Scaling the roof of 547 was pretty simple and I was directed to do so when yard maintenance (always a favorite) required that I trim an overgrown bougainvillea. The shining, almost iridescent flowering of the shrub was always captivating – but I knew from clipping smaller sections that thorns covered the stalks and the larger…

We climbed onto the Greyhound with some trepidation.  It was dusk as my brother Sidney and I started our journey from downtown San Diego over to Yuma.  Mom’s last admonition was, “Don’t get off until you’re sure it’s Yuma.” Some passengers in the front seats smiled as we walked off our embarrassment.  “O.K.  Got it.” …

As both wondrous and disconcerting memories of the aerial gunnery range faded into the activity of our first Coronado Christmas, the pace of Dad’s duties picked up substantially.  I was still young enough to play Little League and joined a team as soon as we had moved.  Still cherishing my memory of Dad in the…