Retired Navy after 23 years. I retired at the age of 40 years old. I've been out longer than I was in. All of the ships I served on have been made into razor blades. I had fun and I lived my life the best I could. Most of my shipmates are gone and I try to stay in touch with the remainder. It continues. Substance abuse counselor, builder of wooden boats, furniture maker, prison non-violence workshop facilitator, life observer, activist, reader, writer, geriatric subject of interest, generous tipper. I stay involved.
STEALING COWS AND SUCH Crawling up I-25 out of Santa Fe into the Glorieta Pass in the dark I’m holding Rocinante above sixty-five miles per hour. It’s about a nine hundred foot climb from where St. Michael’s enter the interstate to exit 299, Glorieta/Pecos. This time of night one can’t see much it’s so dark. … More Stealing Cows is Against the Law. Meh.
“Rick, let’s keep this thing simple.” Paraphrasing what Doctor Bob said to Bill Wilson, regarding how to use Alcoholics Anonymous, as he lay dying. Before he breathed his last his final words to Bill were, “Bill, let’s keep this thing simple.” Wise words and that is what I am doing right now. There is no … More Keeping It Simple
MOMENTS OF SORROW No Regrets The genius in death, Pours his heart, Pours his life, Onto the page, He communicates, He gives, He really, really gives all, We can feel genius, We can hear genius, Sweetness swirls in the depths of artfulness. To live this long, To come to a place filled to overflowing, Til … More For My Good Pal
Yesterday I was at Lowe’s in Santa Fe over on Zafarano. I’d gone in to find a wood stove poker and some vacuum cleaner bags. When I returned to the parking lot I was approached by a young man. He’d seen Rocinante with the Maine license plates. He explained that he was from Maine and … More Finally! Something to say…
I’ll make this quick. Today I meet with my AVP group of facilitators in Searsport, Maine. We are a new group and this is an effort to learn as much as we can as we enter a new phase of life and activism. We have succeeded in getting approval from the administration of the Maine … More Time to Hit the Road!
I’m a lucky guy. For many reasons, I hasten to add. Those who know me I’m sure often wonder why I haven’t been killed by an angry husband or a band of hungry demons or by a pack of wild dogs. Not bragging. Just stating how my life has gone so far. Everything is still … More Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
I have been multi-tasking (haven’t we all?); with September just around the corner and my needs to drive back to New Mexico to begin a great project I have been keeping balls in the air, so to speak. I’m initiating AVP (Alternatives to Violence Projects) here in Maine with the Maine State Prison system, as … More Feeling Excited
I’m watching the 2016 Olympic Women’s Marathon. I loved to run when I could. For me, there is nothing like the wind in my face and the feeling of power passing from my brain to the road through my body. Similar to a walking meditation; like a private ceremony with grand ritual and precious moments of … More Women’s Marathon, J&B Scotch Whiskey (But Not In That Particular Order)
Weird. Sometimes I get a distinct sensory trigger like a scent or a sound. I used to smell marijuana when none was present. Flashbacks. Sometimes I’d see someone in a crowd and recognize that individual from the past, however the memory was impossible because that person would have to be at least thirty years older … More Memories or Memorex?
MIND – BLOWN On the eleventh of August 2016 just before midnight I was brushing my teeth here at The Castle in the royal bathroom. Something reminded me of the latest news that flossing is not considered an important part of oral hygiene nowadays. In fact some dentists have determined that flossing is a waste … More Magnificent! (or) Mind Blown!
Playing Fair and Being Kind 