It's Better in Wyoming.

Also from George Black, in Empire of Shadows : There are times when people push, or are pushed, too far, and things begin to fall apart.  A new line is drawn on a map.  One man steals a horse; another takes one drink of whiskey too many.  An insult is magnified, and the reprisals escalate.  Personal grudges bleed into larger political grievances.  Prejudice breeds fear, and fear feeds prejudice.  Demagogues sieze hold of these unstable moments.  Moderate men chafe at the absence of order and find themselves invoking extreme remedies that end in outbursts of collective madness. (Ch. 15)

"Historian Richard Slotkin says that while the intended mission of the vigilante may be civilizing and socially constructive, his methods assume a 'privilege of violence' beyond the law.  Terror breeds counterterror."  - George Black, in Empire of Shadows

From This I Believe  (1952): "Man is more important than anything he has created and our great task is to bring back again into a subordinate position the monstrous superstructures of our society." -- Susan Cobbs "I don't believe that human life is accurately represented by Viggeland's famous sculpture column in Oslo, of people climbing over one another and trampling one another down.  The Nazis when they occupied Norway greatly admired that sculpture.  They would.  But the rest of us can do better than that; many men and women in every age have done better, and are doing it still." -- Elmer Davis

Marselis Palace / Mindepark, Aarhus  ArOS Art Museum, Aarhus  Aarhus Cathedral  Den Gamle By  New Years Even Dinner  Tivoli, Copenhagen  Lakes District, Copenhagen  Dine with the Danes  View to Sweden from Helsingor  Kronburg Castle, Helsingor  Louisiana Art Museum, Humlebaek  Humlebaek Station  Copenhagen harbor tour  Danish Stock Market  Christianshavn neighborhood, Copenhagen  The Ring Bridge (pedestrian/cycling bridge in Christianshavn)  Nose2Tail, Vesterbro/Kodbyen neighborhood, Copenhagen Old Carlsberg Brewery, Copenhagen  Egret, Frederiksberg Park, Copenhagen  Fredericksberg Palace  Oresund neighborhood, Copenhagen  White Busses exhibition, Danish National Museum  Inside the Danish Royal Library ("the Black Diamond")  Leaving the apartment where we stayed in the Vesterbro neighborhood Delicious baked goods

Well, it's already 2 weeks into 2016, but still worth the time to pause and capture some of the highlights from last year. In addition to the early summer vacation I posted about, here are some other majors trips and events: In March, I drove with Sarah to Fountain Hills to visit grandma and grandpa.  (And Maggie joined us, too, from Chile.)  Grandma passed away later in the spring--before our return visit in June--so this was our last chance to spend time with her.  Here's a crappy picture of me and Grandma: In March I also made a trip to Chicago for the Higher Learning Commission conference. In April, Maggie and I went with friends to a Gregory Alan Isakov/Iron & Wine concert here in town. In May, I was awarded the college's extraordinary merit for teaching award.  Since Maggie and I were out of town, though, I missed the award ceremony. In June and July, I participated in the Wyoming Writing Project's Summer Institute.  And I facilitated a talkback