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Recent Posts
- On Randall K. Wilson’s “A Place Called Yellowstone”: Award-Winning History of Yellowstone National Park
- On Candice Millard’s “River of Doubt” and “River of the Gods”: Bugs, Snakes, and Disease Aplenty
- More Alone than “Alone”: On Adam Shoalts’s “Vanished Beyond the Map: The Mystery of Lost Explorer Hubert Darrell” (2025)
- Rachel McAdams film “Send Help” (2026) Makes Comic Gold Out of “Survivor” and “Alone” Audition Videos
- “The Wiggle Room”: A Short Story
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Category Archives: The West
The Summer of the Bears, Hungry & Marauding
So in my corner of Colorado there was a bit of snow drought (March was dry), which caused the bears to come out of hibernation early, before there was food for them. Now there are roving gangs of hungry bears … Continue reading
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S.C. Gwynne’s "Empire of the Summer Moon"—Great Comanche History
So if you’re interested in Native American history, S.C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon (Scribner 2010) is a great read. Most of it concerns the Comanches, who essentially ruled and terrorized the Great Plains of Texas/Oklahoma areas during the … Continue reading
Posted in books, The West
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Christo's "Over the River" Project, Art in My Back Yard
So there’s a piece in the NY Times today about Christo’s latest art installation project, Over the River, which is (figuratively speaking) in my Colorado back yard: It will be located, if it happens, in the Bighorn Canyon between Salida … Continue reading
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"Cinema Verite" Worth Watching
So last night was the premiere of HBO’s Cinema Verité, the film about the film of the Loud family, billed as the first reality TV show, which is both a ground-breaking achievement, and considering our times and the Kardashian family … Continue reading
Posted in Film, The West
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"Big Love" Swan Song: Goodbye to All Those Sister Wives
So I’ve been a fan of HBO’s series Big Love since it began, and now that it’s in the final episodes (I think there are two left now), it’s going out with a dramatic bang. Bill Paxton and Jeanne Tripplehorn … Continue reading
Posted in Good TV, The West
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"My Father's Guns," an essay remembered in response to the Tucson Shooting
Tim Egan had another good piece in the NY Times about the Tucson shooting and the gun control debate, here: He mentions his family as gun owners and users. I have a similar history, though with more tragedy than I … Continue reading
Posted in books, Politics, The West
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Prisons, Poverty, & Pickups: The Other West
So I’ve just driven 1720 miles from Colorado to Pennsylvania . . . . . . and the contrast between Western and Eastern U.S. is on my mind. One thing I notice is the discrepancy between the media myth of … Continue reading
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Deer & Coyotes in the New Year
I’ve had deer and coyotes in my yard at the start of this new year, so something must be right with the world. I double-checked and corroborated that the mountain scenes in True Grit were filmed near Santa Fe, which … Continue reading
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A Reason for Holiday Glee: Coen Brothers' "True Grit" to Open December 22nd
So the filmmakers who are putting pretty much everyone else to shame have a Christmas present (and they’re Jewish, to boot) for the world, their adaptation of True Grit, starring Jeff Bridges stepping into John Wayne’s boots. Here’s the official … Continue reading
Posted in Film, The West
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"127 Hours" in Theaters Now, But Not Everyone in Utah Loves Aron Ralston
Last summer I stayed a few days in Green River, Utah, at the River Terrace Inn, a cool hotel right on the river, with a pool and hut tub, plus great birding: Scott’s Orioles, Western Tanagers, and Bullock’s Orioles, all … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, The West
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