My Visit With Writer Chester Aaron

I went to visit a favorite author of short stories in his idyllic solar house tucked away in the foothills of northern California.
I listened to him talk about his life. He has packed a lot into his 85 years. He made us a garlic-jalapeño dip. Wonderful. You can google it. It won him prize.
We saw the sun shine on his garlic beds, talked of wild turkeys and gophers.
We talked about writing, and the narrowing of diversity in this literary world of blockbuster sellers, lists and charts.
And then we went to a restaurant that I hadn't been to since I was a child. And to his astonishment, even though this was almost 40 years ago, my recollections were completely correct.
Just goes to show, a writer sees things and remembers.
Even when he or she is a child.
And if they can hold onto this gift, one day, they might become a writer.
Looking back, I can see the towering redwoods, his house on the large swath of land with the does and the hummingbirds. He has spent a lifetime doing things that he loves, things that truly interest him and he's engaged and vigorous . Life changes, and he's rolled through all of them and what I saw was a man who has lived his life well. It inspires me, because as my own life goes through this rather unpredictable path we're all on, I know if I stick to what I love, things will turn out alright.
Enjoy the slideshow!