Outside Angel Fire, New Mexico
Outside Angel Fire, New Mexico, the savvy old ranchers heard the damnedest thing, those seven crescendos all firing off at once. To their untrained ears the blasts struck notes of perfect harmony. Cecile and Nick were miles away, sharing a pizza on the patio at the...
Her Copy Of The Land Of Little Rain
Her copy of The Land Of Little Rain sat on the kitchen table and escaped the worst of the wine spill. The party the night before didn’t run late. It just ran steady. When they began to discuss Felton, Caroline unfolded the map of the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park...
The Wreck On Hilgard Avenue
The wreck on Hilgard Avenue was just down from the church. Given her druthers, Cecile would have moved back into her bungalow at the Hotel Bel-Air. But to return to the scene of the crime, a crime she had not committed, wasn’t in the cards. She was no longer on the...
Later On In Ajo, Arizona
Later on in Ajo, Arizona, a handful of the ghosts who carved out the open pit mine gathered for a few beers. At a table in the back of a dusty saloon they passed around an old black and white picture of a bristlecone pine. They decided to head up to the Great Basin...
Back In Mexican Hat, Utah
Back In Mexican Hat, Utah time had finally run out. There was just one disappointment. The CEO of the oil and gas company where Dorothy had worked wasn’t one of the oilmen who had been hauled off by the cartel. He was still out there, pumping those BTEX compounds way...
The Jukebox In Riddle, Idaho
The jukebox in Riddle, Idaho with those ancient warm vacuum tubes glowing away deep inside stirred up some rugged memories. Dorothy didn’t hear a thing. But she remembered her boss had just built a place not far from Santa Maria, back in the Santa Lucia Mountains. ...
The Misunderstanding In Las Vegas
The misunderstanding in Las Vegas probably could have been avoided. They flew in with the church choir and gave them the slip at the baggage claim. Back home, it was agreed greater care should be placed on the selection of chaperones.
Casmalia, California Sold Out
Casmalia, California sold out of sharkskin suits shortly before noon. Everything in the haberdashery was bent out of focus. None of the men picking strawberries that day could resist the way the light refracted and the fabric shimmered.
Book Soup
Book Soup always had what people were looking for, especially when they had no idea what it was they wanted. They told each other this was why a good bookshop was akin to a good cocktail.
Out On The Otay Mesa
Out on the Otay Mesa, the oldest gray wolves turned blue in the moonlight. You could watch them glow but you couldn’t hear them. No matter how hard you listened and no matter how soft the wind, there wasn’t a sound.
They Broke Down In Barstow
They broke down in Barstow, just like the oracle in Las Vegas said. The dust storm made it rough. Right away they were engulfed in brown clouds that spread like nasty rumors.
High Tide In Avila Beach
High Tide in Avila Beach, California hit before sunrise. The most brutal waves came skidding in crossways. They knocked out a few pilings along the pier and sent the sea lions out to deeper water. After high tide, bacon aromas from town rippled through the fog down...
Trouble In Thatcher, Colorado
Trouble in Thatcher, Colorado rarely appeared. When it did, wind carved snowdrifts into what the older bighorn sheep knew to be warning signs. The elders harbored grave misgivings.
Late At Night In Las Vegas
Late at night in Las Vegas, so late the first sun was already tinting the Spring Mountains, they left Binion’s by the side door. The sidewalks along Casino Center Boulevard were empty. Every peril dodged and every temptation tamed, they walked out with a bundle.
The Woman In The Delhi Colorado Sweatshirt
The woman in the Delhi, Colorado sweatshirt was still on hold with the insurance company after an hour and a half. Her phone was just about out of juice and she’d left the power cord at her sister’s, so she mixed up another Bloody Mary.
The Man In The Pismo Beach Condo
The man in the Pismo Beach condo squinted through the rain down to the Ventana Grill. That’s where she wanted to go and they had a fine evening. She brought back all the missing light and then some. Then he walked away from the window, made a grilled cheese sandwich...
President Chester Arthur
President Chester Arthur wasn’t aware of the admirable precision of their language. Like most Americans, he figured the Hopi got along with a limited collection of ancient grunts. On a crisp day, he signed the executive order shortly before Christmas in 1882. The ink...
Dancing By The Freeway
Dancing by the freeway he floated above the onramp. He fluttered in the first thin layer of fog that settled in after dark, but all that was just a memory now. They had him cuffed in a windowless room. Air conditioning thundered and voices murmured. Maybe he...
