How hot was it?

This picture was taken in the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana on August 6, 2000 by a fire behavior analyst from Fairbanks, Alaska by the name of John McColgan (USFWS) with a Digital camera. Since he was working while he took the picture, he cannot sell or profit from it so he should at least be recognized as the photographer of this once in a lifetime shot.

Martha Jordan
marthaj@swansociety.org
www.swansociety.org

Martha: Thanks for passing this along to our readers... Click here for an enlarged view of hell.

Our primitive nature revealed.

Hey, Strom:
How come I can't read the letters - particularly 'virgin aversion's' response?

Dave ' When forty winters shall beseige thy brow,' Friello, Fairfax, VA

We subscribed last month to some nifty new services that involve java script that does NOT work well in Pagemill. Apparently we brought down browsers all over three continents with the last issue. Maybe we just don't know how to do it right. Maybe it's naughty javascript. We took care of it, anyway, by erasing it. We'll try again when we either learn html programming for real, get a new Macintosh, or hire someone to do it all for us. Need a job? September's letters can be found here.

For Want of a Kingdom, a Horseshoe was Bought.

Some shoe advice - more $ means more comfort.

Talia Soghomonian

I bought a pair of Goretex Montrail brand shoes for my trip to Costa
Rica. They were steeply priced at over $100 (see the following about my
Earth Attachment Theory), but they were very comfortable in the tropics
- on trails and in the street. They have also proven to be the most
comfortable shoe that I've worn for 13 hours standing up in a studio...
I smoke 'em and like 'em. Look into those at one of them
mountain/hiking/climbing/outdoor stores you've got up there - which
probably number in the millions...

Greg Brennan
(see Earth Attachment Theory)

Dear Talia and Greg,

I could do a whole magazine issue on the topic of shoes and feet all by myself. Just a few weeks ago I spent $110 on a pair of Ecco shoes. Up until then I'd never spent more than $70 on shoes, and not coincidentally, I've never owned a pair of comfortable shoes. I bought the shoes at The Walking Store with the stern admonishion that the things in all their Nubuck glory would be returned at the first sign of blistering, pinching, hot spots or abrasion. I wore them in Ottawa right out of the box, and in fact I'm wearing them right now. There was no "break-in" period. So, go. Spend money on shoes. Sigh in relief. It truly is worth it. I also tried out Mephisto shoes, but had to draw the line at $225 a pop.

Another great discovery is a new product sold by Band Aid and Dr. Scholl's - gel plasters you can stick right on your festering miserable foot. They really work, and are worth small fortune they cost, about $1 each for the larger ones. Check out drugstore.com for mail-order prices

For an Extra $20, We'll Remove all the Victorian crap.

Dear Mr. Lost,

Join Best Romantic Inns and Hotels and enjoy the benefits of truly the most proven slant in travel marketing: Romance! Our rates are affordable and the listings designed to bring you results. When you submit a paid ad you will have the option to use a special logo on your website, e-mail signatures or general marketing stating that you are a "Member of Best Romantic Inns & Hotels."

From out of the blue we received this travel industry related email pushing a new web site, Best Romantic Inns. Since we like associating ourselves for titles we can plaster on our magazine, I'm in the process of retrofitting the camper of my 1977 Toyota Hi-lux to suit the discriminating tastes of the B&B crowd. Here's my ad:

"Relive your misspent youth! Have wild monkey sex in the back of your choice of a 1977 Toyota camper, a tangerine bead-curtained 1972 VW mini-bus, or a shag-carpeted Chevy Van! Complimentary WD-40, map of Colorado, and "Best of Steppenwolf" included.