Searching Stories

In the summer of 1965 I decided I wanted to learn how to play the guitar. I was turning 14 at the end of the summer, and it was my second year at a leftist work camp called Lincoln Farm. One of my favorite aspects of camp was the singing we did — at campfires,… Read More

"When I was seven years old I took painting lessons in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Read More

One of my brightest sunburns happened on a beach in Scotland in June 1988. Simon and I left the Isle of Skye very early, took a ferry to Mallaig, and then a train to Arisaig on a lovely, sunny day. Read More

We didn’t go to many beaches when I was a kid, because my mother didn’t like sand, and dreaded the possibility of having it tracked into the car or the house. So we generally spent our vacations at places with lakes or pools. We did go to Atlantic City once a year for a medical… Read More

In the 1950s and 1960s, there was no television reception on Long Beach Island. Instead, we went out after dinner for lemon ice (made with real lemons and cane sugar), and played a round of miniature golf. Read More

"It's really a blast," I wrote in my travel diary. That was high praise in 1966. Read More

For me, Father's Day is about remembering things I wish I could forget, and feeling the sadness of childhood wishes for being loved. Read More

As a city kid in Philadelphia there was nothing like going "down the shore." Read More

By the end of my first summer, the subtle pulse of the waves syncs with my own rhythm. I am hooked. The sand shark never gets me. Read More

I always loved to dance, but was a sickly kid, so my mother withdrew me from dance lessons. I came back as an adult beginner to ballet class in my early 20s. Though never great, I truly enjoyed it. I have a wonderful sense of rhythm, can dance modern and “pop” very well, but enjoyed… Read More