MIZMARILYN'S MISSIVES

Heela WHAT????

2011-05-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

My nephew sent this picture to me... it's a Gila Monster that has taken refuge beneath their extra refrigerator! (remember the picture of the rattlesnake on their back porch??... NOT my kind of place)...

Although I don't mind the pretty little Gila...

imagine being called a monster all your life just because of the way you look!

aww...

do you like him more now?

Back From Hawaii.... and Beyond!

2011-05-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Joseph Anthony Miele... before I knew him.

So... I returned from Hawaii in late 1970, and took nearly a year to lose the "pleasure weight"...yeah... we all know what THAT'S all about. Then , just as I had my life back, I met Joe.

Now I have given Joe short shrift occasionally.. I truly think he may have been bipolar. If so, it worsened after we split (but of course, ANYONE would have worsened after I left them).

I have to say one thing about poor sweet Joe... in spite of his manicdepressiveparanoiddelusionaletc.ness... he was never boring.

By the time I met Joe, I had been with... well... a NUMBER of very interesting men. From folk singers to Samoans, from College kids to Hawaiians; my 'life' had been varied, to say the very least. Nothing prepared me for this New Jersey Italian. He was unlike anyone I had ever met, and I met him JUST after I finished reading the Godfather, so I was ready and eager for the experience (grin).

Despite the unevenness of our relationship, we had a lot of fun when he wasn't yelling. Turns our yelling was a cultural thing for him.. not so much for me.

Joe was, however, responsible for much of my expertise and desire in camping. I have pictures of Joe holding his first lizard; he was the ultimate city dweller. We first camped in my little Chevy vega, sleeping in the back, faces smashed up against the sloping back window. We went anywhere around here that you could get to in a weekend. We would leave after work on Friday, and be back on Sunday night. We did, however, drive 3,935 miles in 10 (?) days or so, up into Washington, across the top of the country and back down through Yellowstone and the grand Canyon, all in that little Vega... not a trip for the faint hearted.

Joe, at Lewiston Lake.. we had a little blow up boat we carried. The permanent campers at this place called it the Lewiston Lake Water Bed... Joe was very proud of this fish!

After a while, we got the VW Camper, and our trips got better and longer. The traveling (and our relationship) ended after the 1976 trip around the country. I can't begin to tell you how much I loved that trip for 4 months, or how much MORE I would have loved it ....

without Joe...

oops.. did I say that out loud?

Originally not in Black and White, it was so color faded that I changed it... Joe, in Oregon on the big trip. He wanted to cook a duck, so he made the spit and sat there cooking forever and it started to rain and we had sort of undercooked duck and everyone who came by asked us WHERE THE CAT WAS...

ha!

Just a'walking the Dog...

2011-05-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Rilynn walking Rosie,,,

Kim says they are BOTH very well behaved when they walk each other... much better then when they are alone.

Must be the mutual responsibility...

or, as her mother before her, Rilynn thinks she's a dog... (her mother used to crawl to the door and bark with the golden retrievers)

If This Doesn't Make You Laugh... Well... No Hope for you...

2011-04-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe they're not 'real' (grin)

SPOTLIGHT on the Summer of 1968 (and beyond a bit)... (back to travel)

2011-04-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

So... we leave the summer of love ('67) where it belongs, back in San Francisco, and move on to the next summer. In case you haven't guessed yet, I'm teaching now, which means that I have summers off.. in 1968 I decided to go for the big one and drive to Alaska!!!!

yeah... right... My parents hit the proverbial roof, as a driving trip to Alaska (8,000 miles round trip) included traveling for the most part on the ALCAN highway, which was (and is) built on permafrost, which isn't as permanent as it sounds. We wrangled over it for a while and I said 'What the hell, I'll go to Hawaii"... just so I got out of Dodge (so to speak).

I spent two months in Hawaii that summer, and it was more than a summer of love, that's for certain! This was the farthest I had ever been from home, and, as with most Hawaii visitors, a place that seemed both exotic and safe.

I stayed at the PInk Palace for a week(?) until I found a place to stay longer that was cheaper.. I think... my memories of the 2 month trip are mixed with the 2 years I lived there, so If I'm lying, I'm sorry... or not. As you know, I may not always be right, but I can sure sound like it .

This was a summer of not working and lounging on the beach and meeting bunches of very different people. Too bad I don't like that kind of thing.. sigh.. I was enchanted with the sounds, smells and feel of the islands, and totally taken with the people. I also visited Maui before I went home... met this little Scorpio named Mel.... ah... but I digress...

When I got home, I was, of course, restless. My brother was getting married in Feb '69 and my sister in June of '69 so I up and moved to Hawaii just after my brother's wedding,

That's me, in my little red '69 VW, surfing in to Waikiki.

I actually slept in that car for several nights (and NO ONE fits in the back seat of a VW). I shipped my stuff over and picked it up just as I got an apartment on Hoolai street (pronounced ho- ho -lie). It was close to the International Market place which had the MOST WONDERFUL food court ever. Food from all over the world... and there was the Honolulu International center down the street which had boxing. I could walk down and watch the little flyweights wham the stuffing out of each other. sigh...

I've talked about waiting tables in Hawaii in another blog, but I want you to remember just how much I loved that job. I have never kept a job that I didn't like for very long, so I don't have a lot of bad memories about working, but I certainly loved some more than others, and I was made to be a waitress (and a bank teller/new accounts clerk, and an earth mother to source engineers at hughes, and a teacher and... well.. you know me!)

The sounds of Hawaii are many, and most of them beautiful. Waikiki, however, was being built (the huge buildings that are now overwhelming the small piece of land). Since it's on sand (most of which was shipped in from.. you guessed it.. Manhattan Beach!), it required pile drivers to set pilings deep in the 'soil'. So the "Boompa Chucka" sound of pile drivers is as much a part of my memories as the other, more delicate sounds.

The music wrapped me up and held me often. I am always listening for the similarities between all cultures "folk music" , as all local music tells stories. I have found that it is only the change in instruments that makes one different than another. Anytime I hear the distinctive sound of a slack-key guitar or a ballad, I am transported back to that island faster than all the pictures or stories can possibly move me...

I could go on forever about those two years and mention names and ... well... I could go on for ever.

The big difficulty with Hawaii came as I learned more about my restless self. The island was too small.

too small...

Sometimes I would get into the car and drive around the island...

twice.

just to 'go somewhere'.

and along with all the wonderful memories (days AND nights) in Hawaii was this one stand out...

I drove through a rainbow..

twice...

Aloha...

Dontcha Just Love Him??

2011-04-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

Cambria and Cayucos

2011-03-30T11:36:00.002-07:00

So... I slept better last night (I forget that it takes me at least 3 days to get used to the bed in this little van), but my body didn’t .

Cayucos
I had breakfast in Cayucos again... once you've got a good thing....

I went up to Cambria today.. it’s a little enclave above Morro Bay ; a little artsy community. I had a relative who used to live in a great house up here, and I visited them as often as I could. Sweet place. I could live here too, but it’s waaay to off the beaten path to ever want to travel...

but nice.

Most of the houses are on hills, which is another reason I wouldn’t pick the place. I dream of a one level house. Dream...

I poked around some antique shops but was hindered by the fact that I’m not standing upright exactly..

and on the way back to the campground...

The little town of Harmony... population 18.

I did finish Stephen King.

Short Trip to a Small Place

2011-03-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

I'm in Morro Bay, just for a few days... I'll write all about it later!

now it’s later...

(wait.. how can that be??... have I bent the time/warp thingy?)

So, I decided to go up to Morro Bay for a few days, just to shake the smell, sounds and sh*& from the city. It’s really pretty up here, as you KNOW since you’re followed my consistently and remember... don’t you?

The campground is old, and can be measured by the size of the trees.. you can see my little van butt sticking out.

The camp was built in the 30’s by the CCC, back when men weren’t afraid of hard work and, in fact, felt lost without it. Suppose that’s why it’s still here. The bench is an example of 80 year old building.

I spent some of yesterday napping (sigh) and reading the new Stephen King. He’s soured on mankind considerably since his accident (evidenced by THE DOME, or the Stand Under Glass, as I call it), but he’s always a good read.

It’s cool and sort of sunny here but I still get to wear my sweatshirts. I won’t get them much longer, as Spring and Summer are merrily on their stupid way... or ways.. as it might be. All the same to me.. too hot and too sunny.

I went to Cayucos for breakfast in one of my favorite little old time breakfast places. Always good food... always. And I’ve been coming there for years.. (and years... and years)..

another tree..

Rilynn loves pancakes?

2011-03-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

Taken with my phone at breakfast this morning.. small, but cute!

Summer of Love... 1967

2011-02-19T15:18:00.000-08:00

The ranch... Joseph Oregon. An old multi picture picture, sorry about the quality. The ranch is in the second panel from the right, at the end of the road you can see...

The second big trip in my travels took place in 1967, the "Summer of Love". It was my second trip to Joseph, Oregon, and it cemented my love for the place. It was my first trip alone, in a '62 Buick Le Sabre. A great car. but a bit problematic.

In case y'all have forgotten, my friends have a huge ranch up in Joseph. The first time I went up there was in 1956. I was 13 and our entire family went up to the ranch. At that time they owned 850 acres and an old ranch that was once the talk of the county. It was world renown, and drew visitors (hunters?) from Europe in the late 1800's or early 1900's. Apparently the town wasn't happy with the 'feriners' and cut off easy provisions for the ranch, thereby providing for the near demise of the town itself, and certain closing of the ranch.

It is still a beautiful place, with a view of the valley from the ranch windows that is sweeping and breathtaking. The summer of '67 was one filled with the sounds of music... literally. First there was the musical, which played constantly (I never heard a song that was so right for a place as that one), and second, I was there to teach music to the Nez Pearce children and the local kids who wanted to learn. It was a summer school kind of event.

The Buhlers... longest family friends and ranch owners...
I didn't camp on that trip, but did discover the campground at that time. I will tell you allll about that in a bit.

It was a summer of too hot days and some wicked allergies, but is remembered extremely fondly by myself. I discovered several things on that trip, not the least of which was that I am left handed. This was discovered in a shooting gallery in the local carnival. I also discovered Carnies, who preyed on the local girls (those who weren't already pregnant) and somehow thought that "howdy ma'am" would work. Let's just say musicians have much better lines...

