Phoenix, Arizona: an oasis of ugliness in the midst of a beautiful wasteland.

The national parks belong to everyone. To the people. To all of us. The government keeps saying so and maybe, in this one case at least, the government is telling the truth. Hard to believe, but possible.

The only thing worse than a knee-jerk liberal is a knee-pad conservative.

Great art is indefinable but that's all right; it exists anyway.

One of the pleasant things about small town life is that everyone, whether rich or poor, liked or disliked, has some kind of a role and place in the community. I never felt that living in a city - as I once did for a couple of years.

Belief in God? An afterlife? I believe in rock: this apodictic rock beneath my feet.

Desire, said the Buddha, is the cause of suffering. But without desire, what delight?