Storm Front

A violent squall closed in fast, racing us to Everglades Cut.  This was three weeks before the two young men were lost at sea. But it was a similar storm, intense, thrashing. We donned our Mae West life jackets in … Read More

Deep Sixed

Danger lurks everywhere in Paradise. If the ocean doesn’t surprise you, your vessel might.  

Hungry Shoppers

From what I hear, folks enjoy watching Shark Week. I lived it. Snorkeled within pole vault distance of a seven footer as she patrolled the edge of a reef off Fiddle Cay. Photographed a dozen others along the journey. Sand … Read More

Mother Ocean

I’ve seen her angry. Squalls. Tropical storms. A hurricane. Each time is a reminder who’s boss. Sailing from West Palm to Everglades Cut, she reminded me again. Two thirds of the journey, dead calm. The last five hours was a … Read More

Key Ozark

We pulled into Marathon Key. Cuba sat a hundred miles across the water. And we were running out of time. No problem. We found a durable old connection waiting for us like a surprise party. Way down here, where you … Read More

Drive Me Crazy

After days at sea, we reached dry land and hopped in a car. Strange experience, changing from helm to steering wheel. I found myself coaxing other drivers. “C’mon, lil’ Texter, you can move on through that stoplight. It turned green … Read More

To learn the value of a culture, check their barbecue.

The credit card machine kept disconnecting. I didn’t have cash, or my checkbook. “No problem,” said Perry Foster, “mail me a check.” Perry Foster’s Bar-B-Que embodied all that is good about humankind: Trust and harmony and world peace. Oh, and … Read More

Drive in movie

In the darkness, I followed a silver Suburban for two hours. Visible through its back window was a video screen playing to backseat passengers, so as I drove along Route 60 to Springfield, I watched Finding Nemo on a small-screen … Read More

Maps

My ride and me, we never used a GPS. No compass. No MapQuest. We abstained from sextants. For the first third of this journey, a state highway map was our only guide. Deeper into our drive, untraveled roads became harder … Read More

Locked Out Again

Locked Out Again

Connie stays across the river from downtown Kansas City at the old municipal airport. She’s known more formally as a Lockheed Constellation, the airline workhorse of the 1950s. If you saw her, you’d instantly recognize the plane, with her curvy … Read More