Latest Books On the Nightstand

This is the book you write when there are no other ways to describe a dystopian future that is full of horror. There is something out side that, if seen, will drive you mad. It is never named. Are they aliens? Looks like it. Windows are boarded up and going outside is rare, and then only if you are blindfolded. It is a tale centering around a woman and her two kids who are trying to reach a place of safety they have heard exists. All three are sightless due to the blindfold and navigate by touch, smell and sounds. I saw somewhere they are making a movie out of it. It was O.K. I stayed with it but mostly because I was waiting to hear what it was all about.

I'd pass if I were you.

We Are The Ants is a Young Adult book. I've read others that get this designation and while they involve kids and their unique problems, that doesn't mean old kids like me can't read them. In fact, this old kid liked this one a lot. Poor Henry. It's tough being a high school nerd. His boyfriend committed suicide last year and he keeps getting abducted by aliens. We have the usual teenage angst, a family that is challenging, school sucks but a new kid may hold the key to going on. Oh, yeah, the aliens have decided to blow up earth unless he presses a big red button in 90 days, which would keep everything going. Will he?

I liked this one.

1961. Small town Minnesota. Summer. Brothers Frank and Jake enjoy their summer vacation. But tragedy and sadness strikes. Four deaths will shake this town and the bucolic summer fun of these boys. I couldn't help but think of Atticus, Scout and Jem when I started this book by William Kent Krueger. Memorable characters, an edge-of-your-seat plot and a summer journey from boyhood to manhood makes this one of the best I've read in a while. Wonderful evocation of small town, and I should know - I lived in one.

Don't miss it.

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Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless. Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001. It was one of those things that can generate crime: two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job. Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things. Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold. But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find. His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead. He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds. He will be paralyzed for life. None of this is pleasant. Reading the f...

Florida Air Museum - Part 3

Welcome back to a pretty neat tour of the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland Florida. There's a lot to see and a couple of the old Geezer Gold Wing guys are already sitting down instead of walking around looking at the exhibits. That's John who is wore out and making a call to his wife. In all honesty, John was pretty well bushed before the ride. He told me his daughter's family was down from one of the Carolina's with the grand kids and he must have played with them too much. He's about to take off on his own and head for home, but he's going to miss a couple of neat things out on Hangar A. But, before we walk over there, we have lots yet to see here. If you saw The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio playing Howard Hughes, you'll remember that he went up in a plane during the filming of one of his movies to prove a point about flying. He crashed trying to execute a roll and this is a picture of the plane he crashed. No...

The Mary Davis Home - Part 2

None of these pictures were taken by me, they came right from the MDH website. I am posting these so that friends who have never seen inside where I worked can gain access. After 27 years I have many stories, tales and acquaintances. But, I wouldn't know how to express them appropriately in a few paragraphs. I enjoyed 98% of my stay there and hope I made a difference in the lives of a fraction of the kids who entered. The original MDH at this site was just the front part. The large red-roofed area in back was added on in the 90's. This is the Jerry Carlton library. It was unofficially named after one of the counselors who truly loved the place. He passed away around 2002, I think. Mr. Farber looks like he is explaining a few things to a client. The classroom. Activity area with the gym behind the windows. Another shot of the classroom. It was a little different area to teach since we had 2 classes and 2 teachers i...

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