It is gray out there today, the remnants of a hurricane scudding north in dissipation after landfall a few states to the south. We were relieved there were no reports of major military operations in the places we have been told to be concerned about. This morning has some historic tick-marks to compare with these […]

The Salts come out of the old intelligence culture devoted to supporting all sorts of operations at sea. As a general rule, the target had been naval activity above, below or atop the sea. Like the target entwined in sea traffic, mission, weather weird acoustics. Sometimes it was fairly routine and sometimes it was more […]

(From the Cowboy State Daily out in the Square State out West. The Antlers Ranch woodland with trophy fishing streams and rugged hills, courtesy Latham Jenkins of Live Water Properties. Ann invitation of sorts, not an advisory).. We succumbed to sleep around the time the warning- the ballyhoo’ed NOTAM of yesterday- clicked into effect. It […]

A neighbor is a Marine Vet and stopped at the picnic table on his way in from the car in the lot. He does contracting now, providing necessary on-demand skills useful in times of crisis. He was talking about some of the places- locations- where he has recently been called to work. Some are apparently […]

Morning, Gentle Readers! There could be good news! Maybe. As you are aware, this has been one of the craziest news weeks we have ever seen at this picnic table. Or any other picnic table we have had the chance to occupy. There may actually be some good news in the mess, or at least […]

Sorting things out on a Tuesday is always a challenge, as you well know. We had been talking to a fellow yesterday at the tobacco hut while on the stock-up swing. He was interesting. He had started his life in a place called Yemen, a place we knew and which owns Great Socotra Island. and […]

Bear with us for a sec. We have to work the counter-messaging angle on this information torrent. International, Domestic, all that stuff is peaking like the waves coming ashore in a storm surge. Creative Section Leader DeMille got us in trouble with Socotra House Management last week about conveying a ‘sense of alarm.’ We forget […]

We started this morning with a marvelous road report about America in the last few weeks. It conained not only an account of some of the ordinary wonders we take for granted in this fine land, but also the assorted treasure of friendship, family and life itself. We prefer to start the new week with […]

We had anticipated a longer appreciation featuring that woman in the upper left of the poker hand held by wild Bill Hickok immediately before his violent saloon ambush murder. He is on the right. Hannah Arendt is the philosopher on the left, though probably interpreted as on the right these days. Her quote is worth […]

It was swarm of data yesterday, dumped in lumps into a ripe August day warm-tinged with moisture under bright sun and clouds that danced gently over Big Pink’s placid pool. The Salts, some still wet from immersion, were arrayed in general loose order, some still in the java phase of the morning and others already […]