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The New American Digest

For Followers of Gerard Van der Leun's Fine Work

  • About American Digest
  • About New American Digest
  • “The Name In The Stone”
  • Remembering Gerard Van der Leun
    • from the website: Through the Looking Glass
    • from the website: Barnhardt
    • from the website: Neo’s Blog
  • Articles
    • The Overland Stage
      • The Holladay Overland Stage: 1 – The Central Route
      • The Overland Stage – 2 Company Operations
      • The Overland Stage – 3 Exploring The Route – An Overview
      • The Overland Stage: 4 – South Platte/Julesburg/Ft Sedgwick
        • Jack Slade
      • The Overland Stage: 5 – Julesburg to Junction Station (aka Ft Morgan)
      • The Overland Stage: 6 – Junction Station to Latham
      • The Overland Stage: 7 – Latham Crossing to Fort Collins
      • The Overland Stage: 8 – LaPorte to Virginia Dale
      • The Overland Stage: 9 – Virginia Dale to Cooper Creek
      • The Overland Stage: 10 – Cooper Creek to Pass Creek
        • Fletcher Family
      • The Overland Stage: 11 – Pass Creek to Bridger Station
      • The Overland Stage: 12 – Bridger Pass to Duck Lake
      • The Overland Stage: 13 – Duck Lake to LaClede
      • The Overland Stage: 14 – LaClede to Almond
      • The Overland Stage: 15 – Almond to Rock Springs
      • The Overland Stage: 16 – Rock Springs to Fort Bridger
      • The Overland Stage: 17 – Fort Bridger to Weber Station

I find I don’t wish to explore new lands, but to explore again those I have already passed through, trying to see what I’d missed in the first hectic rush … Gerard Van der Leun

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Monthly Archives: February 2025

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I Messed Up

The New American Digest Posted on February 28, 2025 by DTFebruary 28, 2025

Nothing particularly serious but I injured myself in a medical accident and it's causing a bit of distraction in the form of not-pleasant pain - sufficient that I've been prescribed narcotics - which I don't care for and dislike ... but not as much as I dislike the level 8 and 9 pain.

I don't see the attraction to take enough of these things to get addicted but then I react to medication differently than most folks it seems.

Anyway, the imps that guide my writing are taking a break - the narcotics affect them more than me - so pictures as headers it is until the imps get off their lazy, doped-up asses and get back to providing me inspiration or desperation.

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Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Replies

Janissary

The New American Digest Posted on February 27, 2025 by DTFebruary 27, 2025
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Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Replies

Code blue (wake me when it’s over)…

The New American Digest Posted on February 27, 2025 by JeanFebruary 26, 2025

Another fine guest post from Jean. Be sure to check out her site, "Pondering". Musical addition by yours truly.

for a long time
I stopped.
flat disappeared.
and when you
are not
there is nowhere
to go.
so you stay
where you're not
and never wake up.
'til a day comes
that jars you
and the wounds
start to bleed.
then you get up
and walk
through the door
into daylight
and you see that
the road to salvation
is waiting
right where it's ever been the whole time
that you thought
you were not.

blue skies
smilin' at me
nothin' but
blue skies
do I see.

if I were
any happier
I'd have to
wear a bib.

Rob Schneider - Blue Skies For Everyone

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Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Replies

Cathedral Gorge

The New American Digest Posted on February 26, 2025 by DTFebruary 26, 2025
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Thought For The Day

The New American Digest Posted on February 25, 2025 by DTFebruary 25, 2025

I forget who phrased this thought in this manner but it stuck with me:

"Being a professional is doing all the things you love doing at times when you don't feel like doing them"

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Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Replies

Tunes For Tuesday – Tones & I “Dance Monkey”

The New American Digest Posted on February 25, 2025 by DTMarch 23, 2025

A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today’s selection: Tones & I - Dance Monkey

This one's not so obscure. Released in 2019 by an Australian singer, Toni Watson; spent 24 weeks at #1 in Australia

Toni Watson
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The story of the 1964 F100

The New American Digest Posted on February 24, 2025 by G706March 23, 2025

This was originally intended to be a reply to ghostsniper but I thought it made a good post. Of course, I like old trucks - that may have been an influence on me ... DT :)


Back around the turn of the century a retired couple moved to a retirement community. Mr. Miller had a 1964 Ford F100 four wheel drive pickup that he was very fond of. He had driven it from Montana to Oregon and used in his logging business and to go hunting and fishing in the Coast Range. He was a veteran and survivor of Pearl Harbor on the USS Oklahoma and a devout Catholic. The residents of the retirement community were not really happy about a beat up old Ford parked along the street and tried to get him to sell it. My brother herd about it and went to see about buying the truck but he wanted quite a bit of money for it.

After a while Mr. Miller passed away and his widow offered the truck to my brother for $500 and he bought it. We used it on the farm for a couple of years, but it had some problems and so it was parked beside the barn, where it sat for almost 20 years. In the winter of 2023 my youngest son decided to see if he could get it going again. Cleaned out the fuel tank, replaced the points and carburetor and had it running. New brakes and rebuilt the front axle and now we can drive it again. It’s pretty rough looking with a brush painted dark blue paint over the original turquoise cab and traces of construction yellow and rusted out bed, but the 292 V8 runs like a top and it’s a lot of fun to drive around the farm.

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Almost In Bloom

The New American Digest Posted on February 23, 2025 by DTFebruary 23, 2025
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Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Replies

Pencil-thin Penis…

The New American Digest Posted on February 22, 2025 by JeanMarch 23, 2025

Sunday morning I headed west to meet a friend at an outdoor art festival.

