Welcome to my website
You’ll find a lot here.
Personal info about me. Why I do what I do. What makes me tick. Full info about my books and ebooks. All my blog posts. All free, by the way.
Notice the horizontal menu up top. It has five keywords. Tap one and that will open the door to lots of good stuff.
I’m an active blogger. I write on this or that –never sure what I’ll tackle next. Like to be surprised?
To REACH ME: 860 304-0663 / johnguylaplante@yahoo.com / johnguylaplante@gmail.com
Here is a list of my posts
Look the list over and click on any one of them of interest and you will see the full post.
A famous, controversial book. Only $2!
September 21, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante With 1 photo (Warning! This contains dirty words. Words I've never used in print before. Words I've never, never used in my speaking. You may blush. Feel free to opt out.) Morro Bay, Calif. --I'm in our Public Library and I spot it on special display. Wow! I go right … [Read More...]
The day the Post Office went automatic.
September 14, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante Oct. 20, 1960. Providence, R.I. The U.S. Postal Service turned on the country’s first totally mechanized mail processing plant. Machines started doing the work from A to Z. Did it all. No hands! It was a big deal. Historic. Dramatic. Badly needed. … [Read More...]
How much is an Ocean View worth?
September 3, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante Plenty. That’s no surprise to you, I’m sure. Anybody who lives close to the ocean knows this. And it’s understandable to property owners not close to the ocean. As you know, in talking prices and what affects them, realtors say that Number 1 is location, location, … [Read More...]
Uncle Emile, great guy, great chess player
August 24, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante Mon oncle Emile is what I called him. Like my Papa and Maman, my Uncle Emile was an immigrant from Quebec, the heart and soul of French Canada. My memories of him go back more than 80 years. He was great at many things, especially chess. The game was a passion. This … [Read More...]
Uncle Emile, good guy, good chess player
August 19, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante Mon oncle Emile is what I called him. Like my Papa and Maman, my Uncle Emile was an immigrant from Quebec, the heart and soul of French Canada. My memories of him go back more than 80 years. He was great at many things, especially chess. The game was a passion. This … [Read More...]
I am not a poet but ….
July 25, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante What I am is a wordsmith. Wordsmith is the right word. I cobble and hammer and shape words into sentences and paragraphs and pages to create something worth reading by others. I have indeed been called a wordsmith. Plainly put, I’m a writer – at one time or another writing … [Read More...]
Me and my penny game. Challenging and fun!
July 16, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante Some twenty years ago I thought up a game to play in my car as I drove a hundred miles -- from Two cans and pennies. That's all I needed to play my game. Plus strategizing!Connecticut up to Rhode Island -- once a month to visit my Uncle Jack. I called it my Penny … [Read More...]
Another wonder to make my life easier!
June 22, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante Today was the summer solstice. Always notable. But I've seen many. Today's other wonder was a first. And what a first! I had a check to deposit. Normally I would have driven to my branch at Chase and deposited it. Going to a counter to fill out a form. Perhaps standing … [Read More...]
But, Doctor, fair is fair, right?
June 4, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante I’m getting set for my appointment with a new M.D. and planning to make an unusual demand. One unnheard of. I'll bet he'll think it awful, preposterous, insulting . So be it. I'm tired of the way doctors are running their business. Hear me out and you’ll feel the same … [Read More...]
Remember the good old Palmer Method? Spelling bees?
May 24, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante Probably not if you’re sixtyish or less.I do though I have not thought about those wondrous two for years and years. The Palmer Method taught me how to handwrite the way I have all my life – cursive writing, it’s called. A blessing. And I loved spelling bees. I couldn't … [Read More...]
My interview with the world’s greatest astronomer
May 8, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante Just a few weeks seem to go by before we get to read another news story about life being possible way, way out there in the heavens. Well, that’s not news to me. I heard that 66 years ago. Harlow Shapley (1885 - 1972). Familiar with him? He was our greatest astronomer. … [Read More...]
The disappearing ! Aren’t you worried?
