Suprise Me

It was a fall afternoon when Ron and his friend appeared with the acid and what the hell, we had nothing better to do. Read More

The first step for new hires in the group was mastery of a seventy-page manual about alphabetization Seriously. Read More

Rye Playland Growing up in the Bronx our nearest amusement park was Rye Playland on Long Island Sound north of the city in Westchester County. As a kid I was often taken there by my parents,  but my memories of those childhood trips are vague.  As a teenager however, I remember Rye as a favorite… Read More

Sally gallantly offered that I could take the MG, but I wouldn’t consider it—far too untrustworthy to risk taking over the bridge. Read More

I tried retirement once, and it didn't hold. Maybe the second will be more successful? Read More

Skinny Dipping For several summers in our early,  married-without-children years we rented a beach house in the Hamptons with our good friends J and K.   After a few years our friends – serious fishermen by then –  opted for the mountains instead and bought a house near a trout stream.  (See Catskill Weekend) And… Read More

Why? 'Cause I got to cross our street, and any other street, by myself. Read More

It is not foreign terrorists who invaded the US Capitol, corrupted democracy, attacked the press, blocked voting, tried to install an unelected autocrat, attacked public health, imposed punishments with religious zealotry against women, or damaged the rule of law. Read More

Readers of Retrospect may recall my maternal grandparents from two other stories, No Way To Say Goodbye, about my grandfather’s death, and Which Side Are You On?, in which I discussed their flight from the Cossacks and their search for the American Dream. They were a significant part of my childhood, living with my parents, my sisters, and me in our… Read More

It’s several pages of blue ink on real stationery that’s crammed full of things I want to know: the health of her husband, the latest project she is working on, what her three sons are doing, and cute anecdotes about her grandkids. Read More