Two Gents' Worth
May 16, 2025
My lifelong buddy Kopi and I strolled back into history on Saturday. Our history. We grew up on Arthur Avenue in Fresno. Our houses were less than a block apart. Kopi is two years older, so he was two grades ahead at Fremont Elementary, Hamilton Jr. High and Fresno High. We used to play all…
Read More about Kopi & I, Walkin’ the ‘Hood
The other day, I was listening to one of our Sirius channels in the car when they played one of my favorite songs from the 70’s — “Saturday in the Park” by the group Chicago. As soon as it started, I remembered many of the lyrics. “Saturday, in the park, I think it was the…
Read More about Saturdays in My Life
What can you say about someone who is about to reach the age of 75? More to the point, what can I say about reaching that considerable age – which I am, according to my Arizona Highways calendar, going to do this coming Sunday, March 16? Well, for starters, I could do the math. On…
Read More about Reaching 75
Change is coming, again, to one of Madera County’s most historic properties. Putney Ranch – 92 acres off Malum Ridge Road between North Fork and Bass Lake – has been purchased by a group of Californians who intend to use it as a camp for dancers, singers and perhaps yoga practitioners. The land will soon…
Read More about Putney Ranch: The Next Chapter
Editor’s note: Over the years on this blogsite, I’ve written numerous pieces about my memories of growing up in Fresno at Christmastime. This is one of my favorites. It appeared last Christmas — and with just a bit of editing to update it, I offer it to you as a holiday gift. Merry Christmas, everyone!…
Read More about The Greatest Gift
Greetings and Salutations, New Orleans. It was a pleasure getting to know you last week. It seems ridiculous that Sharon and I — with all our moves around the nation and with all the cities we’ve visited and lived in over the past half-century — never had the chance to drop in on you. It…
Read More about The Big Easy
This past Saturday, I headed back up to the Sierra — to North Fork, my favorite Madera County mountain community. I had been there only a few weeks before, when I had joined the North Fork History Group for a trip to Central Camp. This time — on a simply gorgeous late-autumn day — I…
Read More about Saturday at North Fork
I’ve lived in the San Joaquin Valley practically my whole life. The Sierra Nevada range is within easy driving distance, and, indeed, I’ve been to the mountains countless times. But I regret to say, there are still many places up there that I’ve never been to. You see, I’m a typical “flatlander.” Mountain folks love…
Read More about Up to Central Camp
Sharon and I attended a community party in Madera this past Saturday, and we had a blast. For starters, we dressed up as early 20th century folks. We did that with the great help of Karen Elmore, curator of the Madera County Historical Society. She’s an expert on how men and women dressed back then,…
Read More about Party Time in Madera
This past Saturday on Labor Day weekend, I escaped the Valley’s summer heat — and learned a whole lot about history — by joining a small group on a trek into the Sierra. A couple of months ago, I had taken a similar trip with some of these same folks. That time, we traveled to…
Read More about To the Sierra, Again