without a scratch
on the airplane or
himself. He was not injured in either incident.
Negotiating the mountains between
Marathon and Alpine, Cal did find himself in
heavy fog, cutting his visibility to zero. His only
“instrument” was a short string to indicate
wind direction. Knowing there were rocks in
those clouds, Cal was in for some serious uncer-
tainty but he flew out of the cloud none the
worse for the experience.
On the way to the west coast, he would log
4,321 statute miles in 84 hours of air time, stop
75 times and crash 16 times, seldom sustaining
any serious injury. His most serious injury was
at Compton, California, after the flight official-
ly ended at Pasadena on Nov. 5, delaying his
final act of dipping his wheels in the Pacific by
more than a month. He accomplished the final
act of his trip still on crutches.
Cal would not live to see the first anniversary
of his flight. He was killed in a routine flight
over the Pacific west of Long Beach on April 12, 1912, when his newly refurbished Flyer
apparently struck a flock of sea gulls.
The airplane would continue to be devel-
oped over the next several years, getting a huge
boost from World War I. Between the wars fly-
ing saw the growth, first of “barnstorming” that
developed flying skills, then air mail, followed
by airline development, business air travel and
now space programs.
But Cal's extraordinary accomplishment
predated the much-more heralded Lindbergh
flight across the Atlantic Ocean by nearly 16
years. Most school children today can readily
recite the Wright's first flight and the solo
Atlantic flight by “Lucky Lindy” in 1927, but
few know of Cal Rodgers' amazing feat in
1911.
In 1960 a restored model of the Vin Fiz flyer
was installed at the National Air and Space
Museum in Washington, D.C. Aviation enthu-
siasts generally agree a few hours going through
the museum is time well spent.
from her roots in
East Texas. She
disparages the daily grind in favor of a search
for eternal “truth.” Returning to Marfa after a
lengthy stay in Tepoztlan, Marie perceives in
her surroundings only drudgery. “So why caulk
the bathroom sink? Today, what will I do that brings
greater clarity, peace, justice, a better life for all of us and
our mother Earth?” she asks herself. “I’m not sure
that caulking will do it.” But, then, Marie never
really explains how studying Tibetan teachers
or going to sweat lodges “will do it” either.
Sometimes Marie paints herself into a corner
from which she never fully emerges.
If it is hard for a reader to follow Marie’s
affection for sweat lodges and spiritual retreats, the reader grasps, nonetheless, that the proof is
in the pudding: Marie is reasonably happy
after having survived two divorces, the loss of a
child, aborted careers, mostly impecunious cir-
cumstances, years of itinerant wandering, shut-
tling between two cultures, and grueling intro-
spection. The reader is not sure how she got
there, but Marie is managing independently
quite well, thank you, without a significant other
and without the accoutrements of wealth and
social station. She beckons us to “let go of the
rope.” Having rejected the cultural and reli-
gious icons with which she was raised, Marie
finally attains a state of grace. Happiness, the
author assures us, comes from within.
continued from page 14
continued from page 21
Quilts
Etc.
by
Marguerite
Made in the Big Bend
HWY 118 • Terlingua
3/4 mile N of HWY 170
432.371.2292
Needleworks, Etc.
Ladies Fine Clothing
Peggy Walker, Owner
Flax ˜ Brighton ˜ Tribal ˜ Double D
And other speciality brands
121 West Holland • Alpine • 432/837-3085
120 South Cedar • Pecos • 432/445-9313
M-F 10 am ‘til 6 pm • Sat. 10 am ‘til 4 pm
Taste and See
Bakery
Tues and Friday 4 - 6pm
Awareness Coaching
Facilitation
Personal • Professional
WAJIDA QUINTERO
210 271 9144
[email protected]
Se habla Españ ol
Friendly service
Local coffee
WiFi
Marfa's Swiss Café
Breakfast and lunch
Thurs. through Mon.
7 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
301 W. Hwy 90
Marathon
432-386-4352
Music To Your Ears
CDs • DVDs • Vinyl
Games • Special Orders
Mon-Fri 10-6
203 E Holland Ave, Alpine
432.837.1055
[email protected]
Cenizo
• Organic spelt, hard white wheat berries.
• Rye and kamut freshly milled in my
stone burr mill and baked into
delicious breads, pizza crusts, cookies
and other goodies.
• Stone ground flour milled to order for
home bakers.
We use no white flour or
white sugar in our products
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802 E. Brown St. and Cockrell
Alpine
27
432-386-3772
First Quarter 2014
[email protected]