I was completely wrong! When Deb and I adopted Nellie (then a nine-month old stray) from the animal shelter four months ago, I guessed that she was a Labrador retriever-Australian shepherd cross. As one of my Christmas presents, my son and daughter-in-law ordered a DNA test for Nellie. It turns out that Nellie is one-half […]
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Category: Stories
The big Spanish door
Marty’s photo of the day #3472: This is the last of my Catholic Church photos from Spain until next Christmas. Today’s is of a huge door at the entrance to one of those churches. While I believe that much of the labor to build these magnificent churches came via slaves, this door is actually signed, […]
Another Spanish Church
Marty’s photo of the day #3471: As I have done during Christmases in the past, I’m digging into my church photos from Spain. Here’s what I wrote in my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents: Madrid is a grand old city with gigantic churches, enormous palaces, and magnificent sculptures. The churches […]
Imagine the good churches could do if . . .
Marty’s photo of the day #3470: Since Christmas is here, it’s time to dig into my church photos from Spain. Here’s what I wrote in my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents: Madrid is a grand old city with gigantic churches, enormous palaces, and magnificent sculptures. The churches in particular were […]
Why do right-wingers hate Kamala and Michelle so much?
While I believe Joe Biden is going to be an outstanding president, I’m actually more excited about Kamala Harris as America’s first woman vice president. She was the candidate I wanted and donated to at the very beginning of the primaries. As someone who has traveled the world and speaks at colleges about how people […]
The Don’t Get COVID-19 and Die Tour concludes with a near disaster
Marty’s photo of the day #3411: Yesterday, I made it home from my six-day, “Don’t Get COVID-19 and Die Tour”—but barely. If you’ve been following my posts, you know that I drove a rental van for the tour, because in addition to performing Around the World in 90 Minutes at Eastern Arizona College, I also […]
Stopped by a blizzard
I just added an extra day to my “Don’t Get COVID-19 and Die Tour.” If you saw my post this morning, you know I was attempting to drive from Price, Utah to home in Victor, Montana today. My wife and some Facebook friends in Montana all warned me not to try it, because of the […]
Author unmasked
Marty’s photo(s) of the day #3408: I took these two self-portraits in the green room last night, moments before going on stage at Eastern Arizona College. As mentioned in my previous “Don’t Get COVID-19 and Die Tour” posts, this was the only in-person show I planned on performing during the pandemic (I’m performing lots of […]
The Don’t Get Covid-19 and Die Tour continues
Marty’s photo of the day #3407: Today is day #3 of my 2,600-mile roundtrip “Don’t Get COVID-19 and Die Tour.” Yesterday was a relatively uneventful travel day from southern Utah to Sun City West, Arizona. Since I only had 8 hours of driving, I kept an eye out for some desert to explore, but didn’t […]
Don’t Get COVID-19 and Die Tour
Marty’s photo of the day #3406: Today is day #2 of my 2,600-mile roundtrip “Don’t Get COVID-19 and Die Tour.” I’m driving from Montana to Arizona. While there I will pick up some items of my late mother’s that have been stuck in storage (in Sun City West), and then proceed to the southeastern part […]
What dogs tell us
Marty’s photo of the day #3388: Since Deb and I moved to Montana’s Bitterroot Valley in 1996, we’ve had multiple dogs, including three adopted from the local animal shelter. We’ll never know for sure what our adopted canine family members went through previously, but they’ve given us a pretty good idea. Our first, Annie, (a […]
Making the most of the Trump Pandemic
I feel almost guilty saying it, but Deb and I have adapted quite well to life in the year 2020. While we mourn the massive Trump-induced deaths, racial injustice, out-of-control cops, and the slow murder of our planet, curling up in a corner and whimpering isn’t our style. We’re doing what we can to bring […]
A painful Amazon welcome
Marty’s photo of the day #3381: I had wanted to visit the Amazon Rainforest ever since I was a kid. So when Deb and I traveled there for an adventure to be included in my first book, “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents,” I was excited to head out on my first Amazon […]
I miss live music
Marty’s photo of the day #3373: I miss live music! This is Grace Potter, photographed at the Wilma in Missoula a few years ago. The next concert I plan to attend is Nightwish at the Wiltern in Los Angeles at the beginning of October 2021. Will October 2021 be too soon? I guess it depends […]
And then the hippo bit . . .
Marty’s photo of the day #3356: My sixth book, Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer, is complete and will be published sometime next year. In that book, I share a hilarious story about Montana’s Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer “coercing” me into paying way, way too much for a signed Hillary […]
Happy National Dog Day!
Marty’s photo of the day #3352: Today is National Dog Day, so of course I have to feature a photo of Nellie. We adopted Nellie from the local animal shelter, and she is approximately nine months old. During the three weeks we’ve had her, Deb and I are in agreement on two things: 1) No […]
Going batty in Costa Rica
Marty’s photo of the day #3348: Here’s a short excerpt from my second book, Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico: When we planned our hike to the farmhouse, I immediately thought of the two-story farmhouse my grandparents had owned in northern Minnesota. I knew the Costa […]
Bats don’t like baths
Marty’s photo of the day #3320: Bats do not like baths! Every summer, I move my office/writing room out onto the front porch. (The porch runs the width of the house and is covered, but not screened in.) This year the flies were a bit pesky, so two days ago my wife, Deb, bought me […]
The most dangerous animal in Africa
Marty’s photo of the day #3251: This is a Cape buffalo, photographed in Zimbabwe. From my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents: Brian carried a high-powered rifle as a defense against animal attacks. He paused to warn us about animals that could force him to use it: “Contrary to what you […]
The story of the wandering albatrosses
Marty’s photo of the day #3249: From my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents: Even though we were hundreds of miles away from any significant landmass, our Drake Passage voyage was never boring. I spent much of my time outside on the bow enjoying the crisp Antarctic air and photographing the […]