Life in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas is better than life anywhere else. That’s true on any scale or metric—social, cultural, socio-cultural, socio-political, geographic, geologic, anthropogenic, or attitudinal. It’s true in terms of liveability, attractiveness, intelligence, neighborliness, common-sensible-ness, relative humidity, sanity, graciousness, godliness, opportunity, rationality, magnificence, unspuriousness, psychometrics, ebullience, health, uncrowdedness, and positivity. Everyone […]
When the Smoke Cleared
MIDLAND, TEXAS—Oh, the boundless glory. Bear witness, all, to the triumph, the jubilation, the tension, the passion, the mastery, the wonder, and the reverential awe that comprised the fullness of the 2026 PBPA Annual Sporting Clay Shoot and Pit King Challenge. Yes, contemplate those shining moments, and fix them in your memory. As for those […]
In Defense of the Fourth Estate
As the United States reaches its 250th anniversary of its birth, many are looking back and looking forward. As for looking forward, if there’s one thing I wish for this country to possess in the years to come, it is a true, functioning news media, respected and heeded by the public. Only with that can […]
Keeping Things Real
It was James M. Barrie, the English author known as the creator of Peter Pan, who said that “Life is a long lesson in humility.” It seems that we either learn humility on our own, of our own volition, or, if we live long enough, we get it ground into us by life itself, whether […]
It’s the Little Things That One Remembers
I’m reminiscing here, but, truth be told, this piece is a plug for the FFA. You live in Texas and New Mexico. In God’s Country. Get your kids into the FFA and watch them grow. Now for my own version of this, for what it’s worth. Starting out, we weren’t much more than a bunch […]
The Basin: Where History Abounds
Click here to listen to the Audio version of this story! In a past life I spent many years occupied full time in writing/editing/researching about the American West and its people, past and present, and I’m always surprised at how many “crossover” matters I encounter in my present life of writing/editing/researching about the Permian […]
The Yates Field at 100
Click here to listen to the Audio version of this story! In the long and eventful history of the Permian Basin, few discoveries carry the weight—and the enduring legacy—of the Yates Field. Discovered in 1926, the Yates Field not only transformed a stretch of rugged West Texas ranch land into one of the most prolific […]
Landman as Comeuppance
Click here to listen to the Audio version of this story! Reader, your working world and your daily doings are the most exciting stuff anyone in the country has ever seen. At least that’s what the streaming series Landman has proven, if viewer ratings have anything to say about it. And while you might not […]
The Basin as Entertainment
Click here to listen to the Audio version of this story! If you’ve followed the Paramount Plus dramatic series Landman through two seasons now, I imagine you’ve begun to think of the characters as family. Dysfunctional family, to be sure, but family. The steady character development within the show is giving the series […]
Outlooks, Forecasts, Earnings, and BBQ
Crystal Ball. Morgan Stanley put out their overview [late November] of the U.S. Oil and Natural Gas outlook in reference to 2026 intentions and activities. Some of their comments: Preliminary 2026 messaging from U.S. E&Ps points to flat oil production for –2 percent lower spending year over year, reflecting further efficiency gains, while majors continue to plan […]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 12
- Next Page »