Summer’s Eve, Jake, Donny and Dibs

Michael's home is in Chatham, Ontario, Canada where he grew up in a post war environment with a sister and two half brothers. He and his sister, Margo, were among the many young victims of this war having lost their father in its closing days. The loss of a husband, even under the accepted strain of a world war, is a devastating and di¿cult burden for a young mother of two. Grandparents took on a larger role in the developing lives of Michael and his sister who knew their father only from treasured pictures in the family album. Their mother's mother, Nanna, in whose home they were raised took on a more direct role in their growth and was responsible for the introduction of life's morals and values. Michael chronicled ten years of his and his sister's youth in his ¿rst attempt at writing, It's Just About Me, 23 Dover Street, which published in 2004. Always enjoying the activity of note making he has continued to write and has produced a collection of his notes in The Sail Needs the Wind, which was inspired by Notes to Myself by Hugh Prather. Post secondary education took Michael away from Chatham in 1963. The following forty-two years, thirty of which were spent working in local government also included employment in the manufacturing industry, the not-for-pröt sector and two amazing years in Mexico. Michael has a loving daughter from his ¿rst marriage and three beautiful granddaughters. His second relationship includes an additional daughter and son, both of which have brought much meaning to his life. Returning to Chatham in 2005, Michael continues to make notes and plans to complete further writing projects. He, with his very best friend, love, and wife, Mary, now resides in Tucson AZ.

In the summer of 1963, Jake, Donny and Dibs are looking forward to a fun-filled summer of laughs before moving to high school in the fall. The three boys' parents, however, have different plans for their sons' vacation. The boys' plan for a do-nothing summer with each other, much like summers past, is turned upside down with rushing hormones, girls, Donny going camping with his dad, Dibs' sick mom and their family moving away, Jake's new found friend in his sister, his summer job, and an unintended interest in future education and work. The summer of 1963 becomes one of related frustrations, females and changes that none of them expected.