DEAR EDITOR

BY: Peter Aleshire

{dear editor} Not Your Biggest Fan

I don't know why, Peter, but I just haven't been your biggest fan since you took the reins. Maybe it was your politics poking through, or perhaps with change some fear seeped in. As an Arizona native long of tooth, I hold dear Arizona Highways as a little part of my soul.

I should tell you that I am a large, hard man roughened by the Arizona sun and many adventures. With that said, this morning as I read your story ("All Who Wander," December '05) about your grandfather and Lake Powell, I must admit it nearly moved me to tears. I found it very well written and an extremely honest window to your soul. It instantly smacked me with what should always be the priority in life, at a time when perhaps I needed such a smack.

I doubt you needed a smack; it sounds like you know a lot about living life with joy and courage. I am touched that my recollections of Walt meant something to you. Of course, this doesn't mean you should not keep a sharp eye on me to make sure that my mushyheaded thinking doesn't mess up a great magazine.

Issue Betrayed Tradition

I'm a fifth-generation Arizona native. When you ascended to the editorship, I was pleased. I've followed your writings in the magazine over the years, and enjoyed some of your books. My conviction is that someone with your love of Arizona could only bring good things to the magazine I've cherished my entire life.

The 2005 Christmas issue gave me pause. The crowning event of each year for most readers is the Christmas issue.

This issue was a break with that tradition, with an overabundance of text, some only distantly related to Christmas. I think you too frequently indulge in nepotism with stories and pictures of your own family. I think that practice compromises editorial objectivity, and clouds your vision. I will continue to subscribe, but hope the magazine doesn't become a vehicle of your personal agenda, as opposed to the grander purpose it has served in the past.

Savoring December Issue

I am so happy the December 2005 issue was not the typical pine tree and snow on the Mogollon Rim cover. What better way to celebrate the holidays than to have your best photographers and writers give thanks for this beautiful state? I will savor every minute of my reading this month.

Your December 2005 issue was really outstanding. The stories caused me to reflect on my life and all the good things that have come my way. The pictures are awesome, seeming to bring forth the spirit of the stories. Many thanks to the writers and photographers for sharing with us.

No More Trick Photographs

I like all Arizona Highways photographs, but not Gary Ladd's "Nature's Mirror" (November '05), the portfolio of mirrored photographs. Since you're new at the job as editor, I'd like to remind you that most of us want photographs of Arizona as it is, and not as it ain't. No more trick photographs, please.

The portfolio of reversed images had us arguing about it before we ran it, so I figured it might get some interesting reactions. I loved it; Publisher Win Holden was dubious; Director of Photography Pete Ensenberger enjoyed it; Photography Editor Richard Maack thought it tried to be clever and failed. Hopefully, it at least got people talking and thinking about photography. We're photo-fanatics here at Highways, so we jump at any chance to chat about it.

Not a Nitwit After All

I have been reading Arizona Highways each month, cover to cover, since my oldest son moved to your wondrous state in January 1999. I visit every year, using your magazine as the "map" for my guide.

Never has your now-defunct "Humor" page led me on a journey of discovery in Arizona. In fact, I found the humor on that page to be rather sophomoric, to be kind, and never did I laugh myself silly, as Anthony Morris evidently used to do, as he described in "Dear Editor," "Hey Peter, You Nitwit," November 2005.

In short, I don't miss your humor page at all, and you are not a nitwit! If Mr. Morris really wants to laugh, he should subscribe to Mad Magazine, or just read his newspaper about local politics.

Don't Disdain Christmas

Thank you for your wonderful magazine. Michael, of Tempe, ("Dear Editor," January '06) inspired me to write you because of his disdain for your Christmasrelated content. I don't eat Native American or Mexican food or practice their customs, but I do enjoy learning about them. Though I'm not about to start worshiping the sun and moon, learning about the beliefs of other cultures helps me understand where my neighbors came from.

Just because my tastes, practices and beliefs are different doesn't mean I have to change or criticize theirs. Your magazine helps me understand the culture and people around me who, by the way, were here a long time before me.