Charles McKelvy

Charles McKelvy

Charles McKelvy survived a year at the late, great City News Bureau of Chicago, in 1976, and he has seen been writing for such publications as Travel & Leisure, Silent Sports, Catholic Digest, Birds & Blooms, and Pig American. He writes a weekly travel column for the Beacher Newspaper in Michigan City, Indiana, and he lives with his wife and fellow author, Natalie McKelvy, in southwest Michigan not far from where Carl Sandburg wrote his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Abraham Lincoln.
...
Read More »
Page Views
2,942
Content
107
Fans
4
Contributor since
10/4/2009
Add to Favorites Subscribe RSS

Badges

CLOUT INDEX Learn more »

Education/Experience

B.S. English-Journalism, Illinois State University, 1972

Interests

history, music, cycling, bird watching, spirituality, travel

Affiliations

Vector Charley

Favorites

None yet.

Fans

View : All Articles
Displaying Results 1 - 107 (of 107) for All Content
  • Laid Out
    4/4/2012
    A funeral director gets more than he bargained for by helping the widow of a recent "customer" clean out her basement.
  • Chicken Dance
    3/26/2012
    A retired firefighter turned farmer names a rooster for his captain and finds he cannot be rid of him as quickly as he hopes.
  • The Last Haircut
    12/31/2011
    A friend takes a dying friend for his last haircut and gets much in return.
  • Route 40
    12/31/2011
    A retired English teacher is engaged by a colorful stranger while waiting for the bus she does not expect.
  • Bean There
    12/30/2011
    Spending spare time with Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate in Chicago's Millennium Park is spending quality time with "The Bean."
  • The Gooder Zoo
    12/27/2011
    A little girl makes a special Christmas wish on a commuter train and takes her skeptical mother for quite a ride.
  • Counting Christmas Birds
    12/26/2011
    Three friends find great pleasure in the 2011 Christmas Bird Count in Three Oaks, Michigan.
  • Postcard from Paw Paw
    12/15/2011
    The author discovers a delightful destination in Michigan's wine country on the way to Kalamazoo.
  • Let the Revels Begin!
    12/9/2011
    While trying to observe a strict Advent, the author unexpectedly discovers some Christmas light.
  • Indoor Birding at Its Best
    11/26/2011
    When the winds of winter whip down the lake, head for Lincoln Park Zoo for great indoor birding.
  • Graver Park
    11/16/2011
    A title game between the Chicago Bears and New York Giants brings some bad boys together for an afternoon.
  • Escape to Elkhart
    11/16/2011
    Explore downtown Elkhart, Indiana this winter for a low-budget vacation.
  • The Gift of Sobriety
    11/13/2011
    A woman receives an unexpected gift from an old friend at a "liquid luncheon" before Christmas in Chicago.
  • 4th Quarter Earnings
    11/7/2011
    One's 4th quarter earnings are not measured in dollars and cents.
  • Sky Hook
    11/2/2011
    The beleaguered members of Eagle Patrol find a solution in the deep forest to the torments of their power-made Senior Patrol Leader at scout camp.
  • Off the Grid
    10/27/2011
    An enterprising developer gets more than he bargained for with an old house he seeks to renovate for wealthy clients.
  • Marvelous Makita
    10/21/2011
    A human's fond remembrance of a cat who came for Christmas in 2001 and claimed his heart.
  • The Pipes Are Calling
    10/17/2011
    The Episcopal Church of the Mediator dedicated their Zimmer pipe organ in a most harmonious way on Sunday, October 16 in Harbert, Michigan.
  • Checking Chester
    10/15/2011
    Do not overlook historic Chester County on your next visit to Philadelphia.
  • Motion Sensor
    10/4/2011
    Always know where you are sleeping when a call of nature awakens you in the middle of the night.
  • Military Solution
    9/22/2011
    A Baby Boomer remembers the draft, Vietnam, and student deferments.
  • Discovering Kalamazoo, One Step at a Time
    9/18/2011
    The author discovered much to discover on foot in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan.
  • Hard Lesson
    9/13/2011
    Two 11-year-old boys learn a hard lesson at summer's end.
  • Key Club
    9/3/2011
    A man in a hurry learns a valuable lesson in a church parking lot.
  • Uncle Sledge
    9/1/2011
    A nephew comes of age by besting is abusive uncle in an arm wrestling contest.
  • King of the Clarinet
    8/19/2011
    An appreciation of the Michigan City Chamber Music Festival's amazing clarinetist, William "Bill" King.
  • Sea Duty
    8/9/2011
    Heeding the call from a sea kayak to go to sea on the sea we all call Lake Michigan.
  • Plucky Fellow
    7/29/2011
    Nic Orbovich and his wife Sunny founded the Michigan City Chamber Music Festival 10 years ago this August, and they are offering an amazing line-up, beginning August 13.
  • Lively Theatre by Lake Michigan
    7/27/2011
    Michigan City, Indiana is a hotbed of community theatre. Sources say it is because it is on the shore of Lake Michigan.
  • "Fowl" Weather Walk
    7/23/2011
    A couple take advantage of the cloud cover to take a walk along the river on a hot summer day.
  • Uncle Baby
    7/11/2011
