A Picture Worth a Thousand Memories I have had an active policy on this blog of NOT using photographs to compliment the stories. I have often written stories in which I embed photographs and made the stories look and feel like magazine articles. Some people ask for photos and I certainly understand the value of a visual aide, but I use this blog to force myself to write and write and write. As I formulated…
Always Be Closing The movie Glengarry Glen Ross is a classic and its probably the best sales movie ever made. Some throw that accolade to Boiler Room, The Pursuit of Happyness or The Wolf of Wall Street. Others think about non-financial selling like fracking contracts in Promised Land, aluminum siding in Tin Men (my choice for runner-up sales movie),or the other classic “Everyman” salesman of Death of a Salesman. But the combination of the GGR…
The Entry as Space The analysis of space holds a special place in my education. The professor who taught my Freshman Writing Seminar in the Fall of 1971 was technically a professor of Art History. Every Freshman had to take writing seminars their first two semesters. The academic powers that be at Cornell in those days felt that writing skill was a necessary component of the education of all students, regardless of anticipated major and…
Zen and the Reality of Motorcycle Repair I just returned from the first long motorcycle trip I have taken with either of my two motorcycles. The 2019 BMW R1250GS Adventure was bought last year from old and recently incapacitated pal Lee Barba (no, he was not injured on a motorcycle, but rather while getting exercise on his racing bicycle). I now have 7,000+ miles on it, all from local day trips. My other “spare” or…
The Eagle Has Landed Birds are a big part of our life here on the hilltop. We have had a whole quail episode up here on Quail View Drive and the quail were quickly adopted by Kim via large bags of quail food from the local feed store. We were aware that bunnies and squirrels also like the quail food, but we figured that so long as the diners list did not expand to rats,…
Wildfire on the 15 Right now I am sitting on my renewed deck enjoying a sunny and clear, but coolish Sunday morning. To the Northwest I look between the canyons and can see a sliver of the Rt. 15 and Old Rt. 395. Across the 15 is a ridge line of hills just a few hundred feet lower than our hill. The ridge line is called the Merrimacport Mountains, which seems a bit more grand…
The Goodbye Gang Goodbyes have been the subject of many stories, movies, plays and songs, and probably even operas (if I actually knew anything about opera), for many years. All of life is about meeting and leaving, along with all the complexity of life that goes on in between. Meetings and goodbyes come in lots of different varieties. First you’re alone and then you are with someone. That’s the essence of a meet. I always…
The Ranch Life Today was our last day at Red River Ranch. We will all roll out of here literally heading off to all the compass points some time tomorrow morning. Some may leave before breakfast if they are trying to get home in one day. That would be Mark & Jeanne, who are heading due south 557 miles to Phoenix. That’s a long day on a bike, but at least it’s a Harley dresser.…
Burning Up the Burr Trail Yesterday, riding buddy Steve had a head of steam to do the Burr Trail from Boulder down to Bullfrog Landing on Lake Powell. Actually, Bullfrog Landing USED to be on Lake Powell and now its on some small broadening of the Colorado River in Glen Canyon that used to be Lake Powell. Lake Powell was formed in 1972 by the Federal government deciding that they needed to dam the Colorado…
Open Range As you all know, I chose to call my blog The Old Lone Ranger when I launched it in 2019. The reference is not so hard to figure out. Most men of my age probably watched a lot of TV cowboys, and few titillated us more than The Lone Ranger. There was both an air of mystery about him and a strong sense of righteousness. He was open-minded enough to have a Native…