We fell asleep to the sound of a rushing river and woke to the majesty of the white Chalk Cliffs. They were shrouded in a sort of “Lord of the Rings” band of fog that the bright morning sun was lasering its way through. Most of Colorado is country, the way my hometown of Floyd […]
The Rockies are to Switzerland what the Appalachians are to Ireland… We spent the night near Colorado Springs at my husband’s childhood friend’s home. Across the sage-brushed flat terrain, we saw antelope grazing out the back door, and at night we heard coyotes howling. The rabbits, as common as squirrels are at home, didn’t seem […]
Hold on to your hat! We’re in Kansas where the wind whips across the prairie and with one good tornado you can end up in Oz. Highway 70 West: We’re listening to “1000 Faces of the Hero” by Joseph Campbell on the tape player, read at a fast and hypnotic pace, as the calm sea […]
Photo: Colleen blogging on her laptop at a truck stop under a shawl to avoid screen glare. We woke up in Kentucky at the nearly filled “Outback RV Park,” an island of RVs surrounded by a mote of dark water, where a pig roast was to be held later in the day. Under […]
(Photo: Colleen at the control panel) I was once a prolific letter writer. I suspect that many bloggers were. As someone from a large family, who lives in a different state from most of my family members, my letter writing skills came in handy. When xeroxed Christmas letter became popular, I jumped on the bandwagon, […]
I used to go down the mountain regularly to restock my handmade jewelry at the Roanoke Coop and Seeds of Light. My jewelry crafting days are over, but I have a new product to peddle now… Yesterday, I went down into the valley to tape a couple of essays that will hopefully eventually be aired […]
This Blue Ridge Parkway sign is more my speed and makes me feel more at home, taken on the return ride from taping my essay at the WVTF radio station. What kind of signs have you been reading lately?
Going to poetry readings – to read my poems in public – reminds me of going to a funeral. I want to go. It’s what I need to do. I know I’ll feel better later for having done it. But I always dread facing it, and I always feel uncomfortable… Back in elementary school, I […]
All the people in my life should know this: Anything that happens when I’m with you could end up in a blog post. It’s not like I go around recording everything. Not even I know what will end up in a post. I just follow where the Muse leads me. I’m her slave. So just […]
This is a photo of me and my brother Bob. One of us voted for and still supports Bush. The other thinks he’s ruined U.S. credibility and should be recalled or impeached. You could say we’re on opposite ends of the spectrum, but when you add to the equation that Bob leans towards Libertarianism and […]
AKA Give Me A Vowel: Since my friend who I frequently play scrabble with won’t let me post the picture I took of him playing, I’ll just have to describe it. It came out great. We’re playing at the Café de Sol wireless café in downtown Floyd. It’s his turn. He’s burly with a full […]
Subtitle: Is this what smaller government looks like? AKA Spending his way out of the doghouse The following is an excerpt from a commentary I’ve submitted to several publications. … The inadequacies of FEMA can be traced back to President Bush who undermined the progress it made under President Clinton by appointing a political […]
