Sidetracked Charley

An Unstable Air Mass   Yesterday evening the winds laid down and the world was silent. Even those under the skies were quiet. We were exhausted not just because of the winds in their ceaseless blowing but of the agitation of the people because of contradictory messaging from demagogues seeking center stage.  The one good thing about being a big fire, the biggest fire in the United States, one which at least in part was the fault of a part of the United States, is all the big guys show up. The professionals. And one thing we owe climate change is we have gotten very good at dealing with wildfires. They have learned not just how to battle the flames but how to herd them. And make no mistake herd the people the fires are chasing. And message about it. They travel with their own dog and pony show which gives two major performances a day. No room for those that first found the fire when it was a little thing which will be over soon they thought. And yesterday on day 34 they wanted ...

When life gets too complicated and overwhelming I often opt out. At least for a little while. This week has been like that. And increasingly more so. Yesterday I took radical action. I closed the my calendar, grabbed a camera and called to my loyal canine companion, and headed out to where I knew I would see nobody. I even left the cellphone in the truck. I live in New Mexico mountains because such stolen time is easy to arrange. I only had to drive a couple of miles. I did not realize until I was walking with Magique at my side how long it had been since my labradoodle and I had done this solo. Mardi Gras's passing in the last week of August had begun a round of walking with friends. I knew Magique was as lonely for our missing fur friend as I was, and I was constantly arranging play dates with friends with dogs and trails picked for the exercise and comradeship as opposed to solitude. Maybe I was over complicating my life so I would not have to face the ...

Dawn July 2, 2014 I rolled out of my driveway in the predawn hours of Wednesday pulling a Uhaul trailer with 50 of my best pieces of art. It was the first time I had driven at night in over six months. Now was the test as to whether the cataract surgery had truly worked miracles. And it had. I was in awe of the night. And the dawn. And the only thing I had to do for three hours was drive a route I had taken often. After a very, very busy four months it was wonderful. Much of the trip it was even too dark to look for photo opportunities. I could think. This is not my first revealed  truth article. There is something about the vast open spaces of the plains between Cimarron and Raton that invites introspection and epiphany. Do people with their smart phones and all the apps on board ever think? With Siri and email by voice and cell phone towers everywhere and hands free cell phones does the vast majority of this technically advanced society ever stop and hear themselves thin...