How many history books do you really remember? How many times have they really affected you deeply? And then there is a history book like...   more »

Then a young man appeared with two pit bulls, and I knew our brief spell of good luck was over.   more »

There are advantages to familiarity. But what if repetition wears out a place's "magic," as newbee as that sounds?   more »

The bushes and trees on this hillside were decorated with unsightly, windblown litter. Notice that even an aluminum can is impaled on the cholla.   more »

It was a pleasant coffee shop with the usual paintings and photographs on the wall, which I seldom pay much attention to. For some reason, I did today.   more »

She shocked me by saying she had no camera. It was, she said, a lot of trouble and expense just to duplicate...   more »

How do these decisions really get made when you've worn yourself out debating pro-s and con-s? At the first intersection the steering wheel turned towards Silver City, NM...    more »

It is Fire that makes Grassland grassland. Fire is a catharsis, a purification.    more »

We were being swallowed up, not by inanimate topography, but by a living beast.    more »

What had happened to the classicist of a couple miles back? How had he been transformed into a hot-blooded romantic?   more »

The public library used to be one of the first things I would check out in a new town. Fairly or unfairly I tended to form a first impression of the town by its library.   more »

The recent history of the Wolf is what I used to try to cheer up my Raven friend.   more »

Still, when the world doesn't effortlessly look pretty, you have to try harder. That's just an obvious platitude--but...   more »

It was fun to agonize over this awhile before finally seeing it. My friend's simple observation changed the experience of being here.   more »

The backyards are the kind of art I can appreciate. It isn't a studied, intentional art. Rather, it arose slowly through time and chance...   more »