April 24, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante Don’t recognize it? It’s ! --our exclamation mark. If you’re not worried, I am! It seems as dead as the dodo. My memory is pretty good. I believe nobody has ever sent me an email and used an exclamation mark in it. They might be saying, “Happy Birthday, John,” or “Sorry … [Read More...]
Who’s seen a Greyhound bus lately?
April 11, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante I haven’t. They seem a disappearing species.Like the dodo. Sad. I checked. Greyhound—now more than a hundred years old—is still in business. A decade ago, it had some 3,500 buses on the road. Now, it’s down to less than half that. Corporations are like you and … [Read More...]
The dirtiest book I’ve ever bought
March 28, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante I’ve bought many books. None ever as filthy as this. The book is “The Limerick” by G. Legman. An oldie, 1969. I’m not given to writing book reviews. But I’ve got to express my opinion about this one. I bought it online, so with no peeks inside first. It was … [Read More...]
Ahimsa. What the heck is that?
March 24, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante I know you’re eager to know. One minute, please. Time and again my dear friend Sulekh Jain has astonished me. For 41 years! This time for writing and getting published a detailed, startling book entitled “An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide.” What’s it all about? … [Read More...]
I clean my tongue twice a day. Don’t you?
March 2, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante With 1 photo. Probably not. Only because you’ve never heard of that and are wondering why anybody would bother. Well, let me fill you in. I had never heard of tongue cleaning. Then I got an unusual call. That was about 30 years ago. A man with a strange accent but … [Read More...]
My friend was useful to his last breath.
February 18, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante With 2 photos and an interesting link. I want to tell you how he died, and the extraordinary thing that happened next and how he had arranged that. But I want to protect his privacy and his family’s. So I will call him Harry. Please do not assume anything about where he … [Read More...]
An email from a total stranger. And my reply.
February 2, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante with 1 photo NOTE: this post has three parts. You have to read all three for a full understanding. Hope you get a kick out of it. Here is the remarkable email that came to me right out of the blue. And which made my day. Hello, I have recently found an article about my … [Read More...]
How the Bike has impacted me, you, all of us since the day it was invented
January 15, 2017
By John Guy LaPlante It has impacted how our country has developed, our society and culture, our very way of life, and all in unimaginably good ways. Yet we know so little about all that. But first, I know, yes, I know. It's been a long time but here I am. It's been nearly a month now and … [Read More...]
My oh my, am I in the Christmas spirit. Still!
December 23, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante With 1 photo I had finished at Walmart. It was a dark night a week or so ago, cold and wet, and I had come in to stretch my legs. I had bought a thing or two and was walking out. I spotted a wall, yes a whole wall, lined with Popcorn Kettles. That's what they … [Read More...]
Nine more inventions I’d love to “uninvent”!
December 7, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante This is my second list of "uninventions." It was inspired by essays called that in The New Yorker. You “uninvent” when you believe that something we use or do that is popular and taken for granted is now regrettable and we should turn back the clock on it. You could … [Read More...]
My un-inventions: Readers respond pro & con!
November 19, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante Most interesting, their comments! First, a P.S. from me. I mentioned the Tucker car and its center Cyclops headlight, which pivoted left and right with the front wheels. This made it easier to see going around sharp corners. I said, hey, it shouldn’t take a Thomas Edison … [Read More...]
I’m on an Un-Invent Spree!
November 10, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante This is 2,306 words long. Only fair to tell you what I’ve written about for you. Seven “inventions,” in no way connected except one. What’s that? I think they should no longer exist. We should get rid of them. Should un-invent them! Here are the seven. The penny * College … [Read More...]
My apologies, friends
September 26, 2016
The link to my craigslist listing for the sale of my townhouse, which includes two dozen photos, was wrong! The final tiny "l" on the link got omitted! Shame on me.... Here is the correct link: http://newlondon.craigslist.org/reo/5793881974.html Best! John If you've been waiting … [Read More...]
