Wandering Water Street

On Saturday Manyu and I drove a friend’s teenage son to Decorah, Iowa so he could retake his ACT exam. I am not sure why he couldn’t retake the exam in La Crosse or why he couldn’t drive himself to Decorah, but I didn’t ask and had nothing else planned for the day. I...

Two Cranes and a Wedding

I am skeptical of omens. Even though I am convinced that some events in life cannot be explained logically, I almost always see coincidence where others find symbolism. Having said that, something happened last week that I am choosing to remember as an omen....

Clams on the Move

A niece and nephew on Manyu’s side of the family visited last week. One of them is an influencer living in Los Angeles. The other manages a UN refugee camp in South Sudan. If I knew how two kids from the same family ended up with such different careers, I’d write...

A Rare Sighting

On Friday I drove to Dyckesville, a small lakefront community northeast of Green Bay. There’s a bar, a church, an ice cream stand, and a bowling alley. It is also where my mom lives. There is no best way to get from La Crosse to Dyckesville. Depending on my mood, I...
Steven Simpson