Elegy for Ellen Meloy

Beach builder, sharer of the life force,

painter, poet, partisan, she carried all good sediments

in abundance.

And who could make so many pilgrimages,

spend such a profligacy of days

in the canyons of Desolation and Gray, Labyrinth,

along San Juan and not see it as holy?

Worshipping in the cathedral that flows,kneeling and rising,

joining in song, spray, while confessing next to nothing

but awe, delight, wonder:

choirs, naves, chapels, arches, incense, eddies,

stained glass warm-lit and quicksilvered at dawn and dusk;

and inhabitants:

lizards and herons, buzzards, bats, bighorns and bears——

veritable prophets and saints in any other location……

But now this weight of empty space,

unfinished business,

incised meander,

what was and might have been.

River sister——nymph, in thy orisons

be all my sins remembered.

Death, you’’re a dam-building pimp.

You snatched one of the elect.

A flicker cries out among cottonwood trees.

Kevin Holdsworth

Green River, Wyoming

MORE NOMINATIONS FOR THE TOP 10 WESTERNS..

Jim, I knew we were kindred spirits! Jeremiah Johnson is my favorite too. My favorite line from the film is when Bear Claw tells JJ about his only monogamous relationship. "I lodge-poled her at Deadwood Creek, and traded her for a Hawkin gun!" Guess that leaves me out of the Sensitive New Age Guy League. Since you left out 2 of the top ten, I'll cast my votes for "Geronimo" with Wes Studi and "The Missing" with Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones. Watch yer topknot, Jim Kearns

A REPLY TO BIANCA DUMAS’ POINT BLANK IN DECEMBER...

Jim,

I knew I shouldn't read it. Whatever the locals have to say to each other is none of my business,but we have some history in common. Nauvoo is in Illinois,where the Mormons went after they were run out of Missouri. I live here because I like the way sycamore trees look in winter. Sounds silly doesn't it? Everybody has roots. You don't have to live on the same land as your grandparents. You can even have roots in the city. It's not an entitlement. Risk-aversion is not a virtue. If you want to preserve your traditions you better get to work. Don't expect any sympathy. We've got our own traditions to save.

Thanks,Larry Lindenberger

St.Louis.Mo.

P.S. Favorite westerns, Missouri Breaks "the farther north you go,the more things there are that'll eat your horse." You can print it.

"SO YOU’RE JACK WILSON..."

Colonel, "The Wizard of Oz"? Say what? The stories you're willing to tell about yourself! The movie lines story was a lot of fun. I used to do the Jack Wilson-Stonewall exchange at every opportunity. Anyone who wonders why I will always miss Marlon Brando has never seen "One-Eyed Jacks" (another great line from that one: "One day, you'll look out your window and see a jackass standin' there. That'll be me"). I understand the reluctance of many tea-sippers to lead with caveats when discussing The Duke. I was proud of you, Colonel, for "The Shootist," but feel any such accounting that does not include this world's greatest western, "The Searchers," must be met by bona fide western lovers with a gimlet eye. And thanks, too, to Ken Sleight for letting me know about the passing of the estimable Ellen Meloy, a wonderful person whose talent was undeniable, as was, in even greater degree, her generosity. Power to the good people!

Mike "Chief" Ritchey Gunnison, Colorado

ABBEY’S MEMORIAL SERVICE TOILETS Jim--- I'd have to say that the BLM was right in requiring a portable toilet for the Edward Abbey memorial service, as mentioned in the Feb-March issue. I've never been anywhere with a hundred people, let alone a thousand, where folks didn't start looking for a toilet after an hour. A lot of the blame goes to those 64-ounce convenience store cups of sodas guzzled in the car, which may not have been such a problem in 1989 (the drinks, not the car). Women usually seem the most in need. At the intermissions of classical music concerts I attend here in LV there are always 40 or 50 of them waiting on line, desperately in need after 45 minutes. These are people of culture, so the large sodas are probably not at fault here. Jay Bartos Las Vegas, NV

WHY STILES STAYS OFF BICYCLES... Stiles

... Could be your aversion to "lycra-itis" -- a medical condition first diagnosed about 20 years ago among elite bicycle riders. In a seminal study first published in the Grand Junction, Colorado, Mesa-Monument Strider newsletter, lycra-itis was described as an affliction affecting different people with a wide range of effects. Some people are hardly affected, while some undergo a profound personality change. Their noses go up, their vision narrows, they walk funny, and in the most severe cases, recognize only other lycra-wearers as 'worthy' of their affiliation and attention.

You probably have already guessed that I made this up -- but the true part is that I wrote a faux 'article' for the MMS STRIDER about Lycra-itis -- and why some people should NOT wear it as they undergo a debilitating personality change. You must be sensitive and/or psychic enough to know in advance how lycra will affect you, and wisely shun it. I'm a borderline case, and wear it sparingly and try to have the presence of mind to divest myself of such apparel soon after exercize and before I go into public and/or the store.