    Do not judge a man by the fact he just got out of prison.
  • Silent Running
    7/3/2011
    True peace of mind comes when one turns off the car radio and runs silently.
  • Piloting Whales
    6/27/2011
    the laying on of hands really works if you work it, positively!
  • Mellow Cello Fellow
    6/22/2011
    Cellist David Peshlakai is a featured musician at the Michigan City Chamber Music Festival August 13-21.
  • The Lightness of Being in St. Petersburg
    6/11/2011
    The author allows the light of St. Petersburg, Russia to shine in his life.
  • Church on the Spilled Blood
    6/9/2011
    A visit to Saint Petersburg, Russia provides the author the third best day of his life.
  • Cinder Bitsy
    6/8/2011
    A divorcee discovers a demigod in her ash pit who is willing to grant her one true wish.
  • Toodling in a Tempest
    5/12/2011
    When severe weather strikes, break out the clarinet and toodle!
  • Snap Back
    5/6/2011
    A cyclist has two memorable encounters with the same snapping turtle.
  • Men Against the Sea
    4/30/2011
    Four men launch a boat on the St. Joseph River in Michigan without injury to them or the boat.
  • Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes
    4/27/2011
    Life is a journey, not a destination. Change is good.
  • Dusting the Globe
    4/22/2011
    Discovering the simple life by dusting the globe.
  • There Be Dragons
    4/20/2011
    A wicked king oversteps his authority and meets justice at the hands of his subjects.
  • Toying with Bicycles
    4/19/2011
    People are taking bicycling way too seriously. Lighten up and have fun.
  • Sick Daze
    4/13/2011
    The hyperactive author is felled by a nasty bug and must cope with some naturally enforced downtime.
  • Dream Car
    4/8/2011
    A 1997 Honda Civic is still going at almost 267,000 miles and is worthy of her name: Dream Car.
  • The Queen's Wave
    4/4/2011
    Learn the proper way in which to wave from your float with these four easy steps.
  • Tales from Two Cities
    3/31/2011
    Two true stories illustrate that folks in big cities are not all bad.
  • Down Time
    3/21/2011
    A man daydreams himself into trouble while waiting for his wife to pick out a dress.
  • Spring Training
    3/19/2011
    Get in shape for summer by taking spring walks at local nature preserves.
  • Windows to Heaven
    3/16/2011
    The Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph is hosting an exhibition of Russian icons through April 24.
  • A Timely Rule
    3/13/2011
    The best business model for our troubled times was written in the 6th Century.
  • Luke, 15
    3/9/2011
    The prodigal son returns to an urban police station in a distressing disguise.
  • Survival Skills
    3/4/2011
    Yes, things are bad and may probably get worse, but proper prayers are the answer.
  • Captivating Camera
    3/3/2011
    The author "sees" the holy in Kalamazoo with his camera.
  • Tales from Wales
    2/28/2011
    A report from Swansea, Wales where my nephew is seeing things from the Welsh perspective.
  • The Stately Holmes
    2/24/2011
    Friends like Julie Holmes are treasures.
  • Doom & Gloom
    2/23/2011
    Not everything one reads is full of doom and gloom.
  • True Confessions
    2/21/2011
    A beginner's how-to guide to the Sacrament they used to call Confession.
  • Know Kidding
    2/20/2011
    Kidding hurts. There is no place for it in the human verbal diet.
  • Second Sunday Concerts Second to None
    2/15/2011
    The Second Sunday Concert Series in southwest Michigan is as good as classical music gets.
  • Rabbit Run Inn
    2/10/2011
    The keepers of a Michigan inn take a night off with friends.
  • Sunday Sojourn
    2/8/2011
    Christian unity will occur only when we go to one another's churches.
  • Acceptance is the Answer!
    2/8/2011
    Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today, and the Serenity Prayer is the key to acceptance.
  • Celebrating Silence
    2/2/2011
    Silence is the true pathway to peace, even while driving in a car.
  • City Bonded
    1/14/2011
    A man seeking to move up in Chicago journalism finds a wife instead.
  • Haunted by the House
    1/7/2011
    Big Steve Nelson says no one can scare him at a popular haunted house attraction, but there is some thing that can surely reduce him to a ghost of his former self.
  • Fish On!
    1/6/2011
    Three friends in southwest Michigan celebrate the New Year with a fishing trip on the St. Joseph River.
  • First Foot
    1/1/2011
    A Scottish-American widow breaks with custom on New Year's Day and benefits for the rest of the new year.
  • Cats in the Cradle
    12/31/2010
    A mother finds help from an unlikely source when her cats get in the cradle with her newborn twins.
  • Frank Dudley, Painter of the Dunes
    12/23/2010
    The Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart, Indiana is currently presenting an exhibition of more than 50 paintings by renowned dunes painter, Frank Dudley.
  • Training for Christmas
    12/21/2010
    A harried conductor on a crowded commuter train gets a lesson in Christmas cheer for an unlikely source.
  • Piping the Plover
    12/18/2010
