Category Archives: The West

The Bears of Custer County & the Smell of Drought

Posted on July 28, 2011 by williamjcobb

Here’s an url to an article about bears in this morning’s NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/us/28bears.html?hpw I can vouch for the accuracy of some its statements, especially about bear behavior in drought. Here in the southern mountains of Colorado we’re suffering a … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, The West | Leave a comment

"Tattoos Get You Sex" and Other Observations from the Western Frontier

Posted on July 24, 2011 by williamjcobb

So you have to be blind not to notice the popularity of tattoos in the West, and it must say something about this moment in time, this world in which we’re living. Basically it seems everyone in Colorado/Wyoming (the two … Continue reading →

Posted in The West | Leave a comment

On Mark Hertsgaard’s “Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth,” and the Forest Fire in My Backyard (Almost)

Posted on July 14, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I’m continuing in my quest to read every book ever written about Global Warming. (Well, not all of them, but I have read quite a few.) I’m also starting to think only wimps use the term ‘Climate Change,’ which … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Climate Change, The West | Leave a comment

On James Hansen's "Storms of My Grandchildren" & The Folly of Creepers

Posted on July 4, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I just saw that the temperature reached 118 degrees in Phoenix yesterday (How can they stand it?) and is forecast to be at record levels all across the country, including where I am, in the Southwest, which by some … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Climate Change, The West | Leave a comment

Yellowstone Snow, Hungry Wolves, & the Tumble Inn

Posted on July 1, 2011 by williamjcobb

So I’ve been traveling in Wyoming for 11 days, kayaking & hiking, not to mention buying stuffed animals for my daughter—dinosaur (diplodocus), river otter, deer, yellow horse, dinosaur (pterodactyl), and something I’m forgetting I’m sure. We camped in the Grand … Continue reading →

Posted in The West | Leave a comment

Arizona Is Burning, and We're Breathing It

Posted on June 7, 2011 by williamjcobb

Smoke from the Bear Wallow Fire in Arizona—several hundred miles away but over 233,000 acres in size—is so thick here we can’t see the valley floor from our hillside home, just a mile or so away. We’re all coughing and … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Climate Change, The West | Leave a comment

The Summer of the Bears, Hungry & Marauding

Posted on June 1, 2011 by williamjcobb

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 →

Posted in The West | Leave a comment

S.C. Gwynne’s "Empire of the Summer Moon"—Great Comanche History

Posted on May 25, 2011 by williamjcobb

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 | Leave a comment

Christo's "Over the River" Project, Art in My Back Yard

Posted on May 19, 2011 by williamjcobb

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 →

Posted in The West | Leave a comment

"Cinema Verite" Worth Watching

Posted on April 24, 2011 by williamjcobb

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 | Leave a comment