It was something my grandfather said when he crossed the state line. He’d roll down the windows at the border. He’d breathe deeply. And then he’d say, “Smell them air!” Breathe deeply now with me, and smell them air!
Yearly Archives: 2016
Central Illinois
Thu, 28 Jul 2016, 08:50 PM (-06:00)
Central Illinois abstract Central Illinois concrete
Duskish
Mon, 25 Jul 2016, 08:38 PM (-06:00)
“Smell them air,” I said as we crossed into Michigan. Ben was behind the wheel. Trudy was in the backseat. I was in front snapping pictures of the lowering sun and the shadow of our car reaching out on the green growing beside the road as we raced that final stretch north. North to the […]
Standing Tall
Mon, 11 Jul 2016, 08:37 PM (-06:00)
Iesha Evans v. the storm troopers: photo credit: Jonathan Bachman/Reuters
Checkpoint Restart
Sun, 10 Jul 2016, 07:57 PM (-06:00)
They say we live in a simulation. Or that we could. Or might. To be honest, I don’t know what the line of reasoning is, and I don’t particularly care. I’ve got things to do. But you’ve got to admit, that if you were in a simulation and if you were British, this might be […]
Wildlife
Mon, 4 Jul 2016, 08:32 PM (-06:00)
Late in the afternoon. The sun is beginning to disappear behind the canyon walls. But the sky is still light and blue. And the air is still hot. We go down to the creek as all the summer’s day revelers are hiking out. We sit in the cool water. We listen to it flow. There’s […]
Olympexit
Mon, 4 Jul 2016, 10:42 AM (-06:00)
Oh the poor souls on the International Olympic Committee… Now that Oslo has snubbed them come to their senses, the only remaining bidders for the 2022 winter games are Kazakhstan and China. (What does that say? Discuss.) “Senior politicians in Norway appear not to have been properly briefed on the process and were left to […]
Part of Something
Mon, 4 Jul 2016, 09:09 AM (-06:00)
There were several people laughing in the background when they picked up the phone. The woman who answered was chuckling. “You’ve answered my question already,” I said. “I was wondering if you were open today. It sounds like you all are having fun.” We were planning to meet some friends there for lunch — to […]
Edible Arrangement at Window 2
Sun, 3 Jul 2016, 09:05 AM (-06:00)
From the back of the office, it could have been hard to find your way out. There were halls that went off in one direction or another. There were waiting areas where you had to turn even though it wasn’t obvious. But there were also signs. At each step where you found yourself asking “where […]