ADVENTURING FROM THE VA PARKING LOT

Camped in comfort here for 3 nights in the Phoenix VA parking lot. RVers are made welcome and given a place to park----incredibly convenient--no long drive home after a proceedure-(had a colonoscopy)-just roll me to my "home" a hundred yards away. Settled comfortably in, I consider how to amuse myself, anxious always to convince myself and my readers that anyplace is interesting.

I see this out my back window--investigate and learn that this is the infamous Indian School for which the street is named. All around it, pictures and posters explain the long history of misguided efforts to "civilize" and educate the natives. Finally they gave up, closed the school and tried ever more elaborate and futile schemes to assemilate a tribal society into an individualized one. To this day they have not succeeded.

During the day, my parking lot is full. I walk the halls and grounds looking for a "story" that might interest me and you. Saw lots of "VA Junkies"----veterans with an unhealthy attachment to the hospital---relying on it for meaning as well as healing. One doctor I interviewed said that many of his patients would come in every day if allowed----seeming to enjoy the attention of medical personnel.

Behind the Indian school is this lovely park. I stroll its every corner looking for my story.

Interesting and clever---but that's not it.

Bingo---there's my story---I feel it in my bones-----With the skill of long practice, I engage and pull it out of him. Name is Willy, recently came here from Detroit--tossed out of a homeless shelter because he inherited $7,000 after his mother's death. Acquaintences and exploiters shepherded him from motel to motel to restaurant and liquor store till he had spent it all IN A MERE 3 MONTHS. He hitched down here fleeing the cold weather--is trying to get into another shelter--meanwhile sleeps in the bushes. NOTICE TO ALL SENTIMENTALIST ON THE POLITICAL LEFT---GIVING MONEY TO SUCH AS THESE IS A FOOLS GAME. (Opra did the experiment--gave a homeless guy $20.000----He blew it quickly--no better off for his windfall) Willy is a social casualty. For complex reasons he cannot take care of himself. What is a society to do? STONEHEARTS ON THE RIGHT SAY LET HIM STARVE! Or they say: Let those who wish to rescue, rescue. The Left wing says we must all participate in the rescue--institutionalizing charity--- coercing contribution (tax money) from all. Count me slightly on the left--but with vigor--I want to phase social casualties gently off the planet by INEXPENSIVE rescue conditioned upon non reproduction guarantees. (sterilization) Soon, they and their bad genes and defective character will make their way to the boneyard of the unfit.

BUT WHAT ABOUT VETERANS? Ah, that's a slightly different story---they've EARNED some public care--so I went here to get that story. I managed to get a tour and an interview from its public relations officer. He showed me the whole place--squeaky clean, militarily efficient, fully serviced in every detail---AND BORING AS HELL! I was horrified---this is life without challenge and it is not worth living. My guide, whom I persuaded to sit down and get personal with me---said he would not allow himself to "go" this way--had plans for a more dignified exit. He also told me what this super care cost---$5,000 a month---mostly Az state taxpayer money. That's more than we can afford and only the sentimentalist among us are willing to tax the public this much. I know there is a more efficient way to honor our veterans. This wasteful system will surely crash.

My guide and explicator--an amazingly open, undefensive, public servant.

I have more to say about this but will save it for later. Perhaps an essay on the war between Sentimentalist and Stonehearts. Now I feel the urge to get out of Dodge and go to Dodge---city Kansas.

Quick thoughts on Palm and HP

It could have been worse. A lot worse.

Many of the companies rumored to be looking at Palm would have bought it mostly for the patents or the brand, and tossed aside everything else. But I think there's a good chance that HP bought the company to keep running it. HP has a long history of activity in the mobile devices market, but hasn't had a lot of knockout success there lately, other than in notebook computers. Palm makes it a player again, or at least potentially a player.

The press release makes it sound like HP was especially interested in the software side of Palm rather than the hardware. WebOS was mentioned six times (compared to one mention of Pre), and Todd Bradley, EVP of the Personal Systems group at HP, was quoted in the press release as saying, "Palm's innovative operating system provides an ideal platform to expand HP’s mobility strategy and create a unique HP experience spanning multiple mobile connected devices."

Sure sounds to me like they're planning to deploy the OS across different classes of devices. And tablets were reportedly mentioned specifically in the press conference after the deal was announced.

