Tag: NaBloPoMo
-
The Hubcap of Life
There it is, the surviving trophy of my childhood: a still shiny hubcap off of a Plymouth, circa 1953. I was under ten—blanking on the exact age—and on a quest to buy a 10-cent soda at a gas station about a mile from my home when I found “it” in a gully along a country…
-
Black Friday Bust
Black Friday has become Black Thursday as stores in my neck of the woods opened as early as 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving. I’ve never gone in for the early shopping despite rumors this year that you could get a giant plasma TV for $99 at Walmart—don’t go there, ever. As a kid I remember the…
-
Thanksgiving
In the style of O Henry as well as in my own theme of drama in 1,400 characters or less, I’ve written a Thanksgiving story that appears at my fiction site: http://twivelist.com . I’ve posted it here as well. —————————————————————————————————————————————————– John found a $20 bill on the sidewalk. Soon he was counting receipts from the…
-
A Hallway of Mystery
. The hallway on the left is not in a luxury hotel, but rather it is an elaborate pathway along the basement rooms in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The building was modeled after the Paris Opera House and is unlike any structure you’ll see in the United States. I call it gaudy and…
-
The Ocean Squirrel Lesson
I had never seen a squirrel at the ocean until one decided to pose for me recently on rocks that would be covered by the Pacific Ocean at high tide. This sighting has not changed my life, but it does reinforce how much I have yet to witness. As I age an increasing proportion of…
-
Andy Warhol, Then and Now
On March 9, 1966 I met Andy Warhol and his Velvet Underground entourage at the Rutgers University cafeteria. I’ll let the late Lou Reed explain an observation preserved on the internet: “Andy arrived at Rutgers on the afternoon of March 9 with an entourage of thirteen people and went straight to the student cafeteria where…
-
“Grouch”
I live near a sea lion that never appears happy to see me. I assume the problem is that he naps on a jagged rock too small for his bulk. This photo was taken with a 300mm telephoto lens earlier this year at California’s Point Lobos State Park in a cove overlooked by most visitors.…
-
50 Years Ago Today
I distinctly remember the first announcement of President Kennedy’s assassination. I was seated in the last row of a history class at a New Jersey high school. A speaker box mounted high on the front wall aired the principal’s booming voice. That the middle of class was being interrupted was highly unusual, enough to stir…
67Steffen.com 