Louisiana Stories

A Life Lesson: One Step at a Time

A word from Curt The word is faith. It’s a hopeful word. It has to do with things we cannot see. Yet. Today’s blog means so much to me.  It was a life lesson principle that still guides my life. I shared “One Step” last week with a group of teens. I was astounded at how this story resonated with …

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Long May It Wave: Independence Day

That Flag A word from Curt It’s a good word for today. Freedom.   Trampled Grass is coming your way.  You can pre-order your printed copy here. We’d love to hear your comments on this story. You can use the form at the end of this post or send a Facebook message. Enjoy!     No matter where I see it, my heart still jumps. …

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My Grandpas’ Boots: Upcoming Children’s Picture Book

A word from Curt           This story is taken from a chapter in As the Crow Flies and adapted for an illustrated children’s book.   Curt Iles/MY GRANDPAS’ BOOTS Copyright 2017 by Creekbank Stories and Curt Iles                                                           1 My name is Abe, and this is the story of my scuffed boots.  This pair of boots are …

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Two Enduring Lessons.

Pa and Doten

One taught me how to live . . . The other taught me how to die.   They’ve both been gone for nearly half a century. I was seven and ten, respectively when my paternal great grandparents died. We called them Pa and Doten, and they were center of our family’s solar system. They each left an enduring lesson that …

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On Being “The Man”

Tall Pine

From the Curt Iles book,  Deep Roots.  www.creekbank.net  Readers are given permission to share this story as long as proper credit is given.   You’re the Man   I’d never heard of the Broken Wings Award until recently. I haven’t met helicopter pilot Edwin Steve Coleman, one of the few two-time winners of the award. I believe I’d like Chief …

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The Sweet Smell of Honeysuckle

                                                                A honeysuckle bouquet from Crooked Bayou Swamp   Honeysuckle time is when I always think of Mrs. Eleanor Andrews. Today is her birthday. Enjoy this story in her …

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The Regret-Free Life: Sliding into Home

A Word from Curt     Baseball season opened this weekend. Our beloved Houston Astros were scheduled to begin play today in New York against the Yankees. Rained out. Baseball shouldn’t be played north of the Mason Dixon Line until May. As my son Clay said, “I’ve waited for six month for opening day. I guess I can wait one …

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The Road that Keeps My Feet on the Ground

  It’s my favorite road in the world. We call it the Longville Gravel Pit Road. Folks in Longville know it as the Dry Creek Road. It’s a rough eleven mile track that connects Highway 113 and US 171. There’s so many reasons why this road is special to me. Below are several:   It’s a wildlife road:   I …

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It’s Corporal Vidrine’s Birthday

Corporal Howard Vidrine When I came to work at Dry Creek as a thirteen-year-old, one of the first people I met was Howard Vidrine. He served as the camp night watchman during my early years at camp. “Bro. Vidrine,” as we called him, lived in the Evangeline Parish town of Reddell, which is next door to the unique village of …

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The Tomb is Still Empty

It’s amazing that my deepest image of Easter doesn’t come from a memorable sermon, movie, or a book. My Easter theology was shaped by a simple country woman married to a former Texas Ranger.  Her name was Lucille Mosley and she lived on Greentown Loop in Dry Creek. This is her story.     The Tomb is Still Empty From …

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Making Memories: A String of Pearls and Super Bowl I

Today is February 7, 2016.  It’s Game Day. Super Bowl 50, and we’ll  make another string of pearls. Memories. We’re in a season of making memories. And there’s no more important people to make memories with than grandchildren. How do I know? I simply go back to Super Bowl I. I watched it with my grandfather and my dad. In …

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Rylan

Up to the Task I watch him run around the yard with his cousins. I have one thought: this isn’t fair. Rylan is a precocious tow-headed five-year-old. He is precocious. That’s just a fancy word for full of life. He is precious. That’s special.   Rylan has seen a great deal in his young life. He lost his father through …

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A beautiful swing. A beautiful smile.

East Beauregard Trojans seniors of 2007.  Back L to R:  Michael Maddox, Richie McKay, Terry Iles,  Front   Brady Glaser, Kyle Burk, Tyler Adams        They’ll bury Michael Maddox this morning.  He’ll be wearing his Atlanta Braves cap and shirt. It’s fitting. It may seem shallow talking about baseball when a young man has died. But baseball was …

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What a novelist does.

“The historian tells what happened. The novelist tells how it felt.” -E.L. Doctorow     As many of you know, I’m in the midst of writing our fourth novel, As the Crow Flies. It’s the third book in the Westport Trilogy (the first books are The Wayfaring Stranger and A Good Place). Crow is currently in its third draft weighing …

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