The House on Standpipe Hill

On one of the highest hills in Orange, Virginia, in the shadow of the hundred-foot standpipe that once held…

Sledding in the Shadow of the Standpipe

It was cold that year, unusually cold for Virginia, the gray clouds hanging heavy in the…

The Light

A week later, I stepped into the empty house. The furniture was sold last week and Saturday’s garage sale disposed of miscellaneous items…

I Had a Flat in Montesson:

Introduction to my book in process. (Yes, it is real.)

Like many people, I always wanted to write a book, but also like most of them, never got around to it or thought perhaps my life was too dull to be interesting to others. Yes, there are many business…

The Sauna

I blink, trying to see through my steamed-up glasses. I’d stop to wipe them, but my hands are full of towels and massage oil. I’ll just find my way to the sauna. I stumble against the bench chair. Its occupant mutters something in German, not angrily I hope.

East Berlin

He stares at my passport while I shift from side to side on thin soled business shoes. The light is dim. Other than the gooseneck lamp beside his left arm, one lonely bulb swings on a cord behind my back, between me and the twelve people sitting against the wall, waiting their turn.

Toy Soldiers

At the age of six or eight, I liked to play with toy soldiers. World War II was raging in Europe and the far East, so I tried to…