Occupation of Independence

The Little Cute One sent a Christmas card to her old mommy and daddy, the young couple in Phoenix that I adopted her from.   First photo of the Little Cute One, twenty minutes after adopting her.  We went shopping for doggie supplies. Perhaps this is a good time to repeat some encouragement for other travelers who are having trouble adopting a dog. I found her on Craigslist>Community>Pets.  It helps to stay flexible.  Perhaps the dog is a few years older than you want.  Maybe you don't like the color.  You can't really see the dog's behavior in a still-photograph.  Don't be too suspicious of somebody else's dog as "used equipment."  There are plenty of sensible reasons why somebody has to give up their dog.  The younger generation has been priced out of home ownership; they live in rented apartments.  The landlord or new landlord doesn't like dogs.  The young person's situation changes for various reasons, and a dog doesn't necessarily fi

(Beyond Bullhead, AZ.)  It is hard to believe that I look back on the era of ATVs/"Quads" with nostalgia but it is so.  They drove slower and were more approachable than their more modern replacements, the side-by-sides.  I had nice conversations with ATV Quads people from time to time, which is probably hard for readers to believe, the way I besmirch the motosports industry. It always feels good when you get camped away from a busy noisy dirt highway that is popular with the modern side-by-side enthusiasts, but yesterday was Saturday after all, so I had a couple of the morons come by the camper.  One came by rather slowly, so I can't complain about noise and dust except for the loud redneck music he was spewing out.  He changed his mind about his route and started working on getting turned around. Then something remarkable happened: he turned his music down, as if self-aware of being just a few feet from the open door of a camper.  Wasn't that amazing?!  I realized f

Some people actually like 'going for a drive.'  I can't say I'm one of them.  I drive like I shop  -- because it is necessary and let's try to get it over with.  But there are exceptions.  There are some areas in New Mexico where the density of traffic is so low that you can slow down, relax, and look at the scenery.  Then you cross over into a state to the north -- which shall remain unnamed -- and immediately you notice three times as much traffic.  I've not only cancelled that state, I've coloradicated it. But yesterday I was enjoying the drive along the north shore of Lake Mead.  Every year that I return to the Southwest, I enjoy the air more and the land less.  The landscape along Lake Mead belongs on the moon instead of Earth.  Still, you can be in the mood for that sometimes, especially when the sun is low.  It helps to have a 50 mph speed limit. I sighed, I cooed while driving over the Colorado River and leaving the great Sodom of North American tim

 It is almost funny how people can get interested in things that don't seem terribly interesting to most.other people.  The little dog and I had a perfect walk yesterday.  It surprised me how unspectacular and accessible 'the perfect' can be.  The rest of the day it seemed important to understand why it was perfect. For one thing, the walk started right at camp.  It is nice not to drive to a hike -- that would remind one of 'commuting to work' back in the rat-race.  I once had a hiker-friend who laughed when I told him that half of the sport of hiking consists of driving around in some damn car. It began with a rough and half-filled-out plan.  It would be a 'bushwhacking', non-official route.  The answer was not completely known. On a winter day in the Southwest, calmness almost guarantees a beautiful day. The air was still chilly -- but not cold.  No bugs would be seen today.  No snakes, no lizards.  But the little dog did harass a grasshopper. The sun fina