I had my own goat for the summer... named "Dog" because he would follow me around like a puppy. If I went into town without my car, he would climb on the roof and sit until I returned. He got so lonesome we finally sent him home to his family.

DOG... on my car.. a lousy photo, but heck, it's almost 45 years old and has been pinned to a board forEVER.

Now we go back just a bit before I went North. I got a call from an old high school boy who wanted to go out with me. How we reconnected is beyond me, but I acquiesced to his request. Remember, this was the wicked sixties, and I was a buxomed babe. He was tall and zitty in High School, and tall and pock marked later, but a nice boy. We went to dinner and dancing (ballroom!!?) and I was totally bored. I let him kiss me goodnight and left the next morning for Oregon.

I got a letter while in Oregon. It was from Lee, stating that he had decided I was IT, the one, the only. He told me how he was living with a girl, but they had never had sex and he just knew I was the one for whom he had waited. It went on from that (I still have it), and it was, to say the least, pathetic. I ignored the first letter, and got a second. I wrote back and said... very very nicely (for me) that I thought he was looking very had to find something and thought it was in me, but I didn't feel the same. He called and told me he knew my itinerary (thanks Mom!) and was coming up to Joseph. He arrived and stayed in the campground and wanted to see me. That was my first introduction to the Wallowa Lake Campground. I told the nice people at the gate that, if I didn't return shortly, he had probably killed me so no one else could have me.

He went on and on about all he could do for me and totally ignored my patient feelings. I finally told him I was a slut of the first order, and had to have different men at all times. I told him I was leaving the next day for Portland and he told me he knew where I was going and would find me. I told him he had to catch me first, and left VERY early the next morning. I have never seen him again. He might still be up there somewhere, calling my name .

While in Portland, I stayed at the Benson Hotel, and saw the Monkees (I knew they were going to be there) but didn't bother them (they were huge then, and surrounded by fans.. it's another story for another time).

I drove to Canada, taking the ferry across from Port Angeles onto Vancouver Island. It was peaceful and serene, considering it was the turbulent sixties and there were many disenfranchised hippies on the island. I heard my first variable sounding siren as I was staying across from the fire station. I also had dinner in the same Fire Station, cooked by some really cute Fireguys...
sigh...

Coming back down the coast I had to stop at San Francisco. I dressed in my finest hippie attire, beads, fake fall (hair) and painted flowers on my face and went to Haight Ashbury. What a zoo! Tour buses, multicolored people and clothes, and many offers to be someone's "old lady"... I will never forget that time, it was a total trip!

And so...

That was my second trip..

and I was..

hooked!

Funky Funk Funk Funk!

2011-02-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

The twin sister of Farty fart fart fart... you remember her, don't you?

So... I'm in a snippet of funk lately, which is why I haven't written lately. It has to do with the weather, the holidays, the end of year, the beginning of year, Mom, no travel, no rain and a sneezing kitty.

But Hey, who's counting?

I will write later..

Ancestry.com Can't Show You This!

2011-01-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

As you may know, I've been adding as many people as possible to my family tree. It's exhilarating and sometimes very frustrating. I have, in my possession, a pile of clippings my grandmother saved about my grandfather's banking experiences in Florida and other places.

It's not always the intended parts of the clippings that are interesting. I found this on the back of one of them.

1912 from a Florida newspaper...

"JURY FINDS THAT TEXAS BANKER NOT TO BE BLAMED FOR KILLING CAPT. BOYCE"

He killed the man because Boyce's SON eloped with his (Sneed's) wife. He later killed the son!

Guess you can't do that in Texas (elope with someone's wife, that is)

I was going to type the entire clipping, but went on line just for fun and found more!

"BOYCE-SNEED FEUD. In October 1911, John Beal Sneed, the son of Joseph Tyre Sneed, Sr., placed his wife of twelve years, Lenora (Lena) Snyder Sneed, in Arlington Heights Sanitarium in Fort Worth after Lena confessed her infatuation with Al Boyce, Jr., to him. Sneed and Boyce had vied for Lena's affection when all three were students at Southwestern University in Georgetown. Sneed's action set off a bizarre series of events that symbolized the tenacity of frontier justice in West Texas in the early twentieth century. Less than a month after her incarceration, with the aid of Al Boyce, Lena escaped from the sanitarium and the pair eloped to Canada. Discovered in Winnipeg, Canada, the two were arrested by the authorities, who released Lena into the custody of her husband and her father, Tom Snyder. Initially, Lena returned to Clayton, New Mexico, with her father. She later returned to her husband. After abduction charges against Boyce were dismissed by a Fort Worth court in early January 1912, Sneed fatally shot Boyce's father, Albert G. Boyce, Sr., alleging that the man had assisted his son in breaking up Sneed's home. Sneed's murder trial generated intense interest all over the United States and parts of Canada. Newspapers carried the day-by-day developments. In Fort Worth, the trial produced controversy that led to violence. Four men were killed outside the courthouse, and women fought with hatpins in the courthouse halls and even in the courtroom. After failing to reach a verdict, the jury was dismissed and a mistrial was declared. The jury was split 7 to 5 for acquittal. After the murder of his father in March by a tenant farmer believed to be associated with the Boyces, Beal Sneed shot and killed Al Boyce, Jr., as Boyce was walking in front of Polk Street Methodist Church in Amarillo. Sneed had lain in wait for two weeks in a cottage across from the church, waiting to catch Boyce unaccompanied by his brother Lynn. After firing three blasts of his twelve-gauge shotgun into Boyce, Sneed walked to the courthouse and surrendered himself and his weapon to the Potter County sheriff. Juries acquitted Sneed for both murders, declaring that they were justifiable homicides. A flood of congratulatory letters and telegrams greeted news of the verdicts. But reporters from papers outside of Texas regarded the shootings as cold-blooded murder. When reporters demanded a reason for the acquittal in the murder of Al Boyce, Jr., the jury foreman, James D. Crane, responded by saying, "The best answer is because this is Texas. We believe in Texas a man has the right and the obligation to safeguard the honor of his home, even if he must kill the person responsible."
Sneed, reunited with Lena, moved to Paducah, where he owned a ranch and a cotton farm. He also engaged in land speculation that resulted in further troubles for him. In October 1922, a federal court found him guilty of bribing a juror in a lawsuit concerning a land deal. Judge James C. Wilson sentenced Sneed to two years in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. In Sneed's absence, C. B. Berry, a Paducah groceryman and cotton raiser, shot and killed Wood Barton, Sneed's son-in-law, over a money dispute. Sneed, out of prison and dissatisfied with Berry's acquittal, retaliated by shooting Berry five times. Amazingly, Berry survived. Berry then responded by attempting to kill Sneed. Both men were found not guilty at their trials. Despite the acquittal, the Sneeds had worn out their welcome in Paducah, and their fortunes were low when they moved to Dallas. But Sneed recovered by investing in the East Texas oilfield. He and Lena lived in style in Dallas for more than thirty years. Sneed died of bone cancer on April 22, 1960. Lena died of heart failure on March 6, 1966. They are buried side by side in Hillcrest Cemetery in North Dallas."

The article I read said "The demonstration by Sneed and his attorneys over the verdict was dramatic. Walter Scott and W.P. McLean, attorneys for the defense, were fined for throwing their hats over the chandeliers.

Sneed emitted a cowboy yell but the court refused to censure him or fine him.

Ain't life a trip!!?

Oops... SORRY! (grin)

2011-01-15T14:27:00.001-08:00

SPOTLIGHT ON TRIPS... the first.. the beginning...

2011-01-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

Boulder Colorado

If I have to trace my traveling back to the beginning, it would be ... 1966. Three dipsy broads left California to get to Boulder Colorado to see a folk group. I'm thinking it was the Back Porch Majority, but it actually may have been one of Randy's lesser groups, as the two girls other than me were 'dating' some of the members. Or at least enamored of them... I may be confusing the group with my flying trip to Denver to see the Back Porch, but either way it was a great excuse for a road trip..

my first.

Now, it may shock most of you, but I didn't drive on this trip. It may be that fact that led to my NEVER letting anyone else drive (except Joe, and there are reasons for that i.e. stick shiift). Never.

ever...

again..

The two other girls were Holly, a tall, pretty part Cherokee girl with long long dark hair and freckles. The other was... well.. let's call her DumbLuck, but one of those letters is not the one I use to describe her.

Dumbluck could drive. I will compliment her on that while mentioning that in EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF HER LIFE she was... well... lucked.

Hence the name.

I however, was enchanted by the freedom of the open road, and it marked me forever. My only regret is that I wasn't behind the wheel, a point which I never forgot. I won't ride with you nor will I usually drive you around... meet you.. yep... drive with anyone... nope.

We did a great job of getting to Boulder in about 23 hours, especially considering we had to stop in Nephi Utah to have the car fixed and then realized they were BUILDING the road as we drove on a cut off to "I-70".

I-70, one of the prettiest roads through Western Colorado (through Glenwood Springs and other beautiful spots, was NOT built in 1966. We had to take the "route that I-70 might take someday when they built it but climbed and wandered all over the place because of the terrain" route.

The group, whichever one, was playing at the Buff Room in Boulder, which is now a pizza parlor, I believe. It was owned by a pair of flamboyant gentlemen who had ice sculptures in this folk venue... it was, to say, a real hoot! The guys had 'dates' of course, and the trip was chaotic, but I will always remember the first time I crossed a state line.. or two..

Dumbluck had several weird episodes, including buying a rifle in case she got in trouble. The only thing she listened to the entire trip was when I took the firing pin from the rifle and explained that, if the pin ever went in the rifle, I would wrap the rifle around her head...

I saw her many years later, when she was living next to my brother... she was celebrating her 29th birthday. I reminded her that we were all 21 on the trip, which would make her 34 at the time...

ah..

good ole' Dumbluck...

and the journey continues...

Ok.. Ok.. quit yelling!

2011-01-10T19:46:00.001-08:00

Soon... I'll post soon, I promise!

no

really

honest

SPOTLIGHT, Travels With Lucifer...

2010-12-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

So, let's get this straight... Lucifer was the cat. Not my ex.

i've mentioned Lucifer and Joe and the trip before, but it was mostly about the cat. Lucifer, if you recall, was the better traveler of the two. He neither complained nor whined nor argued. Ever...

