Failure is an Option

Position: UPWARD DOG Despite what the folks at NASA might tell you, failure is an option. Otherwise, why would experimental aircraft have ejector seats? Or why would prototype rockets have a self-destruct mechanism to initiate a RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly)? …

Sounds in the Night

Position: 35°11’09.2″N 106°28’52.5″W Around 10PM I take Bodhi for his late night walk. Turning left out of the front door we head down the steep drive and turn right. No matter when the sun sets, at this altitude darkness falls …

A Nomad’s Life

Position: 34°35’42.9″N 106°17’45.4″W Nomads come in all shapes and sizes. Take us for instance. A mere foot of height between Carol and me makes the difference between seeing over the dodger or having to stand on Aleta’s cockpit seats. It …

Spring, or Humboldt’s Gift

Position: 35°10’37.9″N 106°27’59.9″W Besides a penguin and a current, Alexander von Humboldt gave the world the Naturgemälde, a theory of ecology based on altitudes. Over five years, Humboldt and his buddy Aimé Bonpland explored and measured every square centimetre of …

Dali vs. Aleta

Position: 39°13’00.9″N 76°31’40.1″W A bit of maritime history was made this week when the appropriately named bulk cargo carrier MV Dali crashed surreally into the Francis Scott Key bridge just outside Baltimore Harbour. Unless you were living under a rock, …

Commuting Sentences

Position: 39°18’10.3″N 77°01’10.6″W “On the road of life there are passengers and there are drivers. Drivers wanted” That slogan is from 1995. A vintage similar to a 30-year-old bottle of Macallan’s Single Malt Whiskey. A bottle of which will set …

On Being Thrifty

Position: PENURIOUS When it comes to saving money, I’m all for it. As a nearly Old Age Pensioner I am thoroughly looking forward to my birthday when a surfeit of discounts will fall my way. Among the benefits I will …

Westward Ho!

Position: 47°50’54.1″N 120°46’40.8″W We left Albuquerque and Carol’s Dad Bob in the capable hands of her older brother, Chris. Our departure met with a little trepidation on all sides, but we were confident that Bob would train Chris quickly and …