Off to California I will go. For good.
September 25, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante After years as a southern New Englander, I am frantically preparing to be a Californian. My dream Townhouse in Deep River just went on the market. I am selling it myself as I did my previous condo here at Piano Works two years ago. Piano Works is the condominium … [Read More...]
My Salvation Army weekend–my candid report
August 25, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante With numerous photos Deep River, Conn.--Badly in need of a time-out, I’m back from a long weekend at the Salvation Army Conference Center in Sharon, Mass.—from 11 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Monday. It was terrific, as I expected. I had been there 25 years earlier. The … [Read More...]
Do you say “ain’t” a lot? A little? Never?
August 9, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante It used to depend on where you ranked yourself in society. Well, it “ain’t” that way anymore .Times are a-changing. But language, any language anywhere, is always changing, of course, and that’s what this is about today. I used to abhor that word. And imagine, I just used … [Read More...]
My $30,000 scam…alarming follow-up!
July 10, 2016
Sorry, folks--As some of you noticed this went out with the text missing! Shows you how I screw up now and then. Hope this time you won't be disappointed. So.... By John Guy LaPlante What a surprise! I have come across a terrific expose of what a huge scamming industry is lurking out there and … [Read More...]
Hey, I’ve found that mysterious statuette artist!
July 9, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante With 3 photos Remember my post about the incredible statuettes in Morro Bay, CA where I wintered? With one stone so delicately and dramatically balanced atop another? Some of them four stones high! No cement, no glue, nothing but gravity to keep them standing up. … [Read More...]
My grandson Ryan had landed in jail and…
July 6, 2016
…was calling for my help. From Mexico City! I was thunderstruck. By John Guy LaPlante SCAM: Merrriam-Webster Dictionary: noun, a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation. SCAM: LaPlante: an act so insidious and horrible that you want to wring the perpetrator by the neck! Ryan is 28, … [Read More...]
When Trump got trumped!
May 31, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante As we now know for sure, Trump is going to be the Republican candidate for President. He has stunned us by the tremendous, frenzied (!) following he has whipped up. An amazing following. One for the record books. His constant bellowing, and superman boasting, and wild … [Read More...]
Is being a citizen of TWO countries okay?
May 27, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante Morro Bay, CA– It's called dual citizenship. Morley Safer of Sixty Minutes had it--in the U.S. and Canada where he was born. Thousands of Americans are also citizens of another country. Lots of folks don't know a thing about that fantastic privilege. It's wonderful – well, … [Read More...]
A far-fetched letter of 25 years ago!
May 18, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante Written by me on Jan. 5, 1991. A quarter of a century ago! Extraordinary in its content. And I had zero memory of it! It surprised me. I believe it will surprise you, too. Here it is. Jan. 5, 1991 To:Letters (Editor), Sunday Journal Magazine, Providence, R.I. … [Read More...]
Gosh, what wacky statuettes!
May 13, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante Who created them? Take a look at the pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words. That saying has never been so apt. Yes, who? Are they statuettes? Figurines? Just meaningless piled-up stones? I think they're more than that. What is amazing is how precariously—how … [Read More...]
As of today I have lived xxxxx days. Wow
April 27, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante I intend those xxxxx’s in that headline. I ask you to figure the exact number that should replace those xxxxx’s. I’ll give you clues in a minute. First, a fair warning. I started to write 1,500 words in this post. Hah! The total has shocked me. It’s 6,019 words! I … [Read More...]
May, 1954. Gosh, I got paid $24 for 1,237 words!
April 23, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante My very first magazine sale! I was just rummaging in old, old files and I came upon the magazine that I’m showing you, Profitable Hobbies. It was in its pages that I made my debut as a published writer! I was 24. Yes, I got paid $24 for 1,237 words. Google tells me that … [Read More...]
Hear about the awful Burger King “punking” here?
April 9, 2016
Firefighters and police at the scene. It was midnight. By John Guy LaPlante Photos courtesy of Bay News Morro Bay, CA -- News about it went national… and the manager paid a big price. The punking happened Saturday evening, February 15. I’m publishing it now because I’m finally … [Read More...]
