Rod's Stories

Our stories may not always be from physical trails, but they are certainly part of the long trail each of us follows.

some stuff

Just the Way It Was: (1950's & 1960's) Growing up as a hybrid Appalachian kid... Just the Way It Was

My Inspiration: (1957) For as long as I can remember, there has been a niggling little itch of creativity in me, starting, I think, one day so very long ago. I was perhaps four years old, I was worrying with my new coloring book, trying to stay in the lines of one of the outlined pictures, a puppy dog, I believe... My Inspiration

Summit's Kitchen: (1960) My grandfather's (Pappaw Lewis) country store in Summit, KY. In a home, the hub of the family is where you eat your food, have family conversations over a cup of coffee, make plans, and take the temperature and heartbeat of your family – the kitchen. I think of Pappaw’s store as Summit’s Kitchen... Summit's Kitchen

Rattlefrogs: There are snakes and there are rattlesnakes. There are frogs and there are the dreaded rattlefrogs...

Say 'Froggin': (Early 1970's) While Danny (my 10-years older brother) and I spent the greater portion of our allotted outdoor time in the more traditional pursuits of hunting and fishing, on occasion we ventured out into what some might call the “bizarre.” Among these bizarre adventures were ginseng hunting, mushroom hunting, trapping, and frogging, to name but a few of the most popular. And the most popular of that group, story-wise, has to be frogging – say froggin'...Say 'Froggin'

Elizabeth's First Hike: (1986) We ate, changed a diaper and had one more feeding (and changed the post-feeding diaper), night settled in and so did we. Marguerite covered Elizabeth with a flap of her sleeping bag and pulled her close. I did the same to the two of them, creating a snug cocoon over our small family...Elizabeth's First Hike

May there Be Monarchs in Your Life: The Monarch Butterfly was one of the many simple, but integral pieces of the painting of my childhood that, if removed, would render the painting incomplete – without depth. As of this writing, the Monarch Butterfly population has declined more than 90% in the last two decades... May there Be Monarchs in Your Life

Brush Strokes: Close your eyes. Clear your brains. Breathe deep of the cold, clean, earthy sky...Brush Strokes

Today, I Smell Like George: I’m on the bus now, the 94, going home. I usually read, but not today. Today, I smell like George...Today, I Smell Like George

Of God's Sweet Loam - a poem: Stars await us, born of loam beneath our feet – shoulders, names forgotten, souls at rest, spirits singing, upon which we stand... Of God's Sweet Loam - a poem

Stones Unturned 'longside Our Paths - a poem: Art tells us where the artist has been, where they might go, why they might continue. The artist’s paths are as much a story of art as are the final strokes of a masterpiece. Within each of us there are unturned stones... Stones Unturned 'longside Our Paths - a poem

The Worth of Me: (2019) When I am gone, what will I leave behind...of value... The Worth of Me

Retirement Thoughts: (2016) Retirement, the opening of our book to the next chapter... Retirement Thoughts

A few stories from our 1978 thru 1980 Peace Corps experience in Fiji.

A Little Drop of Glue: (1980) This is a story that takes me away from the events of our election, a pandemic, and all the other things that have haunted me – us – this year, this 2020: a simple, short, sweet memory. One of my favorites... A Little Drop of Glue

Did You Hear That?: (1980) The night of the "devolo," - the devil... Did You Hear That?