The doe stands six feet tall in knee-high brush just off the trail. Its eyes follow me like a cop. Sam is next to me, watching the doe, silently but intently. The deer ignores her; Sam is of no matter. It is only me she studies. “How beautiful you are,” I whisper, my eyes on … Continue reading Walk #23: Of Parents and Children →

There is no walk for Sam this morning until she gets it right. It’s 6:10 a.m. We are in the backyard, facing one another in a standoff. I am adamant and Sam is defiant. Although I’m not sure she knows it. Her attitude is more like rebellion, an obstinate teenager. I’m not going to do … Continue reading Walk #22: The Beauty of Bacon →

The posters are everywhere. On the window at the front door of Graze, a restaurant in Iowa City’s trendy section. There’s another on the door at Cortado, a coffee shop I’ve come to love. Two more are tacked to the wall in the entranceway of a Chinese restaurant and on a bulletin board inside Prairie … Continue reading Walk #21: Missing in Iowa City →

It is the weekend of our annual Cubs holiday. Each summer, my sons and I plan on two games at Wrigley, just the three of us. Casey comes in from his adopted home of Seattle and joins his brother and me for a Saturday-Sunday series. One game is in the books—a loss, sorry to say—but … Continue reading Walk #20: Dog Years →

I think it’s a pretty inventive idea, taking the black strap from a piece of old luggage in the basement and tethering the two dogs together. Leslie and I had agreed to watch my son’s dog for the weekend as he and his fiancé headed off to a family lake house in New York State, … Continue reading Walk #19: Alone Together →

He says nothing, but I know what he’s thinking. What’s with that guy? What a weirdo. If there had been a conversation, it might have gone something like this: Excuse me. Do you need help? No. Why? You’re barefoot. Okay? Do you need shoes? No. I have plenty of pairs at home. Then you’re not homeless? No. … Continue reading Walk #17: Shoeless →