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Posts published in “Essays”

Autumn in New York: On the Finger Lakes Trail

Ithaca, New York — After spending three weeks in Seattle, smoke-choked from the Bolt Creek Fire burning north of the city, I returned to Upstate New York. Here the skies were blue and the foliage…

A Canceled Backcourt

The first knock on Kyrie Irving’s sanity came a few years ago when he told an interviewer that he, personally, had no reason to be certain that the earth was round. It looked flat to…

Don’t Grow; Manufacture: Lord Of The Rings

No, I’m not talking about J.R.R. Tolkien’s superlative epic, nor am I talking about the action adventure movies inspired by “The Lord of the Rings.” I’m talking about the crispy, flavored, cannabis-infused rings from Tsumo…

iPhone Upgrade

Something amazing happened when I went to get a new phone last year: I didn’t buy one, because instead of pressuring me to spend a bunch of money, the salesperson helped me keep my old…

Scripture & Strategy

Reputable cannabis clinicians and righteous activists want the Medical Board of California to close down the “recommendation mills” that provide 18, 19, and 20-year-olds with access to dispensaries where they can buy megadoses of THC.…

Meditations On The Dodge Dart

For a period of 32 years, from 1988 to 2020, I owned a grand total of two automobiles. Both were Dodge Darts that had rolled off the Chrysler assembly line in the early 1970s. The…

Willie & Me, 1972-2018

I first met Willis Tucker in the early spring of 1972. I had moved to Anderson Valley the year before, bought part of the old Ingram Ranch in Navarro with the intent to plant wine…

Promises, Promises

As a simple matter of principle, and a tiny dash of “Screw you!’ added for flavoring, citizens should vote against anything having to do with tax increases or tax extensions. Otherwise, how stupid will Mendocino…

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