Ash Street

Last month, I (finally!) read Cormac McCarthy's book, “The Road.” Now, I can see the movie when it is relased on DVD next month.

The book was chilling in its detail, but the premise of a nuclear winter is -- fortunately -- rather far-fetched at the moment. That's a comforting thought, because there isn't much reason for hope in the novel.

But, the eruption of a volcano in Iceland (don't ask me to spell it's name, and I won't ask you to pronounce it) and the subsequent impact of its ash cloud have given me pause. No, I don't consider volcanic activity to be more of a current global threat than nuclear arms. But I sure hope volcanoes don't gang up on us.

Anyway, enjoy the photo from the road -- one in Iceland, not from the movie. By the way, that's a picture of a mushroom-shaped cloud caused by an eruption of the Mount Redoubt volcano in Alaska 20 years ago this week.