Photography is one of my great loves

And, some days photography even loves me. I took this picture at Nespelem, Washington, in the Nez Perce Cemetery on the Colville Indian Reservation. The tree is an ancient elm that arches over Chief Joseph’s grave. People have left many gifts hanging in that tree. Notice that the cross is accompanied by a coach’s or referee’s whistle, as well as the military headstones in the background, all symbols of things important to reservation culture:  Christian missions, high school sports and the warrior archetype.

I took the picture on one of my semi-annual trips to visit the graves of Joseph and Yellow Wolf, who I learned about while researching Side Trips From Cowboy.

The ancient elm at Joseph's grave in Nespelem. (Photography was very, very good to me that day.)
The ancient elm at Joseph’s grave in Nespelem. (Photography was very, very good to me that day.)

If you love photography as well, maybe you would like to go to Nespelem with me one day. There are many interesting things along the way.

A few thoughts on five days in sandals.

A shower of sand fell from my pack as I emptied it today. The stuff is whiteish, with gray and tan highlights. In my mind, there’s a big mystery about the color. Why is it almost white when near all the stone surrounding it is some permutation of black? The

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A few thoughts on writing for free.

After 61 days away traveling the West, with ten days on Maui thrown into the middle, it’s good to be home. I drove 7,434.8 miles, took way too many pictures, played golf, skied, ate out my cooler, camped out, stayed with friends and stayed within budget. It was a good

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A few thoughts on the power of consent.

I turned 74 last week, and I’m thinking of turning away from political commentary. I have tried for 25 years-plus to get people to think for themselves about who will be the best leader for the future of their kids and grandkids, but bottom line always seems to be the

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