My Portfolio

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   The Serendipity Of Katherine’s Statue Serendipity has always been one of his favorite words. The dictionary definition of serendipity has a few variations; but in general, it means a pleasant, fortunate and unexpected discovery. Finding the wooden sculpture of...

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   On Name Dropping   The Footloose Forester has been a practicing iconoclast for most of his adult life.  No, make that most of his entire life. As a teenager, he spent plenty of time musing about hypocrisy and the...

Learning how to allow peace in my mind had to be wanted.  No more drama is exactly that, No more Drama   Escape from reality,  what is reality these days? is in the eye of the beholder?  All I want to do is have Peace of Mind. Seek and you shall find, knock and...

On the road… again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   Remembering The Rutgers Tomatoes   Thu’s mom, the original Bengal Tiger whose name was Trang Thi Dao, came north with us for the summer in New Jersey, while Footloose Forester visited with his parents and worked a factory...

On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   A Gift From a Samoan to a Vietnamese to a Dying American G.I.   The following account is a bittersweet memory of the days when the Footloose Forester and his soul mate Thu were living in...

On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   A Quick Stroll Around Four States It was not a stroll around the block…it was a circular promenade at the perimeters of four states. At Four Corners, the intersection point of Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New...

  On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek   To Fly A Paraglider From The Rim Of Fogo   This is a wishful thinking story that is part of a dreamer’s bucket list.  Yes, it is wishful thinking but it is something that is...

Well, that would have to be my Dad.  He is constantly trying to make things better and once he gets a whiff of something working he doesn't let up no matter what.  It doesn't matter if it's a business opportunity, the way to cut the lawn faster or anything in between. ...

On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek Discovering Chincoteague Bay February 2012 The future excites us and stirs our thoughts about what the next adventures will bring.  While many of the older Chronicles of a Footloose Forester were about memories captured from a distant...

On the road…again! Afghanistan to Zambia     Chronicles of a Footloose Forester By Dick Pellek            Originally published on 2 January 2012                 A Story of War Joe Fodor is going on 90 now, but you would never know it...

There is so much to be proud of with my immediate family. By immediate family I mean my wife Christine and sons Justin and Tyler. For this I choose to share a story about Justin. After returning from Vietnam the climate back home was so hostile towards veterans I hid the...

It was about 3 years ago in 2008 that I had a dream that my mother was dying. I don't know what put it into my head but it was as clear as day. Thankfully, she is alive and well today at 83 and I couldn't be more fortunate to have...

It was the same plane that he crashed into the mountains killing his wife and dog..

I attended St. Patrick's School in Natick, Massachusetts from Grade 1 through Grade 8.  In 1st grade, where a child is supposed to be introduced to the world of knowledge and understanding, I had a traumatic experience due to the insensitivity of one particular nun.  This encounter set me up to...

An Outstanding Moment                   Somewhere along the road of life somewhere between the beginning and end, there is an outstanding moment for everyone.  Sometimes there is more than one.  I have already experienced one of those moments.  It came to me at the age of 12 years.  I awoke early...

  When Ronda Knuth learns of a grieving parent who has lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or early infant death, she gives them an unexpected gift—a baby blanket. Not just any blanket, but a soft crib blanket, one that should have snuggled a baby but instead comforts a mother with...

You've decided to give a comfort blanket to someone who is grieving the loss of a baby through pregnancy or early infant loss.  It is very important that you walk with care into the arena of anothers sorrow.  Here's a to-do list that will aid you:1. Choose a blanket to give using...

A blustery north wind crooned a haunting melody as it blew relentlessly across the open field. Shivering, Ruth pulled her coarse woolen cloak tautly about her slight frame in an effort to ward off the chill. She wished she’d been blessed with an ample body like her mother; the cold never...

I hurt. You told me that you care.&quo t;What can I do?" you asked.Let me tell you.Listen. Link action with your words. Hug my neck, hold me tight.Call me, come and see me. Let me share, look me in the eye. I need to talk, and cry, and hurt. I need...

TEN GIFTS In the year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred Forty Seven; We thought we'd reached what we called Heaven. September the twenty eighth was our wedding day, Little did we know the dues we'd have to pay! We pined for three months for a newborn babe; And nine months later...