Author Archives

Bill Pearse publishes memoir, travel journals, poetry and prose, and lives in the Pacific Northwest.

• Licking my lips, the end of summer

  By Bill Pearse on August 19, 2015 • ( 6 )

  The cat’s come back to my lap to harvest what she can, and in the town they’re hanging leaves and lights, grape clusters in different colors for the wine fest, next month. The fruit flies are slowing down in the… Read More ›

• Peeing on Switzerland

  By Bill Pearse on August 18, 2015 • ( 26 )

  

  Ralf pokes the scat with the tip of his trekking pole and says in English it’s fresh, from earlier today. And the wind changes direction, it’s coming from Switzerland now, and I don’t know if that’s good or bad but… Read More ›

• How the rock bands formed the Alps

  By Bill Pearse on August 17, 2015 • ( 16 )

  

  If there’s such a thing as a German version of Robert De Niro it’s Eberhard with his constant wince, his diamond studded earring and pony tail coming undone, the wraparound sunglasses, the AC/DC ringtone. The wince could be from too… Read More ›

• No Wi-Fi in the Alps

  By Bill Pearse on August 12, 2015 • ( 14 )

  Ventured out for our first family getaway to Rothenburg ob der Tober. Took the 81 toward Untergruppenbach, then the 6 toward München, the 7 to Ülm. Espoused our strategy for spending money in the middle of a cobblestone street when… Read More ›

• They scratched their names on the stones, in the trees

  By Bill Pearse on August 11, 2015 • ( 20 )

  Dawn took the side of the bed my mom once slept in and that left me the side that was John’s. I’d sometimes look in on him sleeping before we flew back home, but wouldn’t wake him, it was easier… Read More ›

• First day of school in Germany

  By Bill Pearse on August 10, 2015 • ( 13 )

  Homeschooling started on a Sunday in early August, definitely not in the States anymore. We weren’t ready but the kids were, so we started with a discussion about date and time formats, how they’re different here, and why. But I… Read More ›

• Once there was a way to get back homewards

  By Bill Pearse on August 9, 2015 • ( 4 )

  

  My dad told my 91-year-old grandmother, his mom, we’ve moved to Germany for nine months and she seems OK with it, she says. They live about 20 minutes from each other in Pennsylvania — my dad, his sister Sue and… Read More ›

• Dangerous Heat to Build Across Germany, Poland

  By Bill Pearse on August 8, 2015 • ( 9 )

  

  A week without my cell phone now, breaking the habit of checking, responding like a lab rat to artificial chimes and chirps, the desire to be recognized. Benny comes at 5 and spends the night, gets right into the story… Read More ›

• The infinity mirror

  By Bill Pearse on August 7, 2015 • ( 12 )

  

  There are many clocks in my mom’s 500-year-old house but none of them agree on the time, they’re all about 10 minutes off and it’s unclear which one is right — so instead we go by the town church bell, and… Read More ›

• Heat Returns to Paris and Berlin

  By Bill Pearse on August 6, 2015 • ( 16 )

  

  Eberhard and I drove to the Hexenplatz, by the windmill, where you can dump yard waste and pick up compost, for free. Not sure why it’s called Hexenplatz, because Hexen means witchcraft, or miracle-making. The weekly Gemüse delivery came too,… Read More ›