The Honda 750 Sidehawk. Many of the things that have little worth to others seem to find their place at the Casa, and this applies to motorcycles as well. Bikes have always played a big role in Charlie's story, as it was a motorcycle incident that put us on the right trajectory to find her, and she actually chose her name, Charlie Bravo, based on the Honda CB motorcycles that we were riding at the…

Unless you count old Kung Fu episodes from back in the day, my exposure to Buddhism while growing up was severely limited. But on a very superficial level, I was always attracted to the architecture of the temples and the stupas. On a somewhat deeper level, it seemed to be a belief system based on turning the other cheek until cheek-turning time was officially finished, and a religion that didn't seem to spend a lot…

Crestone, CO is one of those places that I didn't even know existed, but I still needed to experience. Tucked away at the base of Sangre de Christo mountain range, the tiny town of 187 pilgrims is located in the largest alpine valley in the world. It is also home to many major world religions; more than two dozen ashrams, monasteries, temples, retreat centers, stupas, labyrinths, Catholic, Protestant, and on and on. While many religions…

MacDuff here; I'm here to fill in the blanks on Dad's recounting of the thunderstorm incident. I had been watching those two supercells building ever since we had left Taos, and was a bit alarmed when Dad seemed determined to confront them directly. Have you ever heard of Don Quixote? (ˈdɒn kiːˈhəʊtiː, ˈkwɪksət, Spanish don kiˈxote) /noun. "an impractical idealist"... look it up.)He was a fictional knight that was more than a little insane, seeing…

Thunderstorms to the left of me, lightning strikes to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you... This trip was not to be just a lark in the park; It was a test to find out where MacDuff stood in his position at the Casa; was he merely a court jester to Charlie's queen, or was there something more? Also, how would a thirty year old motorcycle and sidecar fare on such…

We don't take trips, trips take us‐ John Steinbeck Last night, we were sleeping through a heavy downpour somewhere in the panhandle of Texas when I felt a very unwelcome but familiar twinge in my knee. Yep, it was THAT knee, the knee that notifies me with a slight tingle that a full week of inactivity is on the menu. By the time the skies began to lighten, the tingle had became a full-blown tangle,…

Hey, Charlie... What's up, Dad? As long as we've been together, I somehow feel obligated to wish you a happy mother's day; but we both know that your time in the crate removed that opportunity. So, what do I say? Just say "Happy Mother's Day, Charlie! " Although I've never sported a litter of Charlettes, I still consider myself a mother. How so, O wise one? I think being a mother can also be a…