Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

  Encouragement   What a good word: encouragement. I could list various definitions. Instead, I’ll do what I do (and love) best. I’ll tell a story: The 1936 Berlin Olympics are among the most famous Olympiads of the 20th century. Its location was Germany Its time: Europe was building toward another war, less than twenty years since the last one. …

December 29  Sharp Hooks   Reas Weeks was a Dry Creek legend who lived and died before my time. He was a bachelor who lived in a remote area along Bundick Creek. He never owned a vehicle or held a regular job. He supported himself by fishing, hunting, and farming. He was known as the best creek fisherman in our …

December 27   We’re walking you through the week after Christmas.  I call it “Bah Humbug Week.”  It’s a time of recovery from Christmas.  It’s often a difficult week. I believe it’s an essential week.   A time to slow down. A time to take inventory of the past week. An opportunity to look toward the coming new year.    …

December 26 The Day After Christmas It’s the dusk on the day after Christmas. I’m hiding at the edge of Miller Pond, waiting for the wood ducks to come in. You’d laugh if you saw me. I’m in camo and a dark ski mask. I’m sitting in a fold-up chair, trying not to move at all. It’s time for the …

    My most important story By Curt Iles I make my living as a storyteller. As a novelist, I create characters and stories. What I wish to share is a true story. It’s my story. It’s a story of what happened inside me. I grew up in a rural area of Louisiana. Our lack of material things was offset …

It’s Christmas and time to help you with stock stuffers and difficult gifts. We are offering five of our Creekbank books for sale during Christmas. Each book is for sale at a discount of $10 per book and to encourage multiple purchases, there is a total shipping fee of $5 regardless of purchase size. Each book is personally autographed. You …

  Jericho Road Part 2 If you missed the earlier post on “The Jericho Road”, you can read it here. https://mailchi.mp/creekbank/a-lesson-for-our-times-on-the-jericho-road?e=25f4266cad   We left a beaten half-dead traveler laying along the Jericho Road. He is Jewish. The man who stops to aid him is a Samaritan. The Samaritans were a race hated by the Jews. In return, the Samaritans hated …

  High on the Jericho Road   It’s a story that disturbs me each time I think about it. In Jon Krakauer’s book, Into Thin Air, the author describes the tragic day of May 10, 1996, when over a dozen climbers died during a blizzard in the upper reaches of Mt. Everest. On the Tibetan route near the summit of …

On the Dangerous Side of I-49 I sped along Interstate 49 on the way to Lafayette. Looking ahead, I changed lanes at the sight of a disabled vehicle on the right shoulder. A woman stood in the ditch, watching a squatting deputy change the flat on her car. His patrol unit, blue lights flashing, sat ahead on the shoulder. It …

Herman Clemenson lived 24,500 days after Sgt. Leroy Johnson saved his life on Dec. 15, 1944. The place was Leyte Island, Philippines. The story is one for the ages. 24,550 days. That’s a long time.  That’s 67 years and over two months. Close to a lifetime.  And Herman Clemenson,  a North Dakota soldier had this gift of a lifetime thanks …

King Mockingbird The Northern Mockingbird, that most Southern of birds. Each day he sits up there—on the highest limb on the tallest oak. I call him “King Mockingbird.” The area around the oak and our back yard belongs to him. He is the biggest and loudest mockingbird around. It is easy to recognize him high up in the tree. His …

Listen to an Audible audiobook free sample of As the Crow Flies. A Time to Read   There have been so many challenges and opportunities during this time of uncertainty. I’m reminded of a quote in The Art of War by Sun Tzu, “In the midst of chaos, there is an opportunity.” Webster’s defines opportunity as a “good chance for …

Trail Magic “Be ye kind one to another.” -Paul in Ephesians 4:32 Frank and I climbed up a steep ridge on the north Georgia part of the Appalachian Trail. We were on a remote and dry portion of the Trail and were parched on this warm day. Our water bottles were empty and we consulted a guidebook for the next …

Good thoughts for an uncertain time:     Lightening your Load   I love to hike along the Appalachian Trail (or the “A.T.” as it is called.) One thing backpacking quickly teaches you is the priority of traveling light. When you are carrying a 30-40 pound pack on your back for 10-15 miles per day, you quickly learn what not …