Those who know me best realize organized religion and I are at times incompatible. I am confident it is because of my rebel streak, that doesn’t like being told what to do or how and when to do it.
I often joke with Twin Rocks Trading Post patrons that I am here on Sunday because I would otherwise have to attend mass and answer for those things I don’t want to disclose, admit, or otherwise ask forgiveness for.

In the 1960s Olympia Beer Company developed the successful marketing slogan, “It’s the water... and a lot more.”
After 125 years of continuously making beer, however, the Tumwater Washington brewer discontinued production in January 2021. Falling demand and a flood of industry challenges put an end to their business. It was a dark day for beer drinkers, and an economic blow to people of the Pacific Northwest. 

One of the most common questions we hear at Twin Rocks Trading Post is, “So what do Navajo people think about that?”
“That,” can encompass a wide variety of topics from art to culture to race relations to Bears Ears National Monument to local and national politics.
There are, of course, a few concerns that arise when trying to address the inquiry:
1. It assumes all Navajo people are the same, with identical opinions;

This past Monday evening I was scrolling through YouTube, looking for information about the 2024 Paris Olympics. Growing up in rural Utah, I have always been fascinated by the City of Lights, and have many times attempted to find myself relaxing on its historic avenues at outdoor cafés, drinking coffee, leisurely reading the news, and eating croissants with butter and jam.

No matter where you travel on the vast Navajo Nation horses run wild. There are old ones, young ones, big ones, and small ones, but almost never are there fat, healthy-looking animals on the range.
I have often wondered how they survive in this difficult environment, where there seems precious little feed and even less water.

Jana, Pearl, Opal, and I frequently watch the news in the early mornings before we leave the house for work; Jana to train budding artists at Whitehorse High School, and Pearl, Opal, and I to entertain guests at Twin Rocks Trading Post. While there are some uplifting stories, much of the today’s reporting focuses on the current electoral malaise.

The other day Priscilla had had enough. “Aaugh,” she muttered loudly, sounding a lot like Charlie Brown. I half expected her to follow up with, “Rats!” “Whaaaat?”
I inquired from the safety of my office. It’s never a good idea to get sideways with Priscilla, so I remained seated and didn’t venture out to discover the source of her frustration.
“There is white hair everywhere,” she continued.

The first time I felt the tug of a spiral was in the late 1970s, when I was still in college. The object of my attention was the Spiral Jetty, a land art installation designed and built by American sculptor Robert Smithson.

A 2020 survey of Bluff residents found that, on average, we are over 68 years of age. Although there are only about 250 citizens in town, that still adds up to a lot of years.
This finding has led to many wisecracks about memory, or the lack thereof, in our community. I would relate a few of the jokes, but I can’t remember the punchlines.

It was a winter afternoon, and the sun was beginning to fade.
Late February light in Bluff is stunning, so I was sitting in my office staring absently out the picture windows when I heard a car come to a sudden halt in the gravel parking lot.
The driver apparently overshot his or her intended mark and had to break faster than expected to avoid a collision with the large sandstone boulders located in front of the trading post.

Over the 35 years Twin Rocks Trading Post has been working with the Monument Valley Navajo basket makers, Chris Johnson has emerged as one of the best.
Chris is a full-time shepherd, so during any given year he will produce only a few baskets. When he arrives at the trading post, however, you can be assured his work will be top shelf.

It’s time again for Rick Bell’s annual year in review, a photographer’s look at life in and around Bluff. Some folks say Bluff is the middle of nowhere, at Twin Rocks Trading Post we think it is the center of the universe.

It is Thanksgiving, and Grange and his friend Abbey will be visiting over the holiday. Consequently, I was reminded of a time several years back.
It was long, long ago that I took Grange to Bluff Elementary School to conclude his Student Education Plan. Every year, parents convened with their child’s instructors to set goals for the upcoming term.

For me, the catastrophe started innocently enough, but the Native American woman involved in the incident didn’t see it that way. 
She viewed it as a deliberate act of racism, one that was all too familiar to her and one that was fully expected from a trading post operator.
It began around mid-morning when I was standing at the computer located behind the cash register. 

Earlier this week it was time for a haircut. As anyone who knows Bluff knows, you can’t get that done here; getting a trim means taking a trip.
Some go to Moab, some go to Cortez and I, for many years, have gone to Blanding.
Stephanie is my go-to when I grow shaggy, and that means driving 25 miles north to Stephanie’s Salon.