Let's Count Some Blessings

 December 31, 2025

   Like you, I am taking stock on the last day of a bizarre and crazy year, writing off the losses and counting up the blessings. I'm not exactly sure who to thank for the latter, but I think you are part of that equation, out of kindness, I suppose.

Daily Whip Out: "Truxton Cowboys"

Getting Jiggy With Squibby

   I sent Dan The Man's movie poster of Walapai High (see yesterday's blog post) to Johnny Waters of Kingman fame, and here is his reply:

   "I haven't thought about Squibby in years. Here's my Squibby Nish story. We were in the 8th or 9th grade and he had gotten cross with a kid named Stratton, who was a sharp-dressed cowboy (dating the Hunt girl) out in Truxton, I believe. They decided to meet in the park and fight. There must have been 100 of us in a circle and Squibby says, 'Let me take my shirt off.'  He was wearing a nice Arrow Dover type shirt. He started unbuttoning and after about 3 buttons he decks Stratton.  Stratton is out cold on the ground and Squibby starts re-buttoning his shirt and just walks away. Friggin’ beautiful.  There was never a rematch as far as I recall."

—John Waters, Charlie Waters' younger brother  

Welcome to The Era of AI Slop

"When Merriam-Webster announced that its 2025 Word of the Year was 'slop,' it made a disturbing amount of sense—at least from the perspective of someone (me) who reports on the ins and outs of social media.

   "The historical dictionary manufacturer defines 'slop' as 'digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence,' or 'all that stuff dumped on our screens,' according to Merriam-Webster’s online announcement.

   “The flood of slop in 2025 included absurd videos, off-kilter advertising images, cheesy propaganda, fake news that looks pretty real, junky AI-written books, 'workslop' reports that waste coworkers' time… and lots of talking cats. People found it annoying, and people ate it up,' Merriam-Webster added."

—Colin Kirkland, Media Daily News

A New Year's Toast!

   Here's to the most intelligent and attractive blog readers on the planet. Uno and I will toast you all at midnight.

   Well, technically, not at the actual midnight, but closer to 8:30 in the evening. Still, the sentiment is accurate.

"All the federales say, they could have had him any day, they only let him hang around, out of kindness I suppose."

—Townes Van Zandt, Pancho & Lefty

Where Have All The Time Travelers Gone?

 December 30, 2025

   Well, it's been a wild one, that's for sure. Let's try and go out with a laugh, or two.

Where Have All The Time Travelers Gone?

"The reason you never see time travelers is they all went to 1993 and decided to stay. Concerts were $20. Nobody knew what gluten was. If you missed a TV show, it was gone forever. Somehow that was better. They're all there right now, buying CDs at Tower Records, completely happy."

—Matt Lisle

   And speaking of a simpler time, here is a new show I would binge watch.

   Think "Happy Days" meets "Dances With Hogan's Heroes"

"I treat my body like a temple. I only pay attention to it around the holidays."

—Steven Rogers

Cadillac Ranch Being Born Plus A Great Place to Retire

 December 29, 2025

   Anyone who believes people ruin everything has a great example at the Cadillac Ranch.

   It was such a cool idea to bury ten Cadillacs at a 45 degree angle beside the old Route 66 right of way.

Cadillac Ranch being born, 1974

   Today, it's just a mutated mess of ugly spray paint which obliterates any semblance of the original intent.

Name Dropping

   Back in 1995, I visited my good friend Paul Northrop on the outskirts of El Paso and he let me take a spin on his favorite mule, who he had named Wyatt. Later, one of his friends saw the photo and asked, "Who's the ass on Wyatt?"

An Ass On Wyatt

   Thanks to Kathy Sue I got to visit the insane asylum at San Remy, in the south of France back in 2015. This is where Vincent van Gogh spent some quality time several years earlier (1889-90). Call me crazy but I could totally relate.

Two Crazy Making Showoffs at San Remy

   Only a nerdy kid from Kingman would come up with a pun on retiring. . .

Hackberry BozeCard

Uno Flashback 

Yes, this is my chair now.

    Sometimes a quick sketch captures a feeling better than a labored endeavor. Did this while I was in Lincoln for an artist in residence gig in 2014.