So overall, I think Palm users and developers should feel good about the deal. Obviously, everything will depend on execution. But at least the company's not being immediately dismantled, which could easily have happened.

Here are some other thoughts on the deal:

Upside for Palm device sales. With HP's huge sales infrastructure, the Pre can move quickly into a lot of interesting places Palm couldn't easily reach -- especially corporate sales, more international markets, and more operator deals.

Ominous news for Microsoft. Between the gains for Android and the Apple-driven trend toward mobile companies owning their own platforms, the market space for Microsoft's mobile software continues to shrink. But more important than that, HP is the number one Windows vendor, and it now owns its own operating system. That's not an immediate crisis for Microsoft, but it should keep someone there awake at night.

Can the old dog HP learn new tricks? Historically, HP has been pretty close to inept in two areas that Palm knows how to run: Managing a consumer developer community, and creating a great user experience by combining hardware and software. If HP is wise, it will keep the Palm teams intact and let them gradually spread those skills to the rest of the company. On the other hand, if HP tries to "help" the Palm folks execute, it will almost certainly drown them in process and bureaucracy.

What is HP's goal in personal systems? The thing that surprises me most about the Palm purchase is that the rumor mill in Silicon Valley said HP was moving away from differentiation in PCs. The company has laid off many of the Apple refugees who had come in to help run the PC business, and the quirky advertising seems to have faded into the background. Supposedly, HP was much more interested in emulating Acer than Apple in PCs. But the Palm deal positions HP as a much more direct competitor to Apple.

Maybe HP sees mobile as a different marketplace, where investment and innovation can pay off better.

PS: I won't even get into the irony of former Palm CEO Todd Bradley now controlling the company again. Let's just say Silicon Valley is a very small place.

WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU DON'T FIT IN

A MAVERICK-FRIENDLY TOWN---QUARTZSITE ARIZONA.--Consider this:
1. For much of the year, most inhabitants are transients that don't live in houses. (trailers, tents and such)
2. Rent is ridiculously cheap, ranging from zero to such as me to $180 for 6 months if you wish to settle semi-permanently on BLM land.
3. Has several cafes with tent roofs much like old mining boom towns.
4. Has Americas' only full service, drive thru RV service station. (propane, dump, water)
5. Sets aside a special area for nudist.
6. Features a Yacht club here in this stark desert. EXHIBIT A---one of Quartzsite's leading citizens--owner of the bookstore behind us. I'm proud to embrace this fellow poet. author, and maverick extraordinaire. He won a decades long court battle to dress---er--undress like this.

The court concluded that a "penis pouch" is the bare minimum for decency. He is world famous and surely the most photographed bookseller on earth.

A short mile or so away, mavericks like this one feel at home in the desert. I decided to go get the story.

He invites me in--I'm all set to take notes. People show surprising respect for note takers. He's lived in this van for 20 years--it's well tweaked--electronically sophisticated--flat screen TV etc.

His name is Charley---has a penchant for blue--those are one way windows all round insuring privacy and sun block. His dog sleeps with him.

Earns money as an artist---a sample of his work.

Heres a maverick new toy--asked to try it out--said yes.

Got the hang of it quickly--exercises rarely used muscles--speeds right along. See how slim I'm getting---spoonfull of olive oil twice daily--kills the appetite.

Stopped this guy who happily posed---maverick, minimal investment service business.

Lots of folks come to Quartzsite and live like this. I estimate this lifestyle cost $100 a month. Within walking or biking distance are all the necessary services--water, Library, etc. I've seen whole families living in a tent.

Inspired by the naked bookseller, I peeled myself--reflecting Whitman: ("I will go to the woods and become undisguised and naked---I am mad for it to be in contact with me") --But no contact with these woods. I just flashed on a poem by Robert Service that seems to fit myself and other transients in and around Quartzsite---entitled

THE MEN WHO DON'T FIT IN

There's a race of men who don't fit in;

A race that can't stay still.

So they break the hearts of kith and kin

To wander the world at will.

They range the fields, they rove the flood,

They climb the mountain's crest;

Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood

For they don't know how to rest.

I've forgotten the rest of it, but you get the Idea. It's getting warm--I think I'll go to Santa Fe--7000 ft elevation and world class spiritual center.

Lessons From the Fall of Palm

What went wrong?

