Seven Falls
Cholla Express: February 2021
Well, at least the first few days of the year were peaceful. It didn’t take long, though, before the fresh optimism was shaken by another seismic event. January 6 is one of those days where I will always remember where I was when it happened:
Teaching class from home. A crisis on top of a crisis. The next day in history class, looking through our screens, each of us physically isolated, trying to make sense of this latest drama.
This month’s newsletter takes on a more reflective tone, because I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how we’re coping with the collective trauma of this pandemic. Even those who haven’t experienced physical loss or illness are experiencing profound social loss. All of our lives have been upended.
As the vaccine rolls out, slowly, across the country, new strains of Covid are tracking aggressively. Vaccine distribution is a logistical challenge for those in charge, but it’s a psychological challenge for the rest of us. Should we look forward to attending crowded events again, or should we brace ourselves for more of the same?
It’s been a year since the first cases of Covid were reported in Arizona. If back then we were allowed a glimpse into the future of the pandemic, our reaction would be shock and disbelief.
What will the world look like in 2022?
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we can soon regain a semblance of normal life, but I’m also starting to wonder what happens if the virus keeps lingering in our atmosphere.
In the third item of this newsletter, I reflect on our digital ecosystem, where we’re all processing this collective trauma. It’s not the healthiest medium in which to communicate our thoughts and feelings, but what other options do we have?
Before that, I want to write about the fresh, early days of January 2021.
Southern Arizona Getaway
As reported in last month’s issue, Wendy and I planned a weekend trip to Southern Arizona. We wanted to get out of town and do some hiking, and the Catalina Mountains turned out to be the perfect escape to start the new year.
We stayed two nights at a resort in Oro Valley, just northeast of Tucson, hugging the mountains. Our window looked out to the side of the mountain. Toward the front of the resort, you could look down and see views of the whole Tucson area.
We decided to hike Seven Falls — one of the most popular hikes in Tucson according to the internet.
It was more like No Falls, though, because the land was bone dry. When we reached the top, we overheard one hiker loudly complaining: “This is the most disappointing hike I’ve ever done!”
While we would have liked see some waterfalls, neither of us shared the same level of intensity in our disappointment. The views were beautiful and the weather was perfect.
But, man, was it dry. I would have taken some pictures of the brown, shriveled up Cholla cacti, but it was too sad.
The night before the hike, we ate at a place called the Parish, a “southern-fusion gastropub,” which was delicious. I had the fried fish, Wendy had the gumbo. It was so good we ended up back the next day for a post-hike burger and beer.
On the way out of town, we ate breakfast at a place called the Feedlot Cafe, located in a stockyard right off the I-10 freeway in Marana. The quaint diner was a nice pitstop on the way home.
It was a short trip, but it still felt like a real vacation. We look forward to taking more weekend trips to different parts of the state, so drop me a note if you have any recommendations.
Tangent: A Few Thoughts on Technology
One of the reasons why I like writing on this platform is because the delivery method sidesteps social media algorithms. Much like a podcast, new issues get delivered directly to the user. The user chooses to subscribe, and can unsubscribe at any time to stop receiving new issues.
Your attention isn’t being manipulated to keep you on the platform. Your data isn’t being mined and sold back to you with ads. The medium doesn’t incentivize bombast.
The toxicity of our social media communication has become such a big problem that companies have taken up the policy of “content moderation.” Facebook and Twitter have chosen to amplify information about voting, for example, and to restrict what they determine to be misinformation about election outcomes and Covid-19.
In response, politicians have called to break up tech companies to reduce their power, or to remove liability protections that shield social media companies from being responsible for user-shared content.
For its part, Substack — the platform where you’re reading this newsletter — published a great piece about their content moderation philosophy. Their goal isn’t to police the content on its platform, but rather to eliminate the incentives for sharing bogus and inflammatory content. Sidestepping the attention economy, Substack fosters a marketplace for independent, thoughtful discourse.
Substack isn’t the only digital platform rejecting the logic of big tech. Signal is an encrypted messaging app that allows for communication free from prying eyes. It’s a nonprofit platform. I’ve started to use Signal for texting with a few friends and, even though I’m not sharing any top secret information, it still feels different to know that our communication isn’t accessible.
Imagine back in the day, writing a physical letter, knowing that the postal service would scan the letter and keep it on file before delivering it. Even if you didn’t think the postal service would ever actually read the letter, or care, it would still feel uncomfortable to know that the scanning and storing was taking place.
Everyone would prefer better platforms for digital communication, and now they’re being built. The first generation of social media will eventually give way to the second generation.
It’s always a catch-22, because there’s an audience on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. People are there, sharing things, and if you avoid these sites, you miss out on what they post. If you don’t share on these sites, you don’t reach this audience.
It’s always a trade-off, but I’m starting to ponder a full plunge into second generation tech platforms.
Historical Photo of the Month
February 14th is Valentine’s Day, but it’s also Arizona Statehood Day. On this day in 1912, the territory of Arizona officially became the 48th state in the union.
Here’s how it was reported in the Arizona Daily Star:
BISBEE, Ariz., Feb. 13. ─ Upon the announcement of the signing of the statehood proclamation, tomorrow, by President Taft, 48 sticks of dynamite will be exploded in the pocket of the Copper Queen mountain.
The day has been declared a holiday and will be given over to speechmaking and sports.
The picture above is of the Arizona State Capitol, taken around 1920 by the McCulloch Brothers. Photo accessed via Arizona State University Libraries: Arizona Collection.
Rain, Finally
We finally got some decent rainfall this past most, and even some hail, snow, and whatever “graupel” is.
The winter storms in the desert made for some beautiful scenes across the state, like this picture of the snow-covered Four Peaks:
Final Thoughts
I’ll leave you with a sunset photo from our neighborhood park.
Thanks for reading.
