The first thing I did during my tryout for the sailing team was crash straight into the seawall. Everyone at the Naval Academy is required to be part of a sports team. I did track in high school, but there was no way I was making the team at the Academy, and I was forced to shop around for alternatives. My dad owned […]
In the Shade of the Cottonwood Tree I was born and raised in the desert. Like most desert plants and animals, I love rain. I live for rain. I live because of rain. Rain heals me, as it heals and seals the cracked surfaces of sunbaked arroyos and limestone canyon walls. It peels back the membranes of seedpods, freeing them […]
Introduction I quickly walk over to the building that houses Greg’s insurance agency, as well as other suites – I am running late. The downtown area brings back a flood of memories: running to the marina for cross country practice, eating at the New Mecca Cafe, and visiting the farmer’s market with my dad. But most importantly, and what brought […]
Angelina stood on the solid, familiar earth and looked up. The cliff extended high into the sky, until the sun broke just over its edge. With trepidation, she lifted one foot off the ground and placed it tenderly onto a rocky surface. She breathed in and out. Leaning her weight forward and onto her toes, she pushed up and away […]
The dandelion’s rival grows tall, an iceberg in the border; its taproot matches the height of its spike of purple flower, each petal a new way to tell time. The group of lupins emerges every year in April – straggly, starry-leaved, and then in late May, the spike bursts forth, twisting like a wolf’s tail from the thicket. I stand […]