
Writing Columns for Nearly 24 Years
“How long have you been writing your column?” a woman I had never met asked me in the Capistrano Beach Costco last week. “Almost 24 years,” I told her. I thought about my answer to her question as I entered the refrigerated room to pick up some blueberries and baby spinach: “Wow, that’s almost a quarter century.” How the time has flown. My first column appeared on July 4, 1994. It was called “Middle Aged and Dating.” Why that subject? I had gone through a divorce and thought

Madrid, Spain: One of the Great Cities of the World
Madrid's Plaza del Sol - with famous Tio Pepe sign on building in background and statue of Carlos III King of Spain Author's note: This article appeared in Picket Fence Media newspapers in south Orange County, California: Dana Point Times, San Clemente Times, The Capistrano Dispatch. I have added extra photos and written copy than the original article. Occasionally, when people see my partner, Greta, and I around the tri-city area, they say, “We read about your last trip. Whe

Senior marriage - 50 years in the making
On Life and Love after 50 Newsletter - March 18, 2017 From Jackson, Michigan to Dana Point, California after 50 years - See story below News that spread like wildfire among my high school classmates I grew up in Jackson, Michigan, a city of 50,000. Jackson is 80 miles due west of Detroit. And like so many of our Champs, I loved my home town.
Most Champs, however, eventually moved away from where they grew up. They went off to college or joined the military or moved away fo

Two single senior men discuss dating tips and opportunities in 2017
Two single, senior men discuss dating tips and opportunities in 2017 It seems around the start of each year, I hear--more often than during the rest of the year--from older singles who want to discuss the issues involved with dating and seeking a mate. It is the time of year when people reflect on their lives and realize they'd like to have a mate. Often, it is women who contact me. But this year, I heard from several men. Two of those men, both 69, and both divorced within t