[not shown but evidence abounds that the Third World starts in Colorado Springs…or is it just with any and all US airlines? Given our [well, Linda’s] experience most certainly the latter as

much of Sunday was devoted to sorting out the arcana of United’s byzantine rules ‘n’ regs before the pain of actually dealing with them; flight out of Springs ostensibly delayed, then not, then on the ground until some improvisatory workaround could be found to get the engines

started for the forty minute flight to DIA, largest and most inconvenient airport in the country, where it’s a mile walk from one gate to another…finally, though, Omaha Achieved and dinner

in the Old Market for L. as we had our day here with a trip up the knoll to the overlook to look

over…three quiet days of that every morning, studio afternoons and the arrival

of a replacement “like new” pre-owned Lumix which seemed great [see above] until the all-important zoom was engaged [see below]…uh-oh…

Um. The seller was amenable to taking it back and remedying the problem [new lens, probably] and as these things are hard [and getting harder] to find I’m hoping that works.  Meanwhile

while moonbathing here Linda was in Omaha for a whirlwind Tuesday visiting the reduced Kaneko crew, lunch with Ree and Jun, then the main event, a well-received talk at the University Medical Center, followed by a Nebraska steakhouse dinner with old friends Kathy Le Baron

and the Duncans all of which left her elated but understandably exhausted. In her absence I

improvised on the barby, halving the salmon for salad the last night and each morning, in the

absence of transport to the creek, took the dogs up the knoll for overlooking after L., an hour

ahead of us in Omaha, had eaten eggs alone in the vast Hotel Deco restaurant, walked to see her two sculptures installed on the Mall and then, spent, spent the rest of her Nebraska time

lounging as best she could at the airport where the usual – plane delayed/not delayed/ loaded up/delayed due to mechanical problems/late to Denver/mile long rush to connecting flight –

and then the drive from Colorado Springs through storm and mud to here for pizza, all of

which left her quite utterly wrung out…Next morning, up the creek, thinking about October

Surprises; libs seem to think that Trump is now toast because five years ago

he gave his buddy Vlad a Covid test kit is somehow a bigger deal than little Elon jumping around

onstage behind him like an amphetamine monkey while throwing the Full Firehouse of his media platform into disinfo mode isn’t.  Give me a fuckin’ break.

Chinga tu MAGA and the maggots y’all rode in on? Wishful thinking? Well we’ll see in a month…