Two encyclopedias going…going…gone. Well, so is it hoped!
April 2, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante I was browsing in the books for sale nook in our Morro Bay Public Library and I spotted these two beautiful sets of encyclopedia for sale. The Collier's, 20 volumes, $3, and the New Book of Knowledge, 21 volumes, $4. So sad. So distressing. I thought I'd weep. How come … [Read More...]
Dealing with a foreign call center. Oh, my!
March 19, 2016
I deal with call centers often--too often. Overseas but set up by American corporations. I call always for a digital problem driving me nuts—something wrong with my computer, or an app, or my cell phone, or some gizmo. Always hoping they'll solve it in a jiffy so that I can get right to work. Of … [Read More...]
Hey, I’m now writing à la hi-tech!
March 8, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante. Yes, after all these years! I have a new way of getting the words down. I can't believe it. You know, I have been writing for more than 75 years. I'm not talking about writing a letter to one of my kids. Or postcards to friends while on a vacation trip. I'm talking about … [Read More...]
Meet “Cuppa Joel,” my Number One Mentor on radio
February 10, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante Morro Bay, CA -- Lucky me! I wish you could get to meet DJ Joel McMickell. Better still, I wish you could hear him on the air. What a good start he has given me. "Cuppa Joel" is his radio monicker. He is the morning man Monday through Friday on 97.3 FM, "The … [Read More...]
Suicide by Santhara? I saw it in India.
January 19, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante You’re wondering, what is Santhara? Simple. Pulling the plug by refusing all food. It's unknown in the United States, but it has taken place in India among Jains for centuries. It's big news there right now and that’s how I thought of writing this. Big news because it is … [Read More...]
My year 2015. All the pluses and minuses!
January 8, 2016
By John Guy LaPlante Dear Friends. It's my great pleasure as always to wish you a Happy New Year. A bit late, I know, but sometimes life intervenes. May your 2016 be filled with many pluses and zero minuses. For years now, it has been my ritual at year's end to give my family and friends … [Read More...]
Is your lovable mutt in fact your slave?
December 15, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante. My friend, Ben Smithson, thinks so. He was surprised how shocked I was when I heard him say pet dogs are really slaves. "Look up ‘slave’ in your dictionary, John. Your best dictionary." He said lots of animals besides dogs are really slaves. How crazy! But I did … [Read More...]
Notice how medical specialties are exploding?
November 30, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante It's amazing how many more kinds of doctors are treating us. Specialists and sub-specialists! Wow! If better care is the result for us, I'm all for it. I'm not sure that's always true. Recently I had to go to a urologist. My first time ever. Too many get-ups … [Read More...]
She’s the one pedaling in front. Finally!
November 23, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante Madison, Wisconsin –I spotted a tandem bike with a couple on board. Of course, the guy was in front and the gal in back. It's the usual. My son Mark, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin here, was driving me to his office. I’m visiting him and Stacie—a … [Read More...]
Our medical care. My gosh, how it’s exploding!
November 1, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante Recently I had to go to a urologist. My first time ever. Too many get-ups during the night! Later I wondered, How many kinds of specialists like that urologist have I gone to see over the years? Umpteen. And counting! Read on and you'll see for yourself the choices we … [Read More...]
Oh, you use just a middle initial? What!?
October 25, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante That doesn't surprise me. Most Americans get along with a middle initial though they have a full middle name. A puny initial has become so common that I’m convinced it’s now unAmerican to flash a middle name. No, no, don’t think I’m crazy. Well, I ‘m a rare one. I have a … [Read More...]
Suicide by Santhara? I saw it going on.
October 17, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante What is Santhara? Simple. Pulling the plug by refusing food. Santhara sounds unusual, I know. I’m telling you about it because it—or something like it—is being used by more and more Americans. Santhara is unknown in the United States, but it has taken place in … [Read More...]
