-
Off to work
I like this picture Ann took of me leaving for work through our frosty screen door this morning.
-
Rademacher Hills
It’s a windy day in the desert. The mountains are getting snow, so Ann and I take a walk closer to town in the Rademacher hills. Ann is learning to use a GPS receiver, and I feel inspired to catch some of the local sights with the camera. I see things I haven’t noticed before.…
-
Book: In the Foosteps of Mr. Kurtz / Michela Wrong
This account by Michela Wrong of the 30-year rule of Mobutu over Zaire was a mind-boggling book for me. I know it is real because Ann grew up in Zaire during this time. She knows the places in the book, and can picture the people. For me, my mind balks at the facts presented. If…
-
Movie: Lost in La Mancha
This is a documentary about Terry Gilliam’s failed attempt to make a film version of Don Quixote with no Hollywood backing. After watching it I am amazed, and thankful, that Gilliam has managed to make any films at all… IMDB
-
Great Falls Basin, Condome
We meet Werner, Walter, and Clare at 8 am. We also meet Chris for the first time, and his dog Luka. Jezze nearly breaks a window out of the car trying to meet her as well. The approach to the Condome is different for the north and the south side where we’re headed. We nearly…
-
Movie: Iris
Ann recently read the biography of Iris Murdoch by her husband John Bayley, and wants to watch the movie while it’s still fresh in her mind. I was taken quickly with oddity of the characters – they are odd the way people are and not the way movie characters tend to be. One of Iris’…
-
“I don’t know everything…”
“…I know a little bit about everything, but I don’t know everything.” This bit of wisdom came from Larry, who has been installing a heater in our shack for the past three weeks. It’s been a learning process for all of us. Larry’s laissez faire style of home improvement involves working until an insurmountable impediment…
-
Movie: Lumumba
This is a fairly saintly portrayal of Patrice Lumumba, a key player in the Congo’s independence from Belgium in 1960. Because of that I didn’t fully trust it, but I appreciated the movie anyway. Even if Lumumba would not have been a savior to the Congolese, he certainly lived during the most hopeful period for…
-
Wildrose Peak
Better things go wrong this time on our second attempt to hike up this peak in Death Valley National Park. Instead of starting a mile away on steep dirt road, we give the trailhead a try. That improves morale from the start. On the way up, I realize a couple of interesting things. One is…
-
Movie: Baran
This is an excellent glimpse into everyday life in Iran. Both city- and country-scapes are integrated into the story seamlessly. Water is almost a character in itself, playing its part as rain, snow, pools, and rivers. The movie does a good job of portraying the social interactions between native Iranians and Afgan refugees. But the…