Daily Whip Out: "Billy's Remorse"

“Villains are the heroes of their own stories.”

—Old Vaquero Saying

Paul Gauguine Goes All Buffalo Bill And Little bbb Mourns BB

 December 28, 2025

   Just finished a book on Colonel Greene the Tombstone Tycoon who built up a massive copper mine industry in Cananea, Mexico then died in an odd accident. Strange cat. But he is excellent stock for a character in my upcoming Border Trilogy.

Coming From Boze Studios

   Before the cultural explosion that ripped the region assunder, the borderlands along the Arizona-New Mexico line were rife with industry and exploration. A new hybrid of the cowboy was being formed on both sides of the line and the style would eventually conquer the world.

A Sonoran Vaquero In Sugarloaf Canyon

   What do we know about him? He has been away for a very long time, he is a wanted man. . .

He Plowed Through Dust, Headed for Home

Daily Whip Out:

"Home Is Where The Bridle Is"

   

BB & Little bbb Sittin' In A Tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

   Yes, I had a crush on her when I was 14.

Brigitte Bardot (1934-2025)

   It lasted until the eighties. Not the 1980s but when she was in her eighties and got so crazy with the bizarre political rants.

Paul Gauguin Goes All In On Buffalo Bill

   Vincent van Gogh's roommate in Arles attended the Buffalo Bill Wild West Congress & Rough Riders of The World show several times in Paris in 1889 and became so infatuated with the American showman and the Wild West, that Paul Gauguin bought a revolver,  a big ol' hat and—get this!—"yellow-high-heeled cowboy boots" and practiced shooting tin cans.

Daily Whip Out:

"The Buffalo Bill Hat Painter"

   All this is according to the author of Wild Child: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux. She adds that Paul painted with the Buffalo Bill hat on for about a decade. 

   All I have to say about that is—Piker!

Going On My Fifth Decade Painting With Hat On

(Photo by Scott Baxter)

"I shut my eyes in order to see."

—Paul Gauguin

The Guess Girls & The Norsky Sock Queen

 December 27, 2025

   Thanks to Andy Sansom, here's a high school photo of my mother I have never seen before.

Bobbie Guess, Class of '39

Mohave County Union High School

   As you many know, my mother was the middle daughter of the five Guess girls, legendary cowgirls in the Kingman area. My mother was born in Lordsburg, New Mexico and here she is after landing at Tap Duncan's Diamond Bar Ranch in northern Mohave Country from the Duncan (no relation) area.

Bobbie On The Hood

   My Kathy got me two presents this year:  One hilarious and one hits me right where I live. The first involves a fave family story from when we lived in Iowa, before our final move to Arizona in 1956. On Christmas Eve, my dad drove us from Swea City to the family farm north of Thompson for a present exchange, then Santa came in the middle of the night and we opened those presents and then we went to Dina Madison's house in Thompson for a Christmas Day luncheon and gathering. Dina was my grandmother Minnie's sister. Dina was a teacher and on a tight budget so when we opened presents there, I got a pair of socks, "one for my birthday (Dec. 19) and one for Christmas." When anyone talks about the curse of being a Christmas baby, that is the story I always tell. This Christmas, Kathy had two separate packages under the tree in Issaquah, and yes, they were a pair of socks, one for my birthday and one for Christmas. And, yes, it was very funny and it should be noted our Deena is named for the Norsky sock Queen Dina Madison.

   The other present from Kathy, which I got for my birthday, is a book. . .

"There's nothing stronger than an unwritten book's fascination with its author."

—A. J. Hackwith, author of The Library of the Unwritten"

Cat On A Hot Tin Cave Creek Roof And Humor to Heal Our Damaged Social Fabric

 December 26, 2025

   Back from Issaquah and four days of great food, big love and lots of laughs. Last Tuesday we attended The Nutcracker in downtown Seattle. It was festive and fun. Hard to believe an opera that was first staged in 1892 is still relevant, but here we are, still showing up.

Space Needle over "The Nutcracker"

   Full Disclosure: the above photo was actually taken from the parking garage where we landed to go see The Nutcracker. I took it through the air vent inside the bridge tunnel entrance on the way back to the car.

