Saturday (April 12) I finished polishing blog entries and saddled up Nell for the ride into El Paso. I didn't quite have enough juice to comfortably make it to El Paso so after 74 miles, I stopped in Van Horn to refuel. I managed to disconnect before my free 30 minutes was up so this … Continue reading Down In The West Texas Land of El Paso
Marfa, Texas
Friday (April 11) was a day to rest and write. I rented a small house in Marfa a small town 30 minutes west of Alpine. Marfa was put on the art world map in 1971, when Donald Judd, a famous New York artist moved there bought a hanger on a defunct Air Force base and … Continue reading Marfa, Texas
Into The Desert
Thursday (April 10) dawned clear and bright. A big blue bowl overhead. Today would be the acid test. I would start from my Airbnb on the south side of Alpine and drive south on Texas-118 into Big Bend National Park to Santa Elena Canyon. A 240 mile roundtrip. At highway speeds, Nell had 200 miles … Continue reading Into The Desert
Waltz Across Texas
Wednesday (April 9) - It's gonna get hot. Highs in the 90s. I was heading to Alpine, TX, the closest town of any size to Big Ben National Park. Everything so far was a piece of cake, but for the first time I was going to through a long stretch of arid landscape in conditions … Continue reading Waltz Across Texas
Alright, Alright, Alright, Alright.
Monday (April 7) was a relax and have fun day. Nell had charged up overnight at my casita's level 2 charger. I was in the People's Republic of Austin, Texas. The capital of weird that had weirdly now become known as the headquarters of certain Ketamine-binging right-wing tech oligarch whose weirdness had become so acute … Continue reading Alright, Alright, Alright, Alright.
Out Of The Storm
Sunday (April 6) I slept in. Saturday had been a long day and it was only five and a half hours to my next stop in Austin, TX. The weather app was showing snow south and west of Moore so I was in no hurry to get going. Better to let it warm up a … Continue reading Out Of The Storm
Into The Storm
Saturday (April 5) I woke up feeling pensive. The sky was gray and dribbling rain. Twenty years ago, my gasoline car broke down on the Chicago Skyway. The closest shoulder was the left one right next to the hammer lane. I didn't carry a cell phone at the time and it took several hours for … Continue reading Into The Storm
Electrify America
For quite a while, my wife and I have been intrigued by all this hollerin' about electric cars. So we carefully considered our options and in June 2023 bought a Hyundai Ioniq 5. It's quiet, comfortable, roomy, and goes zero to 60 faster than 4 of the 7 editions of the famed Shelby Cobra (if … Continue reading Electrify America
Best Writing I’ve Read Today – Kevin Goldstein Edition.
Kevin Goldstein is a former baseball blogging nerd whose mastery of advanced analysis allowed him to achieve every baseball nerd's wet dream: he was hired as Director of Scouting by an actual major league team. Goldstein had a major role in building the Astros from laughingstock to juggernaut under General Manager Jeff Luhnow. He's now … Continue reading Best Writing I’ve Read Today – Kevin Goldstein Edition.
Nutshell Movie Reviews: High Life (2019)
This film is over my head. There must be something that I'm missing. It's a Claire Denis film in collaboration with the Icelandic light sculptor Olafur Eliasson (whose adventures in monochrome I greatly enjoy). It stars Juliette Binoche and Robert Pattinson. It's central conceit seems to be to deglamorize space. So instead of the gleaming … Continue reading Nutshell Movie Reviews: High Life (2019)