were it not that No. 2014 was scheduled to depart Gerlach at 12:45 p.m.

so I rushed through the morning watercolors, had an early lunch and leaving the dogs behind

headed for Phil Siding

to meet Lee about a mile south of the crossing

where we were surveilled a couple of times

a little ahead of the anticipated train, which came ’round the bend

and

was gone

in about a minute…as was I soon thereafter,

back to Wall where after Lee collected his painting I did all the closing and most of the loading

before that Last Sunset.

Wednesday shone brightly and we were at the gate before eight,

in time to see to see one of Espil’s guys roll by pulling a stock trailer behind a flatbed,

border collie dancing around on the toolbox in the back.  I went the other way,

down the desert,

across the Smoke Creek Bridge,

bombed through Bonham,

over the tracks after Sand Pass and west into California

where at Hallelujah Junction the gas was $5.99.9 a gallon.

Sierra Valley, 89 to Truckee,

the Interstate,

Heather Glen and

Benicia by two, hamburgers at sunset and time

to consider whether it would be more appropriate to be bombing Israel rather than Iran…and conclude, hell yeah! Obliterate that truly bad faith bad acting rogue nation before it does any more damage!  I mean, c’mon people; look at the history.