So, settle down my darlings. Come and sit here, get comfortable and enjoy the show.

In 1976, at the end of our relationship, Joe and I (and Lucifer) decided to try to find somewhere in the United States where we could get along.. Joe, I mean, as the cat and I got along just fine. One of life's great lessons was learned on this trip: If you can't get along here, you can't get along anywhere, especially in a Volkswagon Van with a black cat.

The trip, however, if you filter out the fights, was actually very enjoyable for me. I don't know that Joe liked being on the road. If I think about it (and I rarely do) it wouldn't appeal to his needs for security and some sense of belonging. It was just another proof to me that what I love to do best is truly wonderful.

We headed around the country for almost 4 months, which is a major amount of time. We hit the edges of the United States, mostly, and I'm thinking it was about 30,000 miles. We went to Zion National Park first, and divested ourselves of a lot of ideas for traveling the first few days. We then headed north through my lovely Oregon, and then east clear to Maine. South to Florida and west again to home. This was my first major trip out amongst the English, and I will always remember the good stuff. The VW was a good traveling method, except that Joe drove, as it was a stick shift. The good news was it made him feel macho (because I never let him drive), and yet he didn't have the power in the van to actually chase down and kill anything... or anyone.

We dug for clams in Washington state, and used them for food clear over to the Grand Tetons, where we turned the last of them into clam chowder. We met a bunch of really super people in the campgrounds where we didn't argue, as Joe could be quite charming when he tried. He was the only one catching fish in Yosemite. We had a little brown rooster tail lure that we fixed up every night. He was a GOD in camp.

The argument in the Tetons took a while to figure (I had to decipher what the causes were, or repeat the scene over and over). It was based in Yellowstone. It seems the second time we hit it, it was not as great as the first, and it broke his heart... or something.

sigh...

One of the great things about that trip was the year: 1976. There were 200 year celebrations all over the country, and each little town had their own festivities. Then there were the tall ships in New York, and a lot of stuff near the birthplace of this country. It was a lot of fun.

We stopped in New Jersey to visit Joe's family, which, although EXTREMELY enlightening, wasn't enough to make up for ALL his problems.

We visited Carlsbad Caverns (amazing) and a lot of little 'off the road' places. Shiprock New Mexico was a bit of a letdown, but then you know how I feel about the south west... or south in general (grin).

I'm still looking for some pictures, but most of what we took were slides... Oh what I would have given for a digital camera.

And to have lost Joe somewhere along the way.

The cat could have stayed..

Rilynn Posts

2010-12-10T16:48:00.001-08:00

Before I get into the traveling, I had to put these on. Rilynn visited Mom today, and she has a little routine. She has Sunrise in her back pocket, and owns everyone there. She got into the piano today, and kissed all her 'visiting pets'.

Mom and Rilynn in front of the tree at Sunrise...

Playing the piano

2010-12-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

Rilynn seems to be very focused on this playing. I don't know if she's been on a piano before, but I love the single note choosing (from low to high)...

Might just have to keep music in mind...

Kissing the kitty

2010-12-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

and then there's the kitty... which must be kissed...

Kissing the dog

2010-12-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

Rilynn kisses the big stuffed dog every time she visits Mom.. she has a routine, and not walks down to the room by herself. It's her little 'other place'.

Re-do... A Guy Named Joe

2010-12-06T22:04:00.000-08:00

This is a re publish of an old post. I'm putting it on again because I'm going to SPOTLIGHT our big trip in 1976. I'm trying to find some pictures from the trip to add to this, but in the meantime I wanted you to put a face (and unibrow) to the name.

So go back some 35 years and meet a guy named Joe.

I loved this picture... it was early in the relationship, as you can tell from his NJ shirt and tie... (grin). We were at my parents (who didn't ever like him) after work... tired... close.

Ok, so my Joe wasn't quite the Spencer Tracy character... or the Van Johnson character... or even the Irene Dunne character, but it wasn't from lack of trying.

I met Joe in 1972 when he installed the battery in my Volkswagen. The VW in those days made one of the stupidest decisions ever made in an automobile (and there have been some doozies) by putting the battery UNDER the rear seat. It made it impossible to check it without major contortions, so it was never checked. I'd put even money on some under the table dealings between DieHard and VW. That battery did die hard, and when it had to be replaced, there was my guy named Joe.

Joe was from Jersey. I'd just read The Godfather, and I knew ALL about New Jersey Italians, and was more than a little intrigued. This carried me for a while before I realized that it was all we had in common. My liking Sonny Corleone, and Joe thinking he WAS Sonny Corleone... Not exactly a basis for longevity, but we managed to live together for more than 4 years.

I'm not going into great detail about Joe. I do consider him one of my great failures, as I couldn't make things 'right' for him. He had no self belief, in spite of the fact that he could do just about anything. He could fix anything, he could figure out just about anything, yet somehow these talents were not considered valuable. I never understood that.

We never married. It had as much to do with my not caring for the institution as it did with the fact that he had never divorced his first wife.. and maybe a bit of his being manicdepressiveparanoidschizophrenicmaybebipolar and all his other charms. There were other wives after me. Joe couldn't be alone, couldn't live alone, couldn't be happy alone. This is, in my humble opinion, a crippling lack. Each of his other women would eventually call me to ask how to deal with Joe. I would get a " Joe said you were the only one who knew how to handle him" call. It was true. I did try to help, but noticed through the years that the phone calls were more frustrated... and often drunk. Alcohol and Joe were not friends. He was smoking again, in spite of the asbestos damage to his lungs. and he was ever the manic-depressive, schizophrenic, paranoid sweetheart.

eventually the calls stopped...

but you will spend some time with us around the country, as we spent almost 4 months in a VW camper...

and if you ever wonder how to REALLY find out if you're going to be together forever?? Rent a VW...hit the road...

She Walks...

2010-12-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Ain't she cute? She walked sometime while I was on vacation...

She seems so sure of herself (with no help from a couple of dogs!)

I habe a nasty code...

2010-11-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

So, since I'm not into spotlighting, I'm showing y'all my new picture I got on my trip..

I love this guy... he looks different in alternative lighting...

mine..,

For Jason... The Ledbetter's Fire.

2010-11-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

Jason, a new reader and commenter on my Ledbetter's stuff has asked about the Ledbetter's fire.

Oddly enough, it was the fire that cemented my place in Ledbetter's. I went from 'someone who really liked the music (and the boys who sang it) and was there almost every night' to someone who worked her butt off fixing the place after the fire.

It happened in the summer. My family and I went to Balboa Island in the summer for a couple of weeks. It was another spotlight time, as it was a small island, safe and fun, and if you went across the ferry to the peninsula there was the Prison of Socrates. The Prison was another fold club (ex beatnik place). I did my first on stage performance there and met, having borrowed his guitar, my first folk singer. Read into that what you will...

I came back and called my friend and said "I'm back, let's go to Ledbetter's" and she said "It burned up last night"..

Heart broken..

No other words for it.

One of the articles I"m enclosing mentions the fire as happening AFTER the Survivors got their name, and it may be true. I have a picture I can't put my hands on with a couple of guys who worked at the club posing with the Survivors life ring and some burned pieces of instruments. Wish I could find it.. oddly enough, the group sang in Manhattan Beach in a club that wasn't even left when I moved here.. go figure...

So, after the shock, we set to fix it. The fire may have started with a cigarette, as stated, but I seem to remember it starting in the recording booth, or near it. I still have some large tape reels with music recorded there... I believe one is Dave Mason, but haven't been near that kind of player in years (if the tapes are even good). I'd love to see (hear) who else is on there.

Refurbishing the club took a while, and was not without it's trials. I was on a ladder, painting a stain on the walls... at one point I went to move the ladder and the bucket of stain fell on my head.

By the time we all quit laughing, the stain was hardening.. We had no running water or cleanser, so I had to take a jar of handyman cleanser and go across to the laundromat and TRY to wash it out in the sink. I was a blonde at the time, and for a long time I would put my hair in little pony tails. One was smooth and the other was ... a horse tail. I also suffered a number of splinters which I would remove with a knife (much to Randy's dismay and shuddering).

We rescued some of the instruments; most notable was the bass that was later painted black (I noted it and did the same for my guitar when I moved to Hawaii). Randy,as usual, had everyone working on the club who was in a group but not playing somewhere. All in all, it was a good time, and the club was better for it in the end.

And Jason?.. Here's the New Society picture... you will, of course, recognize some of the players from other groups (grin). I believe I see Gary Mule Deer (ne Miller) in the back there...

and a good picture of a very young Mike and John.

So.. let me know what else you want to know, J.. I'm glad to remember!

Go Ahead... Throw That Ball... Go On... I'm READY!

2010-11-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Someone sent this to me in a collection of OK pictures. I just love this one...

it's the absolute concentration..

poor ball....

Random Spotlights...

2010-11-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

No Peebs, I'm not giving up on spotlights... I haven't even started (grin).

Me, as Elvis..

The first time I heard of Elvis, I was in Junior High School.. almost too old to care. I remember seeing an ad in a Teen age Magazine (at school ... gasp!) that said "Win a date with Elvis Presley" and thinking... WTF kind of name is Elvis??

Needless to say, I found out soon enough. Not soon enough to enter the contest, but soon enough to appreciate the music, if not the maker. I didn't really appreciate him until the 1968 'return' concert he gave in his tight jeans and small .. um... er.. AUDIENCE .. (tsk tsk.. your MINDS, children, your MINDS!). He was my kind of sexy then, but didn't stay that way for long..

Poor fellow.

Music has been such a huge part of my life that I find it interesting that I listen to so little of it today. Much of my travel stuff this trip was Country, when I listened at all. Something about 75 MPH and beautiful weather and neat countryside and great people that was just fine without any music..

go figure..

The same little choir that sang on the Milton Berle show also performed for Jimmy Durante, at his home. It was very impressive for me, and he was a gracious man. We sang "Inka Dinka Doo" for him (quite well, as I recall). Still didn't hire us on the spot, but by then my great leader was already thinking of leaving me behind, as I never DID sound like a teenager, much less a teen age girl.

I mean, who is a whisky tenor at 12?

