Author Archives: John Swinburn

Words are made for a certain exactness of thought, as tears are for a certain degree of pain. What is least distinct cannot be named; what is clearest is unutterable. ~ Rene Daumal ~ The fictional Arkansas town I created … Continue reading →

No matter how well-mannered you are—no matter how clean and pure your your thoughts and actions—no matter how distasteful you find violence or pornography or public displays of intimate behaviors that you believe belong only in the privacy of one’s … Continue reading →

Art surrounds us, providing an impetus to maintain our struggles to understand who and what we are. Art is embedded in everything we see and feel and taste and smell and hear. Even in the rare absence of deliberate art, … Continue reading →

The distance between two places measures separation. The distance between two points of view implies the same. But, with contemplation and conversation, points of view can change and even merge. But places, whether in close proximity or remote from one … Continue reading →

Last night, as we watched another episode of The Sopranos, we heard the shriek of the NOAA weather radio  from the other end of the house. It was too far away to catch what the automated voice said after hearing … Continue reading →

Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water. ~ Miguel de Cervantes ~ I came across a fascinating article yesterday on the BBC.com website. The article, entitled How does wildlife find garden ponds?, referenced studies that suggest the degree … Continue reading →

A change in the weather is sufficient to recreate the world and ourselves. ~ Marcel Proust ~ Despite the cool temperature (68°F), when I walk outside the day feels warm and oppressive to me. I suppose that is because the … Continue reading →

Very hot weather—kept at bay by air conditioners and ample supplies of clean water— illustrates good fortune as well as anything else. The ability to elude temperatures climbing toward and above the century mark emphasizes why gratitude for the “little … Continue reading →

A follow-up appointment with my primary care physician’s office. An initial appointment with an orthopedist. A follow-up visit with the thoracic surgeon. A therapeutic massage. Scheduling appointments with a cardiologist, a urologist, a pulmonologist, and God knows who else. The … Continue reading →

Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations. ~ Alan Watts ~ +++ Housing. Investments. Choosing places to live … Continue reading →

Days begin to run together after awhile. When I skip a day of blogging—or like yesterday write only enough to serve as a placeholder for a day that requires too much of me to enjoy writing—my recollections of what and … Continue reading →

It’s late, nearing 7:30, and I’ve been awake only a short while. The temperature here in Amarillo, Texas already is inching toward 80ºF, with triple digits in the forecast. We may opt to drive all the way home today, but … Continue reading →

I did not write a post yesterday. Instead, I was taken by ambulance to St. Anthonys Summit Hospital in Frisco, Colorado. Frisco is about a mile from Silverthorne, Colorado, where we stayed the night. Oddly, this hospitalization was probably my … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s travels did not compare with days prior. Yesterday was long and arduous, covering too many miles and involving too many hours on the road. The desert between Reno and Salt Lake City has little to recommend it, in my … Continue reading →

Yesterday marked the end of the vacation aspect of our trip. We left the coast, bound for Reno, Nevada. Our route, though, was a bit circuitous. And it took us through some spectacular scenery. Forests of towering redwoods stretching from … Continue reading →

Yesterday was devoted, primarily, to relaxation. We enjoyed naps, sitting on the deck, and a relatively brief jaunt into town (Mendocino) for lunch, some grocery shopping, and a look around a few shops. I think people sometimes feel obligated to … Continue reading →

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. ~ Plutarch ~ +++ Absolute privacy. Is there really such a thing? Possibly, but it is not assured, even on the private, ocean-facing deck of … Continue reading →

Not long after we arrived in Mendocino, we picked up a couple of free newsprint flyers promoting real estate in and around the area. Most of the listings were, as expected, wildly beyond our financial abilities; house list prices of … Continue reading →

When I woke early this morning, I felt an odd sensation, as if my body was vibrating. Focusing my attention more intently on the sensation, I decided it might not be a vibration but, instead, an exceptionally rapid and greatly … Continue reading →

We changed climates yesterday, exchanging an obscenely hot, dry environment for the coolness of the California coast. I felt almost too cool—but not quite—upon our arrival in Berkeley. When, after we drove a few blocks, we entered an Indian restaurant, … Continue reading →

Apparently, I have more than adjusted to being in the Pacific Daylight Time Zone. Though I woke at 5, I drifted back to sleep quickly, finally forcing myself out of bed just after 7…almost 9 back home. On one hand, … Continue reading →

Yesterday began with a superb outing at The Farm Cafe at Michael David Winery, only about seven miles from our motel. We were treated to an excellent brunch by mi novia‘s life-long friend, Debbie, and Debbie’s husband, John. Though I … Continue reading →

The drive from Bakersfield to Stockton was generally uneventful. Both sides of California Highway 99 were lush with orchards and crops and vineyards, even in the blistering June heat. Though the traffic was heavier than I would have liked, it … Continue reading →

Wednesday morning’s departure from the hotel in Gallup, NM stalled when I went down to get the car, only to be unable to locate it. I circled the hotel parking lot; I could not find it. It was not there. … Continue reading →

Roughly eleven hours and 665 miles after leaving the motel in Yukon, Oklahoma, I sat at the desk in another hotel; this one in Gallup, New Mexico. Yesterday’s drive included a stop for lunch at the Big Texan Steak Ranch … Continue reading →