Personal Letters

National Public Radio in the USA requested essays on the topic “My Best Gift Ever.”  Below is my submission.

Miami, Florida
December 19, 2002

The best gift I ever received was a bassoon.  Yes, a bassoon, the largest in size and deepest in tone of the woodwind musical instruments.  This gift had an immediate and joyful impact on my non-work life and, eventually, a dramatic influence on my professional life as well.

My former, and now, late, wife Alice Dawn knew that I came from a musical family.  I told her that I played the piano as a boy.  She also knew that I learned to play the bassoon in high school where I was a member of the orchestra and concert band.  After high school my music-making stopped.  I left home for college and the bassoon stayed behind at Taft High School, in The Bronx.

 

Korat
Thailand
Monday
November 22, 2004

My Dear American Family and American Friends,

After a busy day of travel and sightseeing, I decided to take a break in the lobby of my hotel and read "The Nation," one of two English language newspapers published daily in Bangkok. I read the following story which I send to you without any descriptive adjectives or editorial comment.

 

Bangkok, Thailand
May 15, 2007
Dear Business Editor,

As an owner of equities of several international airlines companies, I read with glee your recent reports describing the airlines' new policy for raising revenue.

Bangkok, Thailand
24 March 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

Telma and Jeffrey Gordon have been my loyal friends for many years. They were generous and helpful to me, both when I was a "snow-bird" from Boston, and later as a bachelor resident of South Florida. Whether for business or for my social life, I could count on them for thoughtful advice.

Bangk0k Thailand

02 August 2008

My Dear My0pic, Hyper0pic, and Fellow 20/20 Friends,

My classmate Jack Calabro had a neat trick.

My Taft High School classmate, and later, my University of Illinois graduate school classmate, Jack protected his mother from unnecessary worry.

 

Bangkok,
Thailand
12 August 2008

Hello Everyone,

Finally!

Yes, finally, I am pleased to announce that I am in print.

One of my travel letters was selected for inclusion in a new book called, "To Vietnam With Love, A Travel Guide for the Connoisseur" edited by Kim Fay.

"To Vietnam With Love" is part of a series of books from ThingsAsian Press. The first book in the series, "To Asia With Love" was so successful that the editors and the publisher decided to produce books on individual countries.

Bangkok, Thailand
Saturday
20 December 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

The keyboards that were silent are clicking again.

I am back in Bangkok after almost four months in the Americas. What a four months!

27 April 2009
Bangkok , Thailand

Dear Friends,

Last night, at the Nomad Moroccan Restaurant on Sukhumvit Soi 12, ThingsAsian Press gave a party to launch the latest volume in their catalogue, "To Myanmar With Love." Almost one hundred animated guests showed up to chat and to exchange travel stories. The Mediterranean food was excellent, the music authentic, and those of us living in Bangkok vowed to return to the restaurant.

Bangkok
Thailand
 
December 1, 2009            
 
I wrote the essay below in response to a broadcast mailing about banning divorce in California. The essay was written tongue-in-cheek by a man named John who was angry about California citizens voting to ban homosexual marriage.  So, he thought, if traditional marriage is so important, why not ban divorce?

Bangkok
May 21, 2010
Friday Night

Dear Friends,

"They were crying.  They were crying."  So reported a friend of mine as he witnessed Thai people gazing at the burnt-out ruins of a local shopping mall.  "They were crying."