In College I was part of the All City Choir, which I told you back in an earlier post. One of the perks of being part of the choir at Santa Monica City College was that we got to usher at the Civic Auditorium (for free, of course) which meant that we got to see all the music for free, too...

Some wonderful stuff over the years, including one smarmy little violin player who told me the bags under my eyes meant a misspent youth... and who was quite willing to help me spend it right.

yuck...

I've been in Sweet Adelines, which I LOVED except for all the other women, and sometimes the choice of music. The won't let the women sing the same types of songs as the men (sexist pigs, she said sweetly). I've seen some of the more recent stuff and it seems they are coming into their own, which is a good thing.

and the end all was that we used to go to a little bar (like a lodge bar) after the rehearsals. One night there were half a dozen of us and we started singing. Had a ball... Next meeting we come in to the admonition that "poor quality singing in public places" is a no no for Sweet Adelines.

and, as I left, I said I would sing as poorly as I wished any WHERE I wished any TIME I wished..

and we weren't singing poorly..

at all..

(harumph!)

A New Peace...

2010-11-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

So I moved one of their climbing places behind my couch, where they can keep an eye on me... and each other.

They've become closer, I think, since I was traveling..

Time will tell.

Spotlight, Ledbetter's.. Steve Martin

2010-10-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

So... another spotlight from Ledbetter's. "THE NIGHT WE TURNED STEVE MARTIN'S HAIR GRAY"..

Many people started or enhanced their careers at Ledbetter's. Among the most talented and driven was Steve Martin. He, along with John Denver and others wanted success more than most. Along with talent, they had that drive and the 'it' or spark needed to make it.

But that didn't mean it came easily... (and I'm smiling at this moment, although it was a terrible trick to play)

One night Fats Johnson, a good comic in his own right, came on stage before Steve and told us all that we were going to play a little trick on him.

I must mention here that Ledbetter's was a different club in one aspect. This was a place where entertainers came to try stuff and learn stuff and show what they could do, If you were in the audience and were rowdy or stupid you were asked to leave. If you talked through the entertainment you were asked to leave. It let the entertainers know that at least people were listening... or at least quiet!!

Fats told us that no matter what Steve did, we were NOT TO LAUGH or show any signs of the normal delight that accompanied his stellar performances.

We were very very very good... (except that someone had to sit on me in the back. Not only did I find him very funny, the entire joke in itself made me laugh).

So out he comes, ratafranz ratafranz (mimicking the patter of his opening).

Nothing.

Now I have to tell you, he may have been funnier back then than now, even. He was funny (and very musical)

ratafranz ratafranz.. again..

Nothing.,..

We could have been made from stone.

Now this is a comic's worst nightmare. And he started to sweat jussst a little bit..

Finally, after what seemed like forever (to him, I'm sure), Fats came out and let him in on the joke..

We were a more appreciative audience than usual that night... we 'owned' a little part of him.

Steve Martin... before that night (grin)

More Ledbetter's Spotlights...

2010-10-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Writing the previous missive made me realize there is more to tell about the early 60's, so settle down around your Auntie M and prepare to be (hopefully) entertained.

To begin, I need to explain something. When people talk about THE SIXTIES, they usually mean the latter portion of the decade. The "moon is in Aquarius, tie dyed, marijuana, Woodstock, hippies, free loving" sixties were just beginning to be a glimmer in the eye of the birth parents of a chaotically delightful time.

I'm talking about the early 60's, which were the end times of the "Mad Men" 50's. All that was going to happen in the next 10 years was being born in the music and personalities of the not as crazy early times.

Ledbetter's introduced me to the wonderful world of Folk Music. I first heard about the club's promise when a small group formed with me, a neighbor and friend. We were hoping, of course, to be the next Peter Paul and Mary...

not so lucky (or talented, it seems).

I only remember the man who interviewed us as Jack, his last name has been lost along the years. He mentioned the club in passing and, sure enough, later that year it opened. I spent all my extra time there. Randy Sparks was shocked when I graduated from college, as I'm sure he saw me as some little groupie.

The club provided not only a succession of really great music, but also a collection of little folk singers who entertained me on a more.... um... er... PERSONAL level.

sigh...

nothing better than a folk singer. They wouldn't say for long, and sometimes they sang to me...

and made me sing in reply...

One of the other spotlight moments involves a story. One of Randy's groups played at the Miss America pageant in Florida one year. The soon to be Miss America fell for one of the group, and as one of her stops after she won, she came to Southern California. I was in Randy's office, painting one of the huge baffling chambers in the recording studio with flowers... yeah.. I know, but flowers were beginning to be cool... Remember those huge simple flowers? Anyway, I was perched in one of the baffles at the top of the studio, painting it so it reflected sound better when Randy came in and told me to go and pick up Miss America at the New Century Plaza Hotel.

Off i went in my '62 Buick Le Sabre, to pick up Miss America. I arrived with all my usual panache, and was told I couldn't park my wreck in front of the hotel. "I'm here to pick up MISS AMERICA" I announced.

and I did..

She attended the show that evening and everything would have been jussst wonderful..

except..

someone told the wife..

None of Randy's groups ever played at another pageant. I mean, here you have your new, expensive Miss America and she's got a broken heart!

not good...

I found an old picture of one of the groups. These groups changed members often, and the pictures on the singles resembled the singing group not one bit.

This picture is interesting though.

In it you might recognize Mike Nesmith (later of the Monkees and the father of the music video). Bill Chadwick (I lived behind his mother's house-my first apartment ever and you won't know him, but he was on the list that tried out for the Monkees). The blond boy and the one on the far left with the guitar in hand billed themselves as Boomer and Travis. The dark haired gentleman (with the guitar.. (Travis, I think) grew up to be Michael Martin Murphy, the country western singer..

ya never know...

There are so many stories it would take another blog to tell them all..

Suffice it to say, it was a wonderful time in my life...

but just one of many...

Spotlights-Ledbetter's-Randy Sparks

2010-10-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ok... so to get to the good stuff first, John Denver played bass for me. Yep... little ole' me...

Let me go back a bit. In the 60's, as most of you know, I was a Folk Music person. That one phrase doesn't begin to sum up all that happened during those years, but it will have to do in this mostly G rated blog. Some of you know more, but the rest of you ain't gonna hear it here...

There was this club on Westwood Boulevard in West Los Angeles called Ledbetter's. It was started by Randy Sparks, a name unknown to many of you, but a huge persona at the time. He was the founder of the New Christy Minstrels. They were a group of 'modern' folk singers who sang many of his songs. Ledbetter's was started to keep a smaller group or groups 'trained' in the music to be able to fill in for any member who left the group. Some of the groups became quite well known on their own. He had an old truck on the roof (purpose unknown other than to mark the spot), and I have the jacket (see above).

So... It was a place to go and hear some really good music and, on some nights, to be able to sing. Remember "hootenanny's"?

I was one of those people on occasion. I had a fair voice, and occasionally piqued Randy's interest, although he really thought I might make a better comedian (I can't imagine why) at one time wishing to team me up with George McKelvey (again, unknown to most of you).

So.. one night as I was singing, John got up and played bass, and I think someone else also got up to either sing with me or play back up. John Denver was a casual acquaintance and one of the nicest people I have ever met. He was still married to Annie and was just a doll. One spotlight.

There were many spotlights during the years I spent hanging out at that magical place. I met some really great musicians and watched some go on to great fame. I learned that I didn't have the drive to do it myself, which was a terrific lesson.

I even made a fake Tiffany "EXIT" sign for Randy when he sold the place, having forgotten that it was in place during the sale. As you know, I'm quite clever...

The Back Porch Majority was one of the groups that sprang from the club.. the picture was taken on the roof where the old truck was lodged for a long time.

I could give you a list of some of the names, but that might be 'telling'..

let's just say

John Denver played Bass for me one night...

Petoskey Thank You...

2010-10-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

I came home to two very sweet and artistic thank you notes from Petoskey...

These smart children are Treasure's grandchildren. I brought a hat for Brett and a t shirt for Maddie.

Maddie's thank you is an incredibly accurate portrayal of my little van... complete with my knitting bag, in which lies a hat that I am knitting for her (I'm almost done!!)

and Brett's is a colorful rendition of... well... my guess is as good as yours.

I'm extremely honored and pleased!

and Maddie? I'm almost done!

Buellton (that's Italian for HOT) California

2010-10-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

Nothing to say...

I'm in California and it's hot again..

I'm so glad there's no GLOBAL warming going on... just here...

and Tennessee

and Nebraska

and..Georgia

and...

and...

The GIANT Redwoods...

2010-10-09T19:06:00.001-07:00

Well, you can't tell it from this picture but they're BIG...

and pretty..

I'm in Petaluma, California. Not much to be said...

Drove through the big trees today and stopped at the Bigfoot shop but didn't by a bigfoot... They were on sale and everything, but they're like Newfoundlands....

hard to keep brushed well...

Back in Calif... Cali... Califo... I Can't Say It... sigh...

2010-10-08T17:24:00.001-07:00

I'm in Fortuna, California, a few days from home. HOME? My home is on the road!! oops.. did I say that out loud?

I stopped in Ferndale California today. I think I've talked about it before, but I'm going to do so again... nothing else to say, and you KNOW I can't say NOTHING.

Ferndale was built in the 1880's, near to Deadwood's time, only they have done what I wish Deadwood had... They have preserved the Victorian feeling of the town to this day, in spite of several serious earthquakes in San Fran... There is a video somewhere of the buildings just shaking apart in places, but they rebuilt again.

This is what I wish Deadwood had done to keep the 'feeling' of the place... not the colors, but the originality in appearance.

The cemetary, which is quite different, has been used for several movies, most notably The Stephen King's Salem's Lot. I stopped in the newspaper office many years ago, having been unable to get a reason for the 'look' at the local cafe. The editor and I went to the library and found only that
1. The land on the hill was the least usable and was picked for the site.
2. The graves had to be LEVEL, and not buried at an angle.

hence..

The graveyard, which most resembles something in Louisiana...

There's a Catholic graveyard around back, which looks about the same only smaller... and...

of course...

holds only those going to heaven... (!)

Florence.. Another No Post Day

2010-10-06T14:48:00.003-07:00

I'm in Florence, so's you don't worry.

Y'all know all about Florence....

