Bunkhouse Chronicle

Over the last few weeks I have fallen down the rabbit hole of The Great Game era, that monumental struggle for empire in Central Asia, which has left for us a record of scheming, fighting, adventuring, spying, and personal heroics perhaps without parallel.  This gigantic contest, principally between Russia and the British Empire, which I ...

I am of the opinion that men should wear hats, and I’ve been needing a new one, which has caused me to think about hats and headgear much more than I normally would, and perhaps even more than is appropriate, given the number of unattended items piling up on my desk and elsewhere on the ...

  It is with immense pleasure that I can announce this morning a formal alliance with actor and comedian Bill Murray, who has embraced the cause and joined GACPA–The Global Anti Cell-Phone Alliance.  Mr. Murray has jumped aboard with enthusiasm, and made an early and loud statement about the level of his commitment by launching ...

Last night I dreamed of Everett Ruess.  I have no idea why this happened, except that I have long harbored an enchantment with his legend, and like to imagine that I have enjoyed some measure of kinship with the driving force behind his repeated travels into the offing.  Reading his letters, one is compelled to ...

I just got off the phone with my friend Dave.  I’ve mentioned Dave before; he’s a screenwriter, a warrior, a world traveler, and a gigantic intellect.  Dave explained to me that a few years ago his son, Stryker, was gifted a 22 minute video of Dora the Explorer.  In this program Dora was teaching children ...

It happened again.  Yesterday, while enjoying an outbreak of sun and warmth in the pines, and throwing the magic tennis ball for the Special Forces team, I leaned over stupidly and was immediately attacked by the savages who live in my lower back.  This was no hit and run engagement, which I enjoy almost daily, ...

So there I was, prepping to grill a tri-tip for the Big Game–which I now watch less as a fan than for the window it opens into the study of human history–think Coliseums flooded with gladiators–when they hauled out Joe Namath, only recently thawed from the deep freeze where they keep him between games, and ...

I’m not particularly old school.  There are any number of modern conveniences that I use and enjoy and as I’ve mentioned before in these pages, nothing beats modern pain killers and dental care–an option not enjoyed by the Lakota in The Moon of the Cracking Trees on the great plains, where they hovered by tiny ...

For several months I have been receiving letters from the United States Census Bureau demanding that I submit to a supplemental census exam.  These letters have grown increasingly grim, advising me that my “response is required by law,” citing the applicable U.S. Code, and carrying the implicit threat of prosecution.  The letters have also told ...

Post Eagle-Huntress, we have this fantastic news:  Dutch police are training eagles to take down drones.  I am simply in love with this news, and not because I really have anything against drones.  If I could afford one, I might buy one.  In fact, I have seriously considered buying one and flying it over the ...