Palm is now apparently prepping itself for a remainder sale, or new sugar daddy, or some other sort of deal that will change its current trajectory. I wish them well, and I hope they can remain independent and go on to accomplish great things in the future. But whatever happens, it's clear that the current incarnation of Palm has failed. Almost everyone I talk to in Silicon Valley is already speaking of the company in the past tense.

Most of the comments I've seen online blame the company's failure on the high marketing costs associated with selling hardware:

--Ed Snyder, an analyst with Charter Equity Research, told the New York Times: “They poured all their resources into developing a killer product. But they didn’t have the resources left to go to market.” (link)

--Engadget called Palm "a company that has more talent, history, and bright ideas than it has cash and customers." (link)

--Charlie Wolf of Needham & Company told Bloomberg: "It can't get scale. It doesn't have the resources to market the Palm OS and the Pre in a way that would break through the noise." (link)

--Even Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein blamed the problem on marketing challenges: "Palm webOS is recognized as a groundbreaking platform that enables one of the best smartphone experiences available today....However, driving broad consumer adoption of Palm products is taking longer than we anticipated." (link)

The quotes reflect the tech industry's stereotypical view of hardware businesses: They require huge marketing budgets, making them incredibly high-risk, high-cost investments. That's why you see thousands of software startups in Silicon Valley and only a handful of hardware ones.

I think that's nuts. Hardware companies like Pure Digital (maker of the Flip camera) succeeded with virtually no marketing budget. Why? Because they made appealing products that filled a particular customer need. If you do that, hardware is easy to market virally. I think the lesson from Palm's failure isn't "making hardware is dangerous," it's "lack of focus in a small hardware company is dangerous."

I don't want to turn this post into an anti-Palm diatribe. As I said, I hope they survive, and I have enormous respect for the people who work there. But in the spirit of helping everyone learn from Palm's situation, here are the five lessons I think we should all take away from Palm's struggles:


1. Understand what problem you're solving. I asked this question when the Pre was first announced, and I'll ask it again now: What compelling problem does the Pre solve for what customer? (link) It's easy to answer that for successful devices:

--BlackBerry = great e-mail on the go for mobile professionals

--iPhone = the best entertainment and browsing on the go (later extended to include apps)

--Flip = the easiest way to capture video and share it online

What's the short pitch for Pre? Go check the Palm website. As of April 18, it featured three different positionings right on the front page: "Social networking at its best," "Advanced 3D games," and "Work smarter, stay connected." So it's a business / social networking / gaming tool. For all of those millions of people who want to do serious business, 3D games, and Facebook posts all at once.

This isn't a recent problem. At the time of the Pre announcement, Palm advocates described it as a device for people who want better e-mail than the iPhone and better entertainment than the BlackBerry. The implication was that there's a big center to the smartphone market that's frustrated by the lack of a keyboard on an iPhone and the lack of a music player on BlackBerry. Re-read Jon Rubinstein's quote above: "webOS is recognized as a groundbreaking platform that enables one of the best smartphone experiences available today." The assumption there is that millions of customers are looking to buy a "smartphone experience," as opposed to a tool that solves a particular problem.

If that unsatisfied center existed, Pre would have sold like hotcakes.


2. Take care of your friends. When Elevation Partners took control of Palm, the company wasn't just a famous brand. It also had a fairly large base of loyal customers and developers who had stuck with the Treo through a lot of angst and adversity. The new Palm did very little to keep those people loyal. The developers weren't given any way to bridge their existing applications to the new OS. Faced with starting over on webOS or starting over on the much larger iPhone base, guess what they chose. And Palm, which once prided itself on simplicity, made the Treo to Pre migration process into the sort of marathon experience that we used to tease Microsoft about. Here are some of the instructions from Palm's own website (link):

Decide where you want to move your Calendar/Contacts

The Data Transfer Assistant moves your info out of the desktop organizer and onto your phone. From there, your phone sends the data to the web account of your choice.

Your choices: Google, Microsoft Exchange, or Yahoo!.
Need help deciding where your info should go?

Skip this step if you already have an online account where you want to move the info from your old desktop organizer.
Create an account for one of these web services:
Google

1. Go to Google.com: Create a Google account and set up a new account.
2. If you've never used Google Calendar, you'll need to sign in at least one time before proceeding. Go to google.com/calendar, and follow the login & activation steps until you see your calendar.

