Introduction Hannah Gauntt is enshrined in the legend and lore of Newberry, South Carolina for the bravery she exhibited during the American Revolution.   A woman of “Amazonian” size and strength, Hannah exemplified the courage and toughness of the pioneer women who staked out a living in what was then the thinly settled hinterlands of the […]

The Vietnam War is a bad memory that has faded over time for many of us who were young adults when the conflict was raging in a full-throated roar. By 1968, 500,000 American soldiers were stationed in Vietnam.   50,000 had been killed in action.  Multiples more wounded in body and mind. Martin Luther King was […]

Introduction Many wouldn’t know the middle name of singer-songwriter-Music Hall-of-Famer- James Taylor is Vernon.   I discovered this gem several years ago as I was pulling together a story of my family’s mind-bending connections with James and his music—a story I’m positive he has never seen. I was particularly pleased with this rather obscure fact because […]

[Note:   This is far from a complete Vernon Family Tree.  It tracks the direct lineage to the Taylor siblings.  In the author’s experience, the reliability of the accuracy of a family tree wanes after the 5th generation.  However, in this case, based on research of similar family trees on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.com, there is more […]

Greetings- I hope 2024 is off to a good start.  For Christmas I got some new, beautiful titanium pieces for my neck.  I also traded in some that weren’t playing nice with my “born-with” parts. It’s like a strange necklace you can’t see.   Recovery is intentionally slow the first couple of months, but we’re getting […]

Well, here’s another head-scratcher-goosebumper for you.  In December of 2011, Courtney Day, a friend of Jimmy’s from Torrey Pines High School, reached out to me through Write Me Something Beautiful with an amazing story involving her and her new roommate, JJ, in Los Angeles.   The depth of the synchronicity required for these two women, in […]

November 1 (11 1), was the first day of Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.  They coincide with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day on November 2.  As Hilary shared in a post on her food blog, Dia De Los Muertos is not some Steven King horror […]

The problem in middle life, when the body has reached its climax of power and begins to decline, is to identify yourself, not with the body, which is falling away, but with the consciousness of which it is a vehicle. This is something I learned from myths. What am I? Am I the bulb that […]

By John Wilkens, San Diego Union Tribune, June 23, 2023 In a new biography, author Casey Gauntt tells the story of a self-made construction giant who got his start on dams at Lake Hodges and Lake Henshaw in San Diego.  When Lake Hodges opened last month after a year of repairs on its century-old dam, […]

APPENDIX Acknowledgments and Credits The columns and articles penned by these journalists and writers were invaluable in uncovering the full, unvarnished, and rich story of the life and career of Harvey Slocum. The author owes them a huge debt of gratitude. Hubert Cornelius “Hu” Blonk was born in Holland in 1909 and came to the […]