Mountain & Sea, Part Two: Nooks & Crannies
I’m dipping my toes in the Mediterranean this morning. I wish I had some bread and some tea to really hit the spot after the trek down here. I took some side “streets” and pathways…
Mountain & Sea, Part One: The Hike
My teacup and I reminisced over my travel journals: There are five towns here, all built into the mountainside along the Mediterranean shore…
Feeling September 11
Excerpt from Upside Down Kingdom:
“…We had the radio, and its constant updates. Even though they were reporting rogue plane sightings overhead that we couldn’t see, at least there were voices giving us information…”
Restaurantland's Weird Herd
Money is a sensitive issue, outside of a restaurant, that is. But in the world of restaurants, the whole mentality about money is different…
Thought #7
I’ve been assigned an editor for one of my writing projects. My first thought: “Wow! They think I’m important enough to have an editor!” My second thought: “Hey! They think I stink and I need an editor!”
Short Story Contest: John Baker
My friend Patrick emailed me on a Sunday a few weeks ago and said he'd just come across an NPR writing contest, and that the deadline was midnight, Eastern Time…
Eyes Closed
Friday, June 7, I read for Cracked Walnut at The Salon in Rochester. I’d been racking my brain on what to read, pretty much since the invitation to speak arrived weeks ago…
The Welcome Door
As my Facebook friends know, last night I posted this: “I’m on church vestry. It’s like Congress, and just as methodical and slow-moving. Tonight, however, we ‘DMC-fast-tracked*’ the same sex marriage issue…”
The Curious Thing
As we wind down the Sunday School year and practice for this year’s finale, I’m reminded of last year where my second and third grade class acted out Moses parting the Red Sea in front of the parish parents…
Putting Upside Down Kingdom on the Roof
Belated Happy Earth Day, All! Here’s a little thinking outside the box… Upside Down Kingdom is sponsoring a straw bale this summer! Söntés Restaurant in Rochester, Minnesota, where I work, write, and because my office is there, essentially live…
Inspiration Behind Library Talk March 28
I’ve been invited to speak at the Rochester Public Library at 7 p.m. this Thursday (March 28) as part of the Library’s Visiting Author Series.Months ago when we set this up, I thought when the day finally came I’d be terrified to speak. But I said yes…
How Many of Me Do You See?
What have I been doing lately, you ask? Ta da! What follows is a Tall Tale speech I gave that took first place at my ToastMasters Club in February, and placed third at the Rochester Area level competition last Saturday…
Landstuhl Postcards
Excerpt from my Germany 2012 travel journals, with my friends Keith and Johanna…
It’s late summer here in Landstuhl, Germany. The sun is shining and the air is clean…