   And, yes, at 133 years and counting, you might say the Nutcracker has legs. And, speaking of legs, I just found out the oldest cafe on the planet just turned 300. Yes, Casa Botin in downtown Madrid is still in business. What is their secret?

"Casa Botin is about traditional flavors. We have lasted this long because we have great respect for authenticity."

—Antonio Gonzales, co-owner of Casa Botin

   My favorite part of visiting with the grandkids is giving them support and encouragement on art projects and prying them with little tricks to make art more fun. We had some "fan-brush fun" and here is the proof in the pudding.

Frances Whip Out: "House In The Breeze"

   These same Issaquah kids want to get a cat and this prompted their mother remembering when she was growing up our cats in Cave Creek lived on the roof to avoid getting eaten by coyotes.       Unfortunately, Harris Hawks weren't thwarted by the tactic. Here is one of those long gone cats.

Cat On A Hot Tin Cave Creek Roof

  I found this photo I took of Kathy for her real estate business and if you look closely, you will see one of our cats on the roof of the pump house. 

   I am still on my quest to honor humor wherever I run into it. As I mentioned previously, I tipped the Pre-Flight shuttle driver at Sky Harbor for making a good joke about Seattle and just being overall zany. I wanted to tip the head stewardess on our flight home yesterday because she gave the funniest pre-takeoff instructions I have ever encountered ("Just pretend you are listening. . ."), but Southwest frowns on tipping so I just raved to her what a hoot she is when she brought me a drink (coffee), which she quipped she had added a little Bailey's to give it a little bite. She was joking, of course.

   And speaking of our damaged social fabric. . .

"This glorious, ragged old band, travelling the country, trying to sew our ripped social fabric together once more, one town at a time."

—Alex Abramovich, in the New Yorker, describing Willie Nelson and his band on the road in 2026

Life In The Laugh Lane

 December 23, 2025

   Spent most of Monday fighting our way to Issaquah, Washington. Snarling traffic and maximum humanity all the way. Decided to stop fighting the tide and reward everyone who still has a sense of humor in these trying times. The shuttle driver at Pre-Flight made a joke about us going to Seattle ("Why would you go there?") and it was just so zany, so I tipped him generously and said, "The extra tip is for being so funny in this current climate of Snarkiness. Our country needs you more than ever. Thank you for your humor, sir."

   Landed in Seattle at 11 and we were picked up by this zany crew:

Scenic lunch at The Water Table

   And, so the generous tips continued to anyone who made me laugh. It was a rather expensive day, but it was worth it. Anybody who can be humorous in this current world deserves something extra. That's my motto and I'm sticking to it for the rest of the holiday season.

"If honestly were suddenly introduced into American life, the whole system would collapse."

—George Carlin

A Penny for A Penny vs A Penny for Your Thoughts

 December 21, 2025

   It's the shortest day of the year and I'd like to say this post will emulate that with my own brevity, but, you know me—and Bruce ("they said sit down, I stood up. . .").

Coming Soon From Boze Studios

   West of Patagonia, there was no borderline , at least one you could see. The Rurales and the Rangers knew, of course, but even they had a hard time pinning down exactly where it was.

Daily Whip Out: 

"Rurales Crossing The San Pedro"

Adventures In The Gouache Zone

   I love doing gouache washes to see where it might take me. This morning I got a surprise when I was working on a potential dust storm and I felt something under my drawing table. I leaned back to see this visitor.

Tornado Head

In-din Humor

   Every time Floyd Red Crow Westerman was introduced to someone who claimed a Cherokee grandmother, he would turn them around and look at their butt and say, "I can usually tell by the high cheekbones."

A Penny for Your Thoughts

   When I was a much younger lad, whenever I saw a penny on the ground, I would pick it up, squeeze it and say one word, "Western," and pocket the penny. It was a ritual I followed for decades and I admit it was kind of superstitious and goofy, but personally it was a great way to center my thoughts and efforts and, to be honest, it was kind of effective. Today, I co-own True West magazine, I have authored 15 illustrated books on Western icons and I am a YouTube Western historian with a couple million views. So, goofy or not, it kind of worked for me in a Western kind of way.

