There is a scene in the movie Hurt Locker, where Jeremy Renner's character, Seargeant William James discovers an improvised explosive device in a Baghdad road. He locates a wire and begins tracing it to it's destination, brushing away dirt until he exposes the tip of a buried mortar shell. Sgt. James then retraces...

🇺🇦 Slava Ukraini!

A quiet spot along Lower Canyon Creek, Arizona This week, my wife and I (accompanied by Cubby) day tripped to the Mogollon Rim in Arizona. Lower Canyon Creek is my favorite place to spend time outdoors due to its rugged beauty, accessibility and solitude. I camp and fish this area with frequency and I am never...

Arizona is a unique place. In two hours you can traverse from the Sonoran Desert to the Mogollon Rim. A trip that will take you from forests of Saguaro cactus to forests of Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir. And, drop the mercury in the thermometer by about 25 degrees. This weekend, I escaped the Valley of the Sun...

In case you haven't noticed, artificial intelligence and it's potential for destroying humankind has been a hot topic lately. Evidently, we are racing toward the end of life on earth, one iteration at a time. An argument might be made that we are doing a pretty good job of messing things up without the assistance of...

I did it! I drew a picture in my "new" sketchbook. The first one! 🥳 Last week, I wrote a post entitled fear of the empty page where I discussed how extremely difficult it is for me to conquer blank spaces (especially in new notebooks). I shared a quote from artist, Felix Scheinberger, that captured my reticence to...

Coyote in Saguaro National Park - September 12, 2026 (iPhone 16 Pro) Last September, my nephew and a few of his friends from college visited Arizona for a college football game. On our way to Tucson, we drove through Saguaro National Park so the "Kansas kids" could get a feel for desert flora. It was pretty hot, so...

Lately, I've received a number of emails warning me that old "digital" accounts are in danger of being deleted. If you are more disciplined than I am, you might be thinking this is some kind of phishing scam. However, I believe most of these are legitimate, and the result of a past addiction to new technology. With...

You know those people (maybe you are one of them) who have a journal they carry with them and in addition to their writing, they make little drawings of what they observe. A coffee cup. A street performer. Trees. Birds. Buildings. All the little things that capture one's attention day to day. I've always wanted to...

Today I am sharing a few photos I have taken in the Superstition and Four Peaks Wilderness areas (near Phoenix, Arizona). While the desert frequently displays vibrant colors, sometimes I feel like black and white photos provide an appropriate gravity to the landscape. Hope you enjoy! cc all photos by Jeff Delp On...

sprig in a box I almost balked at writing a recap of the week. It's something I started about a month ago and even if it goes unread, it helps me be reflective. So, this afternoon I sat with our kitten (Sprig) and pulled together an overview of the past week. Last Saturday, was a challenging day, for no particular...

This site is my quiet space on the internet. I write about topics I enjoy (see writing non-fiction) and try to avoid controversy. I don't want to overthink things, spend hours editing for perfection, or feel the need to stick to normal writing conventions. I just want to organize what's on my mind and clear some...