Microsoft Exchange for corporate users

Ask your IT Helpdesk for these four pieces of information.

* Incoming mail server name
* Domain name (if it's different from your incoming mail server name)
* Exchange username
* Exchange password

Yahoo! Calendar & Contacts

Contacts are transferred from Yahoo.com to the phone, but not from phone to Yahoo!

1. Go to Yahoo.com: Sign up for Yahoo! and create a new account.

Or back up your info to your online Palm profile

Ready to go - you already created an account when you set up your phone.

Set up the account on your phone

After creating an online account, add it to your phone. This ensures that your info moves correctly to the account.

1. On your phone, open Contacts.
2. Open the application menu and tap Preferences & Accounts.
3. Tap Add An Account and select the account you created above.
4. Enter the username and password for that account.

Sync your old device one last time

Skip this step if you do not have a previous Palm device.

To make sure you have the most up-to-date version of your info in Palm Desktop or standalone Outlook, synchronize your previous Palm device and your computer one last time.

Export your info using the Data Transfer Assistant

For fastest results, turn on Wi-Fi (if available) and plug in the charger before proceeding.

Download the tool: Data_Transfer_Assistant_1e.exe

After the download is complete, double-click Data_Transfer_Assistant_1e.exe in the location on your computer where you downloaded it.
Follow the onscreen instructions.
Note: When you connect the phone to your computer, some applications may launch automatically, moving the Data Transfer Assistant to the background. To return the Data Transfer Assistant to the foreground, click the Data Transfer Assistant icon on your computer's taskbar....

You can find some more discussion here.

This in itself wasn't a disaster. Any company has to set priorities, and Palm just didn't make the links to its legacy customers and developers a priority. But it meant Palm couldn't draw on a pool of friends to help it get sales off to a quick start. That put even more pressure on Pre to be a knockout hit from day one.


3. Move faster and slower. After the Elevation deal, Palm went through a very strange management transition. Jon Rubinstein was installed as Chairman and head of product development, Ed Colligan remained as CEO (so he was Jon's employee and boss at the same time), and Jeff Hawkins was supposed to remain as product guru. Palm said at the time that Jon would be the execution person and Jeff the visionary. "The combination of those two guys is one of the most dynamic... combinations on the planet," Palm said. Yeah, right. The real process was a creeping reorganization in which Rubinstein replaced the old Palm executive team in stages. I think Palm would have been better off with a single quick transition in which the new team was put in place all at once and given time to coalesce.

But if Palm moved too slowly on organizational change, it probably moved too quickly on product shipment. The Pre shipped without a finished development environment, frustrating the developers who were most motivated to create interesting software on it. And it had an OS that hadn't been tuned properly for performance, so even its most enthusiastic users had to apologize for its lack of responsiveness. Although there was a lot of pressure on Palm at the time to ship, in retrospect the company would have been far, far better off if it had waited a few more months and shipped a product that delivered a great user and developer experience.


4. What you do, do well. The old Palm's "zen" design principles said: "Find a problem, find the simplest solution, punt the rest." It was an appliance design philosophy translated into computing. The new Palm tried to boil the ocean. Its ambition to create a smartphone platform superior to iPhone forced it to compete on a very broad range of fronts, everything from OS to SDK to app store to hardware. Inevitably, Palm wasn't able to execute equally well in all areas, and some of the Pre's features were compromised due to lack of resources. Apple can get away with a flawed version one product because it has the financial resources to go back and fix its mistakes. Which brings me to the fifth lesson...


5. You're not Apple. Trying to beat Apple head-on is a rich man's game, the computing equivalent of fighting a land war in Asia. There are effective ways to compete with Apple on a budget, but they all involve avoiding or neutralizing its strengths, and targeting segments or tactics that Apple can't or won't pursue. Instead, Palm attacked head on. I'm picturing that Warner Brothers cartoon where Black Knight Yosemite Sam charges at full speed into the wall of a castle and bounces off flat as a pancake (link).


What it means for the rest of us

You'll notice that I didn't say anything about Palm's bizarre ads featuring a Borg hive queen (here and here). That's because they were a symptom, not a cause. When your product is right, the message will be simple and you won't need creepy ads to stand out. Often you won't need ads at all.

