A pound, and Paula found our boy,The one that barked so loud at us. We could not leave him there, so thus,He came to live with us, in joy. He was a terrier of sorts,A mixture of some varied breeds,And in our home we filled his needsWith kibble, toys, and doggy sports. Our love of animals was knownBy all who knew us close by there,And soon he had to learn to share.He did not own the house alone. Antigua was the princess ca...

Off to France My husband and I were stationed in Germany in the late sixties. It has some beautiful countryside where I loved to go on day trips, not only to see the beautiful little towns with their charming churches, but to enjoy the wonderful food as well. My wives club was planning a trip to France, and I truly wanted to go. It was going to be for five days, two days spent on a bus going and coming and the other three...

My Worldly Travels My adventure starts here Ohio, here I come.... My friends from our Army days were going to Ohio to visit family. Roger and Sandy went home several times a year and asked if I would like to make the trip with them as my hubby was overseas. I love traveling so of course I jumped at the idea. Off we went in their station wagon, loaded down with snacks and sodas, since Roger would only stop for gas and pott...

So on a frigid Sunday morning I began my trek from Cleveland, Ohio to Indianapolis, Indiana.The entrance ramp to I-77 South was treacherous and roads were no better with top speed was maybe 40 mph. I-271 South was worse as only one lane had been used since that last round of severe Winter weather came through and again top speed for all was about 40 mph. I finally reached I-71 South and at least 3 of the 4 lanes were open...

The Earth Alliance explorer class ship EAS Apotheosis cruised through the endless void at speeds unimaginable only a decade ago. The mark III PNP drive (pumped neutrino propulsion) moved the ship almost one million two hundred thousand miles per second, or six point four times the speed of light. With the realization of the PNP drive, humankind had entered a completely new realm of exploration and discovery. Space is vast...

I thought I would share this piece, travels and travails in search of the Cleveland Amtrak station, written in response to an invitation from an advocacy group to review the station from the perspective of those with disabilities. Although unsuccessful in attaining the original goal (a first-hand review of the facility), the description earned an unexpected, generous "expense stipend" I'd prefer to tally under "freelance...

Oh to be on the open road!Amassing the miles with such glee.Forgetting the burdens, the load, And just being happy and free. We love the prairie vast and rife. We love the mountains high and steep. We love the desert full of life. We love the ocean wide and deep. Travels will always be our way To make our lives full and at peace. Travels will always make us stay Young, alive, until our hearts cease. Once more we choose a...

FIRE Packed in like sardines with our luggage more than needed the newbies, jet-lagged and agog supplies and groceries, enough for weeks tucked into every crevasse seven, altogether, in the Rover lurching down the highway at the end of the dry season from Bolívar, to Guri across la Gran Sabana glowing hot and overladen And the selva smouldered where smoke plumes echoed lightning's ghosts more substantial even than the gen...

as a child you beginpush pushing to leaveschool for somework for your friendsschool for you of the worst kindtaught to hunt your own kindpretty in green mother's pridenot knowing you hunt your kindmorning comes as night followsnew friends beside youall on the same journeyrest during the sunas we hunt by the light of moonfresh faces come hard faces leavingfew whole, most brokenthen the lucky onesplaced with honor for their...

When I was a child, I lived with my mum, dad and baby sister. It was quite hard going, as dad had a stressful job in the police force and mum was mostly busy with the baby. So, I used to look forward to going to stay with my great grandparents. When we moved house (the first of many times as it turned out) and I changed schools, I was delighted because although it wasn't all that far from our last home, we were closer to...

‘Til Death us do Part By Claire Allison   Prital and John were your average couple. They had met at a university in London, and had been swept up into one another’s lives ever since. Prital was young and vibrant, while John was introverted and shy at times. Although they were both complete opposites, they completed each other well. John had been Prital’s professor during her lectures, and Prital had been his perfect stude...

To the moon I said for our summer recess if for no other reason than to feel weightlessness We'll jump over a crater and grab some moon rocks as souvenirs. But, said the boss the cost is high the risk is great and the temperature is oh so low at night Why don’t we we stay local instead and see what our world has to offer We flew to London to see Big Ben and castles and knights We saw a princess but nary a queen appeared F...

Dr. Zach Robertson looked at his watch like an excited child. Some people say he was still a child, but the 26 year old genius showed the adults what that child could do when he received his doctorate in quantum physics at the age of 15. Through all the lectures, studying, lab work he has spent in his short life, patience was one trait he has yet to master. The past three and half hours he has been watching 74 year old Ge...

Denlea wasn’t the sort of town you’d expect to see a tattoo-come-body-piercing parlour, but there it stood. 'HIBISCUS - Body Art and Massage' shared a row of grey stone terraced buildings with a chip shop, a boutique for mature ladies, a hardware shop, a butcher’s and The Copper Kettle Café. Its neighbours had opposed the opening of the tattoo parlour, objecting to the type of clientele it might attract. Jimmy Marshall wa...

Resplendent at his bamboo, yellow banana stall, the King of Bananas prepared for another day's business. His pitch, on the corner of Colombo's Duplication Road and Malasekera Mawatha had become an institution. Old sepia pictures of the high-rise-less streets show the stall in the same spot, manned by his great grandfather - Victorian Sri Lanka's Banana King. The stall and the title were hereditary and maintained with grea...