   So, it was with great interest I read about a recent end of the penny. Some guy named Jarell Mique, was a co-producer of an event to mark the passing and he claims he was hired to "create a silly moment." He hired actors and comedians to dress up as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the Lincolns to give remarks at the event. The faux Mary Todd Lincoln asked the audience if they had ever heard of the old "pick up a penny and you'll have good luck" thing. Many raised their hands, including myself. Then she added this: "The penny poured out all its good luck for us and saved none for itself. If only the penny could have picked up another penny for good luck. A penny for a penny."

   Now, that's rich.

"If we all do it and we don't wanna talk about it, it's funny, man."

—George Carlin

Uno Lying Down Comes Around, Sue Is still Waiting And Redneck Mother's Everywhere Are Still Seething

December 20, 2025
   Here's a favorite position of someone in our house.

Uno Lying Down

And here's what that looks like, in stone, on the side of Elephant Butte

Uno Lying Down In Stone

Yes, I am easily amused.

"Now, there's a story for the ages."

   Looking back on my movie deal in the early eighties, I realized a couple of things. One is, Hollywood bought the synopsis of Honkytonk Sue and what she stands for, not the story of Sue. And that has been a question mark that has hung over the property ever since. Columbia Pictures spent $150,000 trying to buy a story and they couldn't land it. They hired Larry McMurtry for God's sake, and he wrote three scripts with Leslie Marmon Silko and they couldn't get it to work. Of course, it didn't help that Goldie Hawn was calling the shots and when she said, regarding one of my synopsis of a possible story, "I don't think Indians are funny." And it was at that point I knew, this project is in trouble.
Speaking of story origination:


Up Against The Wall Red Neck Mother
   I had always assumed the mother referenced in the classic honkytonk song, was short for—mother trucker (that's not the actual swear but you knew that), so imagine my pleasant surprise when Texas Monthly tracked down the real reference:

"In the early seventies, Ray Wylie Hubbard lived in Dallas but spent his summers in Red River, New Mexico, playing music with other long-haired expats, like Texans B. W. Stevenson and Bob Livingston. There were only two places to buy beer in town, a hippie bar and a redneck bar, and one afternoon, when it was Hubbard’s turn to make a beer run, he decided to go to the redneck joint, the D-Bar-D, because it was closer.

"He regretted it immediately. 'I walked in and there were thirty or forty people drinking, including one old woman,' he recalls. 'The jukebox stopped and they all turned and looked at me.' He nervously asked the bartender for a case, and while he waited, he found himself getting baited by the woman and her son. 'How can you call yourself an American with hair like that?' she asked. Her son added, 'You want me to beat him up?' Hubbard got his beer and fled, but not before eyeing a pickup truck in the parking lot with a gun rack and a redneck bumper sticker. Once he was safely back with his pals, he picked up his guitar, strummed a G, and made up a song on the spot, about a redneck mother whose son was 'thirty-four and drinking in a honky-tonk, just kicking hippies’ asses and raising hell.'

"Hubbard eventually returned to Dallas and forgot about the song until a year later, when he got a call from Livingston, who was playing bass with Jerry Jeff Walker. Livingston had performed the song for Walker, who wanted to record it. But it needed another couple of verses. So, standing in his parents’ bedroom, phone to his ear, Hubbard once again made up some lines on the spot, about the pickup he’d seen in the parking lot, the gun rack, and a 'Goat ropers need love too' sticker.

