The River Incident – Guest post by John Mortellaro

Guest post by John Mortellaro

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Victor

I have a nephew who is prone to innovative haircuts and expressive selfies, but he’s a pretty good "kid." Happy 23rd birthday, Victor. You were fun to draw.  

Driving for Gopher

One of my essays was published this last week on The Doctor T.J. Eckleburg Review. It is a weird story from my days in Alabama in the early 1990s. I scribbled a sketch for it as well. Here is the link:  https://eckleburg.org/driving-for-gopher-by-david-b-such/

Neil Young – Thrasher

The lyrical poetry of Thrasher is Neil Young at his best. Thrasher, by Neil Young They were hiding behind hay bales, They were planting in the full moon They had given all they had for something new But the light of day was on them, They could see the thrashers coming And the water shone like …

The Opposite of Faith

"The opposite of faith is not doubt, but fear."  ~Philip Yancey, from Reaching for the Invisible God Philip Yancey (Pen and Ink)

Fox in February Snow

This guy had just finished eating a fat vole he snatched from beneath a two-inch layer of snow. I heard the consummation... crunch, crunch, gulp... crunch, gulp, gulp. A satisfied smile appeared on his face and he trotted up the hill until he sensed my gaze from the deck and turned to give me this …

Sketches from Costa Rica

Here are a half dozen of my sketches from our two-and-a-half week trip to Costa Rica. On the muddy road to Colonia Blanca, Costa Rica, we passed a boar being taken to visit a sow.   Native to Costa Rica, Porterweed is often seen in cultivated gardens. Its flowers attract short-billed hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies. …

Nourishment

My essay, "Nourishment - Beyond Mere Sustenance," was recently published in an online magazine called The Flaneur (based in London). It is a story about a meal I had on a business trip in Houston, TX. Here is the link: http://flaneur.me.uk/01/nourishment-beyond-mere-sustenance-by-david-b-such/ I scribbled this scene to go with the story...  

Sigh of Relief

An hour before dawn, with a three-quarter moon shining through a clear sky, I forego the overhead floodlight that typically illuminates my path. Halfway up the twenty-five sandstone steps from my house to the car, I stop with a startle. “What was that sound?” We share this corner of the Colorado foothills with predators and …

Central American Son

Okay, he is not from there, but my 19-year-old son (see "Joel")  is in Costa Rica for his second winter in Central America. Last year he spent a month in Belize and four months in Guatemala exploring the culture, the language, and --mostly-- the birds. He has been writing a blog about his adventures that …

Publishing Coincidence

A couple months ago, my brother, George Such, suggested that I submit some of my essays and/or drawings to various journals for publication. Many dozens of his poems have been published in print and on-line journals over the last decade. After I overcame my initial hesitation and uncertainty, I took his advice. At the end …

Stranger than Fiction

I am a mechanical engineer who primarily oversees work on GE 7FA combustion turbines that drive generators that produce electricity at power plants. That is my job. These units contain a large axial compressor that feeds combustion and cooling air for the gas turbine section. During a recent inspection on one of the units, we …

7-7-77

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 …

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 …