    Members of the Berrien Birding Club in Michigan help the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service rescue an imperiled Piping Plover from the wintry beach in Bridgman, Michigan.
  • Sibling Harmony
    12/14/2010
    The three adult children of a 92-year-old widow fight over money by email and are reconciled by a phone call to the matriarch on Thanksgiving.
  • Work Force
    12/12/2010
    A 12-year-old makes her over-worked mother realize that "real work" requires helping neighbors in distress.
  • Office of the Dead
    12/12/2010
    The owners of a small town funeral home find some unusual customers waiting for them when they are called back to the office.
  • A Benedictine Approach to Broadway
    12/9/2010
    A pilgrim makes spiritual progress while driving through Gary, Indiana thanks to his lay affiliation with the Benedictines.
  • Reduced to Ruble
    12/9/2010
    A man returns to Chicago from Russia to discover that arrival in the good old U.S. of A. is not always what it is expected to be.
  • Make Every Day Mother's Day
    12/1/2010
    We should celebrate Mother's Day 365 days a year.
  • The Gift
    11/20/2010
    A woman coming back from a "long liquid Christmas luncheon" in Chicago receives an uexpected and most precious gift from a fellow passenger on the commuter train.
  • The Gift
    11/15/2010
    A woman receives the gift of sobriety on a train ride home from a Christmas luncheon.
  • Being Benedictine on Broadway
    10/26/2010
    After getting some good orderly direction from a wise Benedictine monk, a layman takes the road less traveled to Gary, Indiana where he finds true peace.
  • Potter's Field
    10/20/2010
    A farmer runs into trouble in his field and gets help from a "long lost" friend.
  • Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes
    9/23/2010
    This article is based on the Serenity Prayer, which states: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
  • The Last Haircut
    8/25/2010
    A friend takes a dying friend for his last haircut at the local barbershop.
  • The First Haircut
    8/19/2010
    A boy goes for his first haircut in the protective care of his Daddy.
  • Port in the Storm
    8/12/2010
    A tornado warning brings estranged neighbors together for cookies and mutual safety.
  • Stormy Weathering
    8/9/2010
    Neighbors come together in the wake of a devastating thunderstorm in southwest Michigan.
  • Letting Go and Letting God
    8/5/2010
    Jesus made it clear that Mary made a better choice than her bustling sister Martha when she settled to listen at his feet. I had to learn the hard way that he was right.
  • A Cat-secrated Marriage
    8/5/2010
    Two devoted cat owners are brought together in matrimony by their felines.
  • Feline Navidad
    7/26/2010
    Two devoted cat owners are joined in love by their felines, in time for Christmas.
  • The Immortal Listener
    7/16/2010
    A true fan of chamber music mysteriously appears at a festival in Indiana.
  • Gift En Pointe
    7/1/2010
    The ornament exchange at the annual company Christmas party results in an "extra" gift of great value to all.
  • Russian Princess
    6/18/2010
    A Russian-American princess dies a truly operatic death.
  • Back of the Hand
    6/7/2010
    Evil is not anonymous, and goodness has a human face.
  • Sabbath Rest
    6/4/2010
    A worker's worker finally takes a Sunday off after learning the true meaning of Sabbath Rest.
  • Cadet Smith
    4/26/2010
    A young woman gets the nerve to write to a West Point cadet named "Smith" and she actually gets to meet him with amazing results.
  • Pennies from Heaven
    4/21/2010
    A eulogist pays a big price for not properly preparing for a funeral.
  • Yuletide Carol
    12/17/2009
    A weary son finds comfort in a Christmas tree while visiting his ailing mother at the hospital at Christmas time.
  • Yuletide Carol
    12/3/2009
    A distraught man visiting his mother at the hospital at Christmas time is comforted by an unlikely "object" by the elevator bank.
  • The Last Haircut
    11/30/2009
    A friend takes his dying friend for his last haircut.
  • Late for Work
    11/25/2009
    An overworked woman listens to her cat for a change and calls in sick and heads for the beach with her cat where they meet the perfect man and his perfect cat.
  • Boys on the Bus
    11/20/2009
    A group of men returning from a spiritual retreat at a monastery are drafted by their bearded bus driver to help him with some Christmas errands before he delivers them safely to their homes.
  • Breath Control
    11/20/2009
    A 58-year-old widower discovers by going to a chamber music festival that it is not too late to "tickle the old licorice stick" of his childhood.
  • Tree by Sea
    11/17/2009
    A mother and daughter discover the true meaning of Christmas after having a flat tire in a parking lot by Lake Michigan.
  • Ghost Written
    10/15/2009
    An editor discovers on Halloween just who it is who has been writing those wonderful ghost stories for her newspaper every year.
  • Sabbath Rest
    10/6/2009
    True sabbath rest comes only after a truly terrible encounter with a client from hell.

Filter Content by Category

Search Charles McKelvy's Content

Filter Content by Site