Two Gents' Worth
October 4, 2026
Sharon and I are heading over to a charming little place called the Tickle Pink Inn in Carmel on the California coast this coming weekend. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been there. In fact, it’s been exactly a half-century. You see, we spent our honeymoon night at the Tickle Pink on July 5,…
Read More about 50, Yes, 50!Editor’s note: Over the years on this site, I’ve written several pieces about my childhood summers, growing up in Fresno in the heart of the great San Joaquin Valley. This is one of my favorites. It makes me smile, and I hope you will get pleasure out of it, as well. ** Those lazy, hazy,…
Read More about Those Lazy, Hazy…
There were plenty of proud and happy people in Madera County this past Sunday. They were proud and happy because our Museum in the Old Courthouse on Yosemite Avenue in Madera had officially been named “Best Museum in Central California” in an annual contest run by the Fresno Bee. It was an incredible achievement because…
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It was a gorgeous late-spring morning this past Monday when I drove into the Sierra to join fellow members of the North Fork History Group on another one of our field trips. This time, our destination was John Blossom’s 50-plus acre mountain spread a few miles above North Fork. John and his wife bought the…
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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…
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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