Showing results by narrator "Robert Wintner" in All Categories

Toucan Whisper, Toucan Sing is the story of two brothers, one a gregarious gigolo, the other a mute psychopath who loves nature. Both work at a resort hotel, as does Lyria, betrothed to the joyous one yet drawn to the silent one. In the tangle is a murder on the beach and extrication, Mexican style. With glittering potential sullied, along with betrothal, Lyria is compelled to alliance with the “older woman” so fervently in need of Antonio’s effusing attention. Baldo takes solace in the company of his young charges, the baby turtles, for whom his love is paramount.

1969 was pivotal for baby boomers, young, innocent and facing a needless war. On a grand tour, youth united for peace, resisting war, living the parables of high time. Some will remember. Some can’t. All bore witness to a time like none before or ever since, when a few seasons defined the difference between right and wrong. The profit motive gave way to greed. Truth twisted to propaganda. National interest got bent for defense contractors. Democracy buckled on a war of attrition, and a cloud of smoke got toxic: napalm. Other clouds formed phantoms of complacency, security and atrophy.

Robust yet complex, these vintage domestics sparkle on the palate with innuendo and overtone. Fruity, nutty, buttery in part; the oak is constrained, the acid balanced with an easy follow and hardly a recoil on the pungent recollection.

Crux is not a Christian book but a collection of secular stories, a few of which underscore Christianity’s obtrusion on others. In these examples, context is Southern Indiana long ago, a lovely natural setting and sometimes harsh backdrop for a young Jew. History is rife with abuse. Personal baggage is unpacked here, no offense intended.

A young man of promise in the late '60s veers to LSD and cosmic light. Stepping away from university to cult life, he steps into pastel jammies, chanting, dancing, and tingling finger cymbals. Passersby yell and laugh, and he laughs back, niched in bliss. Natural intelligence takes him to operational management as labor and meditation define purpose for years until...harsh truth drops like a turd in the punch bowl; a small one, but still. Would you like a cup? He’d challenged the elders of his childhood. What did you do when you had the chance?

Whirlaway is mind and body adventure of the double-edge 80s, beyond idealism to Columbian snuff for confidence in the short term. It cost a bit but beat depression for a bit. Nature began its deep descent in the 80s. Population and trash had doubled since the 50s, along with traffic and growth. Free love or sex got risky on pesky new diseases. But the 80s still held potential for a bold player to float a bank loan on a form from the lobby display, easily submitted with personal returns. The P. O. had racks of blank tax forms. Friendly accounting services helped the numbers align.