Back Country
Fall Along The River
Gerard’s Poetry
Neo just told the world she’s almost done with her collection of Gerard’s poetry.
Head on over to her place and read what she has to say.
Purple Glass
Wandering around the site of old encampments
Manganese dioxide was once used as a clarification agent in glass, mostly between 1880 and 1914. When such treated glass is exposed to ultraviolet light – say intense desert sun – over a period of decades, it turns purple from exposure.
Shards of purple glass are sure signs of “settlement”, even if said settlement consisted of a handful of tents lasting only long enough to establish that this strike wasn’t the strike.
When I think about it, I was wandering around these places in the late 70s – pushing all too hard on 50 years ago. I used to find almost-complete purple bottles; now a complete top such as this is becoming rare. Hell, all of that is becoming rare.
I left it behind.
I’ve only found one complete unblemished bottle in all my searching – not that I bottle hunted in many of the places I poked around. For those that know railroads, there was a Wye for helper engines near the 10,000+ft Tennessee Pass station on the D&RGW. I was up there one spring poking around back by the tail end of the wye when a portion of the bottle had been exposed by melting snow and rain.
There was no label or markings – no surprise – but the presence of air bubbles in the glass suggest a date before 1920. Perhaps it too would be purple if it had been exposed to the sun.
I can imagine some engineman sitting out in a winter night at treeline, baby-sitting the engine, waiting for the next assignment; burning or freezing at turns around the engine – a contraband bottle of warm keeping him company.
The call comes, the bottle of warmth is emptied and tossed off in the weeds where it won’t be readily visible should someone bother looking.
The engine rolls on.
That bottle looked at me liked a bedraggled hungry kitten – I just had to take it home and adopt it.
Rio Grande Gorge
Just west of Taos, NM, the gorge is about 800 ft deep at this point.
Perhaps Something Beautiful … Almost
my niece … I promised her fame and fortune if she sent me a clip
Unfortunately cut-off early; blame it on her parents …
Much as I dislike posting something incomplete, I made a promise to family …
I try to get her to send me an entire performance – she tells me she doesn’t have such a recording.
Bah …
I hesitated to post this – I went back and forth; scheduled, draft, scheduled, draft.
However – I guess my final decision is obvious …
I don’t know the name of this piece.
Gee – I Wonder
“Numerous defense officials — who watched senior brass scramble to Washington and then sit through a partisan speech from President Donald Trump and a return to old-school military standards by Hegseth — were left wondering why the event had occurred at all.“
I would suggest it was nothing more than a demonstration sufficient to drive the point home to all those high-ranking officers that they are not the top of the pyramid.
Maples
Outside the Courthouse at Colonial Williamsburg with a large sugar maple just outside.
Every year, if conditions are right, the leaves become brilliant beyond what a camera can capture
Shutdown
Maybe, maybe not.
Odds are much better “for” as a shutdown would play into the administration’s hands.
Having been on both sides of a shutdown or two (thanks for the paid vacation), here’s my observation:
The parts that the public finds useful will be shutdown (payments, parks).
The parts the government finds useful will not be shutdown (collections, congressional perks)
I Have To Agree
On ZeroHedge: “Judge Reinstates Fired Professor Who Called Charlie Kirk A Nazi“
Reading the story, the professor’s comments were made on his personal web site; nothing associated with the university. The university bowed to political pressure and fired him.
Freedom of speech includes speech you don’t like.
On the other hand, the university cited the following as justification of termination:
“unfitness to discharge the trust reposed in public university faculty members or to perform assigned duties” and a policy requiring professors, even as private citizens, to remain accurate and respectful.
But I can see the university’s point of view as well. Even in private, the professor at least informally represents the university. The university is allowed to define the criteria used to select employees – and is not covered by 1st Amendment protections (although an employee of a state university is an employee of the state government).
One might think someone in the professor’s position would be smart enough in this day and age to not spout off such feelings on a public forum.
I might have to agree with the university – the speech itself may be free but there are other costs that must be paid.