My first trip to mainland China made me curious as to what I might find. After all, this country was supposed to be one of our Cold War enemies. How much has really changed? Unfortunately, I only spent a few days in Beijing. But even that was instructive — a lot has changed. The Chinese
I haven’t written anything lately because I’ve been traveling again. I’ve just completed a very satisfying two-week trip to China and Bhutan. (Before you ask, Bhutan is a Buddhist country between China and India, east of Nepal.) I didn’t get to see much of China this time, just Beijing and a part of the Great
This was written by my niece Stephanie. Once there was a fisherman who lived next to the sea. He loathed his job and longed to move far away to a big city, but was too poor and could barely afford the shack in which he lived. Day after day, he would leave at the crack
I’ve always had an interest in outer space, and last year I began subscribing to Astronomy magazine. It’s full of fascinating scientific articles and tidbits, but what caught my eye in the May 2018 issue (yes, it’s out already; you have to plan ahead to watch the sky) was the “Strange Universe” column by Bob
One of the frustrating aspects of life is to say something to be taken at face value, then have it completely misinterpreted. I have a story along those lines that I’ve been relating to friends and they enjoy it, so I’ve decided to repeat it here. During my Air Force career, I worked mostly in
My friends know I’m a Disney collector. For almost thirty years, I’ve belonged to the Disneyana Fan Club (DFC, originally the NFFC, http://www.disneyanafanclub.org/), and it’s been a very rewarding experience on many levels. I know most people have their outside interests and passions, but I also realize occasionally these passions can get a bit… extreme.
This is an era when I hesitate to see the news. Certainly there is enough negativity to last a lifetime. So it’s nice to have a refuge to escape the disasters, threats, and misery in the everyday headlines. Occasionally I look longingly for an escape, if only for a few moments. One distraction is sports,
Recently I visited Walt Disney World for a week. My primary purpose was to participate in the events of Marathon Weekend. Of course I had a pass to go to the theme parks, but my highest priority was conserving my energy for the races. As such, my theme park visits were very spontaneous; I would
If you’re a science-fiction fan, you may have realized most science-fiction novels are either utopian (a state in which everything is perfect ) or dystopian (a state in which everything is dysfunctional). These make good settings for stories, but how realistic are they? Actually in the real world, things seem to be more “topian” than
Since this is now officially the Christmas season, I’m repeating my Santa Claus story as my holiday contribution — Thanks, Santa I guess I shouldn’t complain. I live in a nice house on a street with nice houses. I think our house is the nicest, two stories with a pool in back and a