"Walker included the song on his album ¡Viva Terlingua!, jump-starting Hubbard’s career. 'If I hadn’t gone into the D-Bar-D,' says Hubbard, 'that song never would have existed. It’s so strange that it all happened, still kind of a mystery.'”
—Texas Monthly

"He was born in Oklahoma
His wife's name's Betty Lou Thelma Liz
He's not responsible for what he's doing
'Cause his mother made him what he is

And it's up against the wall, Redneck Mother
Mother, who has raised her son so well
He's thirty four and drinking in a honky tonk
Just kicking hippies' asses and raising hell

Sure does like his Falstaff beer
He likes to chase it down with that Wild Turkey liquor
He drives a fifty seven GMC pickup truck
Got a gun rack, 'Goat roper needs love too' stickerM is for the mud flaps you give me for my pickup truck
O is for the oil I put on my hairT is for T-bird, H is for Haggard
E is for eggs and R is for Redneck

Up against the wall, Redneck Mother
Mother, who has raised her son so well
He's thirty four and drinkin' in a honky tonk
Kicking hippies' asses and raising hell"

—Ray Wilie Hubbard, Redneck Mother

Talkin' 'Bout My Generation

 December 19, 2025

   When I was an underclassman at the University of Arizona (1966-67) I was forced to take a ridiculous Physical Education class called Developmental Activities which involved, among other tortures, a graduating scale of squat thrusts and leg lifts, pull ups and sit ups each done in the corners of a practice football field, which we ran around, east of Bear Down Gym. Plus, the class was held at 7:40 a.m. on Saturday. On my way to this torture-fest, I remember walking along with a fellow classmate who remarked out of the blue, "I can't wait until our generation gets in power. All this bullshit will be solved." I remember thinking to myself, I wonder if that will be true? And, so, today, on my 79th birthday I decided to take stock of that question.

   For starters, we have had three presidents who are exactly my age, meaning three Boomer presidents who have taken a swing at all the BS we see today. In fact, the three Boomer Prezes were born in consecutive months: June, July & August of 1946. And, they are Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Donald J. Trump. And as of today, all of us are 79. I know what you're thinking, "Hey, Boze, you are way too old to be president." Yes, that is true. And so are all the other guys, above. 

   "People try to put us down, just because we get around."

—The Who

   On a related note: beware of a new virus spreading throughout the Southwest:

Trump-Vaquero Degrangement Syndrome

   On a happier note, my daughter sent me a nice bottle of Napa Valley Red for my birthday.

A Napa Valley Bottle of Red

& A Dog Named Blue, I mean,

Uno On A Blue Mat!

"I'm getting bugged driving up and down the same ol' strip. Gottah find a new place, where the kids are hip."

—Brian Wilson

Common Sense Dancing

 December 18, 2025

   The other day I found this great piece of art that Frank Mell gifted me back in the eighties when Ed and I shared studio space. 

   It is made up of found objects, like ripped blue jeans (for the clouds and sky), rusty metal (for the red earth) and twisted wire for the hanging ropes. Frank called them his "Westerns" which is pretty damn clever when you think about it. All three of the Mell brothers, Frank, Ed and Lee were so damn talented. I hung Frank's "Western" next to a note Edmundo gave me when he came to the opening of my new studio back in 1992. It is my Mell wall and I see it every day and smile.

   Took Uno to the vet this morning for his annual checkup. He wasn't too happy to be there, so he tucked his head behind my leg for protection.

Uno Seeks Leg Protection

   In his defense, they fiddled with his manhood one time and maybe that has something to do with his shyness.

   Went to the post office and got this packet full of the new Dude Ranchers book. That made my day.

"Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing."

—William James

West of The Nostalgia Problem

 December 17, 2025

   When I see old movie posters like this they make me happy.

   Why is that? Well, for one thing they look incredibly cool in a retro kind of way, and two, it reminds me of being young and going to the movies, even though this is much earlier than my experience.

A Dude Cover of Tim McCoy We Didn't Use

"When we think of the past, it's the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that."

—Margaret Atwood

The Problem With Western Nostalgia

   A nostalgia for a lost time is the problem all humans experience. Real history is about understanding change. If things are going to remain the same, something has to change.

   On the other hand, do not abandon the past. It leads to where you want to go. Besides, the past is never done with you.

   You can't trust atoms, They make up everything.

   Please be patient with me, I'm from the 1900s.

"Nothing clears a room faster than the words Chester A. Arther."

