“Ouch! He bit me!” I thought hamsters were supposed to be cuddly little beasts, but this one was out for blood. I was only ten or eleven at the time, which didn’t help. This was a long, long time ago and I was on my own, a nerdy Air Force brat in Germany. Elvis had [...]
Personal
Morning light over the Talpa valley. Note the shadows in the foreground. Taos proper is down beyond and to the left.
The roof leaked like crazy the last time it rained—the same places as before, dripping quickly from the bathroom window frames and down from rotting vigas there and in the kitchen. The towels I quickly laid across the sills were sopping wet in just a few minutes. I built a fire in the wood stove, [...]
Telephoto image of Taos mountain from our home
The gas wall heater crinks and ticks its little shutdown song. A short time later it will come back with a woomp and heat some more. For this unusual mild, dry autumn, so far that’s been enough. An untouched mound of firewood sits beside the driveway covered by a rotting plastic tarp, waiting for the [...]
Reflected colors from sky and trees
The river was stunning on a quiet Saturday afternoon. In the absence of any recent run-off, the water was clear, and there was almost no traffic on the road between Pilar and the Taos Junction Bridge. Canada geese and several species of ducks fed constantly in the shallows, where long green banners of aquatic plants [...]
Bill in Germany around age four, a long, long time ago
Oh yes, I watched that debate. As I tweeted to someone, “I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life!” It’s relevant to this post, but that comes later. This is all about my brother Bill. Someday I’ll write the book about my family that will end all family histories—no one will even try [...]
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