2010-10-06T14:48:00.001-07:00

Cascade Locks, Oregon

2010-10-05T17:53:00.001-07:00

I'm on the Columbia River. This one must have made L and C have to change their pants... Straight to the ocean and no rowing...

Last night a couple pulled in to the campground with a car full of dirty laundry, a wet tent, two dogs and needing a shower. We talked and I petted the dogs (one a little Chihuahua they had found in June). I took a picture after they were showered and dry and all ready to go..

them..

I drove out to Russell's to say goodbye, and SAVED an entire HERD of quail! They kept coming by by the thousands... Ok.. well.. a bunch of they anyway. I took a picture of the place they were headed for. You can see the little bunch of birdies!

birdies..
and about a block down the road, another reason to keep it slow in cow country...

They ain't all behind fences...

Along the river you get a good shot of Mount Hood. It's not as good as I would like, but it disappears too soon to get closer.

Mt. Hood.. you get a good feeling for .how tall it is..
So... tomorrow it's my favorite coast..

OH... my friend, Marsha in Florida, got a new Border Collie about a year or so ago. They should have 2, but couldn't afford it. Last week her husband brought home a little bundle and gave it to her. A miniature Australian Shepherd (I may be mixing up the breeds, but you know me, I'm a cat person). It seems an 82 year old woman got the dog and was too old to keep up with it (those of you who know the breeds can imagine why).. so here are the two, happy as clams... Indie and (the new one) Patty (cuz she was born on St. Patrick's day)

Joseph Again...

2010-10-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

I went out to Russell's yesterday (the Moonshine glass man). He wasn't home but Lori, his wife, and I had a really nice couple of hours talking about everything. Every time I go out there he's making glass, so we've not had a lot of time to talk. It was really nice to have that time.

It rained last night and was wonderful. It's probably going to continue today, so it's over cast and nice and COOL.

The lake in the morning... campground in the sort of middle.
Today I'm going over to see Russell today and then just fart around.. (oops.. did I say that out loud?). It's such a lovely day.. sigh..

My favorite house in Joseph...

and, from an old picture,... Joseph in all her glory (the colors aren't fully changed yet)

IN JOSEPH..

2010-10-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

Couldn’t post last night other than a short one. A very very long drive. Not so much milage as having to DRIVE. They call the road between Lewiston and Joseph the Rattlesnake road. Not because it’s got lots of rattlesnakes, but because of the way it winds and winds. Kind of like the Big Sur road only nastier. I met a trio of bikers at the top of Lolo pass in Idaho, and they were looking at the map. One asked if any of them had been on that road and, of course, I spoke up.. I told them it was a paved road but it was a bitch... We discussed it for a while..

and that’s what I like about traveling.

At breakfast in my last Cracker Barrel restaurant, I met two girls who were from California traveling back to Iowa. I THINK their names were Julie and Amy, but you know it’s all about me, so I might be wrong.. sigh... I saw them leave the campground in their teeny tiny VW bug with all their tenting stuff on the top. We talked and they loved my van and had to take my picture..

so I reciprocated..

Amy and Julie... I think...

They were cute as bugs and sooo young!

The road through the Bitterroot mountains in Idaho is a great short cut to Joseph, except for the rattlesnake thingy that leads off of it to Joseph. It is a well maintained 2 lane road that goes through the trees and along the rivers that Lewis and Clark (THEM again) took to get to the ocean. At it’s height, it’s prettier than the giant redwoods, as none of the trees have been logged to within 10 ft of the road, so it’s very pristine. They want to take some huge trucks through it at night, each one taking up the entire highway. I have the story and it makes me angry. Just angry...

The road.

One of the rivers along the road.. L and C must have been very happy, as these are wide, smooth rivers with little portage necessary.

and...

I love these trees. I’ve been seeing them all along the road. They are golden yellow except for the tippy tops of them which are still green... so pretty!

OK.. more later...

No Post Today...

2010-10-02T16:24:00.001-07:00

Isn't that an old Beatle song? hmm.

I'm in Joseph but no wifi at the campground... no phone at the campground...

so I dashed into town to let you all know I'm still alive..

I'll post more tomorrow...

If Ever You're Stuck in Missoula, Montana..

2010-10-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

Randy Sparks wrote another song called "If ever you're stuck in Toledo, Ohio, it's like being nowhere at all". I just borrowed the idea...

Missoula is really quite pretty. You round the corner after following several rivers and it's this beautiful valley with trees and water. (Lewis and Clark followed this route.. but it took them a VERY long time).

From the interstate...as usual

The campground is as beautiful as I remembered, but the trees that were bushy and small are now bushy and tall. I took a shower (phew!) and am sitting under the trees reading "Under the Dome" by Stephen King, one of my favorite road writers.

The campground

and that's it. I should be in Joseph, Oregon tomorrow... "the lord willing and the creeks don't rise" and gain an hour along the way.

addendum:
I just spent an hour talking with a retired trucker who's living across the way... until about the 15th when he and his wife go to Yuma, Arizona (yuck!). A man with tales to tell, he's driven 3,000,000 miles across this country. We shared tales and experiences.

and THAT'S why I love to camp.. he also took my new lamp that didn't work well (too wobbly) and was glad to have it... of course I left it on the table looking very very sad (shade all down and sniffly looking) with a sign that said, "free to a good home".

ain't life fun?

Puke... er.. Butte, Montana..

2010-09-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

Butte Montana has been voted the ugliest city in America by the National press more than once. As you will see by the pictures, the city isn't ugly much, but it has, I suppose, to do with the enormous pit that sits RIGHT next to it.

I'm still in Montana, choosing between a very long driving day or two shorter ones. Must be my age... I've crossed the Yellowstone River a few times, as it's a meandering river, but pretty all the same.

The Berkeley Pit, the largest open pit Copper mine in America can be seen for miles... especially the slag from it. The first time I drove around the bend that leads to it, I was amazed.. and a bit sickened. It's right across from where I'm camping now. It would be right across from where I am if I was in Wyoming!

Driving in...

On closer view I was surprised to see it filled with water. The first time I saw it I had to sneak on the property and take a video. They had closed the mine about 2 years earlier, and it was very deep, about 3,800 ft. Since they closed the mine and shut down the water pumps, the water level has risen to about 150 feet below the water table. There are 33,000,000,000 gallons of water in it now, so you can't see the bottom. This is going to be a real problem when it hits the level, as it is filled with incredibly noxious metals, which are going to pollute several rivers.

the mine

Maybe the National press was right..

The town, however, is quite rustic and filled with solid old buildings.

The last is looking down into fhe valley below the hilly town... quite a pretty setting.

John Wesley Harding (nope Bob Dylan, you got it wrong)

2010-09-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

The name was John Wesley Hardin, you fool....

but that's a gunslinger of another story..

I'm in Hardin, Montana. NOT named for John Wesley, but it could have been.

A long day of driving rewarded with a nice little KOA that closes tomorrow.. PHEW! just made it.

The countryside has changed, but not so's you'd notice (as they say). More water accounts for the trees, and what may be cottonwood trees blazing yellow along the many rivers.

More hills and you can see why they're called the Black Hills. They look that way from afar.

I stopped at the Custer Battlefield and paid TEN DOLLARS AMERICAN MONEY just to take a picture for youse guys. I've been there before.

The first picture is of the place where most of the 260 men were found. They buried them as they lay, but apparently moved them later and put them under a huge monument. Probably to keep the curious from looking for souvenirs.

You can see where the indian encampment is in the second picture. Down in the trees, they must have known the enemy approached for miles, as Custer's detachment rode along the dry, barren hills up from the Big Horn River, kicking up dust as they 'snuck up". Not that bright... OH well, he got what he wanted in the end.. fame and the retribution that spelled the end of the plains indians.

The last picture is supposedly where Custer fell. Reno took a lot of flak, as he approached from the flank but, seeing he was incredibly outnumbered, submitted a hasty retreat. They called him a coward, although he was cleared in a military 'trial', but he was marked for life. At least he HAD a life... I call him not so dumb.

I may be in Montana a couple more nights. This is a big state, and it's a long way to get to the sneaky short cut I know to Oregon...

Welcome to Deadwood (you know the rest)...

2010-09-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

So.. Here I am and no wifi. The campground has it but it’s down. You won’t see this until tomorrow, which will see like today because you’re seeing it now... so confusing.

I got up early this morning and decided to have breakfast at Wall Drug. Wall Drug is in Wall South Dakota and is an interesting story. A man and his wife and child came to Wall in 1931 and opened a pharmacy. It was a small town and they could see all the cars going by and not stopping (many of them were probably the dust bowl people going west... another migration). He wondered what to do when his wife said, “Put up signs that say “FREE ICE WATER”. The next year he had to add 8 waitresses to handle the crowds for ice water and ice cream. Through the years he bought up the surrounding stores and added to the place. You can see the signs in Minnesota. There is a 520 seat restaurant INSIDE this building and you can buy just about anything. It’s huge and the town has grown and it’s a wonder. Another reason I love South Dakota.

Wall Drug

Inside Wall Drug... you can’t see it very well, but through that doorway there are many more doorways. It has a chapel and... well.. everything.

I stopped at the rest area outside of Wall

and then kept on going..

I saw some prairie dogs! Big Whoop..

I saved an entire family of turkeys by NOT running over them on the road... good eyes Marilyn.

A little old prairie home... Bigger Whoop... I;m getting there... be patient...

Then on to Deadwood.

The entire area changes and the flats of buffalo become hills and trees leading up to Deadwood...

It’s changed, of course, even since the last time I was there, just after Kevin Costner built his Casino. I was there once before gambling, and it was totally different. But, as the lady in the campground office said, without it Deadwood would probably have been gone...

A view before you enter.. by far the prettiest shot because it looks like a small western town.

Bullock’s hotel.. undergoing restoration?

The street...

The place where Jack McCall was caught. Further down the block is where the original #10 Saloon stood.

I drove out to Mt Moriah’s, but didn’t walk to the graves. I have pictures of them at home somewhere, but I wouldn’t have made it back down the hill as my knee was killing me from all the walking around Deadwood... I DO have a bucket of quarters though...

On to Lead (pronounced leed) and the Homestake mine. I have a video to put on here, and will. The picture tells a lot, and if you look at the schematic underneath, you can see that this is only a small part of the ‘diggings’, so to speak. Most of the gold was taken UNDERGROUND, and there is still some kind of study being done and more gold to get. Well worth it no matter how big it gets..

