My idea was to collect a series of individual stories from hikers who have undertaken the 2640-mile journey on the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico (on the edge of Campo) to Canada.The official kick-off was a few weeks ago and …

Artists are alive and there is growth here. Every camp I visit seems to have been updated in some way. Fountains are filled and hummingbirds are zipping around. My cats are fully supplied with enough critters to chase for all …

Now it's referred to as PTSD-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There was a time when there was no cure, only short-term relief. Today, that might be changing as war-stressed veterans have endured decades without answers, only symptoms. There is no chemical …

But that doesn't mean I believe in them. I had one incident that changed my perspective on spirits though. Years ago, The Daily Californian, a newspaper in El Cajon, assigned me to write a series of travel stories and one …

It was the best I could do to explain where my people lived. I drew a crude map of Africa and then North America but soon realized these guys had never seen a globe. They had heard of a village …

But I believe them. They chant with such conviction and seem so sure of the words they share. I have learned alot from the local natives and it started in their school. I substitute teach and was sent to a …

You probably think this tour is about you.....It's a real gold mine, THERE IS STILL GOLD IN IT and yesterday, I had a private tour. This piece of history is right here behind our town and it is fascinating to …

If you're still reading, at least you are still curious. The answer to the "God" question is that it must remain a question for man to evolve. It is in our collective reach for the answer that we move forward. …

That was the list of requests and usually in that order. From my first day of teaching to the last, those were my students' demands. I never filled the order but was surprised they thought I would. My students were …

My first week in San Diego, I had lunch with David Copley. I had no idea who he was at the time but later saw him in the news often, especially as he came to own the Union-Tribune. It was …

She was my mother-in-law's mother. I married her grandson. They owned an old restaurant in Banker's Hill called "Mister A's." Mrs. Alessio was Mister A's wife. At one point in San Diego's history, I hear their style was legendary. And …

Something had to go. Both backpacks were full and the beer had not been packed. "I can live on two Clif bars and a bag of trail mix so lose the crackers and sardines," one said. "I'll take out two …

Take a drive. Come up the hill. All kinds of things have come to life this spring above 4000 feet. Right now the lilacs are fully in bloom and can be purchased by the bunch for $5-$10 throughout town. If …

One of the best things about living in the mountains is snow. When we get hit, our town rocks. Everyone comes out to play. Snowball wars are launched from one end of town to the other. This weekend holds the …

"Cover!," the guard yelled. Everyone fell to the ground and covered their heads. I thought it was some kind of drill and started to do the same but the probation officer who issued the command touched my arm and said," …

At least, Mr. Montana helped me teach the Cold War. As a Cuban refugee in the movie Scarface, he was a rare reference point I could find with my students-incarcerated male teenagers in a boys' prison camp on the outskirts …

In the last 5 years, I think so many of us developed coping techniques that we never imagined needing. This country has recessed, depressed and floundered. Many of us knew a version of poverty that we had never visited before. …

Since I've been in Julian (about 4 years full-time), I have met three artists that focus on dragons. One draws them, one builds them and the third dresses and performs like one. Lately, I've been seeing alot of castles as …

Up on the mountain, we are waiting for the big one. Snow storm, that is. We had a teaser a couple of weeks ago and it got us all excited. Snowball wars are on when we get coated in white. …