Quote with a little melancholy

Is it true? From James Salter’s new All That Is.

“The power of the novel in the nation’s culture had weakened. It had happened gradually. It was something everyone recognized and ignored. All went on exactly as before, that was the beauty of it. The glory had failed but fresh faces kept appearing, wanting to be part of it, to be in publishing which had retained a suggestion of elegance like a pair of beautiful bone- shined shoes owned by a bankrupt man.”

Malcolm? What say ye?

Some more talented friends

Lest anyone be confused about who is who (see comments not too far below), two southwestern greats, artists, horse folks, friends: photographer Jay Dusard, printmaker and pastel artist Nance McManus,

A couple of favorites by Nance: “Prophet”, and a Dinosaurian heron

And two by Jay. The first is of rancher- houndman- conservationist Warner Glenn, who first tracked a modern US jaguar, and his daughter Kelly; the second of a Texas bullfight class, many years ago. Right click & make ’em bigger.

Old Portrait

… by Jay Dusard, Libby’s place in Bozeman (Montana) in the 90’s, with Bart and Bo, long gone. JP says: “I love the photo of Steve at age twelve with his dogs (good looking little Aussie!). I love photos of people with their pets or working partners, meaning horses, (And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim*) because it always seems to reveal the best of them.” As always double click to embiggen; the depth & detail of Jay’s photos is amazing.

*That’s a quote. I bet Tom McIntyre knows who…

Big Changes

They made daughter in law Niki an offer they couldn’t refuse (nor would I have), and she and Jackson and Eli are off to work and live at what may be the most unique college in the US: Deep Springs. Photos by Jackson, zooming in:

I will encourage Jack to write something about the place. The location is as unique as the school; hours from any city, just west of the California- Nevada line, in a closed desert basin below the Sierras, on a working ranch. They actually have an endemic toad.

Frederick Scott

William’s nephew, Frederick built guns in the first two decades of the century, in Birmingham but with London styling. This is a 12 bore, proofed for 2 3/4″ 1 1/4 ounce shells (!- I will not shoot anything that stout in a gun that weighs just over six pounds!), barrles that are an unusual (or rather Continental) 70  cm in length, just like my Darne, Skeet & full. More will have to wait on shooting and my getting a (facsimile) maker’s catalog from Abby at Cornell. But it is as clean, tight, and ergonomic a gun of that age (or any) I have ever seen, with Holland- style locks and perhaps the nicest triggers I have ever owned; only Birmingham features are side clips and a hidden Greener bolt. Built today it would cost more than my truck or probably my house (less than a new pickup, for proper proportion). Thanks as ever to Ron Peterson. And I have more trade credit to come…

Right click to enlarge:

A quote or two

From Gerry Cox: “There’s a saying in the world of antique furniture, ‘The only substitute for knowledge is money, a lot of money.’ ”  Of course the reverse is also true– see the gun featured just a post or two above…

 Not at ALL “By the Way”; Gerry has joined two of our inner guns- books- dogs- food discussion circle (me and James Caldwell, The Old Gunkie) in blogging. His Hits and Misses does something unique in the blog world: he has successive posts on Rossini and how to build a Scout (or as he insists “woods”) rifle on a Mauser action Check it out! His thoughtful book about big game hunting will be coming this fall- watch this space.

From the late indispensable Vicki Hearne via Blue Dog State: “”. . .[T]here is something more to animals. A capacity for satisfactions that come from work in the fullest sense — what is known in philosophy and in this country’s Declaration of Independence as “happiness.” . . . Happiness is often misunderstood as a synonym for pleasure or as an antonym for suffering.”  This one will get header space down the line.

In and Out

I am sorry for spotty posting– heat, drought, stress, work, waiting (on money, on decisions), business, relatives (good- more on that coming), a dead car, the damned Post Office, Libby’s knee, sleeplessness engendered by all above, “Parkiness” generated by sleeplessness,  visitors; even pigeons (removing 40- some ferals who have invaded during our dry spring); all have been contributing to my absence.

But the rains have come and seem to be staying, “frogs” (spadefoots) are calling, our water situation has improved (only adequate account is in the Socorro Defensor Chieftain today, not on line at least yet); nights are cool enough to sleep, and the kids are moved. Blogging, if light, can resume. I may be intermittent til I have a long- range work plan, which depends on editors at least in part; I could also use an ergonomic chair and some new skill for IPad and DragonSpeak, but working on it all. Onward to all the usual suspects– dogs, quotes, guns, books, friends; more, and worse….

Cactus Flower

Each year we’ve been here we’ve seen yellow blooms on the many prickly pears on our property, but this is the first year we have seen flowers on these little barrel cactus. I’m not sure what brought them out this year, maybe drought or maybe they just naturally have long cycles between blooms.

They had such an intense color. I don’t think these lasted more than 24 hours – they were certainly gone the morning after I took these pictures.