Standing on the side of a 4-lane road, a few feet beyond the green city limits sign, I watch the last of the sunlight fade from the mountain tops. I want a cigarette, but not everyone will pick up a smoker and it’s late in the day for getting a…

I look at her in disbelief. I’m not what you would call super straight. I’m not a prude or a Christian. I smoke pot when it’s offered to me; I even tried cocaine once. But I’ve never committed what I would consider a real crime. I’ve never stolen anything, not…

I shut the door on God, but music keeps the window open. — I reject the idea of God early in life. When I’m 11, my older sister has her bat mitzvah and I realize what lay ahead for me. I have no interest in taking part in this ritual. No one explains to me what ‘rite of passage’ means. As far as…

And appreciation for the inspiration. — I wasn’t planning to write tonight, but then I saw this: Twenty Things That Make Me Smile Refresh the Soul Thirty-Day Challengemedium.com which was inspired by this: 20 Things That Make Me Smile😁 Refresh the Soul 30-day challenge ❤🌈medium.com and I had to join the fun. Thanks to Kirby Workes and Daniella Montage for the inspiration — this was a truly enjoyable exercise.

100-day challenge finale. — Celebration! This is my hundredth hundred-word story. Karen and I began this challenge on May 16th and today is day 100. This challenge has been a serious boon to my writing practice. While not every story is as polished as I would like, I was able to write a story every…

A short ATV ride into the wilderness. (99) — Another moment of ecstatic silence, in awe of the natural world, comes at a stop on the Takshanuk Trail. My guides, Sabrina and her six-year-old daughter, Lily, lead me and a few others to the top of a 3000-foot mountain where we see the view seen in the picture above. …

Brown Bear Sighting (98) — Undaunted by yesterday’s failure, we are determined to see bears. Julia says we can do our own tour, so we rent a car and drive upriver later in the evening. We stop at the same spots we did last night, going to the lake first. …

And hope for more bear encounters. (97) — We walk around the small town of Haines, Alaska, asking the usual questions. Everyone suggests going up the river to see the brown bears. The man at the visitor’s center gives us the number of a local tour guide. Anthony picks us up at our hotel with his 11-year-old daughter…

Small towns are the best. (96) — The third leg of our trip is a four-and-a-half-hour ride on Le Conte, the smallest ferry yet. The scenery just keeps getting better. I am dumbfounded by the contrast of sea and mountain tundra so close together. …