
Sunrise On The Beach, Continued
Woke up, peeked through the blinds, and all I could see in the sky was red. Checked my phone: 4:58 a.m. Plenty of time to get down to the beach for some pictures before we had to finish packing and clean up. Threw on some clothes, grabbed my camera, and hustled down as fast...
Sunrise On The Beach
I had hoped that a vacation—six days at a beach house on Lake Michigan—might rekindle my interest in photography. Away from home and my deeply ingrained habits, and in a place with abundant natural beauty if you’re willing to look for it, I should be able to relearn the joy of capturing interesting scenery with...
Home For Christmas
On a chilly winter morning in the 1980s, many members of my family gathered at the St. Louis Airport, awaiting the arrival of a flight from the West Coast. The flight, or at least the passengers we were there for, originated in Seoul, South Korea. The airport was hustling and bustling, on a busy...
A Not-So-Fictional Character
In 1984, Jean and I flew to New York for my friend Geoff’s wedding. Our U.S. Air flight back to Chicago had a stopover in Pittsburgh. As we arrived at our gate at La Guardia, there was an unusual buzz in the terminal; the gate people were all smiling, and there were lots of...
The Next Meal
Last weekend, I took part in the 30-Hour Famine with the Youth Outlet at First Congregational Church of Webster Groves. The 30-Hour Famine is an event organized by WorldVision, a Christian humanitarian organization that fights poverty and hunger around the world. At our church, they needed a male chaperone, and I volunteered. (A couple*...
Back From The Decaf World
Well, I made it. 46 days of Lent, without caffeine, and I survived. I woke up early this morning and brewed a pot of coffee—REAL coffee, not the “decaf” stuff I’ve been drinking for the last six and a half weeks—and set about to enjoy my day. And it’s a beautiful day. Life...
Ready Or Not, Baseball Season Starts In One Week
I had some time before work this morning, so I took a walk around downtown to take some pictures. I gravitated toward Busch Stadium to see how “Ballpark Village” is coming along, visit the statue garden, and see if the yard looked ready for baseball. Well, it might be ready, but it’s hard to...
The Ducks At Tilles
It was a nice enough morning, so I went over to Tilles Park to see how the ducks and geese were doing. They’re doing OK, it seems....
Howard Steamboat Museum
While in Louisville this week, I had the opportunity to drive across the river and visit the Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville, Ind. The museum is housed in an 1890s mansion built by Edmonds Howard. He was the owner of the Howard Shipyard, which built thousands of steamboats over many decades, until the yard...