The mistakes highlighted by Palm are common in the tech industry. Here's what I think we should do about them:

--I know there are device companies out there right now where the employees are whispering to each other, "we've committed to shipping on a certain date, but the product won't really be ready." You know who you are. Don't let your company pull a Pre; speak up. If nothing else works, print this post and send it to your boss. The Board of Directors might fire you if you delay the launch, but they definitely will fire you if the product fails.

--I frequently talk with companies that are creating bundles of technologies rather than coherent solutions to problems (anybody want to buy a Verizon Droid? link). Ask yourself, who is my customer, and am I solving a problem that they care about deeply?

--I know investors who say, "I'll never touch hardware, it's too risky." Understand that you're missing opportunities where you could invest with a higher return, because valuations aren't being bid up by competing investors. The fault, dear investor, is not in our product category, but in our execution.


That's my take. What do you think? Where did Palm go wrong (if at all), and what do you think the lessons are for other companies?

THE LADY WHO BUILT HER OWN TOWN

I'M SWORN TO SECRECY ABOUT NAME AND LOCATION----but will tell you that near this mountain in Arizona lives a very unusual lady. Word reached me of a gorgeous lady who retreated to the Arizona desert to build her dream----(not house--but)---TOWN! ----AND THEN DID JUST THAT! ---Wasn't easy, but I found her and it. With the aforesaid limitations I'm allowed to show it---and Her--to you. I pause to get my bearings. (thus far, I'm able to take the new trailer anywhere the old would go)

BINGO! The town and the lady! Old things are her passion--she even seemed to like me. This was not a ghost town she restored---she built all this in the old style--with some hired labor of course.---Note the windmill tower to the right.

This building is chock full of antiques. From time to time she will load up and take them where the money is.

This building also--full of antiques.

This bit of whimsey not in her town--I'm informed--but nearby and in the spirit so I leave it.

This house is livable---fully furnished--though she lives in another-----

This one---equally quaint----delightfully yesteryear. She put on an old kettle and made a special tea and biscuits for us.

How lucky am I to be traveling around interviewing people like this?---and Is this the farmers daughter we've all read about--all grown up? To frost the cake, she is philosophical---told me that she built the town impelled by a vision she generated----that she chooses long term, difficult projects to give focus to her life. (did a spectacular--even famous project--in Washington state--but that's another story) How different is her approach to those who advocate drifting through life responding to events that "come to you". (TAOISM) She's charmed by the wit and wisdom of Elbert Hubbard (not L Ron Hubbard) who went down with the Lucitania in 1917. Check him out! I come away impressed with the power of a clearly focused vision--persistently held and acted on. ("if you don't have a dream---how you gonna make a dream come true")

PICK A SPOT---ANY SPOT

WATCH THE WORLD REVOLVE AROUND IT I found myself here--40 miles from anywhere--between Blythe, CA and Phoenix, Az--a bit sleepy--picked this spot at random to exit and camp for the night.

Hovatter rd---I'm confident there's a fine spot to sleep here.

I drive south across this canal. Recognize it? It is the CAP (Central Arizona Project) canal bringing Colorado River water to Phoenix and Tucson. Both cities would be crippled without it. Imagine clean, cold, snow-melt water flowing at about 4 mph to thirsty folks deep in the desert. I think this project cost a billion dollars to build decades ago.

Perhaps a quarter mile away--settled cozily in for the night---enjoyed it so much I stayed two nights.

Next morning from a nearby hill I see two campers--more adventurous than I settled miles out in this pristine desert. Can you see them just to the right of center. Considered visiting them.

Bicycled a bit--sat down to read-----AND THEN---AND THEN.

Heard this heliocopter sputtering--certainly in trouble--got my camera and hurried to its landing at a bare spot near the interstate.

It settled down unharmed and its occupants scrambled over it looking for the problem.

In 15 minutes its twin showed up--landing on the roadway----And then I understood the urgency. A man's life is hanging in the balance. Cop car appeared from nowhere protecting it from traffic.

In 3 minutes flat the patient was gently carried to the second copter. He was alive--I saw him move.

And flown away in a flash. A repair truck showed up within the hour and fixed the ailing copter and away it flew---they waved a friendly goodbye to this impromptu reporter.

Suddenly realized I'm camped at a low mountain pass----and water does not run uphill--so how is it getting from the valley below up here (at least a hundred feet higher)----bicycled and hiked to get this view of the lift zone. Of course! Its pumped up here and sent cruising on its merry way across the next valley. (wonder how many times it must be lifted in its full course to Tucson and if it's expensive to lift water) That building, roof just visible, houses the pumping station.

