It was a bright Sunday morning, a few days after the fourth of July. The rain had stopped. A hot, dry wind blew from a now cloudless Texas sky. The warm, wet, fragrant earth was sweet with renewed life. Water stood in muddy pools. Everything, including the brown grass, glistened with the raindrops now deposited...

Life in the suburbs was intended to be like this: quiet schools with playgrounds, hike and bike trails,  the fragrant air, the sound of birds singing,neighbors walking their dogs or pushing baby strollers down the tree-lined streets. You could almost taste the sweetness of nature’s domestic bliss. But the suburbs with the shopping malls, chain...

In our new, spacious home, scorpions were everywhere. When we painted the privacy fence, there were so many we painted over them and sealed them to the wood. Inside the house, they clung to clothing hanging in the closets; they got inside packed boxes, climbed the walls, and crawled across the ceiling. Occasionally, one of...

Kevin, the marine  — It was clear we were on our own.  Our unwelcome visitor was still coiled in the corner, watching us, when our former marine neighbor arrived home.  Kevin would be my first choice as a bodyguard or for any distressed situation. He was young, strong and sexy but not too bright. He...

Just Another Day I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most pleasant person in the morning. I prefer to wake gently with the soft, warm light of morning casting long shadows across the room. An alarm clock is like a bomb going off, warranting the necessary counter-measures–call the bomb squad, disarm and...

Scala, with its high ceilings, elaborate design, and richly colored floor tiles exuded old-world charm, comfort and elegance. This was the place to be and be seen in San Francisco’s Financial District. Charles Booker, a successful investment banker, sealed many deals over Scala’s rich tobacco tones and under its dramatic lighting. The Renaissance Room was a ritual morning destination,...