Bittersweet Farm

September 8, 1978 was a Friday. It was an interesting day for me. Jeff Tokar asked me if I wanted to golf at a lighted par-three golf course. I didn’t have a date. I didn’t have anything better to do. At that point in my life I had only golfed once or twice. I golfed poorly.

Across from the campus where I lived was a little pizza shop. We stopped in. It was empty. While we were waiting for your little dollar squares of pizza a young woman walked in. She had long dark hair and dark eyes. She looked a lot like the girl I always imagined I would marry, but this girl didn’t even look up at me. [Read more…] about Thirty-One Autumns

Wes starts at quarterback tomorrow. This is his game schedule. He is playing “Varsity” for the Junior Football League. The Varsity is supposed to play at 2:00 p.m.

On Labor Day we took a little day-trip to Grand Rapids, Ohio on the Maumee River. It was a beautiful day. Austin Hancock was with us. He was the photographer. (That accounts for the big smile on Heidi’s face).

Jerry Dennis is a very gifted Michigan writer. He has written a whole book about good gear. It’s called, From a Wooden Canoe. He has a way with words and Gene Wolff’s illustrations are worth the price of the book. Jerry’s description of camp coffee will make your mouth water. He wrote:

“It is no accident, I think, that a cup of coffee is approximately the size and temperature of the human heart. Though it does not beat with life, it steams and radiates and arouses the senses with its aroma, its flavor, its warmth. We hunch over it seeking comfort and affirmation, our hands clasping it to absorb the heat. It’s a poor substitute for love, grace, talent, and good looks, but a hot cup of coffee is a good thing to hold on to early in the morning, while the chill of night remains in your bones and you are not ready to face the responsibilities of daytime.”