Robin is safely back home through flying the friendly but expensive skies of United Airlines. No wheels fell from the plane, no doors blew off, and none of the passengers (including Robin) had to be subdued or arrested for worrisome behavior. So … all good.
I no longer enjoy flying, and it has nothing to do with being 35,000 feet in the air and moving along at 500 miles per hour. It has everything to do with being jammed into smaller and smaller spaces over the years, overzealous and officious TSA screeners in airports, and increasingly complex websites in which to handle ticket purchases or rescheduling. Oh and yes, there is the ever-present worry about whether you will ever see your luggage again when you turn it over to the baggage handlers.
It doesn’t help that we must enter the plane up front and walk through the gilded first class section while putting up with the long-suffering expressions on the faces of the occupants of that exalted realm who seem to be afflicted by seeing the unwashed pass them by. All this in order to get to the rabbit warrens in the back of the plane where we lesser beings are being shoehorned together.
The last time I flew I think that I saw Marie Antoinette in the first class section, lifting a small cake to her lips as the bubbles rose in her champagne glass.
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For those people who are becoming interested in learning more about the fascinating world of birds there is an abundance of national and global resources that are eager to provide information.
One of these that I recommend is the American Bird Conservancy. Something that they offer that I particularly enjoy is to have free periodic Zoom seminars. The next one is on nightjars, is scheduled for October 29, and you can sign up on their website.
Another personal favorite is the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. There is loads of information here, with photos, bird calls, habitat descriptions, etc. Southern New Hampshire University posts an extensive list of resources on all things birds on their website. My point? There is no shortage of ways to add to one’s knowledge of birds and birding. Just you and your computer and a measure of time could get you firmly on the way to a lifelong hobby or interest.
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What is hardest to accept is not that there is a creature like Donald Cluck. Aberrations such as he exemplifies are occurring all the time among humans. No, the hardest thing is that nearly half of our co-citizens support him for our country’s highest office.
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Another hike at the Black Canyon National Park – the Warner Point Trail. Only 2 miles out and back. There are magnificent views of the Black Canyon on this trail, but the camera doesn’t do them justice.
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Attention K-Mart Shoppers, don’t let the doors hit you on the butt on your way out. The last one in the U.S. just went down the tube.
From Kresge’s to K-Mart to Super K-Mart to extinction, this icon was both a creation of capitalism and a victim. I can’t say that I will miss shopping there. When I had access to one while living in South Dakota I rarely found what I was looking for at the K-Mart.
Kresge’s started in 1899, and the first K-Mart opened in 1962, so they’ve been around for an eon. Notice the line at the top of the photograph: “Nothing Over 10 Cents In Store.” My only recollection of a Kresge’s was the one located in downtown Minneapolis, and that was when I was a kid. Even then it had wooden floors and a musty aroma. Now they are gone and I have the musty aroma. No fair.
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Little Home In The Valley 