Brian Buckner

It was the end of an unseasonably hot day and not a leaf stirred. Tiny particulate, back-lit by rays of the diminishing sun, seemed to float like a dirty mist over the scene. Darwin, Edie and I were pretty worn out after spending the day in the countryside celebrating with the people who call the...

I think everyone knows having a “knack” for something means that you’re a lot better at doing that thing than the average person. If you have a “knack,” it’s likely that others have noticed your enhanced abilities in what ever your area or areas of expertise happen to be. And, they have noticed whether or...

Ángeles are a popular theme within the social structure of Ecuador.  Catholicism reigns in this South American country. There are paintings and statuary, carvings, drawings and reliefs of ángeles everywhere. Most of these are depicted in traditional manners with wings, cherub like faces, and soft, flowing robes. Then there are the seemingly more human ángeles....

He was headed past the cloisters of the Governor’s Building next to Parque Calderon when I encountered the tiny boy.  Or, was he “headed” at all, I began to wonder, as those red shoe soles tapped hurriedly up and down on the dirty, rust-colored tiles.  There certainly was no mamá or papá in sight, no...

Just a few scant miles west of Cuenca lies a small and quaint paroquia named San Joaquin. Edie and I have been fortunate to call this area our home for a couple of years. It’s where we moved after our exodus from a life in El Centro where we lived high in the sky, penthouse...

The teacher kept talking about what continent Ecuador was on and where it was on that continent. I was thinking about that green and blue-colored frog that Miguel and I caught by the spring and stuck in that rusty hole on the side of Papá’s truck. I figured it might not be there anymore after...

Early in the morning, shortly after light and while most of you are still asleep, I ease my cross country bike, the Blue Rocket, from his berth at my home in San Joaquin. I keep him well maintained with air and oil and he’s always ready to go at a moments notice, just like me....

Breakdancers!! Spinning wildly on the slippery tiles of the gazebo floor, around and around they go. The music blares loudly from boom-boxes with a quick and staccato beat. It’s the perfect rhythm-keeper for their unbelievable gyrations. I’m watching some amazing street talent in the gazebo of Cuenca’s Parque Calderon, late on a Saturday night. The...

Author’s note: This is an update of my original story of “The Gift” that appeared two years. The original appears below it. Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all been sufficiently naughty or nice to get some Santa action coming your way. Over here, we are more than ready. Edie and I love to cook so...

Most know me as artist, writer, adventurer, but I love to ride my competition bike. It’s a cross-country bike style called a Specialized Epic Comp. I put 15 miles on it almost every morning riding up into the Andes Mountains. My favorite route is to follow Via Soldados as I trace the path of the...

Does the phrase “random acts of kindness” register with you? Have you ever performed one? How did it feel? Would you repeat it? How come? When Anne Herbert wrote the phrase “practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty” on a placemat in Sausalito in 1982, I doubt she imagined how far reaching her words...