While watching "True Grit"

The original John Wayne "True Grit" was on TV a few nights ago.  If you don't know the movie, virtually the same scene is in the Jeff Bridges remake.  That scene is when Rooster Cogburn, on horseback, has a shootout with four outlaws, also on horseback.  In the original movie, the head outlaw is played by Robert Duvall.

The shootout takes place in a big meadow, behind which is striking and unmistakable mountain peak.  Given the magic of the Web, I was able to indulge my curiosity and figure out where this was.  It is in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, and it is named Chimney Peak.  Not surprisingly, it's a favorite of rock climbers.

There are likely hundreds of pictures of this place, so if you want to see them, just image search with 'Colorado' and 'Chimney Peak'.   (Or just click this link I made for you.) I was curious about the actual location (I found it on a Web site discussing locations from the movie), so I looked for it on Google Maps.  It was findable, and there was also a panoramic photo available, which is almost like being there.  And I have that for you below.  A fellow named Michael Williams apparently shot it.

Lighthouse of the Week, January 21-27, 2018: Punta del Hidalgo, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

I've featured a few lighthouses from Spain thus far in the Lighthouse of the Week series.

But I've never seen one quite like this one.

This is the Punta del Hidalgo lighthouse, on the Canary Island of Tenerife, which happens to be part of the country of Spain.

Here's the whole island, and you should see the location of the lighthouse, on Google Maps.

As for the lighthouse itself ...

It is most certainly, as you will see, non-traditional.  Here is a description of it, the basics, from the Lighthouse Directory Canary Islands page:

"1991. Active; focal plane 52 m (171 ft); three white flashes every 16 s. 50 m (164 ft) white masonry tower, vertical at the front but stepped irregularly in the rear, giving the tower a pyramidal form; the light is displayed from a short post at the peak of the tower."

If that intrigues you, here are pictures of it.  It's quite a remarkable structure.  I've had a few unique lighthouses in this blog, and this is one of the uniquest.

Quoting time

Post-shutdown, this op-ed from the Washington Post's  Catherine Rampell was too good to pass up.


Blame McConnell and Ryan for the shutdown

My three quotes:

1. "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) are responsible for the completely avoidable three-day federal shutdown that Congress moved to end on Monday. They will likewise be responsible for the catastrophe coming in a few weeks if Congress can’t get its act together to raise the debt ceiling."

2. "Every year, Congress must pass a budget. This is . . . not a surprise. Yet for the first half of last year, Republican congressional leaders chose to spend their time and energy chasing a repeal of Obamacare, a phenomenally unpopular endeavor that would have raised premiums and ripped health insurance from tens of millions of Americans."

3. "Somehow this dynamic duo [McConnell and Ryan] still takes no responsibility for our lack of a budget. They’re like students who play video games instead of writing their term paper, plead for extensions, still wait until the last minute to start writing — and then blame the teacher when they don’t finish."

In other (simpler) words, if the Repubsickuns had just passed a budget funding CHIP and renewing DACA, which they could EASILY have done in the autumn, none of this would have happened.  We have to constantly keep that in mind to be ready for the blue tsunami this November.

Through and not through in Melbourne

Quick look at the Australian Open:

After her previous epic match, which made me concerned for her health and well-being, Simona Halep zipped through Osaka (the player, not the city) easily.  Next match won't be so easy, a quarterfinal vs. Pliskova, seeded 6th. But she won't have to worry about Svitolina, who nearly, nearly, nearly beat her in last year's French Open, because Pliskova lost to unseeded Elise Mertens of Belgium, who is the first semi-finalist on the women's side.  The other two quarterfinals are Kerber vs. Keys and Suarez-Navarro vs. Wozniacki.

Boy, I sure would appreciate a Halep-Wozniacki final, where two deserving players would face off with their first Slam on the line.

On the men's side, Dimitrov is playing now, and Nadal and Federer are in the quarters, too.  The no-name unseeded quarterfinal is USA's Sandgren vs. Korea's Chung.  Who?  Exactly.  The big surprise was the ousting of Novak Djokovic, who still hasn't fully rediscovered his game.

Too much?

As I write this little note, Simona Halep hasn't started playing at the Australian Open in her next round match.  But I wonder how much her body can take after the 4-6, 6-4, 15-13 mega-match she played against brave Lauren Davis of the USA.  Sure, she's a very fit athlete, but a match like that would wilt anybody.

If Simona had a shot she could hit for a winner with some consistency, she'd have more that one Slam.  But her game is so much defense, she struggles when an opponent can hit big shots (as well illustrated in the French Open final last year against precocious Ostapenko).  I still hope she gets one, and considering we're not sure how well Serena Williams will come back, she's better hurry, because no one bets against Serena.

Don't wait for this new sonnet

It will, but not right now


The waiting is the hardest part, a man
of music lyricized -- and true indeed,
anticipation in its essence can
be known to sometimes force our thoughts to lead
into frustration, e'en if certainty
has been achieved. Because we know our needs
are what we also want, like food and free-
ly breathed air, and crystal water beads
collecting in our cups, our humanness
requires a lover's touch and stroke and kiss,
those things we can envision as we press
existence through its daily pace, the dis-
appointment of awaiting time to pass
like seeing scrumptious meals beneath a glass.

Is Kadovar brewing a Big One?

We, collectively, humans on the Earth, haven't had a major explosive volcanic eruption to observe and discuss for a few years.

That could change.

According to this article, based on plausible scientific analysis and not just overly hyped reporting, Papua New Guinea's Kadovar (which I mentioned a few posts ago) could be getting ready for a substantially larger blast.

Expert says major eruption in Papua New Guinea could be soon

The possibility is suggested by detection of more magma moving beneath the island, based on seismic activity.

Keep watching.  Meanwhile, here's the what the restless island looked like recently: