Category: The Moosilauke Letters

West Virginia/VirginiaJuly 2011 & July 2014 Gravity is a universal physical constant.  It is one of the four fundamental forces in nature, the other three being the weak force, electromagnetism and the strong force.  Einstein, in his general theory of relativity, said that gravity is the consequence of the curvature of spacetime.  Makes sense to… Continue reading Mountaineer Expressway:  Mystery Hole

everywhere, now and always Little Red Riding Hood is making her way along an old logging road on a backpack trip when she sees a big bad wolf crouched down behind a log.  “My, what big eyes you have, Mr. Wolf,” she proclaims.  The wolf jumps up and runs away. Further down the road Little… Continue reading Here’s the Poop

U S Space & Rocket CenterHuntsvilleAlabamaNovember  2013 Representatives of the Creek tribe are setting up to perform right here in the Main Exhibit Center at the U S Space & Rocket Center, showing off primitive skills and dance, and explaining their Southeastern Native American heritage.  A bit of disjointed cultures.  Rockets are not primitive. The… Continue reading Go Native

November  2013 Florida is an amazing and unexpected place.  Nearly two thousand people move to this state every day which is why you will find more people living in Florida than in 47 other states.  There are 1250 golf courses in Florida, more than in any other state.  Heck, more than in any other galaxy!… Continue reading Florida, Some Stats

Key WestThe Florida KeysJanuary  2018 First go to Key West.  If you go to Key West the way most people do, you will board the island in a wheeled vehicle on its eastern shore on Route US-1.  Continue on this longest north-south highway in the country along the northern edge of the island.  Get off… Continue reading String of Pearls XI – How Low Can You Go?

Roaring Run Natural AreaPennsylvaniaJanuary  1996 The plan is to do a midnight hike so I can celebrate the turning of my birthday in the wilderness with some friends. We gather at my house, friends and friends-of.  The friends-of don’t quite get it.  “You’re going to go out in the woods at night?  You can’t see… Continue reading Happy Birthday to Me

Key WestFloridaJanuary  2018 Randomly ask a person where to find the southernmost point of the United States and that person might say, “Florida,” or even, “The Florida Keys,” which extend farther south than the mainland. If that person has ever looked closely at this geography, they might even narrow it down to Key West, at… Continue reading String of Pearls VIII – Conch Republic

Knight’s Key / Little Duck KeyThe Florida KeysJanuary  2018 Forty-two bridges connect many of the islands that make up the Florida Keys.  The longest one is the Seven Mile Bridge.  It is 6.79 miles long.  You probably are not wondering why it isn’t called the Six Point Seven Nine Mile Bridge.  At one time it… Continue reading String of Pearls VII – The Seven Mile Bridge – Not Really

Key West CemeteryKey WestThe Florida KeysJanuary  2018 Please honor those who went before us. Dead people have a lot to say.  But they don’t have a lot of space to say it in, what with their message carved into a suitcase-sized tombstone.  So they’ve got to be succinct. For example, Giorgio Aversa says, on his… Continue reading String of Pearls IX – The Dead Live Here

1the scene…the men’s room at the airport what I am doing…standing at the urinal doing what one does when one stands at the urinal, which is to say, peeing what the guy next to me is doing…standing at the urinal doing what one does when one stands at the urinal, which is to say, peeing,… Continue reading 13 Shorts