An illustration: A few years back, I rode my bike down a neighborhood road one foggy chilly day dressed in sweat clothes. Two cyclists were coming the opposite direction. I waved, acknowledged them (as I try to do to everyone) and they looked at me as if I were an insect. Two days later, warmer weather, I had my lycra pants and bike shirt on and was riding the same street. The same two cyclists were oncoming. This time, they nodded back, regarding me as one of them. The snobs.

Farley Phitt, soon to move back to

Canon City, CO

EQUALITY FOR DOGS NOW!

To the Zephyr,

I couldn't agree with Jim Stiles more on the subject of dogs. . I took a wonderful driving vacation from St. Paul MN to Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada back in 2000. The BEST vacation of my life. It was just me and my border collie/setter mix dog named Idgie in the truck. We drove through Canada on the way out and camped the whole time. Idgie was welcome to hike everywhere - on a leash of course. And the Canadians LOVED the dog. She got more attention than the two cute kids we had travelling with us in another car. She was the star. Idgie was even allowed to take up space (which cost humans money) on a gondola up Whistler Mountain in Jasper for free. The line of people waiting for a paid spot was very long but there she was enjoying the ride. She wasn't even charged the kids rate of $6.00 at the time. On the way back home we decided to head south through Waterton and through Glacier Park. I'd never been there. At the entry point to Glacier I was immediately told that the dog was not allowed on any of the trails. I was shocked. I asked the Ranger why. She told me "the dog is the natural enemy of the bear." Yeah big deal. Humans are the natural enemies of bears - and they are stupid enough to feed them and approach them and take pictures with them and get killed by them. Even on a leash NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED except at the campgrounds on leash. It was ridiculous. The difference between Canada and the US was incredible! It really pissed me off but what could I do? So then we found ourselves in a traffic jam down the scenic route through the mountains - a LONG trail of cars crawling along. I thought never again. If I do any real park sight seeing - I'll be doing it in Canada - with my best friends - Idgie and Xena (my 2 year old black lab). Screw our National Park rules. I agree the dogs are so much more deserving of being in the parks than we humans are. It is so UNNATURAL not to have them in the parks - on the trails. It was a terrific article. Thanks for writing it and sharing it!!!

Lucia Wroblewski

ADDING TO THE ‘TOP 10'

Hi Jim,

Enjoyed your recent "Take It or Leave It" column especially when you said, "Progress is moving to Moab, wanting to be a part of the community and wanting to contribute something to it." I think that with our small population, the fact that we have so many non-profit groups speaks volumes about the caring individuals we are fortunate to have in Moab. Please consider adding two places to your "Top 10 things I like about Moab" list. 1) the Grand County Library, as it strikes me as the pulse of Moab with programs for kids, internet for locals and visitors, workshops and classes to help us all improve ourselves, magazines, video and audio tapes, and--oh yes, books! 2) WabiSabi, a very unique thrift shop and warehouse, that enables recycling of no longer needed items, sharing the proceeds with other Moab non profits. I like knowing that if I need something, I can almost always find it at WabiSabi, and my purchase helps the community.

Also liked your tribute to Tom Wesson. He really helped me out when I discovered a nasty leak at my new place. He came over right away and had the leak repaired in no time. He did a great job and and even identified some of the landmarks in the view from my new home. I appreciate that he is multi-talented!

Take care,

Lisa Braddock

Moab

WHAT ABOUT JOSIE WALES???

Dear Jim Stiles,

It seems appropriate, after reading the latest issue of the Zephyr, to send you my bi-annual fan letter (Well--I think I wrote my last fan letter 5 years ago, but I've been busy). Anyway, my hat is off to the Zephyr, a true journalistic treasure. Down heah' in Flagstaff, Arizona, all we get is a weekly, named...well, I won't embarrass the publishers, but suffice to say all the editorial columns routinely detail friday night alcoholic binges in our numerous college bars. Sometimes we get a break, and instead readers are treated to an engaging column about a writer's experiences potty training her very clever children.

I do long for a "Zephyr South" being established here on the down side of the Colorado Plateau. Any future possibilities of expansion? Please?

Unfortunately, though, I feel I must take you to task regarding your top 10 (or 8) Western movie list. Jim, Jim, Jim....how could you omit that western of westerns, "The Outlaw Josey Wales?" The movie that spoke to disillusioned and returning Vietnam veterans everywhere? ("...We all died a little in that damned war....") The movie that actually hired real Native Americans to play native American roles? Chief Dan George? Ten Bears?

I saw this movie, in 1976, in Durango, Colorado, and still remember my delighted shock at realizing that the woman on the screen was actually a Navajo, speaking Navajo, and playing a Navajo woman! (My mind boggled.) How could you overlook the movie that possessed dialog exchanges like the one between Chief Dan George and Josey..."When I get to likin' someone, they ain't around very long..."(Josey) "I notice when you get to dislikin' someone, they ain't around very long, either...(Chief).

But I agree with you 1000% about "Lonesome Dove." You and I are at one with Duvall.

Sincerely,

Robyn Slayton

Flagstaff