The mountain across from the KOA was build with slag from this mine, as were several others. I watched it being built, and now it’s covered with trees...

Dances With Wind...

2010-09-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm in Belvedere, South Dakota and I've learned something today. I probably already knew it, but it was resubmitted to me in case I forgot. Driving at 75 mph in a headwind BURNS GAS! Whooee!

I called my sister and asked her if she remembered Dances With Wolves and told her it was filmed around here and that's what it looks like on this side of South Dakota. She said, "With a bunch of dead buffalo around?" I, of course , said yes. So if you're wondering why I'm inside typing this on a sunny afternoon, just picture what it looked like in that movie. Windy and without the buffalo.

"Out here" they have things done up right, with the line poles about 50 ft higher (or more.. I have always had trouble with measurement since the .."nope, it's really 8 inches, sweetie". They run the lines apart from each other by a large space, which, with this wind, makes sense.
Minnesota lines...

In South Dakota, they are on both sides near the 'big' cities.

The rest areas used to have small teepees, with cloth covers, and two people in each of them (which is remarkable, considering the towns out here are all about 40 miles apart). Now they have these monoliths, and no people... ah... progress... sigh...

One of the things I love about S.D. is it's penchant for colorful things to drag you to a small town you would pass up otherwise.

Take Mitchell.. They have the Corn Palace. They have been decorating this building since 1894 (I was here for the centennial. Inside this building is a regular basketball court and seats, and outside is covered with corn. Corn husks, corn halves, different colored corn... they change it every year with a brand spanking new theme.

Side view..

Front view..

What was missing from Mitchell this year was one of my favorite all time signs. The fist time I drove through town, which was before gambling was allowed in the state and town was much quieter and smaller, there was a street sign that said "DRIVE CAREFULL".. I loved it.. Someone,however, must have gotten on them about the grammar, so the NEXT time I went through it said "DRIVE CAREFULY" rofl!

It's gone, of course, gone the way of all good things.

I crossed the Missouri River today at the point where Lewis and Clark made portage and camp. It's a bigger river here than the Mississippi (again!!) which is about the same distance from the start... but I don't know where the Missouri starts, so maybe I"ll shut up about it.

and while were here, I have to give a hat's off to Lewis and Clark, who did a thing so remarkably brave that I can't even conceive the scope of it.

A nod to them on the wall of a rest area...

I didn't take a picture of the campground.. if you want to see what it looks like, watch the movie. Kevin Costner's cuter anyways.

Mississippi River

2010-09-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

The Mississippi River at La Crosse Wisconsin, on the Wisconsin/Minnesota border. Just a small video In the state where the river begins... as a small stream in Minnesota.

Jackson, Minnesota...

2010-09-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Rest area in Minnesota... or maybe still Wisconsin.. earlier today. It's made out of some kind of rock or slate, and was quite beautiful. That's the obligatory Highway Patrol Officer, with requisite shades, heading inside.

I'm in Jackson Minnesota, as the title implies. Today was a glorious day of driving. It was relaxed, sunny but cool, unhampered by traffic or crowds. I love this kind of travel day.

I crossed the Mississippi again, nearer to it's beginnings (which I believe to be a small spring in Minnesota, but you can check to see if I'm right if you care). I took a small video, but haven't been allowed to upload it yet.. maybe later. I remembered this rest area that's right on the river. You can see a dam (and I imagine there are many) in the video, but not in the picture. There has been a lot of weather here lately, and lots of flooding, but the Mighty Mississippi keeps on rolling. hmm... sounds like a good song there somewhere.

The Mississippi.. fun to type.

The rest area at the Mississippi... I just wanted to type Mississippi again.(grin)

There are bluffs along the river, probably cut by it, but only on the west side... Who knows, they might have helped shape it's flow. After a bit, there is the flat land once again.

Lower Wisconsin and Minnesota, where I-90 runs is loaded with more open space and huge farms. Cows in attendance, they rise above the flatness with their huge barns and silos. QUITE pretty.

So I'm firmly ensconced for the night, and tomorrow it's South Dakota, with all it's charms (and, in spite of the sere appearance, it has lots and lots of charm!).

Back to Wisconsin...

2010-09-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

Ok... so you KNEW I was going to have to put a cute baby picture in her somewhere!

St Julien (and a Happy Birthday to YOU, m'dear).. you might recognize this bear, as you sent it to me years ago. I have a collection of stuffed things (work those imaginations... go ahead). Rilynn was visiting, held sideways by her Mom, and when she saw Cocoa Bear, her little feet started kicking back and forth and her face lit up and ... well... he's her bear now. In a much better place in much cuter hands..

I drove from Michigan through a small part of Indiana (phew!), Illinois, and I'm again in Wisconsin. Four states in a day again, but not so much traveling.

Remember how I mentioned that Iowa had no billboards? Well, southern Michigan made up for it.. DOUBLE billboards.. huge.. one on top of another... yuck!

and Toll roads..

In order to avoid any time in Chicago (and you have to say that with the flat midwestern accent it deserves), I drove around the city on a toll road. Interestingly enough, the speed limit was 55 mph the entire way. Anyone actually DOING that speed would have been shot on sight. At 65 I was still being passed by 80 percent of the traffic.. and no one seems to care.. (least of all me, I'll have to admit).

The view from the campground. I don't know if I would love having my cute little pinkish house right next to the KOA, especially in the summer time..

Oh well..

On to Minnesota.. (again, must be said in that sing song manner which so suits the state).

Mackinac Bridge

2010-09-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

Makes the Golden Gate look like a tinker toy... Now THIS is a bridge. It was a heck of a thing to build and took decades. Not a great video, but there were wind warnings... Rumor has it that a Ugo was blown off the bridge at one time.... (but of course, the insanity of driving a UGO in Michigan speaks for itself) where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron join (NOT Lake Superior)

We're On the Road Again..

2010-09-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

By WE I mean me... and Falcor, the Luck Dragon. That's the name Kimmy and I gave to the first Astrovan.. it's from the Neverending Story.

I had a great visit with Treasure... sunny and sitting around and rainy and sitting around, just talking and reading and talking and talking and talking. I miss her a lot.

I'm in southern Michigan now, about a hundred miles north of Chicago. I stopped here because I want to drive around that area on a weekend rather than on a Friday night... This ain't my first rodeo, you know.

The drive today was windy (wind warnings off the lake) and rainy, but the sun has peeked through and it turned into a nice afternoon... cool... I'll say that again... COOL..

Not much to say, so I'll just put a picture of Treasure doing what she loves best..

Cooking...

I think I"ll move up there and live next door and then I'll come over for dinner alllll the time! I ain't no fool!

Buster (taken with cell phone)... he's a great dog. We figure we could rig him with a backpack and then we could send notes and food and things we need back and forth across the snow... He loves the snow!

me... I'm not too sure...(grin)

So I'm headed, after a few more states, to Deadwood..

anyone jealous?

Rain Rain Rain...!

2010-09-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

This is yesterday's post... had to drive into town to get the wifi... The weather predictions up here are incredibly accurate... unlike LA.

Treasure’s house... looking up the hill, from which you can see Lake Michigan...

This was such a beautiful day. It was sunny and warm (not hot) with a cool breeze and a glorious day. Treasure and I drove around town and picked up a pound of Applewood Smoked Bacon (on Treasure’s command). We’re having BLT’s for dinner... (Last night we had a delicious butternut soup... and fresh baked bread... sigh)

I stood in one place in her house and took the next three pictures... the view from her front window, the view from the side window, and looking down her long living room/kitchen room. I love this house, and if it weren’t for the snow, I might build a house up the hill (from which you can see Lake Michigan).. I might build a teeny tiny one someday just for visiting... not big enough to cook, so I can go down to her house for FOOD!

Front window..

Side window..

Room...

and, of course, the obligatory barn. The lower part, where they used to keep the cows in the winter (not Treasure and Roger, but the old owners), is now Roger’s shop. He and his son build houses and things, which is why Treasure’s house is a not completed. The entire upstairs is not done, but they’re working on it.

Downtown Petoskey. You can see what a beautiful day it was.. This is a sweet little town. It’s very neat and well cared for, and quite charming. I’m staying again tomorrow...

Hell, I may never go home...

except for the snow....

Posting in Petoskey...

2010-09-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

I’m in Petoskey, Michigan, at my friend Treasure’s house... It’s a really neat house on which work is being continually done. The view from her windows is wondrous, with fields and trees and quiet and green...

I drove around the tippy top of Lake Michigan today at a very slow pace (for me). It’s very beautiful and reminded me of Oregon (sigh) except that the foliage (yes folks, that’s fol.eee..uge) was different. The lake is too big to describe, and I’m hoping to be able to download a video to show you tonight, but if it takes too long, I will probably put it on later, so look for it.
Some foliage...

My first look at Lake Michigan..

Treasure’s house...

Short Post From Petoskey, Michigan

2010-09-21T15:01:00.001-07:00

I have arrived at my friend Treasure's house. It's such a wondrous house with a view of the world...sigh..

I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow to post my stuff when I find some wifi..I'm such a snob.

Oconto, Wisconsin... Lucky Once Again

2010-09-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

A very good day... cool, rainy, overcast...

Last night I slept well and this morning found my first Cracker Barrel! I’m still in Wisconsin, and got really lucky.

As I head north around Lake Michigan, there are fewer campgrounds that I can count on. I stopped in Oconto, Wisconsin, north of Green Bay to check my campground guide. I didn’t want to drive too much further, and I noticed a sign for camping. I checked it out and found the prettiest little campground (public) right on the river. You’ll see the pictures soon. The land was given (sold) to the city in 1932 for $1.00 with the codicil that if it was to be used for any other purpose other than recreation, it had to be to a family member for .. you guessed it.. $1.00.

It’s beautiful. Not the greatest facilities, but just beautiful and quiet.

Sometimes you get lucky... and as you know, I’d rather be lucky than smart.

I’m way off the major highways and glad of it. The speed limit in Wisconsin is 65, but it’s also 65 on these little highways so far, so not much difference except less traffic. I got stuck in a work zone in Milwaukee for about 20 minutes, but that’s been the only hold up so far this trip..

