My Secret World

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August 12th, 2018
Back My Secret World

For the past couple of days, I have been packing for my trip back to Pennsylvania. Yep, it's true. I am leaving Phoenix to spend some time back in the green fields and four seasons country of Western Pennsylvania.

I will be spending some time with my brother and stomping around the grounds where I grew up. That will be a pleasure.

Thomas Wolfe wrote a book about not being able to go back home again. Wolfe is a brilliant writer and one of my favorites -- I loved his 'Electric Koolaid Acid Test' -- but I think he's wrong on this one.

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Of course, you can go back home again. You have changed, your hometown may have changed, but change is what life is all about.

The high school I graduated from Sewickley Township High in Herminie, PA., was closed down some time ago. It has been converted into a library and will be one of my favorite places to research my articles and stories. They even have a writer's club and the librarian has asked me to give a talk to the members. That will be a distinct pleasure and I will definitely do it.

Interestingly

An email arrived this week from a member of this website. The member is Joe B. from Akron, Ohio. He writes, 'Geno, I know you spend a lot of time playing poker and visiting casinos. But when you are not involved in the world of gambling, what do you do and where do you do it?'

Good question, Joe. Life would be boring if the only thing a person did was gamble. I will let my readers into my secret world away from the tables.

For one thing, I sleep.

Sleeping properly in a good comfortable bed is an important part of life and it is something I relish. My brother has assured me he has a good comfortable bed in a quiet room where I can sleep to my heart's content.

I also like to watch Fox News and see what is happening in America's political world. I admire the way President Donald Trump is handling his job and his critics. I am not a fan of CNN NEWS or MSNBC, but I sometimes watch them just to see what they are up to.

I agree with President Trump...

...their reporters occasionally float out 'fake news' to their viewers and keep hoping they will return to objective reporting. That would be a boon to America and would boost their ratings.

I have a fondness for good relaxing music and spend time listening to 'Soundscapes' or 'Easy Listening' music on my television. It's great listening to mood music and learning about past writers, composers and musicians who created the great songs I grew up with.

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My mother and aunts loved that music. I can still remember how they used to harmonize on the romantic songs of the day. They were really good singers and passed their talents on to my brother, Legs, who became a successful Gospel singer. His version of 'El Paso,' the song made famous by Marty Robbins, will blow you away.

I like driving around the countryside of Western Pennsylvania and going to Italian and Greek festivals where I can blend in with the people, sample strange foods, have a glass of good homemade wine, and even dance the polka or some other dance with a beauty much too young for me. That is life.

And of course, when I get the urge:

There are casinos with good poker rooms less than 30 miles from my hometown. The Rivers Casino is in Pittsburgh and The Meadows is in Washington, PA. There is also a casino in Wheeling,WV. about 60 miles from my home that has a good horse room as well as a poker room.

I will miss Phoenix and the Arizona desert. But all roads eventually come to an end. I don't know how long I will be gone. I will leave that up to life.

My brother decided to retire from singing and the Steel City Quartet has broken up as a group. I don't blame them for deciding to disband. It's hard keeping a group of singers together. Illness and age take their tolls on people and these guys gave themselves to the public for many years of spreading the Gospel through music. I know the Lord will bless them for their efforts.

Wish me luck on my journey...

I will be driving through Albuquerque, N.M. and plan to play a little poker at Sandia, one of my favorite casinos. That was where my late pal Dave Molina hooked up with a group of Navajo Indians and shared some peyote with them. Dave thought the experience was incredible but he never did it again. I guess that tells you something about peyote.

And of course, I will be writing. I am a professional writer who pounds something out every day. That is something I will never retire from as long as the good Lord keeps me healthy with a desire to write.

All in all, it should be a good trip. Into the rising sun!

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