According to the Sheriff’s Academy course syllabus, tonight we’re studying “Patrol Procedures, Part I.” It’s got me thinking of famous TV cops from yesteryear. Remember Broderick Crawford and the Highway Patrol? With his hefty build and cigarette dangling from his lips, Crawford, who played Chief Dan Matthews, actually looked like an officer. Let’s just say […]
“Some boast in chariots, and some in horses . . . .” It was the fall of 1998. I had graduated the previous May but was still without a permanent teaching job. I assumed it was because of my age (pushing 50) or lack of academic writing (all my articles appeared in newspapers) or, maybe, […]
Spent 45 minutes today people watching. Was on Santa Fe’s Guadalupe Street at one of Charlotte’s favorite second-hand stores, so, while she was inside looking for bargains, I sat on a bench outside looking for, well, not really “for,” but “at” people. Below are my notes: Women dress to shop; men don’t. And, while the […]
A world without smell would be as sterile as a world without sound. Good smells add to some of life’s best pleasures. Following are my top ten: 10. Freshly cut grass 09. Fresh sheets beneath warm blankets on a cold night 08. Coffee brewing mixed with bacon frying 07. Flowers in the spring, especially honeysuckles 06. […]
“Whatever shall we do?” They were not words I wanted to hear from our Austrian guide. We had missed a train—the last one of the day—in a small village known for its quaint medieval castle. Charming as it was, I didn’t relish staying the night there. Anyway, remembering that experience makes me think of other […]