Today was busy. We left at 6:15 this morning to work at the homeless breakfast and returned at 6:30 tonight after spending the majority of the day in Pasadena. We were visiting with a friend there who is involved in several housing renovation projects and since we are also old house renovators, we were happy…
Category: Los Angeles
Flash Essay: Heat and the Homeless in LA
The fans are on tonight, both of them sending cool air to me from two different directions here in the living room. The back door is open, as are the windows, but the house is still warm after a day with temperatures in the 90’s. This is not like Texas heat, which has topped 108…
Flash Essay: The Lure of Water Or Bury Me at Sea
I want to have my ashes spread in the Pacific, just like my brother Jim and my brother John. I’d like the Neptune Society to come and pick up my body when the time comes, take me to the crematorium, then put my ashes on a boat and haul them out to sea. My family…
Flash Essay: A Mish-Mash
It is 11:20 pm. I’ve just come back from a writing group with friends I’ve known since I participated in the John Rechy Master class. A good evening filled with talk of the woes in the publishing industry, the merit of self-publishing, along with critique of novels-in-progress. I like my writing friends. We’re cut from…
Flash Essay: School Starts for My Girls
Another quiet late evening here in LA. An occasional car goes by, the television squawks quietly from an upstairs room, an old clock here in the living room ticks rhythmically while I’m sitting at the glass table. The dogs are nearby, Cordie lying asleep by the back door; Sammie sleeping underneath the table near my…
Flash Essay: A Matter of Time
Time has always been a bug-a-boo for me. Having enough time; taking enough time. Is this just me or does everybody have this problem? I can’t quite tell. I am beginning to think this is an American malady, or maybe specific to a large city like LA, since it’s not uncommon to overhear people saying,…
Flash Essay: From Reluctant to Willing: A Journey in Faith
I am a spiritual person. I like to think I am, at least. Just this very morning, I was up at 6:30 and at church by 7:15 so that I could lead morning prayer and then serve as the acolyte at the 8 am mass. I wear a black robe with a white cotta and…
Flash Essay: A Must-See Photo Exhibit If You Love Rock & Roll
We just returned from the Annenberg Space for Photography in Beverly Hills where we saw an exhibition called, “Who Shot Rock and Roll.” This featured 166 photos from the top rock photographers of the ’50’s – present, with photos of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, Boy Dylan,…
Flash Essay: Back in LA after Two Productive Work Days
We’re back in LA after a productive, but hot couple of days in Ojai. We are well on our way to getting organized up there; our plan is to return next week and spend two more days working. Ray has already gone to bed (he went up at 9), the dogs are both sacked out…
Enroute to Ojai, CA via the Pacific Coast Highway
Ray and I are heading up to our orange grove in Ojai for a few days. That means tent camping and no electricity. Still, we will be connected thanks to the internet. We are continuing our “organization” summer by going up to Ojai to dig into our storage bins there. We are going to pull…
20 Minutes a Day 