The deer and turkey awaken and the fish begin their day at Truman Lake.
Rite of Passage
The train was late. That didn’t matter to seven men awaiting its arrival. “I’ve learned to be patient,” said Mason, sitting next to me in his prison issue gray trousers and white T-shirt. Earlier that morning, seven inmates had been … Read More
The Road By Gads Hill
Boarding a railroad car at Gads Hill, Missouri, Frank James quoted Shakespeare, announcing to startled passengers his gang’s intent to rob them. Just the rich, mind you. Not the working poor, with calloused hands. No women. No children. The Bard … Read More
Monumental
She watched over a hundred harvests. Now at rest, she offers her shoulders to red-tailed hawks on the lookout for a meal.
Looney Creek
It’s a peaceful spot to rest in eternity. Surrounded by forest between Bethel and Emden, Looney Creek Cemetery may have a longer future than the crumbling Old Brick Church, the ambassador for these bones. Frank Drake is buried here. A … Read More
Surfboards everywhere.
The good people of Hawaii are outnumbered by three things. Cats, chickens and surfboards. More later about cats and chickens. For now, hang ten.
best laid schemes gang aft agley…
On my birthday, I jumped on my bicycle and rode a long way, at turns laughing or lamenting my first 67 years…came home with a bucket list for my next 67, if nothing goes awry.
When The Circus Left Town
In 1933, the circus came to town. It stayed for a dozen years, or at least it rested in Rolla, where the Russell Brothers Circus plopped and hunkered for the winter. And each spring, the major three-ring extravaganza rehearsed in … Read More
Devil’s Real Estate
Devil’s Well is a big stomach, says one of America’s preeminent geologist-explorers. It’s Mother Nature’s idea of an indoor pool, except that it’s cold and dark and underground and scary as hell, hence the name. It is the world’s most … Read More