BackfireBoth Hans-Joachim and Averardo had been drafted into their respective armed services during WWII: Hans-Joachim into The Luftwaffe and…Jan 23, 2022Jan 23, 2022
A Handful of ButtonsLooking back on a life of protest, dissent, social action, taking long rides on buses to Washington, D.C to march and carry signs or…Oct 10, 2021Oct 10, 2021
The Most Beautiful Walk Outside the City Gate in Florence, ItalyThis walk is best undertaken in the early Spring when the wisteria are in bloom. It begins at the Roman Gate, La Porta Romana, in the…Sep 26, 2021Sep 26, 2021
The Butterfly Opens The DoorI knew of her by no other name. The maestro, my art teacher in Florence, called her The Butterfly. Perhaps she was the housekeeper or…Sep 8, 2021Sep 8, 2021
On the PlantationIt was the Spring just after Mardi Gras in New Orleans and just before Katrina closed in on that city, destroying the South Side and…Sep 8, 2021Sep 8, 2021
The Boy Who Loved DianaOnce upon a time, there was a country called Yugoslavia and in the winter of 1960, I had no intention of going there.Aug 29, 2021Aug 29, 2021
A Day Off and The Days That FollowedTwenty years ago, I worked weekends and was off on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Mondays, I shopped for groceries and waited in line at the bank…Jul 25, 2021Jul 25, 2021
The Genesis of A StoryHow does a story get started? Why, it seeps into the cracks and crevices of your brain like nitrogen: colorless, odorless and…Jul 25, 2021Jul 25, 2021
The Holocaust in EllenvilleIn those days, we children had magic lanterns. The lantern was a simple oblong black metal box with a slit on top to drop in lantern slides…Jul 25, 2021Jul 25, 2021