Calvin Luna Balli

As an army brat in 1966, my father gave my brother and me the opportunity to use his 22 Remington rifle and shotguns. He bought them from a friend and my dad would show us how to use them safely.

We lived on the slopes of Pichincha, which has an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet above Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Our house sat very near an earthquake crack that skirts down the volcano called a cabrada where we would explore. My father would often take us boys into the Eucalyptus forest across our street to…

Of all the experiences that I have gone through in my life, this story I am about to tell is perhaps my most daring, certainly my most foolish. Now that I am retired, I have been waiting for the day when I could share this extraordinary event to my fans and friends.

In the last part of the eighties, I took a work assignment from a local Mexican construction firm in Houston, Texas and was hired to manage the inventory of hardware such as nails, power equipment, braces, etc. out of a trailer in Annapolis…

As a baby boomer, I have been blessed to experience the initial sounds of the first wave of rock and rollers. I was there when Ray Charles and Elvis began their journey to the land of great music. Decca, Polydor, EMI, Chess Records, Stax and others were recording the jazz greats and guitar gods.

In my childhood homes, my father played a variety of records from all the great country guitar players to the soul of Memphis. It was like magic to my ears and my dad loved them all! Buddy Holly's ballads, Little…

Mardi Gras season is once again upon us so I would like to share a few memories of New Orleans as I remember them.

I live in the south, which some consider the middle of the country, so I only have a six hour drive by car to New Orleans. The place is happening and is the very best party you can ever join in just about any time of the year. I have been going there for years and each time is memorable.

A couple of years ago, I took my wife Eileen and her mother Barbara for The Big Easy's new years eve…

In 1968, before the Dallas Cowboys became America's football team, they were the professional team for the state of Texas and under the leadership of coach Tom Landry, they were good, really good. Dandy Don Meredith was the quarterback in charge and he got his nose busted several times during games but kept on making touchdowns. Back then, the Cowboys made the playoffs but didn't go very far since they were a mediocre team. In 1969, Roger Staubach was drafted and he brought them to the promised land. Fans…

In the fall of 1968, my friend Ricky and I were enjoying his birthday gift from his grandmother, a brand new olive green Shelby Cobra. We had Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild blaring from the car's radio as we roared out of Killeen for Waco, Texas. We were two adventurous fifteen year old lads having fun! I remember the look of Ricky's smile and laughter like it was just yesterday. Since he was so young (and may not have had a driver's license), we mainly took the back roads and I even got to drive that hot…

I remember when...In the 1950's and 60's, technology was evolving in South America, but not as quickly as in The United States. They were way behind and even getting messages to the remote jungles of the Oriente and all of the Amazon delta took years to do. Pilots of small planes would try to communicate with the indigenous Indians by dropping small bags of food and toys and messages to the awestruck but frightened Natives. These were stories that I had read in National Geographic, Look, and other…

I love my mom. It is for my love of food that I owe her my life. It was she who fed me but most importantly, she introduced me to her vast knowledge of spices, fruits, and vegetables.

The many daily chores I saw my mother accomplish while I was a youngster was memorable since she had attended to six children, one big child (my dad), and herself. Can you imagine the work she had to do? Amazing! That will be another story for later but today I want to reflect on the wonderful foods that she made for her…

In 1980, my friend Mike Buzzo had a party at his Treasure Island home in Lake McQueeney, Texas where the infamous Guadalupe River winds down from New Braunfels. It also forms a lake near Seguin, home of the giant pecan monument. The area is full of pecan and hardwood trees, rolling hills, and is one of the most picturesque regions of Texas. Treasure Island is occupied by many affluent people who own million dollar estates including senators, lawyers, and legislators. The island is beautiful and the lake…

In 1927, Double Day and Company published a book by cowboy painter Charles M. Russell called Trails Plowed Under, Stories of the Old West. His publisher insisted that the world needed to Know the  wonderful and often humorous tales Charley loved to tell to his many friends. He became a master storyteller and would often speak to anyone, who would buy him a drink at the local bar, and give vivid accounts of the everyday cowboy.

One of my favorite stories was called The Ghost Horse. It was about the life of a…