I joined a peaceful protest last month. I didn’t know any of the other marchers, so I was on my own until a young woman stepped in beside me, put out her hand and introduced herself. We walked through the…

From the musical I'm writing - Tied 2 the Tracks.

Once upon a time, Leo McIntyre was a superstar songwriter who toured the world with his beloved guitar, “Rosie.” After suffering a stroke, Mac realizes that  those days are…

In Act II of the musical I'm writing, "Tied 2 the Tracks," country music legend Leo MacIntyre suffers a devastating stroke that leaves him unable to play his beloved Rosewood guitar.  He's angry, frustrated and, at…

Because I never wanted a conventional send-off....And really, why should doves get ALL the songs?

Doing my part to make  Buzzard Ballads a thing.

“I think she misses her people.” 

Those were the profound words of a friend. It was a few months after the Carr Fire and she was talking about Whiskeytown Lake. I had lamented that I’d been unable to visit…

It started with a cow.  A plain black cow in a neighbor’s pasture who ended up getting a Spring makeover when I painted her picture in bright, joyful pinks and blues and yellows. I called the painting “Fancy Mood.” 

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For many years, I've organized a North State Songwriter Showcase at Redding City Hall for the quarterly Artist Receptions. The two mediums seem quite complementary: Original music pairs perfectly with visual art created right here in…

I wrote The Turf o' Tullamore a few years ago, but I recently revisited it to correct ONE, small grammatical error. And I ended up rewriting the whole darn thing. The best-laid schemes o' mice, an' men,  an' songwriters, I…

After Whiskeytown Park burned, I spent a lot of time with my watercolors and my memories, trying — with varying degrees of success — to process the loss and create pictures that capture the beauty and the joyful spirit of…

Whiskeytown Park is one of my favorite places on this planet - just minutes from downtown Redding, it has been my escape, my peaceful place to run, hike and explore. We moved to Shasta County a little more than 20…