Pope Francis sure missed the boat in D.C.
September 26, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante I felt so badly about that that I immediately dashed off a letter to the editor of the New York Times. Short, sweet, and to the point. No more than 150 words, they say, though often I see that exceeded. They receive so many there's a minimal chance mine will see the light of … [Read More...]
That crazy Spag’s! How I miss it
September 15, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante With six photos Yes, how I miss, as do thousands and thousands of other folks who knew it. Spag's was one of a kind. Impossible for anyone to replicate it. And what a sad and tragic ending it had. I knew it at its greatest. And just saw it. Closed, Empty. Dead! … [Read More...]
My miles, not all good, riding Greyhound
August 25, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante A Greyhound bus cruised by me on I-95 here in Connecticut. And what terrific memories that stirred up. I used to ride Greyhounds a lot. And liked it. Most of the time. I began a Greyhound rider after I retired. I rode Greyhound all across the country and back, … [Read More...]
My best professor ever? Evan Hill!
July 30, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante Out of the blue, a friend asked me, "John, in all your years in school, who was your favorite teacher?” That took some heavy thinking. I've been lucky. Have had many fine teachers. And sure, a few duds. But the best? Then it came to me. Evan Hill. Of course! … [Read More...]
My trip of a lifetime. Anybody’s lifetime!
July 4, 2015
By John Guy LaPlane I'm talking about the incredible and so challenging dream come true that I wrote up in my book, "Around the World at 75. Alone, Dammit!" Yes, alone. And what a shocking development that turned out to be. Because two of us started out! My friend Keith and I. He … [Read More...]
I’m now also a radio host! Would you believe?
May 12, 2015
Readers, please note: This report is belated! Returning home to Deep River, CT, and settling in has been long and exhausting! Sorry. And because of technical difficulties, I can't include for you photos of three of my mentors in this new adventure of mine. I mention two of them below. … [Read More...]
Taylor Newton: Scientist turned unusual social worker
April 13, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante With 3 photos Morro Bay, CA—Make that guerrilla social worker, and I’ll explain in a minute. Taylor is 37. Stands 6 feet 3. He’s lean and muscular. Sports a neat stubble of a beard. Keeps his hair clipped severely right up the sides. Has tattoos and … [Read More...]
The astounding double life of Hal Abrams
March 13, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante with 3 photos Morro Bay, CA—Hal is tall and slim and fifty-ish, with hair down to his shoulders and still jet black. One look and you might think him a rock guitar player. He aspired to that long ago but that’s long past. His love of music has not diminished, but his … [Read More...]
At 85 I’m riding a tricycle again! Crazy?
March 6, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante With 3 photos In old age do we go back to the ways of our childhood? Regress, as psychologists call it? If so, well, maybe I am regressing. Why so? Well, I'll be hitting 86 next month, starting my 87th year, here I am, riding a tricycle. Like when I was six! … [Read More...]
My friend Bob Johnson has died
February 20, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante First:an explanation. I worked hard to get this out on time. Yesterday, I "published" it--sent it to all of you. I am totally at a loss to explain why not. I've been doing this blog a long time and this is a first. This lapse is a great sorrow to me. Bob such a … [Read More...]
What a typo! So sorry!
January 23, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante I'm blushing crimson red. I goofed in my just-published post to you about medical costs and reimbursements. I said my hospital stay cost more that $1,000 per day. The true cost was $7,000! Quite an error. That's what I get for writing at 2 a.m.after a full day. And … [Read More...]
Well, I got it done again.
January 3, 2015
By John Guy LaPlante I made my New Year's resolutions. And I wrote them down. And I made my review of the year just past. Which had hits and misses, of course. I felt good getting the annual job done. I'm sure some of you are saying, “New Year's resolutions! Hey, that's crazy, … [Read More...]
So sorry for my silence! But Merry Christmas!
