I Love You

This morning (8/5/25), I did what I should do much more often. I told some of those closest to me that I love them, specifically Jon Barnes, Yanin Ontiveros and Mary Ellen Schesser.

Montana Visit, August 2 to August 4, 2025

As we do each year, Anne and I flew to Montana, to greet our son Kevin and his wife Melody, and their two sons, Brody who turned 20 and Gannon, 17.

But this time we also met Brody's live-in lady friend Hannah, who is pregnant with their baby Norman, due in October.

As always, we stayed at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. We were greeted by Kevin and Melody at the airport, who after we checked in at The Lodge, drove us to their beautiful Eureka home, far up in the mountains.

Hawaiian Family Vacation, June 24 - June 29, 2025

This vacation of a lifetime, was largely paid for (airlines, hotel, food and transportation) by our eldest son Kyle and his wife Diane. Their two sons joined us. 

And our other two sons, their wives and children, also joined us, a total of 14 people.

The purpose was to celebrate Anne's and my 60th wedding anniversary (June 26, 1965) and to spend time together as a family.

At Age 80, Looking Back

What I am most proud of is my 60-year-marriage to Anne, and the blessings of our sons Kyle, Kevin and Clayton, blessings not just to us, but to the world.

Of my success in business, real estate, radio and writing, none have been mine but that of very talented people who actively participated with me. Today, in our inspiring writings Jon Barnes and Yanin Ontiveros are great examples.

Of my public work, I am proud of my activism on behalf of the Vietnamese Boat People. But I am most proud of my 303 peace demonstrations over six years, attempting to stop the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Thank you to Korean War veteran John Fortier for joining me in many of them.

I am a strong believer in miracles because I have witnessed them, and in angels because I have met them. Thank you to my dear friend Mary Ellen Schesser for her devoted support.

Possible Prostate Cancer

Last week I had a blood draw and yesterday, I learned my PSA is 4.73, well above my safe level range of 3.0 where I have been for many years. 

A Very Special Halloween [2024]

Anne and I live in an older area, in which there are no street lights or sidewalks, and at Halloween, we typically have only a few trick-or-treaters. 

This year, for a strange reason I cannot explain, I walked into a supermarket and bought a gigantic bag of candy, later asking myself, "What was I thinking? There are only going to be a few kids."

But that night, when the bell rang and I opened the door, there were so many trick-or-treaters and their parents, that they filled my porch, my front patio and much of the driveway.

The Most Beautiful Orange

This morning as I was greeting people at a busy Palos Verdes intersection, a 50ish black haired, dark eyed, olive skinned Latino man stopped his truck in a lane across the traffic from me.

He stared at me, and then without speaking a word, he reached out the full length of his arm holding in his hand a beautiful orange.