Table of Contents
Introduction: The First Crack 1
Part 1 The Tip of the Iceberg 7
1 A Blue Tin Sign and a Box of Ribbons 9
2 Growing up Goat and a Red Pillbox Hat 17
3 Shit, Señora, and a Man Who Sings to Raw Fish 27
4 Base Camp and the Smell of Sulfur 41
5 The Meat Seats, Lentil Soup, and Bobby Brown 52
6 The Rusty Drawbridge and the Big Bang … but Not Like That. Well, Okay, Maybe a Little Like That 67
7 The End of the Earth 83
Part 2 Middle Earth 89
8 Wind on the Nipple 91
9 Levi McConaughey, Two Kinds of Tough, and a Wi-Fi Connection 100
10 A Nutcracker, an Italian Woman, and a Gravel Parking Lot 117
11 The Talk 128
12 Two Falls and a Sliver of Light 135
13 Eye of the Tiger 145
Part 3 The Land of the Rising Sun 157
14 Hot Baths, a Voice, and a Recurring Dream 159
15 Kiltie Tasseled Loafers 173
16 A Girl Named Tree and Japanese Snow 185
17 The Lowly Worm Goes Skiing 192
Part 4 The Valley of the Shadow of Death 205
18 Church Pews 207
19 A Bird in the Bag and a Certain Kind of Ugly 214
20 An Awkward Dance and a Remake of Snow White 229
Part 5 The True North Strong and Free 239
21 Venturing into the Slipstream 241
22 Lovely Day for a Guinness 253
23 A Fourth Wind, Fire Ants, and How to Put One Foot in Front of the Other 264
Postscript 277
Epilogue: Rocky Mountain High 279
Author Note: A Note about Guinness 285
Acknowledgments 287