December 25, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante Dear Friends near and far, Merry Christmas! Enjoy this day. Make the most of it. I am doing just that, finally here in Morro Bay, CA, close to my daughter Monique and son-in-law David. In fact, I spent Christmas Eve with them in their home a few hours ago. I am sure you've … [Read More...]
“Go West, young man!” Well, at 85 finally I’m going.
October 10, 2014
Hi, Friends, Better late than never, they say. Off to Morro Bay, California, I'm heading, and that's as far west as you can go without tumbling into the Pacific. Why, oh why, you ask. "You, John, the born and bred New Englander?" The reason is simple and startlingly obvious to anybody who … [Read More...]
About my son Mark, the …………. . The what?
September 28, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante Know what? I’ve just coined a word that is brand-new to the English language. And badly needed. I’ve checked and checked. I can’t find it in any dictionary. It came to me in a flash. How about that? I write this from Madison, Wisconsin, where I am visiting my son Mark and his … [Read More...]
I’m back, Friends–and finally blogging again!
September 17, 2014
Dear Friends near and far, I know, I know. It has been three months since I have written to you—since early May! A long time! Have some of you been thinking I may have gone off to Heaven? No, no! Or to that other famous place that starts with H! No! No! ( I hope you don't think I deserve … [Read More...]
CHINA: more glimpses of life hereabouts
May 1, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante / with photos First, a little note. My computer has taken a little fit again. For one thing, I can no longer get it to print a question mark or exclamation mark. The only way I can print a capital letter is by depressing the caps key...so quite tedious. Thank you for … [Read More...]
China: Glimpses of life in my neighborhood
April 25, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante / with photos Sorry for the delay in getting this to you. Blame my big computer / Internet problems here. I write this in Fangcun, which is a small section of huge Guangzhou, population 16 million. No way can I see that whole immense city. But what I see here … [Read More...]
My long, hard trip to China…what you should expect
April 13, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante Here’s what I faced for this big new journey across the Pacific, the biggest ocean. I would be starting from Morro Bay, where my daughter Monique and her hubby David live and which is 200 miles north of Los Angeles, my take-off point. And flying … [Read More...]
Well, what do you know…I’m back in China!
April 9, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante I'm as surprised as you are. This is my fourth time over. At my age I never thought there would be a fourth time. Speaking of age, I'm going to turn 85 during my month over here. But this is the right place to be old. The Chinese venerate old people. … [Read More...]
After all these years, I meet my first “denturologist”
April 1, 2014
Orange, CA--Over the years I've been treated by a whole assortment of specialists. Far more than I've been able to keep track of--medical doctors, dentists, chiropractors, osteopaths, physical therapists, nurses. Now I've met one who has a unique specialty. He's a family dentist who specializes … [Read More...]
My take on embattled Ukraine. Finally.
March 14, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante With 2 photos I’ve been getting one e-mail after another: “John, what you think about Ukraine? What's it all about? How do you feel about it?” Why those emails? Because many of you know that I served my Peace Corps hitch–the full 27 months–in Ukraine. And that was … [Read More...]
My very unusual Sunday morning today
March 9, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante I’m in warm and sunny Costa Mesa, California. And the morning has been gorgeous! We sprang forward one hour last night. I love that. As usual, I spent a fine night, and enjoyed my fine usual breakfast of oatmeal and fruit and black tea, yes, in my comfy one-person … [Read More...]
To me, A.C. is our patron saint of libraries
February 12, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante Oxnard, California -- I just visited the nice small art museum here. It's called the Carnegie Art Museum. It's a gorgeous building with beautiful Greek columns…Corinthian, I believe. Right away I guessed it used to be the Carnegie Public Library, and I was … [Read More...]
Two old men — strangers brought together by fate one night. And what happened.
January 30, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante Oxnard, California – I had a wonderful day, better than expected, in this fair-sized city on the Central Coast. Well, till late evening, anyway. All day, golden sunshine. Short sleeves and shorts in January! What a contrast to my cold and frosty Connecticut. No wonder … [Read More...]
