Category: History
-
Mix Mesquite, Sage, Fire, Oil And A Dash Of White-Line Fever
You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety, though you do not know the way. –From Be Not Alone, a hymn commonly sung at funerals. Words by John Michael Talbot. “Somewhere on a desert highway, she rides a Harley-Davidson…her long blonde hair flying in…
-
My Moonlight Sonata
“Moonlight becomes you, it goes with your hair. You certainly know the right thing to wear…” –Popular song For many years, the Full Moon has fascinated me. In the North Country, in the death-like silence of the mid-winter, and the snow on the ground is seven inches deep, and bending the branches of the cedar…
-
At The Alamo: All The History I Needed Was On My Pajamas
[Source: Google search] I grew up in a time when kids had heroes. Mythic heroes. These days, it seems like anyone who performs his or her duties is a “hero”. It’s fair to say that most children, throughout history, had their own heroes. The ancient Greek boys had their Spartans and the Irish youth had…
-
Don’t Mess With Texas
All the tired horses in the sun How am I going to get any riding done? –Bob Dylan “All The Tired Horses” Well this is a fine howdy-do. There is some good news and some bad news in this here posting. The good news is that we joined Cosco and promptly spent $139.95 ( +…
-
Out On Highway 61
You leave todays newspaper unread on the table next to your front door. A dozen flies buzz around the hole in your window screen next to the formica table in your kitchen. They get in despite the wad of toilet paper you use to plug the hole. You walk home from a bar. You weren’t…
-
Holiday Lights On Holiday Nights: A Visit To The Edison/Ford Estates
[The Banyan tree with a bronze of Edison standing guard] We arrived about thirty-five minutes before sunset. Heading for the admission window, we passed the largest Banyan tree in Florida. There was a family on the path in front of us. I heard the mother: “Isn’t that amazing that this is one tree?” “Not really,”…
-
The Road Of Tears And Spirits
[Looking north from Route 80 toward Lake “O”] The theme of this post is darker than I would like, given that it’s less than three weeks until the joyful time of Christmas. But, I didn’t have a choice. We just crossed on Route 80 this past weekend when we visited friends in Jupiter, FL. The…
-
Crossing Whiskey Creek To The Banyan Tree
I had my plastic cup of iced coffee from the Java Cafe nestled nicely in the container holder next to the gear shift knob on the red Ford Escape. This time I was going to try something different. I was going to locate and take the rear entrance (or is an exit when you’re leaving?)…
-
The Albatross And The Vulture
What’s it like to float upon misty air? Way up there upon winds of turbulence, where your wings tame them, as a cowboy does the wild Stallion. –Dara Reidyr from “On Flying“ Four hours ago, I was finishing my iced coffee at the Java Cafe in the Outlet Mall. Even with the AC, the plastic…