From Mountains to Deserts For my Dad Edward Michael McDonnell 15 March 1924-28 June 2011 Late August A sad gentle breeze blows through the dying brown grasses of late August. Hundred year old Colorado coal mines lay buried underfoot, effort and pain sealed away forever in darkness. Grandpa’s miner’s house where Mom was born belongs … [read more]
Weather Report
Today’s Weather Lat: 40° 1’ North / Long: 105° 0’ West /Elev: 7120’ 18 November, 2007 Easterly gusts modulate from brisk to none at all. Bucks, in full rut, lower their heads, chase bleating does up and down the hillside. Dead perennials and joyous prickly pears crunch underfoot, the ground hard and dry. “Dry as … [read more]
They Took My Car Away
My Mom died of Alzheimer’s. We found out she had it when she called from Utah on a solo driving trip from Washington State to Fort Collins for her 50th college reunion. She was in her late ’70‘s. I flew from California in the night and got her out of psych lock-up in Provo, drove … [read more]
Shanghai Notes
Shanghai Notes Late December, 2010 As we arrived in Shanghai today, a colleague from Hong Kong explained to me how Shanghai people and northern Mandarin speakers as a group have “low IQ” because they shout and are generally loud when they speak. Our host and the Buick mini-van driver, both Shanghai guys, were shouting as … [read more]
Just A Short Drive From Here
Just A Short Drive From Here By now, after eleven years, my daily drive home should pass by in fifteen uneventful minutes, nearly without notice, with what was once a colorful and adventurous tour of the Front Range of the Rockies having turned grey through routine and repetition. By now I should be able to … [read more]
Notes From The Road
Road Notes UAL 5364 STL to DEN Notes scribbled in an airport restaurant at Lambert St. Louis airport. 1. Visiting our facility in rural Missouri today, right off the Missouri River and the Lewis and Clark Trail, I was struck that I grew up on the Columbia River, right off the Lewis and Clark Trail. … [read more]
