‘ ” ” ” ” ” ” ‘‘ ‘‘ ” ” ” ‘is for Pa. Charles Davis Gnecco, “Pa,” was a good man, a solid man, an honest man, a hardworking man, a no nonsense employee, and a no nonsense human being. He was the man I might have chosen to be my dad had […] (Read more)

‘ ” ” ” ” ” ” ‘‘ ‘‘ ” ” ” ‘is for Mary. We met in college. Mary was a semester ahead of me. She came to French class every morning. I thought she was a student teacher because Madame, our teacher, took time out to explain the pedagogical technique she used in […] (Read more)

‘ ” ” ” ” ” ” ‘‘ ‘‘ ” ” ” ‘is for Leighton and Elijah. Leighton and her brother, Elijah, are the daughter and son of my daughter’s best friend. A sunbeam from the beginning, Leighton’s glow brightens every corner. Elijah has some of his sister’s sunbeam quality, but more subtle. Morgi, Leighton’s […] (Read more)

‘ ” ” ” ” ” ” ‘‘ ‘‘ ” ” ” ‘is for Irwin. Albert Byron Irwin, my maternal grandfather, a child’s larger-than-life hero, was a master of the teaching moment. The summer of 1958 was the summer Grandpa parked his Air Stream travel trailer in the small orchard behind our house at the […] (Read more)

‘ ” ” ” ” ” ” ‘‘ ‘‘ ” ” ” ‘is for Gaynl and Gary. People tell me you can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your family. Given a choice, I doubt I could have made a better choice of a sister and a brother. My sister, Gaynl Ann, is a […] (Read more)

‘ ” ” ” ” ” ” ‘‘ ‘‘ ” ” ” ‘is for Eleanore. Eleanore entered my life by marriage, like a wedding gift. The second wife of my father-in-law, Eleanore was a gift in every sense. A beautiful, stately, elegant woman, Eleanore’s beauty came from within. Born in Osseo, Wisconsin, Eleanore was one […] (Read more)

‘ ” ” ” ” ” ” ‘‘ ‘‘ ” ” ” ‘is for Chandler and Chloe. Sugar and spice and everything nice was written to describe my two beautiful granddaughters. Chandler began ballet at age four. At six, she performed in the Nutcracker with the Bakersfield Symphony, making her debut as the (best ever) […] (Read more)

‘ ” ” ” ” ” ” ‘‘ ‘‘ ” ” ” ‘is for Blake. Almost sixteen, Blake is the older of my two grandsons. It is difficult to believe that so many years have passed since the day I held him in my arms for the first time, only a couple of hours old. […] (Read more)