Knock wood...

I took some pictures of Milwaukee but they weren’t very good. Outstanding among the tall buildings were these churches. As I went through downtown, they seemed to be on every corner; tall, red bricked, beautiful and pointing the way upward.

The river around the campground, with a smaller version of a church.

Hoople heads? Close Enough!

2010-09-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well.. let me see if I can sum this up in a phrase of few words. This will be difficult, as you well know, as speaking in short sentences seems to warp my strength, while endless talking only energizes me!

Here we go..

Illinois sucks.

Short enough? I wonder if the s on sucks is silent out here... (Illinois sucketh?)

The only good thing was, since I couldn't go straight through on I-80 over the Mississippi River, I had to detour and missed the lead off hwy 88. As soon as I realized it was part of the detour, I started heading north to pick it up as soon as possible..

This lead me through the teeny tiny town of

You guessed it!

Close enough... and since everyone (at least on the road) seemed to BE one, I was heartily rewarded by the sign..

There are no lost opportunities.

I made it into Wisconsin, thank goodness. I was headed for Fond du Lac but it was too far. These states are smaller than Nebraska, but sill big.

So I searched my Trailer Life guide and fount this place in Milton Wisconsin...

Not a great picture,but a lovely campground. Notice how the trees have changed... and it's COOL, almost COLD out here.. I'm wearing my sweatshirt... sigh... I got lucky again, as I didn't want to drive anymore..

Amana food, crafts, antiques and.... refrigerators???

2010-09-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

We had a heck of a thunderstorm last night. It thundered and lightninged and rained...

I tried to take a video, but it never worked out quite right...

It was awesome!

I visited the Amana Colonies today, driving the long route through a little town called Oxford... There are so many of these you can't count them, dotted on the plains like so many flowers in a newly planted bed.

There are so many old barns.... sigh... and you know how I am about old barns..

I had breakfast at the wrong place (of course) so I may have to go back tomorrow and hit the RIGHT place. I've never waited so long for breakfast... it was practically LUNCH!..I was good and didn't walk in with my "Whiskey and fresh men for my horses" routine.. (sometimes Whiskey for my men and fresh oats for my horses... or "forget the horses.. just give me Whiskey and some fresh men!)

The colonies...

I poked around in the gifty shops, but they've changed, of course... more stuff you can find on the internet.. cheaper. But people snatch it up. At least I hope so for the Colonies sake...

another very cool old barn..

just outside of the main part of the Colony, there is a lily pond lake. Last time they were all dead, but they are just leaving this time of year.

close up... you can still see some lilies...

Oh... and pay no attention to the time on these. the computer is on LA time.

Iowa

2010-09-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

One of the first things that is striking about IOWA, other than the much greener, hillier landscape, is the lack of highway advertisements. The other thing is the proliferation of HUGE wind turbines, punctuating the landscape like huge happy exclamation points.

They also have rest areas with wifi, which is novel and welcome.

Today was a different ride. IOWA has a 70mph speed limit, and everyone wants to do 75 except those of us who don’t want to get the dozens of tickets I saw being given. ha!

A couple of Iowa farm places. I imaging this place is nasty in the winter, but it’s much prettier now.

I’m at the Sleepy Hollow campground outside of the Amana Colonies. I drove up to see the Amana Campground which was a huge parking lot.. I’ve been to this campground before and, although it’s on the interstate, is beautiful... as you can see.. I'm going to be here two nights... check out the Colonies tomorrow with the touristas, and not be in a hurry.

and me!

Those are geese. I imagine they are staying over on their way to wherever, although they might be pretty happy here until it gets too cold.

and...

just a peek at the Amana Colonies tonight..

Gretna, Nebraska

2010-09-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

So.. I’m in Gretna Nebraska, just outside of Omaha. This is a beautiful KOA, it’s quieter and really pretty.. and it’s

COOLER! (I may have to put on a sweatshirt!!! if I stay outside...)

and...

it has KUDZU! I don’t think I’ve seen Kudzu this far north before..

So.. Sheila, here’s some Kudzu for you.. watch out for it, it’s headed our way! (it's the green, tree shaped thing in the middle)

It was cloudy most of the day, and it was raining cats and dogs and who knows what else somewhere south and west of me...

I stopped by Ft. Kearney today... the remnants of the walls and a building are there. Seems a lonely place to be surrounded by hostile indians or bison or whatever.

Right next to the KOA is this cornfield. Must be headed towards IOWA!

Tomorrow I actually have plans (can you hear god laughing, Al?). I'm going to stay at a campground near the Amana Colonies. This is one of my favorite places, built around the 1880's. It has all kinds of little kitschy stores and stuff... so if I don't get there early enough tomorrow, I can stick around on Saturday and have some fun!

Many big trucks today. The blessing about Nebraska (and Colorado, for that matter) is that the big rigs get to do 75 mph like the rest of us. The trouble (are you listening out there?) on the roads starts when you let us poor folks do 65 and make the truckers do 55. It's a major problem. I can follow a truck in Nebraska for miles, whereas in California, we all have to do that in and out dance that is soooo dangerous.

Not that I have anything to say about it or any EXPERIENCE!

Trains, Trains, and Trucks...

2010-09-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Apologies to Steve Martin...

This is a short morning post from a restaurant in Kearny Nebraska. Ft. Kearney, for youse Deadwood fans.

Have I mentioned that I-80 is the bloodline in America? The main vein. This means, although it's flat and straight, it's the truckers choice. Not that they're not nice, cuz I love truckers, but there are a boatload of them on this road.

and

The golden spike was set in Nebraska, joining the two railroad lines coming from west to east.

Last night there were unending.... UNENDING trains. Not TOO close to me, but insistent.

and,

according to ancient law

they must blow their whistles constantly...

no...

it's true..

constantly...

ummm...

breakfast.

no.. they weren't that cute...

OH.. forgot.. last night I talked to a single female camper who was traveling to a reunion in Oregon (sigh). She was Air Force and about to go to Korea. We talked about traveling alone, etc. She had a small car that had 250.000 miles on it already. ! She was cute as a bug and already so independent ...

Go Air Force!

The Plans They Are a Changing...

2010-09-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

Of course I have over estimated what I can do. This usually doesn't happen on the road (although it does everywhere else in my life) but I am getting older, as we all know.

I am no longer headed to Tennessee and the likes. And Willie? If you're reading this, I'm sorry sweetie, but I'm not going to dig for diamonds.

There are many contributing factors, and I won't bore you all with them...

I'm headed North.

ish...

My primary goal, once I get across this incredibly large and flat space, is to head for Michigan.

We shall see...

Flat place...

I admire, while I digress a bit as usual, anyone who ever WALKED across this country to find a better place or life; anyone who ever built a railroad across this endless place (and it had to be FLAT... try that one on for size); anyone who built the roads on which I so carelessly but endlessly travel.

No wonder we are in trouble... we've lost that strength.

I'm in Gothenburg Nebraska. A pretty little KOA.

I took I-76 to I-80 and then you pick up the Platte River, another meaningful body of water. This was the one followed by countless pioneers and it serves Nebraska still. It's a more peaceful river (hence the "flat" name) but large and useful.

I stopped in town to see an original Pony Express station. Now these boys (and they were literally very very young) were also made of sterner stuff. Built for speed and fearless, they opened communication when it was most needed and sorely lacking.

And, as an aside, remember my master's thesis on rest areas? Well, Colorado, which fails in the driver department, comes in the top in the rest area category.

So, I am slowing down and taking some side roads and I can because it's MY TRIP! :p``

Mountains?.. You Call Those MOUNTAINS?

2010-09-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, in 1976, Joe and I went to Vermont and passed by MT. Snow. 2,500 ft. I still laugh about that to this day.

Today, I drove across two MOUNTAIN passes in Colorado. One was 10,660 and the other, Eisenhower Pass, was 11,198 ft. Two miles high. I found out that I DO have a 3rd gear and I AIN'T AFRAID TO USE IT! Hoo boy... I talked to a biker at the rest area who had done the drive on the 'off' road and hit a pass that was 13,000 ft high. I told him about my van not liking the altitude, and he laughed and pointed at his 'hog' and said, "this thing is all carburetor " ha!

Not THAT'S a mountain. Or two...

Western Colorado is an extremely beautiful place. The road you see above is route 70 as it goes through the pass cut by the Colorado River. The mighty Colora... no wait, that's already taken... the CONSIDERABLE Colorado. The first time I went to Boulder Colorado, I was 21 years old (I've been doing this longer than I think) and there was no Highway 70. If you notice, the West bound lanes are slightly above and occasionally OVER the East bound lanes. This is only because of the depth of the gorge.. and the severity of the mountains. It must have been a helluva task. I wanted to take video of part of this, because to my right is the Colorado and mountains and to my left is the other side of the highway .. and mountains. It's a beautiful drive, but I needed all my attention skills to watch out for the Cookoo Coloradians going way too fast.

The Colorado River. It's amazing what a massive river can do for a state. Five miles after the border, there were trees and green and a totally different landscape. The red of the Colorado cliffs makes the Utah ones look slightly orange in comparison.

I drove by most some of the ski places... Breckenridge, Vail... beautiful little outposts in the middle of the Rockies. Each one modern and quaint (not an easy conjuncture). Then swooped down out of the clouds to Denver...

Puke..

Every time I take these trips, I am astounded once again at how HUGE is the U.S. Why is it we all live in 50 cities? I get it, but I don't get it.

East of Denver I'm in the plains states.. starting with eastern Colorado. Flat featureless Plains. So tonight I'm in the Strasburg (?) KOA on the road, of course with cicadas and traffic...

OH...

and the train..

sigh..

Aspen trees in amongst the green.

I'm sorry there aren't more mountain pictures, but there are not a lot of places to stop and it's not good to mess with the camera in the tight spots..

P.S. Just went outside and it's a warmish wind.... nicest weather yet, except the KOA person saw lightning in the clouds off to the east...

Works for me...

I think...

Green River, Utah...

2010-09-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

You have to hand it to those Mormons.. The Oregon trail was rough, but this was impossible!

The indians told them not to go through this area because the 'water was bad and poisoned their women'. This is a salt flat kind of place.

Since I'm still in Utah, you can tell I'm not running as fast. I'm not in a hurry. This allows me to stop and view things.

