What kind of dirtbag steals handtools from a 75-year-old Handyman? Tools of the trade for earning a living? A living to supplement Social Security income? Last Sunday, Feb. 25, late afternoon I finished repairs on our downstairs toilet, put the tools away in the back of my Toyota truck’s camper shell, and as it was […]
The A Cappella Handyman: The First 109 Column Titles
My column appearing then on Fridays in the Benicia Herald since Xmas 2008… ©Peter Bray, Benicia, CA all rights reserved… 1. Dec. 25, 2008 Riding the Benicia Ferry 2. Jan. 1, 2009 What’s In a Name (The A Cappella Handyman) 3. Jan. 8, 2009 All This Jazz About Poetry 4. January 16, 2009 You Can […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Nouns & Verbs
Nouns and verbs, and all your prepositions too, adjectives, conjunctions, stir in a few – What am I gonna write about tonight? Deadline up ahead, don’t wanna be uptight. Add my favorite soup ingredients too, potato soup base, good-sized can of Niblets corn will add to the view. Fry up some bacon, drain it well, […]
The A Cappella Handyman: 3/4 Century Mark…
Yes, it’s true, the old waterfront Naked Oyster collided with age and had something to say about it last week: Eve of Another Year Older It’s a weeping time: a Weeping for Joy for an extended loving family and friends who allowed me, nurtured or supported or laughed with me as we got this OLD […]
The A Cappella Handyman: 1969 and Forward…
(This column first appeared in the Benicia Herald on Sept. 16, 2011.) In 1969 I was an illustrator for the University of California, Berkeley at their Sanitary Engineering Research Lab at the Richmond Field Station, Richmond, California. It was the dawn of the Environmental Age, I had a great job, and I was a happy […]
The A Cappella Handyman: January Orange
January Orange Up through the roots come the nutrients, met by the bee’s kiss, the pollen of the flower becomes the fruit. The summer sun does its magic, the previous winter’s melting snow quenches the thirst of the growing fruit. A neighbor rings our bell and then knocks on the door at 8 am last […]
The A Cappella Handyman: War on Crohn’s Disease
Only a concerted war of intelligent action will eradicate Crohn’s Disease from this planet…What else would you expect? This is the open letter I sent to seven in April 2012 and later included in my column in the Benicia Herald. Open Letter to Seven: Sen. Barbara Boxer, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Congressman George Miller, Dr. Mehmet […]
The A Cappella Handyman: DooFramus 12,000
(Pedro’s Hot Re-runs: My column from July 8, 2011) It was my senior year at UC Berkeley, 1965. Many of us were enrolled in the Dragon Class of all dragon Mechanical Engineering classes, ME 131 A & B. I think it was called Mechanical Systems or something like that, part of Thermal Systems Division…it should […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Websites and Graphics…
(Pedro’s Hot Re-run: This column first appeared in the Benicia Herald on July 29, 2011) Way back in 1995, I was NOT interested in having e-mail…my former assistant from Bechtel/SF, Viki Kristensen came to our home for dinner one weekend and brought with her, her AOL software on a CD…She asked about my then new […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Generating a New Song
Generating a new song you don’t have to be a Saint, just imagine an old barn in need of fresh paint. Imagine a first kiss or a first-time dancing in the dark, a sunrise locally or magical walk though the park. Words, words, words, stretch your vocabulary – Drama, Mama, you need drama, make this […]