One way or another, writing and photography have been a part of my life since I graduated from high school. I never had a firm career goal in mind like becoming a lawyer, a fireman or a doctor. Instead, I kind of bounced around from college, to entering the Navy, to retail sales, to computers, to technical writing, to marketing and web development.

During my business career, I wrote two books, one about the history of Monterey, California’s famous Cannery Row, and the other, a biography of West Point’s first black graduate.

Following my retirement, my interest in photography (particularly bird photography) emerged from a decades-long slumber. I’ve recently put together two new online books about birds, my interest in them and my photographs of them. Click on the Print Books titles to find them on Amazon or, in the case of the Online Books, a direct link to view them at no charge.

Online Books

(Note: For best viewing, these are best viewed on a desktop or laptop computer rather than a cell phone).

• Born in a Burrow – A look at the endearing lives of Burrowing Owls. Of all the many species of owls found in the world, Burrowing Owls are perhaps the most easily recognized. Their lives and antics are portrayed in numerous close-up photographs.
• Time Slices – A personal narrative and photographs of various Arizona birds. This is an engaging look the many birds of the Sonoran Desert area, as well as many fun facts about their behavior.

Print Books

• A History of Steinbeck’s Cannery Row – This book is a rich blend of both the real-life biographies of the characters John Steinbeck wrote about and the history of the sardine canneries that sprouted up along Cannery Row. It has become one of the most authoritative and widely quoted histories of the area and Steinbeck’s characters.
• Henry Ossian Flipper: First Among Equals – Henry Ossian Flipper’s life from birth as a slave in 1856 to his death in 1940 might well have been overlooked by history except for one unique accomplishment. Henry was the first black graduate of West Point in 1877. Five short years after his commissioning, his dreams exploded in disgrace when he was dishonorably discharged. Henry Flipper’s odyssey to clear his reputation was finally corrected in 1999 by President Bill Clinton 143 years after his birth.