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This last weekend, my family and I headed out to a resort for a weekend of relaxation and recreation. Three days of swimming, talking with friends, and playing volleyball. Three nights of dances with...whomever. No stress, no worries, and...no clothes. That's right, no clothes. The people at...

Today at 5pm I washed out my coffee mug, filled it, and drank my last mug of Kava. What's Kava? That's the big question. Kava was an instant coffee with all the caffeine, but with most of its acid neutralized, giving it a very smooth non-sour taste. Borden made it since 1962, but I didn't learn...

Some people liken their dad to John Wayne; mine was more like Walt Disney. Very energetic, creative, and curious. He loved parades and fireworks and exploring. He never saw a road without wondering where it led and what it was like. He loved plants and knew all about them, especially unusual...

Fifty years ago, our nation was closing out a turbulent year filled with discord and chaos. The Tet offensive accelerated the pace of the Vietnam war and gave protesters the platform to turn American support for the war into opposition. North Korea captured the Pueblo, a US intelligence ship...

Contrary to popular opinion, this is the middle of summer (Aug. 4-7). Summer begins with the summer solstice on June 21, give or take a day. It ends with the autumnal equinox on September 21, give or take a day. But the real magic of summer is not a collection of facts, it's a love story...

I'm going to sound like an old-maid schoolteacher here. (I have been a schoolteacher, but never an old maid!) Hopefully the axes I grind will prove helpful to some... Our use of American English has deteriorated, and continues to do so. You may say "Who cares?", but you should care. When our...

Sometimes we encounter an odd situation in our lives, and never realize how odd it is until later. One such case involved my sister's family (husband, 4 kids, and herself) who moved into an old house. At the time, the kids (ages 13, 11, 9, and 7) occupied 3 bedrooms in the upper floor. The 2...

One Christmas, when I was 6 years old, I got a toy gun, a Mattel "Fanner 50". Before we go further and you berate my parents for getting me a toy gun, consider that this was 1960, westerns were very much a staple of prime-time TV, and most families in the USA owned at least one gun. Like it or...

Back in the early 1960s, a now-famous billboard & print ad featured a playful dog pulling down the swimsuit of a surprised girl, revealing how her dark tan contrasted with her white untanned butt. This iconic Coppertone ad initially got people's attention for being cute, with little or no...

I'm sure you remember the day you met your husband. You remember where you were, and what you were doing. You probably remember the first thing he said to you, the first things you did together, and your first date. You remember the first time you kissed, and the first time you made love...

I met her one evening when I stopped by my sister's house. She was a friend of one of my sister's daughters, a quiet, inconspicuous young lady. My niece said "This is Trina" "Trina?" I repeated, making sure I heard correctly. "Yes, but sometimes people call me Kat. My full name is Katrina". She...

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing He chastens and hastens His will to make known The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own Beside us to guide us our God with us joining Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine So from the...

That day in 1978 was a warm day in San Francisco - a rare event - and I was checking out the neighborhood after a medical appointment. A tabloid newsrack carried papers with the headline: "The Great Guardian Nude Beach Guide". I was intrigued, and bought one. The publication was the San...

We often think of earlier times as being prudish and modern times as being free and tolerant, but...this is not necessarily true. What we are prudish about and what we accept varies greatly at different times and places. In "The (nude) Way We Were #1", I described the once-common practice of...

A few years ago, my sons and I visited a public pool, swam for a few hours, then filed into the Mens changing room to shower off, dry off, and put our regular clothes back on. We pulled off our wet swimsuits and headed for the showers. When we entered the shower area, we were surprised to see...

When I was a kid (Oh, no! That again!) Halloween was simply a time to dress outlandishly and share candy with the neighbors. I say "share" because I was born during the Baby Boom, and kids were abundant. Here and there an older couple would pass out candy and get none of it back, but most kids...

With all the division and strife in the world, sometimes a news item comes along that exemplifies our common humanity and resonates with the best instincts within us. One such recent item caught my attention: a mom in Pennsylvania who breastfeeds her 15-month-old son, and also breastfeeds her...

Each year my family and I spend a week at a Christian camp, and then spend 3 days at a nudist camp. How do we handle the culture shock? These are total opposites, obviously. Well, let's do an item-by-item comparison: Christian camp: no alcohol allowed Nudist camp: alcohol allowed...

Today I walked into a local yogurt shop, one I visit when I get the chance. This franchise sells their yogurt by weight; 42 cents per ounce, plus tax. It's great yogurt. This particular store has a sale in effect through March, celebrating their 4 years in business; $4 for a cup, regardless of...

The year was 1968. The place was a stable at a southern California spa-resort known for its tennis and golf tournaments. The person was a 5-year-old girl. Not just any 5-year-old though; this girl was very intelligent, and articulate beyond her years. My brother and I were there working with...