The latest about little old Marjorie and her little old beloved Alabaster
January 15, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante Hello, my Friends,, Your feedback tells me strongly that my sad tale of a few days ago about Marjorie’s ongoing heartache interested many of you. The wrenching dilemma she faces! Put Alabaster out of his obviously failing health? Or spend some of her severely … [Read More...]
Marjorie is walking into the New Year with her heart aching.
January 13, 2014
By John Guy LaPlante Morro Bay, CA -- Walking down the hill from my daughter Monique's on this bright sunny morning, I ran into little old Marjorie again. I was heading down the few blocks to Spencer's Market for the exercise and a cup of coffee. Marjorie is a little wisp of a … [Read More...]
A new tale of David versus Goliath–2013 version!
November 19, 2013
By John Guy LaPlante With 2 photos. A couple named Monique and David Nelson and their fellow volunteers out there in central-coast California have been fighting that power plant for years. I've been watching this fight all along, and for a special reason. And I just got an exciting email … [Read More...]
The shockingly unthinkable has happened!
November 1, 2013
By John Guy LaPlante With 3 photos. It's like going to the moon. Unthinkable when I was a boy. But it happened! Now something else totally unthinkable to me has happened. A brand-new library has been built but with zero printed books! It's filled with digital books-- only e-books! Can … [Read More...]
Jim Schneider the super school traffic cop
October 20, 2013
By John Guy LaPlante Old Saybrook, CT- It’s a nice, sunny afternoon. I stand on the corner in amazement. Jim Schneider is the traffic cop here.The school day is over and the loaded school … [Read More...]
These Americans work for just $1.30 to $3 per hour. Quite gladly.
October 5, 2013
By John Guy LaPlante Thomaston, Maine – I recently stopped by the State of Maine Prison Store here . My third time in 50 years! As in the past, I was just a tourist passing through and the store is so wonderful. But this time my visit developed a bad twist, sad to tell you. A … [Read More...]
Now they’re up in Maine, homesteading. What?!
September 26, 2013
By John Guy Laplante With 9 photos. Liberty, Maine--Is it possible for two people in middle-age–late middle age –to change just about every aspect of their lives and find fulfillment in a new life style? I said just about every aspect. Here is what I mean. To change the person they … [Read More...]
Strange musings in a Quebec graveyard
September 8, 2013
By John Guy LaPlante Saint-Dominique, Province of Quebec--As you know, I count a lot on Lady Serendipity to make my wanderings more interesting. I never know when she’ll tap me on the shoulder, or why. But it’s always wonderful. It always leaves me hoping she’ll do it again soon. Well, she … [Read More...]
A new life in a new land with challenges aplenty.
September 3, 2013
Tarek and Elena are all smiles as they get started in Quebec. They have faced problems before. He especially. By John Guy LaPlante Longueil, Province of Quebec – I just had a wonderful visit with Tarek and Elena in this suburb of Montreal. Met their three cute little … [Read More...]
My oh my, what a sport Jacques Istel created!
August 29, 2013
By John Guy LaPlante Orange, Massachusetts—Some 50 years ago I came here to write a magazine article about something brand-new—strapping on a parachute and jumping out of a plane for the pure thrill of it. It would become a big sport, I heard. How crazy! And about Jacques Istel, its daddy. … [Read More...]
Oh, how dear old Worcester is changing!
August 24, 2013
I’m happy to tell you I'm on the road in my camping van again. Yes, alone again. I’m driving slowly up through New England into Quebec and then back home. I expect to be gone two weeks, maybe three. As always I’m favoring the quiet, slower roads. I’ve just entered beautiful Vermont on … [Read More...]
Home across America to Deep River. Report No. 2.
May 13, 2013
NOTE: Sorry, my friends. I had a dozen photos to include for you. But my nasty computer has thrown a wrench in the spokes! M big news is that I was holed up in a motel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for seven days. Sick! But I'll be back on the road tomorrow. You'll find details below. Blockquote (Alt … [Read More...]
