Dac Crossley's Western Blog

Wild Animals Who've Known Us?

Yesterday I sat in on a session of friendly naturalists – “Natural History and Nature Writing.“ We examined a three-page list of books devoted to describing the flora and fauna and human reactions to them. Some familiar names were on the list: Rachel Carson (for The Sea Around Us, not for Silent Spring). Aldo Leopold (A Sand County Almanac). Gene Stratton Porter (A Girl of the Limberlost). Some authors were vague childhood memories; others were new to me.

After all, much of nature writing comes from the Eastern Forests or the Far West – the Rockies and California. Those of us who grew up in South Texas might have a different list. Roy Bedichek (Adventures with a Texas Naturalist). J. Frank Dobie (A Vaquero of the Brush Country). Frank X. Tolbert. Américo Paredes. J. Evitts Haley. And Walter Prescott Webb.

No, those of us who lived south of San Antonio didn’t have those vast expanses of forest, or mountain vistas, or waves of grass, or encounters with friendly animals. We grew up with mesquite and huisache, Javelinas and tarantulas, coyotes and scorpions. And read about them, and heard the legends from the old timers, and watched it all slip away. I recall my father waking me one night to listen to coyotes bark. Dad thought they were doomed by the encroachment of cities and agriculture. Well...

Nature writing for me was foiund in our little library in Kingsville, Texas. The adventures of Osa and Martin Johnson in Africa. Frank Buck and “Bring ‘em back alive.” Of course that led to Edgar Rice Burroughs and a completely false view of the African jungle. But what the heck! It was fun.

Dac Crossley
September 30, 2015

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin.

Back To The -- Books?

The school year commences, and the old War Horse strains at the harness. Wonder what it’s like, teachng this year? No more overhead projectors, Kodachrome slides, mimeograph handouts. It’s all electronic. Teacher arrives in class with a thumb drive to plug in someplace. And the class – iPads on alert, already logged in to the web … .

It still has its challenges. I’m reading about a community-college professor of physics and astronomy who’s students have a different world-view. It’s not easy convincing some people that the earth circles the sun, or that the earth rotates. Common sense (and scripture) say otherwise.

In my day as a student teacher, back in the Pleistocene, some students had difficulty with the concept of organic evolution. Some still do, I suppose, since the idea of intelligent design persists in places. I didn’t give a thought to a stationary sun as a world-view back in my teaching days.

So, then, how would you demonstrate that the earth moves? Prove the Copernican model of the solar system? In the middle ages scientists tried for proof. For example, some experimentalists dropped canon balls from a high tower. If the earth was rotating, wouldn’t the ball strike to the east of the tower? Results were inconclusive. Primitive telescopes couldn't provide answers, either.

Today we take knowledge of the solar system for granted, except for the remaining flat-earthers, I suppose. Unless space exploration is totally faked, we have plenty of visual evidence today of the earth’s rotation.

Two hundred years ago, it was the Foucault Pendulum that provided the first simple demonstration of the earth’s rotation. Today you can see a Foucault Pendulum in a number of museums. Too bad we can’t offer such simple evidence of the more complex phenomena our students must conquer.

Dac Crossley
September 16, 2015
Happy Birthday, Mexico! El grito de Delores.

“It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” – Benjamin Franklin.

I'm One of the Bad Guys

I confess it. I buy books from Amazon.

Here in Athens, Georgia I have a choice of three book stores (I don’t count the religious stores – not much inventory, or the University of Georgia book store where there’s no parking). We have:

Barnes and Noble. Well-stocked but not so friendly. Don’t support local authors. At least, not me.

Jackson Street Books. A good used book store, fun to browse.

Avid Bookshop on Prince Avenue. My choice.

Avid has been open for four years. I didn’t think they’d make it. After all, Borders had just given up the ghost. Other book stores in Athens have cratered. But the owner of Avid, Janet G., persisted. She uses live readings and author meet-and-greets to promote her business. Children’s books, adult mysteries. It’s a small shop but crammed with books and knowledgeable sales personnel. They host visiting authors and book clubs. Janet’s enthusiasm really comes across. I think she’d be successful at whatever she attempts.

But like I said, I’m a bad guy. I can find what I want at Amazon.com, often used copies for only a few pennies (plus $ 3.99 shipping and handling). The postman brings them to my door. No driving downtown, trying to find a parking place. At my age that’s a real bonus.

I feel guilty. I’m not promoting reading as I should, as a writer myself. I pledge to visit Avid Bookshop at least twice a month.

You notice I’m not mentioning e-books. Yes, they’re easy to get also. I have a bunch of them, unread, on my iPad Mini. Somehow, I just can’t get comfortable reading e-books. I keep squirming – how are you supposed to hold this thing? Just when you find a happy position, it’s time to turn the page.

So it’s print for me, preferably paperback. How about you? Where do you buy yours?

Dac Crossley
September 1, 2015.

“Man does not live by words alone despite the fact that he sometimes has to eat them.” – Adlai Stevenson.