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I am weary. My back complains when I yank the pull-cord of the gasoline engine and the lumbering machine sputters to life. I pull and latch the lever to engage the clutch and reach for the shovel as the blades of the mortar mixer begin to churn the water. After twenty-three and a half shovelfuls …

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Going the Extra Mile

July 4, 2017. Here I am in Richland, Washington to visit my mom and attend my niece’s wedding. Whenever I descend to elevations near sea level (or anywhere below 4000 feet above sea level), I sometimes think I can clock a better-than-normal time in a 5K foot race. Today I have this thought, and I …

Mice in the Piano

An old parable that bears repeating. I heard it first from Chris Thomas (of Torchbearers International) in Estes Park. Originally published in the London Observer. The Mice Family Imagine a family of mice who lived all their lives in a large piano. To them in their piano-world came the music of the instrument, filling all …

The Bats of Rio Frio

A swarm of cave swallows churns the air in random circles outside the mouth of their namesake. We stand with a dozen other spectators and peer into the dark opening of the cave that extends a half mile into the limestone hill. Anticipation fills the small crowd as the sun approaches the western horizon of …

Pascal on Reason

We know the truth not only through our reason but also through our heart. It is through the latter that we know first principles, and reason, which has nothing to do with it, tries in vain to refute them. The skeptics have no other object than that, and they work at it to no purpose. …

St. Augustine

"But my sin was this, that I looked for pleasure, beauty, and truth not in God, but in myself and His other creatures, and the search led me instead to pain, confusion, and error."  ~St. Augustine, Confessions Saint Augustine (pen and ink)

An Alien World

Certain corners of our world are alien zones to me. Looking out this tinted window suspended a couple hundred feet above the actual terra firma, I scan the horizon for a glimpse of the recognizable world. But I see it not; only concrete, steel, and glass. I look down and see human beings (and the vehicles they …

A Miracle with Fish!

While browsing around on WordPress.com last night, I came across a short article called “Simplified Fish Skinning.” It sounded interesting and useful. Ironically, I had removed a frozen 4-pack of trout to thaw in the refrigerator a couple days ago. I freeze our freshly-caught trout submerged in a bag of water. This keeps them fresh …

Torreys Peak

The change of speed causes me to wake from a brief jostling nap as we exit I-70W at Bakersville, just east of the Continental Divide. I move my head off the cold window as we pull into the adjacent parking lot a few minutes before 5:00 AM. Just before Austin turns off the Toyota Forerunner, …

Joel

We missed having Joel home for Christmas this year... he has been out on his own adventure in Central America for nearly two months now, and apparently has no plans to return anytime soon. Check out his blog at joelsuch.com

Leo

Leo has been my friend and neighbor for the last 30 years. He is now 100 years old. I have watched him grow old with grace and good humor. I watched him say goodbye to his wife, Helen, and in the sadness and despair that followed, I watched him continue to put one foot in …

Farmer John

A quick Thanksgiving Day sketch of one of my favorite farmers on his favorite beast of burden. This is a pen and ink scribble highlighted with some colored pencils. Farmer John

Chocolate Milk and Tumbling Culverts

This is a flashback to an anxious morning we experienced over three years ago. The date was Thursday, September 12, 2013. At 5:13 AM, the familiar yet unwelcome chime of the alarm clock wakes me from sound sleep and soon-forgotten dreams. I roll over to see that Renee has already started her day.  Her sleeping …

Something to do with Politics

This is an embarrassing story, but I will tell it anyway. . . In my younger years, I was completely uninterested in politics and therefore fairly uninformed about such things. My aversion was probably because I clearly saw politics, party platforms, and elections as instruments of division between human beings, and even between friends and …

The Radish

Let me tell you about the radish. . . .One of my favorite garden vegetables is the radish. This is not so much about the crisp, spicy taste, but more about the memories the little red globes conjure. One of my earliest memories is working in the garden with my dad. As a very young …

Morning Point Counts

(Island Hopping in a Sea of Sage) As an undergraduate biology student at Western State Colorado University, my oldest son, Marcel, has had the unique opportunity to design his own research project and apply for (and receive) funding. Under the guidance of Professor Patrick Magee, Marcel designed a project to study the effect of Douglas Fir …

The Tangy Dolma

Okay, here is a recipe that has taken "years" to develop. These are a somewhat substantial appetizer with many different flavors that are not typically combined.  Please use a meat that tastes interesting like goat or lamb or venison. Grape leaf preparation:  Pick young, tender grape leaves about 5-6 inches wide.  This recipe will need 2 …

Falco

Falco died 10 years ago on July 13, 2006. There is still a hole in my heart. It has healed around the edges, but the void is still there. This is the message I sent to the volunteer search and rescue group (Front Range Rescue Dogs - FRRD) that we had worked with at the …

Wish Fulfillment

There have been certain influential thinkers (Marx, Freud, Huxley, and Sagan to name four) who have implied or explicitly stated that any concept of God is merely a fabrication of “wish fulfillment.” Although this idea is nothing new and is widely circulated, it none-the-less requires some illogical gymnastics. Maybe I am an exception, but if …

A Long Day on Longs Peak

(An excerpt from my essay, “Nigh Unto the Mountain”) The crusty black lichen clings to the pores in the granite just inches from my face. Pale etchings in the stone form interesting patterns, but soon they begin to swirl. I close my eyes, inhale, exhale, and adjust my grip on the tiny handhold beneath two …