(Alexander Robey Shepherd (1835 – 1902), better known as Boss Shepherd)   We were embarked on the Odyssey, a sleek gas-topped pleasure boat that provided magnificent views of the Imperial City as we plied a carefully orchestrated route south on the Potomac, north again with a turn just north of Blue Plains, and then to […]

(The Lion on one of his Good Days)   The subject of the moment- the culmination of a life- is what smacked me as I padded around the kitchen. The door to the balcony was opened immediately, and with the first gray light, he heavy equipment is knocking down the main structure of the Buckingham […]

(Service Employees International Union Shirt from the Web Store)   It was a busy Monday, back again from the road and with way too much to think about.   On the crowded plane coming back from Chicago was a man who had made me think. He was of a certain age, looked like he was […]

(Boss Cherry 1970 AMC AMX Muscle Car) I just got back from the Bill Socotra Rambler Rally in Angola, Indiana. It will be Bill’s last appearance, or at the very least, the last one that Mom will drive him to.   She already said as much, weeks ago, when this loomed on the horizon and […]

Morning in Chi-town. Up crashing around trying to get in the rental car and down the road to Indiana. The cabbie we engaged for the trip down to the Webber Grill on Chicago’s Loop was from Lahore. He thinks this is a great town, and has been here for 25 years. He bummed a smoke, […]

(The Single Payer System I know and Love) You know I have tried to avoid this as long as I could. I have kept my voice down, and tried to be as polite as possible. But the time has come.   President Obama apparently had an afternoon chat vie teleconference with religious leaders yesterday, breaking […]

(“Event Horizon” Trailer, a film by Paul W.S. Anderson, 1997) I was not going to get dragged back into the issue again, but it is Rahm Emmanuel’s fault. He provoked me, just when the next event on my horizon was the Big Pink pool and the cool sweat on the outside of an icy-cold beverage. […]

(M1911 A1 Parts List, Exploded)   I had a little exercise in figuring out how things work the other day. Since my life has devolved into a series of counter-intuitive metaphors, I thought I would pass it along for what it is worth. Like volunteer labor, you get what you pay for.   Jiggs is […]

(1930 Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Cabriolet. Photo by Jim Mueller)   Time for a vacation. I got a wonderful note from a pal who did things right this morning and it made me more than a little bit wistful.   He kept the house he bought in Carmel, on the Monterey Peninsula, when he was […]

(Big Pink Puzzler Photo, 2009)   We are getting down to the short-hairs on this strange summer, yes we are. Despite the loveliness of the day, the crowd at the pool was small.   Cuba the Lifeguard is starting to get antsy to move on, and grab a chunk of America before returning to Poland. […]