Category: Writings

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

The End is Nigh!

The end is nigh! The Murder Game has been concluded, and it’s the second story I consider to be one of my better-set plots. Granted this is a matter of opinion, but I love these type of locked-room, isolated set pieces where the murder, murderer, suspects, and detective are all confined to a small area. … Continue reading The End is Nigh!

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.

Packing Out

I’m sitting in the Yellow Duck (my house) and, quite literally, one of the packers is behind me tearing through packing paper like a tree-killing fiend as she wraps my antiques, knickknacks, brick-a-brac, and generalized stuff. The packers arrived right at 8:00 this morning. Mom and Pop are here. Pop’s watching a ball game and … Continue reading Packing Out

Pipe the Side

  It's over.  The horizon has been reached and the ship is at sea no more. I will not soon know again the shifting of the deck under my feet on the featureless sea, nor the anticipatory thrill of the lines being cast off to get underway for a new horizon. I will not again … Continue reading Pipe the Side