It had been a very long day for Dave Barber and I. He had filled in for me at my office while I was working a medical flight to Greeley, Colorado. Earlier in the morning, Sgt. Tommy Jenkins was either shot by someone, had accidentally shot himself or had pulled the trigger on purpose. In any case,…

My neighbor Beth Wachter was well-known for her practical jokes. One night she covered my 1972 Volkswagen Bug with Gummy Bear candy. After she was finished, the fog that had moved in, turned to a heavy mist. The moisture sealed the little pieces of gooey candy to the surface of my car. It would take me hours…

At first I couldn’t believe what it was I was seeing. A man was running across the parking lot of the Salvation Army store near the corner of Sutro and Wells, close behind him was an uniformed officer. As the pair drew closer, I could tell the officer was a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper. He…

It was the first time I had ever flown on what some people call a “Puddle Jumper,” a small propeller-driven passenger aircraft. The planes size didn’t bother me as I had flown with my Uncle in a much smaller two-passenger aircraft before. There were five people aboard the craft; the pilot, co-pilot, a couple and…

Mike and I had become good friends in the time we had served together. He was always going on about his beautiful wife and how lucky he was to have her and what he planned to do after he finished his current hitch. We had just returned to the fire-base after being on a patrol…

The first time I saw the Mapes Hotel and Casino had been 21 years earlier as I passed through town on my way home for Christmas leave. The old building was the Greyhound Bus stop and it was there that we were allowed to get off, stretch our legs and get a bite to eat.…

Fever over comes the body, heated Skin that flushes at the very touch Of coolness of anothers gentle hand But then returns again with wild rush. Ragged breath, drawn inward with gulps, More a reflex, than for life itself. The mere idea of surrender unheard of Even as the body fails, misery in health. Everyone…

My life is a poor excuse as I’ve allowed so much to pass by me without so much as a sideways glance. And that which I have lived out, is filled with fraud. When I do reach for that fictitious brass-ring and dare to step outside the boundaries I’ve long since established, I find I do everything,…

Marvena Lassle was born November 15, 1958. She passed away November 1, 2009, after a long battle with cancer. The last time I saw Marvena was in August 2008. We were at out 30th high school class reunion. She told me she felt like she didn’t have long to live, so she was happy to…

To my pards, with a raspy voice, I said, “I’m jus’ a little hoarse.” Well, my pards, they had no choice, They knew what to do of course. They roped and tied me down And tossed a saddle on my back I squealed and tossed all around, Couldn’t throw the rider or the kack. Sunfish,…