My first week on my long ride home to Connecticut
April 30, 2013
My first overnight at a Walmart's, in Claremont, CA. That's "Chateau," my 13-year-old, 180,000-mile blue and siver beauty. What's wonderful is that nobody has a clue she's a little camper, with me happily snoring inside! Blythe, Arizona – Here I was, approaching this tiny town. Blythe is as far … [Read More...]
Home I go, and very slowly
April 18, 2013
Newport Beach, CA -- This morning at 9:30—after the massive freeways here have been relieved of their crushing commuter traffic—I’ll climb behind the wheel of my new little camper van and start the long ride home to Deep River. I’ve been here far longer than usual on my annual … [Read More...]
A big paper just wrote about me. Unpleasant experience.
April 13, 2013
Newport Beach, CA -- I was interviewed by the Orange Coast Register here for a big feature about me. Its focus would be my full hitch in Ukraine as a Peace Corps Volunteer. And my becoming the oldest of the nearly 8,000 in service in 74 countries at that time. I turned 80 over … [Read More...]
Don Malone and his love-quest dash to Germany
April 1, 2013
Newport Beach, CA – Here’s the latest about that. With two photos. Remember Don? The old guy happily pedaling his tricycle in small Morro Bay up the coast? No car, just that tricycle? I met Don at Christmas in Morro Bay. I was visiting my daughter Monique there. I saw him pedaling his … [Read More...]
A mom and dad who made a world of difference
March 15, 2013
Newport Beach, CA – I just read an obituary in the Los Angeles Times that is so incredible—and so wonderful in this cynical and materialistic age--that I feel I should share it with you. It the story of a woman, excuse me, a lady, Dorothy DeBolt, born in 1903, who had a heart bigger than a … [Read More...]
A dog in his very own wheelchair! What?!
March 5, 2013
Irvine, CA – I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was a sunny shirtsleeves day here in southern California—what a relief from the cold and snow of Connecticut. Milady Annabelle and I were heading back to her car, We had just finished a nice walk through the beautiful arboretum of … [Read More...]
Did Jesus have a wife? New evidence says “Yes.”
February 23, 2013
Eagle Rock, CA – Milady Annabelle and I were visiting Occidental College. She’s an alumna. It’s a fine private, coed college, one of the oldest on our Pacific coast. Just a few miles east of downtown Los Angeles. We were strolling the beautiful grounds. I noticed a newspaper box … [Read More...]
Off to Germany at 68 with great hopes
January 15, 2013
Morro Bay, CA—My new friend Don is rushing to meet his new love. I’m visiting my daughter Monique here. We say New Year’s Day is the golden opportunity to turn a new page and start a bright new life. Well, Don is really resolved! I met him because of the bike he was riding. I … [Read More...]
Precious gems just discovered!
January 4, 2013
I just stumbled upon them. Take no credit for them. But they have brightened my morning. I want to share them with you. "Life is a climb, but the view is amazing!" ~ Author unknown. "I stay strong for myself because no one else will." ~ Author unknown. "As human beings, our … [Read More...]
My crazy trip to California! Part 2
December 30, 2012
It was crazy! I thought I'd be flying on a Boeing. Instead, United Airlines put me on Amtrak! In brief: I missed my long cross-country flight! Through no fault of my own. And other bad things sprang up, too. First, a Flash Back: For nearly 20 years I’ve been taking off to … [Read More...]
Meet Cordora, my favorite Christmas bell-ringer.
December 23, 2012
For many days now, she’s been ringing, ringing her Salvation Army bell. All to help others. As long as I can remember, I’ve seen the Salvation Army bell ringers standing by their big red kettles outside stores and at busy corners for hours and hours soliciting nickels, quarters, and dollars. … [Read More...]
Finally I’ve gotten my $4,832.25 back!
December 14, 2012
News from the Connecticut State Treasurer! Really good news! Yes, I have my lost CD back. I thought I’d get it in two or three weeks. It took nearly nine months, I don't have millions. For me, that’s serious money. All this the result of a bank mishap! Here's what happened. But … [Read More...]
