Author Archives: Ciel

“What is a ‘weekend’?”

My son said yesterday evening that he’d thought it was Monday all day. I told him to wait a bit, and it would be. But as it’s a federal holiday, in fact this week ‘Monday’ will not really be happening until Tuesday.  So many things we take for granted, we forget they are not, in …

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Travelblogue: The American West: Carlsbad Caverns

The experience of Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico begins with a leisurely stroll down a paved path that descends over a mile from daylight into the perpetual night of one of most spectacular publicly accessible caverns in the world. I’ve been there three times now, the first as a child of 10, the second when …

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Travelblogue: The American West: Pike’s Peak Region

I have lived in Colorado for some years now with a view of Pike’s Peak outside my window. Many of these photos are of the mountain itself from various places in Colorado Springs: Sunrises and sunsets, clouds and storms, moon sets… The Mountain is always there, and always different! I’ve driven up into and around …

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Travelblogue: The American West: Bryce Canyon National Park

The first time I visited this spectacular park in southern Utah, I had some wonkiness going on with my knees, and no matter how they tempted and beckoned, I could only stand and take photos from the rim. The second time, a few years later, I was finally able to follow the call of the …

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Travelblogue: American West: Yellowstone National Park

American’s, and in fact, the world’s first National Park is in the northwestern corner of the state of Wyoming, with some overlap into Montana and Idaho. It is one of the most popular and dramatic of the National Parks, featuring abundant western wildlife, geologic and thermal regions, and some spectacular scenery. You won’t see Old …

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Travelblogue: American West Colorado: Garden of the Gods

Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Garden of the Gods is a spectactular geologic park, a portion of the red and white rock formations that run north and south along the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. I live about 3 miles away, so have collected many views in different lights and seasons. https://flic.kr/s/aHsjpeCjcb https://flic.kr/s/aHsjNhR3Kw T …

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Travelblogue: Red Rock Country, the American West

I have always loved the western United States, for the scent of wild sage and especially for the dramatic geology. Interstate 70, begins in Utah at a point south of Salt Lake City and continues eastward to Baltimore, Maryland. I’ve driven the particular section between its junction with I 15 in Utah to Denver, Colorado …

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Un-Natural

Trans-ness, gay-ness, bi-ness–none of these things are new to the human experience. They have been recognized in many non-Western cultures as normal and authentic for literal ages. They have always been here, though in the shadows at the edges of this dominant Western culture and disparaged as ‘un-natural’ by this and other patriarchal societies. Not …

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AFTERMATH

The impassioned moment’s passed,The fight’s gone out of me;tolerance and hope set inwith a sighand by-and-bythis latest violence,outrage, assaultagainst the heart and soulwill pass–and leave me livingstilland still possessedof most of what I had; Life goes onsublime,absurd,expects the future stillmakes plansinvestsand wandersdown the middle courseagain somewhere betweenthe hopeless and the glad. Disappointmentgnaws away at faith. …

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