Pickens,

Pickens, is the story of the author's life, as written to his son. It is told as it happened – beginning with high hopes when America was at its peak, following a rich and unmapped path, and ending in disillusionment and an America in decline. It is a picaresque tale – populated by heroes, villains, and fools – of world travels, northern canoe trips, post-30s Vermont, post-60s Oregon, post-modern Key West, and post mid-life ice hockey. It is a classic tragedy – of promise and failure – romantic, parental, and professional. It is about a love affair with architecture and women, wilderness and impossible dreams. And it is an ode to the epic in ordinary life.