January 2024 – because i said

Birds of Arizona

Mission St. Xavier del Bac, the oldest European building in Arizona. It’s a pilgrimage site, and you can see why. Spanish baroque, without a hint of locally inspired design. Its mission is done.

As I leave for today’s run, I spot an odd contraption on the back of a red Tacoma pickup. I draw closer to investigate, and the contraption turns out to be a wild turkey — a male, vast and spherical, with a tiny red and blue head. He stands on the pickup’s tonneau cover, regarding me with a kind of rage. As I step closer, he shows signs of alarm, even though he can plainly see I’m not holding a knife and fork. Hopping onto the roof of the cab, the turkey empties his bowel, glaring at me with small cruel eyes. On my return an hour later, a road runner crosses the road just ahead. Don’t ask me why he crossed the road.

Pissing at the Louvre

We had not visited Paris in years, and had forgotten how it is positively bursting with culture. Out for a walk, you’re elbowing through crowds of Rodins, tripping over mislaid Canovas and Fragonards.