I have been and always shall be

You know how a conversation with an old friend always seems so easy? There’s a certain fluency that we long for, in that effortless social space where being friends isn’t hard work but just is. As we find ourselves scattered across the globe, our relationships mediated by self-serving Facebook posts, random tweets, or hurried holiday […]

Sonoran Desert

There are museums in this world, and then there are museums. The Sonoran Desert Museum near Tucson is one of the latter. Where else could you find both desert bighorn sheep and giant saguaro cactus? Or beautiful desert flowers like Penstemon parryi? Or fuzzy (but not exactly cuddly) Teddy Bear Cholla? Part of the Sonoran […]

No life like Lowell life

Lowell, AZ is perched on the edge of the Lavender Pit, a huge copper mine near the Mexican border. At first glance, it resembles a movie set or a ghost town. The buildings appear untouched since the fifties, and vintage automobiles line the only street in town. But if you look closely, you can find […]

Tombstone

On the way to Bisbee for The General’s birthday, we stopped in Tombstone and discovered cowboys and lawmen congregating near the O.K. Corral. None of them looked like Val Kilmer or Sam Elliott, but that was okay with me. The courthouse nearby was filled with artifacts and history. I was particularly drawn to a room-sized […]

Into the mine

Everyone looks hideous in a hard hat, but I dutifully donned my hat and yellow slicker in preparation for a tour of the Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee, AZ. I’m fascinated by mines, and my novel contains a number of scenes set in the mines of Cerro Rico. The Queen Mine is not as huge […]

Birthday in Bisbee

It’s not every day that a WWII veteran throws a party, so when The General decided to celebrate his 89th birthday in Bisbee, we had to come along to share the fun. An old mining town near the Mexican border, Bisbee is filled with staircases and art. The houses are stacked up the sides of […]

An Introvert’s Guide to Fat Tuesday

It’s Fat Tuesday, and if you’re anything like me, perhaps you’re hoping to enjoy one last binge before renouncing the devil and all his empty carbohydrates. But there’s a problem: you’re a raging introvert. You prefer being alone. In fact, you’d rather be flogged at dawn than spend a minute of your evening in a […]