Camping in Rocky Mountain National Park, back when our slant six Dart was like a Cadillac, we hiked up to the canal. The one which 19th century barons had built to take west slope waters over sideways down to eastern Colorado landowners. 

Traipsing along and across the headwaters of what… Read full post »

You cannot write if you do not read; therefore I proudly announce a book club for the rest of us, savvy reader.

This year's selection...

"Ray - it's me - Stacey."

With those words I saved $700.00 and two weeks work for my three band mates and me and probably $1500.00 or more for Ray "Big Dog" Chamberlain. Had I not said or done anything, Steve, who was about to regret… Read full post »

Many of you know that my wife is a stained glass artist among many other talents (if you're thinking not least of all patience, you might be on to something). Gary posted his Hares of Easter here which was followed by designanator's "Inspired by Gary" post here. By way/… Read full post »

I've tried the "friends" thing and boy howdy did that get complicated. The system just ups and deletes "friends" on you with no apparent rhyme nor reason.

So do you "remake" friends without seeming desperate or pestering as in stalking?

Maybe there's a gewgaw in the OS operating system that lets people… Read full post »

O: Welcome. So where do you come from?

S: Western New Mexico, sir. Near the Arizona border on what they call the "back road to Phoenix." By them I mean overweight truck drivers. I'm a little nervous, sir - I meant drivers of overweight trucks. It's a regular C.W. McCall situation.

… Read full post »

One night he was having dinner with Bruce & Susan, then he was off to finish the summer, camping in remotest south central Utah, visiting relations in Arizona, then beating a path to Lubbock where he (in his 60's, mind you) would start graduate classes.

I knew none of this… Read full post »

1. I am an impatient collaborator.

2. I feel the most ashamed as a human if I recall a list of people I have hurt.

3. I love George Jones, Merle Haggard and Emmylou Harris. I despise the albums of Billy Ray Cyrus, Brooks and Dunn and Big and Rich. Ditto… Read full post »

We've grown so accustomed to drought that an average winter might seem like the blizzard of the decade. The trick around here is to get storm after storm and really pile it up for the spring thaw. Failing that, as happened last winter, each moderate snowfall mostly evaporates in… Read full post »

Mom was ready for assistance.

There was condensing to be done; her treasures, crammed into the apartment she took after selling the condominium, were boxed, shipped to three siblings’ addresses, or sold.

The eldest wasn’t there and I was glad of it, because he had graced father’s m… Read full post »

Barry's post of a few days ago prompted this effort. Several caveats apply - there are no long and wide shots of the house itself. It looks like a bachelor's digs with so much clutter compared to Barry's that pride will not allow it. Soot on the walls? - I don't… Read full post »

^{***Update below}

Tip O'Neill's dad gave him belated advice in the mid 1930's after his losing run for Cambridge City Council. O'Neill had carried many of the precincts but not his own, hence the "all politics is local" quote so often attributed to the son. The mentoring took hold, we… Read full post »

A little over a year ago, when my brother and sister had closed out Mom's last apartment, I was asked if I had "dibs" on anything. I remember mentioning some of her collection of cut and art glass vases and such. And any photos that the two of them didn't want… Read full post »

For us, the two mother sauces are red and green chili. This is not "truckers' chili." Green is made from the meat of the pepper as is the best red. More commonly, though, the red is made from dried chilies ground up, skins and all, or from a powder commercially available.… Read full post »

Six stages of pettifoggery. Six Machiavellist steps from the likes of Lee Atwater and Karl Rove. It's about how like putty in the wrong hands we have become. It shouldn't still be working.

THE RINSE/REPEAT

The advantage of knowing that you're up to
skulduggery while your opponent blithely
makes… Read full post »

Nicholas Carr plugged a few memory circuits back in, as it were, recounting the famous Dave and HAL 9000 scene from the Kubrick classic.

The Atlantic came in the mail bearing a cover illustration in a trademarked font.

"Is… Read full post »

note:  actually June 1, 2008

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Conservative groupthink treats ideas the way I used to play with toy soldiers. (Yes, the lighter fluid too.)

Limited only by the number of them you could manipulate with your hands, there was never a shortage of story line an… Read full post »