Category: Separation from the Navy

Travel Log: I’m Dreaming of a White…Wait a Minute…

(Dec. 29, 2017) Snow…icicles...cold weather...a winter wonderland! Ah, I’m dreaming of a white...wait, what? Oops...wrong holiday! I’m sitting in my brother’s house in Huber Heights, Ohio. The skies are gray, a soft snow is falling right now, dusting the land with a gentle white blanket. It’s the perfect, picture-post card type of snow you think … Continue reading Travel Log: I’m Dreaming of a White…Wait a Minute…

Travel Log – Baguettes

(Nov. 28, 2017)  One of the great things about traveling is people. You don’t always need big historic sites and grand natural vistas. Sometimes a small moment with a woman you’re sort-of-almost-related-to can provide a very lovely evening. I’m at my brother’s place in Ohio. Tom and Natalie are also a military family. They have … Continue reading Travel Log – Baguettes

Travel Log – Post Holiday Traffic

(Nov. 26, 2017)  I left Niceville, Florida, yesterday and made it to just north of Nashville. Today was Nashville to my brother’s family outside Dayton. Of course today is Sunday, the last day of the Thanksgiving holiday. I got on the road at 10:00 and, with only a bathroom break or two and maybe a … Continue reading Travel Log – Post Holiday Traffic

Travel Log: The Lions Have Met

(Nov. 22, 2017)  The Lions have Met. From 2000 – 2012 I was on operational sea duty orders for the first time. I was attached to the Black Lions of VF-213 working on reconnaissance cameras and laser targeting systems aboard the F-14D Tomcat. Years later I reported to my second operational assignment: sea duty aboard … Continue reading Travel Log: The Lions Have Met

Travel Log – Niceville

(Nov. 20, 2017) I have a headache. That’s neither here nor there; just thought I’d share it. I don’t have a job, and as such have a very unique level of freedom as well as a rather steep learning curve adjusting to civilian life. I’ve spent half of my lifetime in thge very structured, fast-paced … Continue reading Travel Log – Niceville

Mental Health – Depression

(Nov. 19, 2017) - This will be brief. It’s late and I’m tired and soul-sick. Nothing bad has happened.  I’m at my parents’ house in Niceville, Florida (yes, Niceville) following my retirement from the Navy. I’m between jobs at the moment and planning to do a massive road trip. But the upheavals I’ve experienced these … Continue reading Mental Health – Depression

It is Finished

It is finished. The seven stories of The Norfolk Murders have been completed. This exercise in the creative process as performance art is over. I wrote seven novellas in nine months...while I was retiring from the Navy. March – November tracked the final active duty adventures of the Navy’s Accidental Detective, Isaac T. Shepherd. In … Continue reading It is Finished

Proud Lion, Departing

(Oct. 22, 2017)  I was the only one of her Sailors there to see her off. She departed in dignity under her own power, gracefully allowing her story to close out. The Austin-class amphibious transport dock USS Ponce (LPD/AFSB 15) left Naval Station Norfolk today for the last time. The “Proud Lion” will be stored … Continue reading Proud Lion, Departing

Decommissioning the Duck: An Open Letter To My Fellow Retiring Service Members.

  Today is Sept. 28, 2017. I finished cleaning the cabinets and completely moved out of my house, a yellow-sided home I whimsically named the “Yellow Duck” four years ago when I bought it. It’s the first house I have ever owned and I’m really very fond of it, but it’s time to sell it … Continue reading Decommissioning the Duck: An Open Letter To My Fellow Retiring Service Members.