Author Archives: Marion

Interlude, with Poet’s Shirt

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Marion

I don’t know what is about autumn that makes me nostalgic, but something does. Maybe it’s that my birthday comes shortly before the season, and encourages a reckoning, a taking-stock. Maybe I’ve just bought into all the literary propaganda about … Continue reading →

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The Sand Tufas

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Marion

About a mile from South Tufa, on a dirt and gravel road, is Navy Beach, where you can see limestone towers that are more otherworldly that the South Tufa constructions. The towers here form exactly the same way, except they … Continue reading →

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The Lake of Limestone Towers

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Marion

Mono Lake may be a million years old. Conservative estimates put it at 750,000 years. Once part of an inland sea, the lake, which covers about 69 square miles, is a shadow of its former greatness. It’s still great, though. … Continue reading →

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The Ibis Dances

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Marion

Bridgeport Lake is about three miles northeast of the town. It’s a water source and a recreational spot, I would say mostly for fishing. We passed a small marina and parked in the boat ramp area, a narrow inlet of … Continue reading →

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Random Images from Bridgeport

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Marion

Most of the land around Bridgeport seems to be cattle ranches, and lots of the plain, with sagebrush, rabbit brush and dried grass, was pastureland. There was a microbrewery next to the hotel (I don’t think we ever saw it … Continue reading →

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The Elevated Ghost Town: Bodie, CA

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Marion

Six miles south of Bridgeport, on US 395, a left turn takes you up into the hills, to an isolated valley that holds the remains of a mining boomtown, Bodie. Now a state park, the ghost town is maintained in … Continue reading →

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Bridgeport

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Marion

Towns have identities. Some towns, like my hometown, struggle to decide what their identity is, or try to change it. Some embrace what they are: a college town, a company town, a working-class town, a tourist town, a bedroom community. … Continue reading →

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27 Vultures

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Marion

I’ve ridden or driven past the turnoff for the South Shore of Camanche Lake Reservoir a hundred times, literally, but I’d never driven up to it. Linda and I weren’t on a clock, not really, so we took the turn … Continue reading →

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A New Spin on an Old Trope Leads to a Bumpy Ride

Posted on September 11, 2021 by Marion

In 2008, Random House published Lauren McLaughlin’s YA speculative sex comedy Cycler. On one level, it’s the story about Jill, an only child, and her quest (with the help of her friend Ramie) to get the New Boy at school … Continue reading →

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Aging: Walking Through a Diminishing Landscape

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Marion

What happens when you get older is things go away. People go away, and we all knew that. People who pass away leave a hole in your personal landscape. Maybe it’s a pinprick– the person was a friend of someone … Continue reading →

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