In 1982, I went to work with my friend Dave hauling trash, using a 1950s International truck, a classic old 1-ton, open-bed pickup. Somehow Dave became our estimator, despite being A. legally blind and B. pathologically reluctant to wear his glasses. This made for some interesting if unremunerative estimates, and we often wound up working […]
Do They Throw Things Away They Might Need Someday? Read More »
Several years ago, before Amazon made book collecting possible with the touch of a computer key, I did it the old-fashioned way. This is a story about cowboys and Indians and a skirmish that took place at the Sand Creek Library Book Sale. I lost. It all started when a
When I was a child, we always sped through the Painted Desert in the Navajo Nation on our way to my grandparents’ house in Sun City, leaving nothing behind but the tailwinds from the car. I scanned that vast expanse of land and sky, the colors of the soil rich with brilliant pinks, muted reds,
Locked in a Frame Read More »
Park living in Colorado Springs was part of General William Jackson Palmer’s dream. He bought and set aside areas for a park system and surrounding wilderness in and around the city. His will states that these parks would remain intact and untouched for the enjoyment of the city’s residents. In essence, we are all caretakers
Mr. Leonard Mead would pause, cock his head, listen, look, and march on, his feet making no noise on the lumpy walk. For long ago he had wisely changed to sneakers when strolling at night, because the dogs in intermittent squads would parallel his journey with barkings if he wore hard heels, and lights might
Fall set in soon after I arrived, and the colors of St. Petersburg had begun to change. I decided to walk the two miles to the Summer Gardens, built by Peter the Great in 1704 and lined with Italian sculptures from the 17th and 18th century. I left the hostel and merged onto the sidewalks
The Dog of St. Petersburg Read More »