Sidetracked Charley

I saw Alice in Wonderland, or is it Underland, yesterday. It was a day that began badly. First my bathroom scale broke. Then the satellite internet. I, and my friends, were trying to beat a storm over and back to Taos and conflicting weather reports did not give us warm and fuzzy feelings about the venture. But go we did. And when I left my modem still had not captured a satellite. I was in etherland withdrawals. We arrived at the Taos hot spot, Micheal's Kitchen, confronted by a bit of a line and realization it was spring break for most of Texas and all of Oklahoma. We began to dread what we might find at the local movie house. It was packed but we did get in line early and with good seats after a very good brunch. And endless chatter. Ronnie says men need about 100 words a day and women require 1500. His wife, Jessica, and I being artists we go for days without meeting our quota; alone, isolated in our studios talking to paints and silver that don't answer back. So line wa...

As a child and even as an adult, Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland has made a lasting impression on me. The caterpillar asking Alice, "Who are you?" was one of the most frightening scenes in the Disney movie. Maybe because I had an uncle that was a great deal like that caterpillar. He used to pick up my doll and tilt her back and forth to see her eyes close and open and then pick me up and tilt me and ask why my eyes did not open and close like hers. Do adults know the scary questions they pose to children? I could not have been more than four or five at the time. I think it was later before Disney came out with the movie of Alice in Wonderland, though Dad used to read from the book certain selections. My favorite was The Walrus and the Carpenter. I used to take the book and read it to myself at a very early age. Is that why I have "Wonderland" dreams. Or do we all dream like that at times and Lewis Carroll tapped into it with his words. Last night was one of ...