Lowell’s Boat Shop

By The Bowlegged Blogger Weathered Beauty I attended a Holiday Open House at Lowell's Boat Shop and Museum in Amesbury Ma. yesterday. After decades of passing by this place, I finally took the opportunity to feed my curiosity. Established in 1793, Lowell’s Boat Shop is the oldest continuously operating boat shop in the United States …

Continue reading Lowell’s Boat Shop

The Women Who Taught Me How To Tell A Story

By The Bowlegged Blogger ⸻ Every now and then, a reader of my blog reaches out with a kind word about my story telling. I treasure these messages more than folks might imagine. But recently, a classmate, friend and subscriber asked a question that caused me to pause and reflect: “Donnie, Who taught you how …

Continue reading The Women Who Taught Me How To Tell A Story

Windows of Opportunity: Lessons Learned

Old Lessons - New Challenges For most of my working life, I lived in the rhythm of management ... people management and change management. One was about building relationships, the other about guiding transformation. Both demanded patience, awareness, and the ability to read between the lines of what people said and what they felt. As …

Continue reading Windows of Opportunity: Lessons Learned

Tricks old dogs can learn

There are some things we learn from books and there are things life teaches us. One can assume is that the longer you live the more you'll learn. But, can you teach an old dog a new trick? I believe the answer is yes....we old dogs can learn new tricks....well, some of us. With age …

Continue reading Tricks old dogs can learn

A Still Boat

Note For years, I written The Bowlegged Blogger... writing about motion. The rhythm of swimming, biking, running, and finding myself through movement. But lately, the miles have slowed (thanks to a new hip and cranky knees), and life's lessons have taken on a different effort. I used to measure myself by distance and time; now …

Continue reading A Still Boat

Mind Prober

Talking to myself always ends up with us both laughing ..... Are you at all curious what others think about you? I think most people are.... Even the most “narcissistic” people among us—those with an inflated sense of self-importance—must wonder at times what others really think of them. It’s part of being human isn't it? …

Continue reading Mind Prober

When Inspiration Knocks

“I don’t know what I think until I write about it.” — Joan Didion This quote from Joan Didion has always struck me not just as wise, but as fundamentally true. For me, writing isn’t about capturing a finished thought—it’s the very process by which the thought is formed. Until the words start appearing on …

Continue reading When Inspiration Knocks

Give your eyes a rub

Abby is off to the beach with her friend Julie and I've been listening to meditative music and observing Lanai time. I can feel the warmth of the sun helping me relax after a morning run.  Lying still, eyes closed, I'm witnessing steams of color in waves that move upward. No I'm not on mushrooms, …

Continue reading Give your eyes a rub

December 27th

Back in 2015 I fell into a dark moody place. I needed to climb out of it and get back on a healthy daily plan to improve my mental and physical well being. I rarely ever look back over old posts but in this case I believe it could help remind me of a process …

Continue reading December 27th

Mirror Lake……

Mirror Lake, nestled in the heart of Lake Placid, NY, is a place of serene beauty, its calm waters reflecting the surrounding Adirondack Mountains like glass. I swam its length during an Ironman competition in 2015, an experience etched deeply in my memory. Amidst the cold mountain water, I found myself beside another swimmer, whose …

Continue reading Mirror Lake……

The Widow’s Walk Diaries

Prologue The Widow’s Walk Diaries are a work of fiction.  As most parents do, I used to read stories to my daughter Izzy at night before bed.  After a long days work, many nights my prospects of staying awake while reading where, between slim and none.  To keep my mind active and to capture Izzy’s …

Continue reading The Widow’s Walk Diaries

Mistakes And Regret

Ever make a mistake that came back to haunt you just about every day of your entire life? I did, and I made it in high school. This mistake has stuck with like a wool sweater on a 90 degree day. When I tell you what I did, it may not seem like such a …

Continue reading Mistakes And Regret

Just write something..

I've been here before.... writers block ... I keep writing but nothing seems to get published... The draft bucket if full of half baked blather.  I need to get out of the house, get on the bike and get a cup of coffee. Ok,  I am now sheltered away with all the other coffeehouse vagrants …

Continue reading Just write something..

An open letter to my eldest daughter..

Katelyn Mary....This is an open letter to you …days before your 36th birthday on March 8th, 2018. I've been sitting here at my desk wondering where time has gone, while you have been busy emerging from adolescence into womanhood.  Happy Birthday you have earned it! I know reading any of my blog posts would be painful to the English professor …

Continue reading An open letter to my eldest daughter..