Around here, it's a good idea to stay alert for critters that might wander from the woods to the edge of the road. Deer, gators, bears and such.

The only deer I saw was a small white-tail lying dead in the weeds. Poor thing.

The deep ditch was about half full of water but I saw no signs of gators. This time.

I did see a wild turkey strutting his stuff but he was heading back to the woods, so no worries there.

About a quarter mile past the turkey I spotted something.
It was an upside-down turtle, about the size of a big salad bowl, and his stubby legs were spinning like propellers.
He was trying to right himself but he had nothing to brace against and all he was succeeding in doing was miring himself deeper into the sand. He couldn't even get a good rocking motion going to roll over.

That turtle was going to be stuck there, upside down forever, unless someone flipped him over.

I hit my turn signal, eased off the pavement and stopped.

I'd had no prior dealings with big turtles. Well, except for the time one dug under the fence and made a hole about three feet deep in the front yard…but, that's another story for another time, perhaps.

So… I got out of the car and walked slowly toward the panicky reptilian critter… while keeping alert for snakes.
I hate snakes.

The turtle's head was pointed toward the edge of the road, so I'm thinking that I should spin him around before I roll him over so he doesn't trot onto the asphalt and get splattered by the traffic zipping by at 60 mph.

That would suck. Especially for him.

How did I know the turtle was a him?

I was about six feet away when I saw his head and all four feet disappear……ssshhhhwoooooppp.
Sucked 'em right into his shell. Gone.
And then, I saw it.

His skinny, pink penis was protruding from, well, where most pink penises are expected to be protruding from. (Looka dat. Did I manage to get a dangling participle and a preposition on the end of that sentence? Whatever. Could it be I just invented the 'dangling penis-ciple' ?)

Now I am in a bit of a conundrum you see, because I have nothing to touch him with. How am I going to move him?

I'm not going to put my foot where his head can pop out and clamp on my toe. That leaves the other end.
The dangling penis-ciple end.
OK, I think to myself, do it quickly.
Boomp! Spin. Dammit. Not enough.
Again. Boomp! Spin. Success!

Only now, the little pink penis is flapping back and forth like a metronome. Flap Flap Flap Flap.
The bugger is waving at me.

I put my foot on the side of his shell and push to get him rocking a bit. He's surprisingly heavy.
Rock Rock Rock, Push! Foomppp. It's done. Yay.
He just lays there on his belly. No head, no legs.
I wait.
I back up.
I back up farther.

Finally, the head and appendages begin to protrude.
He stands up, looks around a bit, and I cannot help but notice… the penis-ciple is still dangling.
Dragging in the sand. He stops.
He stretches his hind legs to raise his back end and the skinny pink penis slowwwwwwwly returns to its hiding place. Then he ambles so very casually toward the ditch.

That's it, fella. You are on your own.

I get back in my car and make my way to the art show.
It was a great art show.
Not one penis on display, however.

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Posted in others | 9 Replies

Overland Stage – Part 10 Cooper Creek to Pass Creek

The New American Digest Posted on February 22, 2025 by DTFebruary 22, 2025

Part 10 - Cooper Creek to Pass Creek is now live.

After Cooper Creek Station, the trail leaves the Laramie Plains and begins to enter rougher country. Passing through the modern villages of Arlington and Elk Mountain, this segment of the route passed through the grounds of Fort Halleck (now private property) and through Rattlesnake Pass, the mouth of Rattlesnake Canyon being a favorite place for ambush. Pass Creek Station was just outside the canyon but the course of Pass Creek has changed many times over the years; the actual location of the stage station is unknown.

Coming up next: Pass Creek to Bridger Pass - including the dreaded North Platte Crossing

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Rules

Gerard Van der Leun
12/26/45 - 1/27/23


Gerard's Last Post
(posthumous): Feb 4, 2023
"So Long. See You All a Little Further Down the Road"

When my body won’t hold me anymore
And it finally lets me free
Where will I go?
Will the trade winds take me south through Georgia grain?
Or tropical rain?
Or snow from the heavens?
Will I join with the ocean blue?
Or run into a savior true?
And shake hands laughing
And walk through the night, straight to the light
Holding the love I’ve known in my life
And no hard feelings

Avett Brothers - No Hard Feelings

The following was posted along with the announcement of Gerard's passing.
Leonard Cohen - Going Home

For a 2005 interview with Gerard


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Most Recent Comments

  1. azlibertarian on Train TimeJune 29, 2025

    "...Having a record does not define you or your character...."I think that most of us knew that those school-day threats…

  2. jean on Comnenos Mosaic of AyasofyaJune 29, 2025

    Any time I see images like these I am reminded of my Mom and her family. Thank you, DT.

  3. Snakepit Kansas on Train TimeJune 29, 2025

    I suppose there will always be an element of society that are just screw ups. Then make the situation worse…

  4. Zaphod on Comnenos Mosaic of AyasofyaJune 29, 2025

    Lost another one of the good guys. RIP the Z Man.

  5. ghostsniper on Train TimeJune 29, 2025

    Can I be any more fatigued?


Blogroll
The New Neo
Jean's Blog

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man,
play a song for me
I'm not sleepy
and there ain't no place I'm goin' to

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man,
play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning,
I'll come followin' you

Take me for a trip upon
your magic swirling ship
All my senses have been stripped
And my hands can't feel to grip
And my toes too numb to step
Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin'

I'm ready to go anywhere,
I'm ready for to fade
Unto my own parade
Cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it


Men who saw night coming down about them could somehow act as if they stood at the edge of dawn.


From Gerard's site. The picture always caught my eye.

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Contact: dt@newamericandigest.org

About "DT"

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