Where I live, the ground under our feet is not dirt — it’s sand.

And the ground water is just a few feet below the surface.

So you probably won’t find any homes that have a basement.

And very few homes that are more than one-story tall.

Except, a few years ago, about a mile from our house, someone [more...]

Regular readers of this Journal may know that I have very little drawing ability.

In fact, my drawings of people are much closer to raw stick figures than to anything resembling real people.

But, many years ago, I was completely humbled and in awe when one of my two goddaughters showed that she was well on her way to becoming a great artist — at the ripe old age of two years.

And by the time she was ten years old, she could [more...]

Regular readers know that I’ve always been a technophile.

I’ve always loved to know how everything works, and to learn about new technologies, even though I have very little need to own most of them.

Smartphones? Cool, but I don’t need one.

Giant-screen LCD TV? Cool, but my three, old, 27-inch analog TVs still work just fine. [more...]

One night, a couple of months ago, I noticed that Petey, our cat, was crying in his litterbox.

So, the next morning, I took him to the vet, thinking that maybe he had a bladder infection.

The vet examined him and said that everything looked and felt normal, so it probably wasn’t an infection.

But I asked for him to [more...]

Most dogs immediately start running and jumping around, and turning in excited circles when you ask them if they want to go for a ride in the car.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I started a new tradition with Max. I work every Saturday morning, but nearly every Sunday morning, we take him for a ride in the car.

Sometimes we drive down the scenic coastal road for awhile. Other times, we take the bridge into the city and then turn around and head home. Still other times, we drive to our local [more...]

How much do you know about the supposed recent discovery of faster-than-light neutrinos?

How much do you know about the emotional life of bees?

Have you heard about a new virus (created by scientists) that could theoretically wipe out 60 percent of humanity?

Or an Earth-like planet that could [more...]

Nearly all of us — at least in the U.S. — know who Santa Claus is.

He’s the fat guy in the red and white suit who takes the credit for all of the expensive Christmas gifts that moms and dads buy for their kids every year.

Many of us remember sitting on Santa’s lap when we were little, so that we could tell him what we wanted for Christmas.

And — for inexplicable reasons — my parents always [more...]

I worked as a photographer a couple of times, a few decades ago.

And, later, as a television producer/director for 3-4 years.

So I have a really good eye for quality photography and videography.

I’ve used both cheap and expensive cameras.

But I understand a fact that all artists know from experience: [more...]