—Alexis Coe, presidential historian

Salvador Dali Rails Against The "Stupid Presence of A Dog" In Any Art Studio Hmmmmm

 December 15, 2025

   This morning, I was looking for artistic inspiration and so I grabbed an excellent book from my library: "Salvador Dali: 50 Secrets of Magic Craftmanship" and it was fun to revisit some of his artistic nuggets, such as his love of the fan-shaped brush. And because of Dali, I have discovered so many tricks with this little awkward looking paint brush:

Daily Whip Outs Galore With This

Fan Shaped Delight

   But then I came to this secret: "Believe me, when I advise you to guard your studio with the utmost vigor against the intrusion of any living creature besides your wife." He goes on, railing against monkeys, parrots, cats and then he gets to the heat of his disdain: "the stupid presence of a dog, with its lachrymose sentimentality, cannot but strike you as lamentably out of harmony with the cruel tensions of your lucid spirit, which is one of the principal vital and fecund characteristics of every authentic creator."

—Salvador Dali

   Well, he could have talked all day and not said that, especially when I looked around and saw this.

"Dog-Gonnit I thought people liked me!"

   Well, scratch that part of Dali's dog-gone advice. The fan brush stays and so does the dog! 

   Made some green chile this afternoon and whenever I do that, I haul down Mad Coyote Joe's classic cookbook.

Green Chile via Mad Coyote Joe

   Joe is also a guitar player and one man band. 

   I think he would appreciate this little dittie.

"Guitarists spend half their lives tuning their guitars and the other half playing out of tune."

—Paul Simon

Young Guns II Rides Off Into the Sunset

 December 14, 2025

   I'm going down to the Scottsdale Museum of the West this afternoon to introduce the last film in our Billy the Kid series which Andrew Patrick Nelson curated to coincide with our art show The Resurrection of Billy the Kid. Just for grins, last night Kathy and I rewatched Young Guns II to refresh my memory.

A Touching Scene From Young Guns II

Viggo Gets Inspiration as John Poe

   So, why did John Fusco embrace the Brushy Bill story for the sequel? Well, I contacted John and this is what he said:

"I didn’t expect Young Guns to open at #1 and engender a sequel. So suddenly I was faced with refrying the beans from the overcooked take on the Kid story. That’s when I went to the obscure footnote on Brushy Bill and felt it could be a unique and fascinating way in to the standard narrative. I wasn’t slumming or exploiting; I had always had a genuine interest in that mythology."

—John Fusco on his approach to a Young Guns sequel

Back to The Fifties For Better Health!

 December 13, 2025

   People my age are suffering from future shock. Passwords up the ying yang, styles seemingly bizarre and fractured 90 second dramas (Tik Tok anyone?). Is there an escape from this future shock madness? A professor at Harvard proved there is.

Proof That Back to Your Youth Is Healthy!

   Professor Ellen Langer from Harvard University conducted an intriguing study in 1979.

 

   "A group of men in their 70s and 80s were asked to spend a week in a facility entirely designed to resemble the 1950s.

 

   "The pictures on the walls, the books on the shelves, the magazines on the table, and even the radio and TV broadcasts were all tailored to events from 1959. Participants were asked to imagine themselves as being 20 years younger and to converse as if everything was true. They were also required to be unusually self-reliant.

 

   "The results were astonishing.

 

   "Langer revealed that without any medical intervention, in just one week, their hearing improved, their vision sharpened, and their memory and physical strength increased. They even visibly appeared younger.

 

   "The idea of the mind’s influence on the body deeply intrigued Langer. She subsequently conducted a series of experiments in the next few decades to explore what the mind can possibly do on its own. Many outcomes from her work contradicted what was commonly thought. And her findings are something we can immediately put into practice for better health and a merrier life."

   Well, I guess she is right. I did everything she did, above. And when I looked in the mirror this is what I saw this morning.

"I feel retro-terrific!"

"My way of joking is to tell the truth. It's the funniest joke in the world."

—George Bernard Shaw

   

Pointsettias Aren't Called That In Mexico

 December 12, 2025

   Just got this report from a friend of mine down on the Nogales border.

