It is a Greater Honor For ME!

 This idea popped into my head after watching Tom Waits’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on YouTube. During his acceptance speech, he mentioned that he had been given the Key to the City of El Paso. My mind immediately went to Alaska, where recent per-capita case rate for COVID-19 is the highest in the United States, and higher than any country in the world. COVID-19 is running wild here yet the Mayor has refused to support a mask mandate, and consequently our hospitals now are forced to ration care. People who don’t even have COVID are being turned away from emergency rooms. The Mayor protests that the scientific validation of masks and vaccinations is lacking, He seems to be running an experiment of his own, one that is proving how wrong he is in handing the key to the city to the pandemic.

Pete's Pantheon: The Late Rory Gallagher, circa 1977

Some things you never forget. The needle drops onto your brand new copy of Sinner and Saint and practically explodes as Rory's vibrato snakes its way from a deep black groove. You exchange a glance with your brother and you both think "This guy came to play." Whether he was picking a Leadbelly tune on his acoustic guitar or backing up Albert King at Montreux, Rory gave it all, every time. And could he slide? Glad you asked. Yes. If you wondered whether he was real all you had to do was look at his bruised, scarred, beautiful Strat. The finish was played right off it. Chicago to Cork, Cork to Anchorage.

Rendered on the iPad with Sketchbook Pro

Fear is Amphibious

Those of us who grew up in Anchorage were forced to take a different sort of "long view". Everything that was important or exciting seemed to be occurring at a great distance. We had to squint to see it.

For instance? We were so remote, we couldn't even get attacked by monsters.

Godzilla took on Tokyo, not Muldoon. King Kong climbed the Empire State Building, never even considering our flagship building, the Captain Cook Hotel. And it tells you something that our flagship building was named for a foreigner who came long ago and left after a short visit. Our little outpost was just too small and distant to rate. OK, Nixon changed planes here a few times, but casualties were negligible.

So I was compelled to fall back on my own devices. And thus was born the Lake Hood Monster. One more reason to avoid small planes... fear is amphibious!