It is not accurate to say that I was born in Banning, California. I was born in Redlands, California, because it had a hospital. Banning didn’t, which tells you everything you need to know about that small desert town in 1946. Let’s fast forward to 1962. I am living upstairs from my father’s doctor’s office. Why? Because my parents’ disastrous marriage has turned into a disastrous divorce, and my brother and I are living there. No, not in the office, but upstairs. My father had created Read more [...]

Gosh, but there is nothing like the San Francisco museums to delight a person in the summer. In terms of the content of these museums, well, everyone knows that America’s great robber barons ran off with a lot of loot from Europe when they could. So, U.S. museums tend to have wonderful collections closer to where your typical 19th century tycoon liked hanging out: Chicago and New York.  But never mind. Because San Francisco is San Francisco. The city’s museums are beautifully located. One Read more [...]