Meanwhile in Colorado

Hi guys! Apologies for not writing as much this month. After going on an absolute tear in November and December headed into AHA, I got so busy this month that it’s been difficult to stay on top of everything. I don’t know if I am overwhelmed per se, but I am really, really whelmed.

Work with the Forest Service is picking up. I’m still not certain about what I can and cannot disclose as far as my work is concerned, but primarily my job is about serving the needs of the Tribes who call parts Colorado and Kansas home. We’ve never had anyone at this position, so developing relationships takes time and effort and really good intentions. I’m really happy with the work I’m doing. I get to meet some really great people, learn about different Indigenous cultures, and work to ensure their voices are being heard out here in the Forest Service. One of the great things is that the leadership here genuinely cares about managing these landscapes in ways that are appropriate for Indigenous communities, and that empathy is apparent throughout the district I serve. People have lots of questions. Hell, I have lots of questions. We’re all learning. But so far, I really like the job and work with great people.

But Holy Hell is it far from home. I miss the boys. I miss my ocean. I have a tendency to romanticize things, but Florida is home in ways Kentucky never was. Yes, it has some real challenges right now, but most places do. I find myself dreaming of returning and trying to answer some of those challenges. And fishing. I really miss fishing. We have fish in Colorado, but they are so small you pretty much have to use dental floss to catch them. It is different. I do find myself fighting depression here, though six months in and during the winter, that is probably to be expected. A lot of you helped me move here. I don’t want to disappoint anyone. So I’m trying to stay upbeat.

I worry I talk about HATM too much, but here’s an update. We are working on revising the logo. I’ve never been thrilled with ours and I want something that evokes the golden age of hollywood, mostly because I like the way that makes me feel. So I’ve hired a graphic artist to work on that. We are also looking at working with a production company to help with the lifting and do some different stuff across platforms. I know I’m taking a chance with all this stuff, and my chances tend to fail, but I believe in this. I don’t know why. But I do. And I’m really grateful to those of you who do as well.

This also means ramping up on production. Today we launched our first miniseries on the HATM Podcast—for the next nine weeks you’ll hear breakdowns and analysis from Dr. Sarah Myers, Dr. Luke Truxal, and myself about the new series on Apple TV, Masters of the Air. The episodes are a bit stripped down—I can’t ask Fletcher to do all this for free, so I’m recording and throwing them on the server. I hope you don’t mind. After that is done, I’m hoping to release a new series that is a bit different than what HATM does. I’m still working on the concept but I’ll let you know as it develops. For now, I’ve linked those episodes below.

In the meantime, we’ve recorded a BUNCH of pods. This Thursday we will drop some that I am probably more excited about than any we have ever done—Glory. I’m joined by four of the leading historians in the field and folks, it is one of the most profound conversations I’ve ever been part of. I am so excited to share it with you.

I am tired now. There are certainly days when I am so tired I don’t want to do history or HATM anymore and just go home to Florida to be with my fellas and fish. But y’all really do keep me going. So thanks for your enthusiasm for this whole thing and continuing to be the cheerleaders I never expected to have. :)

I thought maybe a nice way to close this would be to offer a picture from the office. This is standing right outside the door in Pueblo. You can see the mountain range to the west. The two off to the left are the Spanish Peaks, including the one I wrote about earlier. Hope you like it.

Jason