Besides The News

June 20, 2025 Free News Friday

Happy Friday to everyone. I hope people have a wonderful weekend. I am headed out to another part of the country for a fishing trip with an old friend and hope to be able to do another travel log from the towns we are heading to. In the meantime, there are a lot of developments in the news world. I am thankful for a bit of a pause in the decision-making related to war, and it was great to see Mr. Kennedy have the chance to open up the investigation on East Palestine and the train derailment that has caused a tremendous amount of suffering. All of that is good stuff, but I thought today, rather than spend time on more analysis of things, I would give you a look into some things that have been helping me keep a little more sane. So, the news can wait again until Monday, as I am certain it will go on and be there for our review next week. Here are a few, Besides The News, things that I hope you will enjoy.

Today’s Picks

When I was a travelling musician in the late 90s, I would spend a lot of time in Minneapolis. One of our favorite parts of the city was Uptown. There was a classic theater there that had a lot of different avant-garde movies and film festivals, and every time we came to town, we would be sure to stop and watch whatever was there. When you are young and adventurous, a few bucks for a goofy movie is always worth it. One of my favorite festivals was the Spike and Mike Film Festival. There were two cartoons from that day that I went searching for this week on the internet. I was able to find them, and they brought back a ton of great memories from my youth.

The Janitor

Lilly and Jim

I love the San Luis Valley in Colorado. It is a unique plain between the Sangre de Cristo mountains and the Central end of the San Juans. It is stunning. A unique valley with desert sand dunes and fertile valleys where farmers can grow cantaloupes and watermelons. Del Norte is a town trying for revival with a haunting recall of old farm life before the industrialization of agriculture. This song by Gregory Alan Isakov - San Luis is an amazing piece that shows off this amazing part of Colorado.

I was at the Brinton Art Museum last month and ran into an exhibit called Women in Wyoming. It was a photography exhibition and Sara’s story about her regenerative farm in Ralston, Wyoming. Her heritage wheat is really an incredible product, and her story is awesome to hear. I love all that is happening in Wyoming. It is the freest state for local food growing and selling, which I think opens up the market to creative endeavors like this.

While we are visiting all of these breathtaking places in the Rocky Mountains, I thought this piece was really worth watching. One day, I hope to do a story about the town of Lodge Grass and the Crow Reservation in Montana. The native american people have a beautiful culture, and it shows in all of the uniqueness of the celebrations that they participate in.

Here is another Wyoming songwriter. Ian Munsick has a beautiful way with lyrics and melody.

Two additional pieces that are truly mesmerizing:

Have a lovely weekend. If you are so inclined, share this with a friend. Beauty and art are more valuable than hyperfixation on the negative. I must apologize for my latest inclinations towards the downside of things. It has been easy to fall prey to the fear of war and the tumult of the world. But all around us are beautiful things: nature, family, friends, kindness. The din of Washington is only available to us because we focus on it. This weekend, I plan to enjoy the cold air of a night sky and a long walk with an old friend. I hope you can do the same.

Blessings,

Aaron