Noche Buenas Meet Joel Poinsett

Noche buenas, as they are known in Mexico

   "Here are a couple of Noche Buenas, above, as they’re known South of the Border. Euphorbia pulcherrima, owe their name and fame to Joel Poinsett, (1779-1851) first US Ambassador to the newly independent Mexico. Named by President John Quincy Adams. In addition to being a physician, graduate of University of Edinburgh, he was an excellent horticulturalist-botanist. Once in Mexico he discovered the above named Euphorbia in Taxco, took several cuttings which he sent to his horticultural friends and which he planted at his residence (he had a greenhouse at his home in South Carolina) and encouraged others to do the same. The plants thrived, beautiful green leaves and red flowers, and today are grown by the millions for the December market around the world. Like others of his time and place he and his family owned and traded in slaves. He was eventually asked to leave Mexico by the fledgling government because of his interference in their elections. Still, his name remains attached to one particular flowering plant. With a bit of care you can get more than a year out of your poinsettias if you’re careful. Having a greenhouse, as I do, certainly helps."

—Greg Scott, historian and horticulturist

   As for myself, I am back out on the road in search of an elusive, but prevalent signature of desert highways.

Daily Whip Out: "Heatwave Highway"

Route 66 Public Service Announcement #73

The Beautiful Hitchhiker Legend Meets Reality

   Throughout the last century of travel on Route 66 one myth stands tall and that is of the beautiful hitchhiker who beckons to lonely male drivers for a ride. Never mind that it was dangerous (on both sides!) and often hid a darker motive. There are multiple police accounts of female hitchhikers getting a car to stop and then her ne're-do-well boyfriend—in some cases plural!—jumped out of the bushes or the ditch to cash in on the "free ride." Most of these encounters ended well, but more than a few did not. Still, the myth endures.

Linda Ronstadt assumes the Hitcher pose

in the 1970s​

"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field."
—Niels Bohr

Pardon My English? But Is That Pitcher Speaking Hualapai to The Catcher?

December 11, 2025

   Certain atmospheric scenes attract me and when that happens I get rather anal about it and do multiple takes on the geothermal rendering of it. 

   On one side is civility. On the other—is everything else.

Daily Whip Out: "El Divisadero"

   And, I still like to warm up with the loosey goosey.

Daily Whip Out: "Roses For The Lady"

   Here are two of the very zaniest Hualapais you could ever meet, circa 1964:

Nay and Squibe Nish

   It was Nay Nish who was catching in a MCUHS away baseball game at Peoria, Arizona. On the mound was this fast ball throwin', groovy cat:

Philbert Watahomogie

   Instead of finger signs that 99.9% of baseball catchers use to determine what the next pitch should be (fast ball, curve, slider, bean ball. . .) the two Hualapais merely conversed in their Native tongue, rather loudly, which unnerved the Peoria leadoff man, who stepped out of the batter's box and said to the homeplate umpire, "Can they do that?" We laughed all the way back to Kingman. And Philbert struck him out, to boot. So there.

"Do the French say, 'Pardon my English' before they swear?"

—Old Vaquero Question

"To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time."
—Leonard Bernstein

Mexican Jail Bait And The Cave Outside Our Window

December 10, 2025

   Sometimes I look around our property and think to myself, how did I get so lucky? I mean, who has a Mexican jail in their front yard?

Mexican Jail Bait

(built by my Kingman Cowboy Cousin Craig Hamilton)

   In the same vein, who has this view out of their living room window?

The Cave Outside Our Window 

(yes, as in Cave Creek)

   So, how did I land this primo casa? Twenty years ago I served on a book panel with Diana Gabaldon at the Flagstaff Book Fesitval. After the panel broke up we chatted and I asked her how she got her breakthrough blockbuster deal with The Outlander and she laughed and said she simply posted scenes and encounters on her online blog until enough people asked, "What happens next?" And when she increased the number who asked that she sent it to a publisher. Doesn't get much more simple than that!

   That's exactly how I got the view.

"There’s a great story about Pablo Picasso, where an interviewer asked him if he was ever intimidated by that blank canvas in the morning and the artist’s response? 'That canvas better be afraid of me when I get up in the morning…'"

—Craig Johnson, author of the Longmire Series

Daily Re-Re-Whip Out:

"Darkness On The Edge of My Hometown

Final Final"

  If I could do one thing better, it would be this.

The whole art of life is knowing the right time to say things."
—Maeve Binchy