Tucker McBride

Return to a time when a boy could be a boy; when life was more clear from the top branch of a tree; when a kid could trade anger and disappointment for action and adventure; when the whole neighborhood was his playground; and the sloppy kiss from a dog could make everything right.


Saturday, January 18, 2020

The Real Tucker McBride

  My husband, Bill, is the "prototype" for Tucker McBride. Yes, he did all that stuff in the book. Someone asked for a picture of Bill when he was about Tucker's age. Here it is, although the dog is not Joe since the years in the book were adjusted to meet the new  timeline. Joe was not living at the time the picture was taken; but, he would have looked a lot like this one.

All of you have had an encounter with a dog. It was a good experience or not-so-good. Write a few paragraphs about your favorite dog or the dog that made you afraid of canine beasties. Either draw a portrait of the animal or clip a picture from a magazine that is a good likeness or example of the breed. If you're on a computer or other device, cut and paste or upload from your browser.

Create another paragraph about the breed, or highlights of a mixed breed, describing that type of dog(s) and how your pup is similar and/or different (compare and contrast.

If you don't currently have a dog, describe one from your past, the neighbor's or friend's dog, or one from a favorite movie or TV show. If you're really inventive, create a breed in your head and talk about that one, the pros an cons. Happy dog-watching.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Has Your Favorite Place Changed?

   Our neighborhood changes as the years go by. Favorite landmarks are torn down or expanded until we no longer recognize them. A recent visit to New Mexico surprised us. We could barely find our way around after superhighways with crisscrossing overpasses buried the small shops we had known. Some towns grow and other small towns evaporate into a ghost town with only a few people remaining.
Tucker's church across Moyer Avenue grew over the years. In the picture, the addition to the back of the building on the right didn't exist in 1946. Many churches and gathering places expand and add additions. How has your church or community changed?
Write a paragraph about the changes around your church or home. How do you feel about the new look? Write another paragraph describing the things you like and those you dislike about the development or destruction of the place you love. If there haven't been changes to your church, home, or town, describe another location, perhaps where your grandparents live. Have fun. Draw a picture  or sketch out a floor plan of the addition.

Tucker McBride and the Christmas Present

  It's December 1, and the stores are draped in red and green. It is the Holidays, the Christmas Holidays. The Christ Child came to brin...