He admits that at times he’s mischevous like a small boy. It’s in his genes, he’ll argue. That’s his excuse for how he got four of his grandsons into so much trouble one day. It all started over lunch. Their aunt was getting married the next day. They and even more family were all staying … More Grandfathers: Antique Little Boys
Most backyard treehouses occupy one tree. We were lucky. Four trees supported our three-story achievement. Sadly, its brief life ended with a thud. We lived on a wilderness farm. Our cow pasture was dotted with clumps of aspen. One of these became home for our treehouse. It started as a platform about 10 feet off … More Our Treehouse Was A Knockout!
Early in his working life, John Shelley hadn’t planned on becoming chief of a major city fire department. That came later. As a young man in the early 1900s, he worked for a company hauling heavy goods and equipment. Back then, teams of two, four or even more horses provided the ‘horsepower’ of the day. … More Grandad’s Safe Job
Early morning is a great time to observe wildlife in their natural surroundings. Just after dawn one day, I was on our deck with a spotting scope scanning a beach half a mile away. A mother deer with a newborn were standing in shallow water. The mother alternatively drank and lifted her head high checking … More Tender is the Wild
The aging man sat rigid on an unmade bed. He still wore his light overcoat. He gazed intently at the TV, eyes watering. The Rt. Hon. John G. Diefenbaker realized he’d been fast asleep while his friend Robert F. Kennedy had been assassinated 1,820 miles away in Los Angeles. It was June 5, 1968. The … More Bobby Kennedy’s Friend In Canada
Without warning, the door of the tiny aircraft slammed up and open. The panic lasted a nanosecond. We were at 10,000 feet. Time to jump. The slipstream screamed past the open door. It was fierce. My daughter went first. She mouthed an unladylike expletive as she paused briefly at the open door, her eyes wide. … More Diving Into The Bucket List
While growing up on the farm, John didn’t notice he tanned easily and rarely sunburned. Many years later he’d discover why. Shortly after they were married, Anne commented on John’s tan. She liked tanned skin. So much so, Anne would add a few drops of iodine to her suntan lotion to jump-start the sun’s effect … More Red Skin and Suntans
Some men cherish a few hours in their workshop on a Saturday afternoon. One began that way and ended with me buying into a nightmare – a two-year-old standard bred filly named Shilo Fantasy. On that fateful Saturday, there I was contentedly working on a project in my basement workshop. Just before lunch, the basement … More The Filly Was a Nightmare
When three journalists climbed into the four-seater aircraft before leaving Yellowknife in the sub-arctic Northwest Territories, they had no idea all expectations for an uneventful ‘hop’ would evaporate around the mid-point of the planned flight. The destination was Hay River, an hour southwest by air across Great Slave Lake. The journalists were en route in … More Emergency Supplies
The late Charles Talbot was a legend. Like many other hugely successful entrepreneurs, he’d weathered the perilous swings of fortune that took him from rags to riches several times. But unlike many others, he had a wicked sense of humor. Much has been written about his remarkable life. Less well known was Charles’ deeply felt humility. … More An Accidental Hawaiian Resort
JAMES OSBORNE NOVELS 