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES: It seems the world revolves around me---and of course it does---and around you. Which is another way of saying that anyplace is interesting----and what it takes to make this--or any--spot LIGHT UP with fascination is to simply begin to NOTICE----cast my attention about in a curious and focused way---like Superman's x-ray vision. I read once that anyone can NOTICE their way to enlightment. ( in the instant of attention we are in the present ) Certainly I've learned to notice my way to INTERESTING. Here are a few other things I noticed in my 2 night stay here:

1. Noticed a bee crawling on the ground--unable to fly--remembered reading that they sometimes just run out of fuel--that they need sugar---SOOO---I offered her a teaspoon of sugar water--to my astonishment, she drank. (probosis came out like a straw and sucked in several draughts) then she fussed around about a minute, gathering herself together it seemed and then--FLEW AWAY--to my delight.

2. Noticed a large freshly fallen Saguaro cactus and reflected that it will live on for several more years just lying here. What if people faded this gradually into oblivion--then I realized that in fact many of us do.

3. Noticed that this is a super good year for the desert---heavy rains--lots of beautiful grass--apparantly the seeds just waited out the last 5 years of drought.

Bottom line: Any spot cooperates with me to light up my brain.

BIG DISCOVERY IN LOW COUNTRY

A QUALITY LIFESTYLE FOR $150 A MONTH RENT I'm headed for the base of those mountains over there---been invited to come see for myself--an entire lifestyle not based on profit. (wonder if I'll find any Republicans there) Deming, NM is on the horizon and the community I'm looking for is 4 miles south in desert such as this.

Bingo---I'm there--paid $6 for a night (non member rate)

The HI part of their name stands for Headquarters International--and this is it. Inside is a full complement of computers and friendly personnel

The LOW part of their name explained as well as their mission statement. Membership cost about $60 a year and they number a few thousand nationwide, assembled as autonomous chapters. Edith Lane founded the club long years ago. A handfull of visionaries, feeling the need for a physical base, purchased this RV park for the club and were soon repaid with interest, so that now the club operates as non profit.

Services include water, electricity, sewage, and garbage---Laundry, dance area etc---all important--but only a foundation for what is more important---the feeling of belonging to a caring community.

Economic status holds no sway here----this rig cost $200,000 plus

This one perhaps $200o-----yet both are esteemed for the personality they bring to the group.

When I realized the breakthrough importance of what is happening here, I began to interview folks. These 4 were particularly helpful--That's paul (famous dancer) on the left then Sue (a resident) then Bob Gambol--a legendary traveler--(one of the few people who has actually vagabonded completely around the world.) (I cropped out a camera shy lady per her request)Volunteers did this and lots of similar, clever, cute projects. You'll have to come yourself to see the "pyramids of geezers".

But I will show you this---a meditation maze---As you walk the convoluted path--try to release your busy mind--to see what else is there that your cloud of thoughts are hiding.

A community room, with lots of good stuff--and much used at 6:30 pm. I daresay it cost less than a tenth of what a private RV park would have to pay.

RANDY PHILOSOPHIZES: I wound up staying two days enjoying the good fellowship of friends and strangers alike. THIS IS SO--NOT A REGULAR RV PARK BECAUSE:

1. There is no profit motive.

2. People feel and act like a caring family.

3. Everyone pitches in to generate a full slate of outings and activities--yet no one is pressured to do any of them. ( I could feel the difference from a dollar-motivated good time engineered by expensive parks)

THEIR UNSPOKEN MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD: Here is living proof that people banding together can solve two of life's biggest problems----COMFORTS and COMMUNITY---at an astonishingly LOW PRICE.

Yes, I know----you need an RV of some kind to participate in this lifestyle. That problem is easier to solve than you suppose---Used ones go for a song---(google cranky ape rvs and see)

All over America, people are bankrupting themselves paying for a roof overhead----and they often go bonkers for lack of friends and community. Oh I am moved to poetry to celebrate this terrific "tribe.":

LOW HI RANCH

They say they are loners but they are not;

actions belie their name;

they are singles, but tightly connected

In a marvelous social game.

Here, the power of alligned intentions

built family and home!

Here is rest for vagabonds

when they pause from roam.