
John Boston | Cursed Summer: O Why Am I NOT Mr. Malibu Valley?
At least for the summers, I’ve been trying to move out of this darn place for almost 60 years. Never much of a fan of mercury’s broiling tantrums stretching from

At least for the summers, I’ve been trying to move out of this darn place for almost 60 years. Never much of a fan of mercury’s broiling tantrums stretching from

Ouch. Eeeesh. Amen. Boy howdy. The way the mercury’s been bubbling, perhaps we ought to just monkey with the time continuum a smidge and go back in history to some distant November. In Switzerland. Well. Let’s not be

There are things I miss about a place called home. Clem Cox was a major uber old-time rancher and he used to grin that he had lived in nine different

Big surprise? It’s hotter than heck. Top of the mid-July Sunday morn to you, amigos, amigo-ettes, amoebas and amoeba-ettes (the last two being sort-of Spanish for cute little wiggly friends). I vote we skip

So. I got scammed. Well. Nearly. I’m not out cash, but, I frittered away valuable time. They say you can’t kid a kidder. The person who said that? They’re a

Top of the Signal Saturday morning to you, dear saddlepals. A most excellent adventure ahead have we, what with giant bears, an unusual shooting (and reason because) of a Highway Patrolman and Fourth of

I feel a bit like the proverbial frog in boiling water. You know the fable. You plop a toad in a pot and he doesn’t notice the temperature rising as

Today, this glorious, once in a forever eon, each in our own way, it’s our day to howl. Happy Independence Day, dear saddlepals. Happy 250th Birthday and Happy Time Ranger adventure. Isn’t it just beyond grand

I am Chinese, a visitor from far away, forced to return to the country of my roots, a home I can no longer stomach. A scant five years ago, I

What with the death of Bill Hart, the most bizarre traffic stop in history, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis visiting here, and an entire passel of ¡¡¡No me lo puedo creer!!! (“You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me!!!”) stories,

I’ve a favor to ask. It’s not for me, rather, our valley. I’m asking the city of Santa Clarita to make a permanent and appropriate gesture. Starting summer of 2027,

If I had a magic wand, I’d wave it over all the Dads and poof would appear big screen TVs in quiet dens, remote controls with fresh batteries, recliners and your own six trays

Slo-pitch — or, originally, slow-pitch — softball can be traced back to Chicago in 1887 as a recreational break during Thanksgiving. Baseball had been around for decades. George Hancock came

Welp. We’ve saddled up several thousand fine steeds, even a few with English saddles for those of you who are, ahem — Westernly Challenged. I suppose it would be easier for us to have

If we’re lucky, we have a sport, maybe more than one. If we’re truly fortunate, no matter what our skill level, we get to play it. My dad was an

Dear me, time traveling is a wonderful thing. It seemed like it was January a moment ago and in the blink of an eye, we’re in the second month that begins with

The memory banks are starting to fog like the yellow headlights from my old 1953 Ford F-100. The first person I ever voted for was Martin Van Buren and that

Hope you time travelers brought along a pillow for your saddle this morn. We’ve an extra-long journey ahead, saddlepals. There’s no time to waste, so let’s giddy-up into a most interesting trail ride into the backcountry of our rich, Santa Clarita Valley history …

Here’s an interesting tidbit. The Internal Revenue Service, like Hamlet, is deeply studying whether or not they should do something. Specifically? They’re pondering if they should add a question onto

We’ll be politely riding past a few local Native American villages on this morning’s trail. Relax. The names are sometimes tough to pronounce. Let me do the talking. You saddlepals just smile and