Author Archives: Gavin Stevens

About Gavin Stevens

Humptulips County is the wholly fictional on-line residence of Stephen Ellis, a would-be writer, an avid fan of William Faulkner and his Yoknapatawpha County, and a retired lawyer.

Smelling the Roses

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

Off A Side Road Near Staunton Some nothing afternoon, no one anywhere, an early autumn stillness in the air, the kind of empty day you fill by taking in the full size of the valley and its layers leading slowly … Continue reading →

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A Confluence of Birthdays

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

This is a time of year for family birthdays: my son Peter’s 29th birthday is today; my granddaughter Chloe’s 6th birthday was two days ago; and my wife Helen’s birthday is in ten days (and in deference to her, I … Continue reading →

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Cusps Full of Rain

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind Grip (n): Stagehand. A member of the stage crew who moves and sets up pieces of scenery … Continue reading →

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The Lost Lessons of Art

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

This is something I think about often. This great river of American soulfulness, from Anne Hutchinson to Henry Thoreau to Sojourner Truth to Margaret Fuller to Fats Waller to Bob Dylan to William Carlos Williams to William Faulkner to Janis … Continue reading →

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Freedom from Manipulation

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

I looked at my watch, which goes very well, and found that it was but six o’clock; and still thinking it something extraordinary that the sun should rise so early, I looked into the almanac, where I found it to … Continue reading →

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The Myth of the Rear View Mirror

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

And there are more I remember And more I could mention Than words I could write in a song But I feel them watching And I see them laughing And I hear them singing along Lyle Lovett, Family Reserve, Joshua … Continue reading →

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My Indian Summer

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

Sing a song of seasons! Something bright in all! Flowers in the summer, Fires in the fall! Robert Louis Stevenson, Autumn Fires, A Child’s Garden of Verses Fall is currently on full display in Humptulips County, turning country roads into … Continue reading →

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The Artist At Play And Work

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. William Carlos WIlliams, The Red Wheelbarrow We spent this weekend on Whidbey Island with our friends, Tom and Carrie. The trip became a thoroughly … Continue reading →

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The Life Force

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

TANNER: No, a thousand times no: hot water is the revolutionist’s element. You clean men as you clean milkpails, by scalding them. ANN: Cold water has its uses too. It’s healthy. TANNER: [despairingly] Oh, you are witty: at the supreme … Continue reading →

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Making Remembrance Count

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Gavin Stevens

The tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks is upon us, and I find myself vividly recalling that moment. Each of us has our own story of where we were, who we were with, and the horror we felt that … Continue reading →

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