Eye of the Storm - July 2023

Mountains, Modest Mouse, John Wayne, and more...

Greetings from Texas where it seems to be getting hotter and hotter and the cicadas are getting louder and louder.

I hope your summer is going well. Here are a few things that caught my eye this month…

A few pics from our adventures in Colorado

Roadtrip: Colorado

This summer we took a weeklong road trip up to Colorado. It was my two boys (ages 8 and 11) first time to see and experience the mountains in real life.

We had a blast and tried to explore as much as we could. We also had a great time visiting my older sister and her fun family (and dog, Molly) who live outside of Denver.

En route to Colorado we stopped by Cadillac Ranch just outside of Amarillo, Texas. In 1974, a group of artists named “The Ant Farm” had an idea to put a sculpture installation of several Cadillacs buried half way in the dirt.

Over the years people have vandalized, graffitied, and added their own personal touch to the Cadillacs. My wife found me some discarded spray paint and I joined the fun.

The moat of mud was obstacle enough for most people… not me

Just adding a little “STORM” to Cadillac Ranch

Modest Mouse album covers

Music of the Month: Modest Mouse

For the month of July I worked my way through the roughly hewn music of Modest Mouse. One thing I enjoy about listening to a band from their early days and onward is seeing how much they change and grow. It’s like their early work has a glimmer of who they are and eventually will become. It reminds me that we are all on a journey to become who we really are.

A few of my favorite Modest Mouse tunes:

• The World at Large

• Dashboard

• Lampshades on Fire

• Paper Thin Walls

• Spitting Poison

Walking around in the Lone Gallery

Day trip to Dallas

Dallas based artist Kyle Steed currently has a show titled “Pure Land” at the Lone Gallery, and I have always wanted to see his work in person. I talked my oldest son into joining me on the trip by bribing him with being the DJ on the car radio and a BBQ lunch.

As expected, the work was amazing to see in person and I enjoyed visiting with the gallery owner as he shared about some of the symbolism in the work.

(We ended up having lunch at Pecan Lodge BBQ in the Deep Ellum area of Texas.)

A few pics from my time:

“Dark Night of the Soul... or How Darkness Became My Friend” - Kyle Steed

“Anticipation” - Kyle Steed

Along with the art work, I really liked these little potheads

Here’s some departing wisdom from John Wayne which I spotted at Pecan Lodge BBQ:

Thank you for taking the time to read and follow along.

Take care and see you in a month - don’t forget to slow down and look around.