Monthly Archives: May 2011

I’ve always had headaches.  As a child in school, I always picked the last desk in the room because that enabled me to bang my head gently against the back wall without disturbing anyone or anyone noticing. As I grew … Continue reading →

In 1972, President Nixon visited China, and suddenly table tennis was in the news.  I was working at George Washington High School at the time, and decided, in my capacity of drug abuse prevention specialist, to set up a ping-pong … Continue reading →

It is much more difficult to write about a more-or-less normal life, one lived without major stress and trauma, than it is to write about personal unhappiness.  Happiness makes for boring reading, which is why Satan is such an interesting … Continue reading →

Contrary to current popular belief, teacher salaries have always been rather modest, requiring adjustments of lifestyle not required of billionaires.  Camping was an affordable and enjoyable vacation for the whole family.  Many other teachers and their families camped in Acadia.  … Continue reading →

No retelling of the early years of camping in Acadia would be complete without mention of Captain Blanchard and his boat, “The Seal”.  Captain Blanchard, like many “Mainards” in the tourist industry, spent summers in Maine, and his winters in … Continue reading →

Neither Blackwoods nor Seawall campgrounds had showers.  Toilets and cold water sinks, yes, but no showers.  This resulted one summer in free tent sites because Congress, in its infinite wisdom, had decided that showerless national park campgrounds should be free.  … Continue reading →

Sometimes it rains in Maine, and it is possible to get rain and fog and cold and damp for a couple of weeks at a time.  That’s just Maine for you, and you also have to learn to enjoy the … Continue reading →

The first year we visited Acadia National Park, Melissa was one year old, or at least she had her first birthday in Acadia.  Packing for five people for two weeks of camping, one of them a baby, into one station … Continue reading →

After my mother’s death, life settled down for me to a quiet routine of work, raising kids and mowing the lawn, punctuated by occasional chess tournaments.  The children were all involved in a variety of sports, the two girls as … Continue reading →

When my mother left the hospital, the doctor in charge of her case, had told us that they had done whatever could be done, but that now there was no point to any further treatment.  She could be discharged, but … Continue reading →