A Life of Words

Coach Gary Gaines sat, legs crossed, on the other side of his desk from me, a green 23-year-old sports writer for The Odessa American, in the fieldhouse at Monahans High School. As I lobbed questions at him and scribbled his answers in a notebook, my old-style tape recorder lay on his desk as backup. It … More A highlight of my brief sports writing career: Getting to know Gary Gaines, a great coach and a great man who deserved better than “Friday Night Lights”

I have news – the sort I never expected to break along my career journey when I graduated from Texas A&M with a journalism degree in 1983. Surely, I figured as a 22-year-old who, within a few weeks, would become a sports writer at The Odessa American, I’m destined to be a lifelong newspaper journalist. … More After 39 years in the newspaper business and 22 at The Dallas Morning News, I’m starting a different kind of gig

I miss Dad. A lot. I miss his life-loving laughs, his broad smiles, the humor that seemed to fill his every waking moment and that he was so eager to share with every set of eyes his own met. My memories are still clear and shining, even though he’s been gone eight years this week, … More Missing Dad for eight years, his uniquely special humor, and sharing letter excerpts showing that side of him

Kay, our two kids and I drove last week to the breathtakingly beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico area for a few days, our first family trip of any distance or length since 2015. It was the kids’ first time in SF and, for Kay and me, a rediscovery of the history-laden, diverse city we’d visited … More A memorable family trip to New Mexico we’ll never forget — especially the rafting, Meow Wolf and dear friends

Friends, most of whom have known Jason Calloway since they were kids, gathered around Jimmy Kissamitakis’ and his wife Belinda’s backyard pool in Little Elm for hours this past Sunday to share their love for Jason and some of their fondest, funniest, craziest and most heartfelt memories of him. Under the sizzling North Texas sun, they cried, they … More Lifelong friends of Jason ‘Bird’ Calloway gather to celebrate him with memories, tears, laughs and beer

Happy Father’s Day to all my family and friend dads who may be taking the time to read this, and to your fathers, grandfathers and uncles gone or still with us, and to your brothers and cousins who are dads. To everyone who’s made a difference in the life of a child who calls you … More That throat soreness turned out to be — what else? Happy Father’s Day from COVID confinement headquarters!

Through my 50-plus years of Houston Astros fandom, this week brought what I’m almost certain to be a first: I attended two games in one series. It’s possible I’ve done it before, but I don’t think so. That goes for the regular season and the playoffs. I saw my first Astros playoff game in person … More Joining friends for 2 Astros games in a series for the first time ever, and a sudden sore throat — what could that be?

It’s so gratifying — not to mention entertaining — to watch musical prowess blossom from a young age. To realize when it’s the real thing, when a kid has a special gift that, given the right breaks, might just take her or him somewhere. You never know what’ll happen, but having true, undeniable talent is … More Cheering on an amazing young woman we’ve been lucky to know and watch grow with her remarkable musical gifts

💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 I have so much to say, so much emotional distress, so much frustration rushing through my veins. But what good will it do? Not a damn bit. It won’t bring back the 19 children and two teachers who were slaughtered this week at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. It won’t bring back the … More Mourning 21 lost souls — and praying that those who might be able to save some lives come to their senses

I had quite a day Sunday. After church and lunch with Kay, I traveled to Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus (no jokes, please) and Neptune, in that order. And somehow, I made it home by 5 p.m. Before I embarked on my journey through our solar system, one I’d made once before (or was … More A rousing trip through the solar system, making a new friend — and finally getting to meet one for the first time