As usual, the topography changes as you cross the state lines. It never fails to amaze me. Out of the deserted desert for the few miles I was in Arizona, I ran along a canyon that had the Virgin river running through it. It use to be big, but since she must not have met any decent boy rivers, she has gotten smaller and older.

Then Utah. As you can see, rivers and water of some form has been busily at work, changing the landscape in beautiful ways. The 'bad place' was part of the varying kinds of layers of rock that you see here.

However, the prices of trinkets has gone up.

They were spread out overlooking the 'bad place', right under the sign that said 'No selling' Rules? We don't need no stinking rules. I was planning on buying something for everyone, but the prices were comparable to Mid Town Manhattan (not that I've ever BEEN to mid town Manhattan nor hope to go.. but I digress.. AGAIN). Pretty trinkets.

The drive was hot and dry again, but much prettier. I stopped at Green River because I was tired. Go figure! I had a great dinner in a restaurant on the river, which made up for the heat. Well, the air conditioning helped.

Randy Sparks wrote a song that went
"Keep those wagons moving, mister, don't you be hanging 'round. We don't want no peddlers in this Green River town". The Green River ordinance is one, universally, that forbids peddling in towns. I remember this because in 1965 we three dumb broads were driving to Boulder, and stopped in town here to ask for a sign. They said NO, and then we found out that the Back Porch Majority (the band) had stolen one as they went through...

and forever the town of Green River thinks we did it, I'm sure.

I met a couple of Canadian couples (say that fast, three times) and we had a nice chat about how they NEVER NEED TO GO NEAR LOS ANGELES.

So... a couple more pretty pictures...

up close

Las Vegas-Not MY Las Vegas... How Old AM I?

2010-09-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

4 States Later...

2010-09-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

The old Bagdad Cafe... I couldn't find the sign for the street that led to it, so I'm assuming it's gone forever... or I missed it. A great place to stop and a WONDERFUL movie.

Speaking about changes, I'm putting a video of Lost Wages, Nevada on here. The song is indicative of how I feel about it now.

The reason I traveled in 4 states today is: between Los Angeles and Leeds Utah there is no where to stop. I don't mean no where pretty, or no where nice, or no where even awful.

No where.

At least I know I can travel 450 miles in a day, although I don't wish to do it again.

Desert.

Not PRETTY desert

Not AWESOME desert

Not MARGINAL desert

Just hot sticky nasty barren dry desert.

L.A. is a desert too, only we've got water...

for now.

The traffic leading from Las Vegas west (towards the great mecca of LA) was at times stop and go. IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE ( I can't seem to decide on typing nowhere or no where, but nowhere looks like now here and when you are no where you are NOT now here!)

Why does anyone DRIVE to Las Vegas?

Anyways, I traveled from California to Nevada to a bit of Arizona and am now in UTAH, where the campground is at least cooler and shady.

and an hour later..

go figure...

must be the heat!

Here I Go Again...

2010-09-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm off!

Well, actually I've been off for a long long time. Just ask anybody.

No

Seriously

ANYBODY!

I hit the road tomorrow and I"m very amped...

Ready

Willing

Now the question is... just how able am I (able I was ere I saw Elba?)

We shall see..

I'll write from the road.

Posited destination is St. George Utah, as , even though I"m going to go eventually to Arkansas (maybe) I don't want to go through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma ever again.

Ta ta!

SPOTLIGHTS on yout'...

2010-08-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

I've been over thinking this spotlight thing to the point where I can't write about them! How to organize them, whether or not to do them in order and, if I do them in order, in what order do I do them, and, what happens if I get one of them OUT OF ORDER!!! Gee...

doesn't sound like me,

does it?

SHUSH!

(bless your hearts)

So, I'm just going to do them as I think of them.

Starting just a bit with some youthful spotlights.

My first memory (and definitely a spotlight) is of a train. We traveled to Seattle (from L.A.) when I was about 2 and a half. What I DO remember is the dark color of the wood in the sleeper part (we had a little room) and the sink. I may have been aided in my memory of the sink by the fact that I threw up in it. I'm not much of a motion person;

hence my need to be the driver, not the passenger.

I remember my grandmother's large yard and my brother telling me the airplanes were going to get me. Since it was World War II, this was a way too often occurrence.

The little shit...

Those are my earliest spotlight moments, and my first 20 years were filled with some, but not nearly as many as the next 45.

Some of the earlier ones.

Watching the firefalls at Yosemite. ("I'll be calling youuu ooo ooo ooo ooo ooo oooo") The stopped this years ago because it was, I'm sure, both costly and dangerous, and the new park ranger thought it wasn't "natural". Dumping hot coals over a steep cliff in a National Park isn't necessarily a good thing.

A beautiful, very old tradition...

gone.

I was sick one Christmas. Came out and put my face to the back of the couch and wouldn't look at anything. THE DOCTOR was called and CAME OUT TO THE HOUSE!!!!. Cost $10 .

By the time he got there, of course, I was fine...

Always the attention getter...

I sang on the Milton Berle show when I was 11. I was part of a "choir" in a church scene... Christmas stuff. This was a huge spotlight moment. I had to go to "school" in the studio. They had those coin operated sandwich/apple machines (OMG!) and Dean Martin came by our dressing room and talked to us for a while.

He was the only one there who paid attention to us little kids..

He was a very nice man.

Later, in my teens, I sang at the Hollywood Bowl with Meredith Wilson (the Music Man). He was another pleasant man, but his music was beyond incredible.

What a joy.

I sang there because I was part of an 'all city choir' (the forerunner to the "Young Americans" (yes, I know you're all too young)). We also sang at USC where we WERE the audience. All the choirs had learned some of the same songs so we could sing them together at some point. One of my absolute favorite moments of all time was after lunch, as people filtered back into the auditorium. Someone started singing, and soon we were all singing one of the songs. At various points either a bunch of guys would wander in and the bass section would be louder, or the sopranos, or...

I was lucky enough to be one of the first ones in, so I got to be there for this swelling, ever changing sound.

I will never forget it...

it was magic.

I went to AROMA RAMA. One of the first (and fortunately last) 'smell o vision' experiments. The movie was a travelogue, and various smells would waft up from under the seats as we went to different places..

it all smelled like wet grass..

John Denver played bass for me.

Yes, little me.

But I'll tell you about that NEXT time...

have to keep you primed.

An odd pet at best...

2010-07-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

"This 5 year old male was a pet in a home, and now lives at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. This little guy had been given an apple to eat, and seems to act more like a puppy than a porcupine!"

I think I want one....

SPOTLIGHTS.... explained.

2010-07-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ok.. one new baby picture.. Then the good stuff.

My niece brought Rilynn over this week and Big Kitty was very interested. They were both cautious, and no one got hurt. I think the baby liked this kitty better...

It was a SPOTLIGHT day.

On to SPOTLIGHTS...

When I was teaching, I would occasionally have a parent who took their child out of school to go to lunch or shop or something special. Just THAT child, just THAT day, and just the two of them. I was particularly happy if it was a father and son, as mothers seem to think of those things more often.

My feelings about this are : You can take the kids to Disneyland, you can fly them to Europe, you can do all the fancy things on the weekends and they will remember

that

one

day.

Forever.

It's the unexpected moments in life that surprise and delight us. I remember one little second grade girl skipping back to class after P.E. saying "MISS WOODS SAID I WAS GREAT!!"

What a thrill for her.

I once saw a younger child who, having had to go to the office to get a lunch pass because her PARENTS FORGOT TO GET A NEW ONE (ahem), who, to continue my sentence, was stuck at the end of the lunch line. Her friends were eating already, and she was in tears. I took her hand and moved her to the head of the line, telling the 'older' boys there, "Gentlemen, look at this sweet face. Some day this might just work out for you because you let her in line!".

She beamed.

So... I'm going to blog about some of my SPOTLIGHT moments. Some of them will be impressive and some will have meaning only for me. Hopefully, you will enjoy some of them.

Think about some of your Spotlights today.

Smaller Heads Prevail...

2010-07-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

So... Bonho, who always thinks of us all, gave me some super antique yarn when we met for lunch the other day... (and yes, we had lunch too). The colors are incredible, clearly of another age and time.

It's needlepoint and rug yarn, but since I only know how to make hats, I made a hat.

I think the colors look great mixed... I felt like singing "When the moon is in Aquarius" the entire time i was knitting.

In fact, I think I did...

just a little.

The only problem with knitting a soft, stretchy, fluffy hat with pure wool needlepoint yarn is that it has none of the aforementioned properties.

So I put a poof on the top of it..

It turned out a bit smaller than usual, so I have to choose the one of you who has several requisites:

1. They must have a small head

2. They must live in a very cold place (as it's wool and will be warm. Very warm. Really Warm.

hmm... smaller head.... cold climate.

I'm going to have to do some thinking about this one...

any suggestions gratefully accepted...

Oh.. and the poof is easily removed...

Good Morning Starshine, the Earth Says "Ouch! HOT!"

2010-07-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

I hate it when the weather map looks like this...

and I feel sorry for you all.

If, however, you will take note of the temperatures on the little column marked "Beaches", you will note that it is a remarkably cool average of around 68 degrees and 'foggy'. What that really means is , since I live really close to the beach, it is 65 and overcast now and has been all day...

all week...

and all month..

aww... you poor little'uns... all sweaty and sticky and hot...

and me...

cool, calm and collected...

I truly feel just a little teeny tiny bit sorry for you...

no...

really...

honest!

I mean, i had to wear a SWEATSHIRT on Tuesday...

and, apparently, have forgotten to praise Marsha, my Florida BFF who is in charge of MY weather just as I'm in charge of hers. I'm supposed to thank her for the coolness, for which she readily accepts credit. I'm supposed to FORGET that she's given me about 800 serious earthquakes in the last couple of months.

People are soooo selective...

tsk tsk...

Rubber Duckie, I Love You....

2010-06-27T21:36:00.001-07:00

or maybe I love this green blobby thing better...

ah... the good old bath days...

(Duckies added by author!)

Making a Dog-gone Good Living..

2010-06-23T21:45:00.001-07:00

You would be surprised at how much this guy (and others like him) make just walking the dog (remember the song from Deadwood???).

The daughter of a friend of mine got a scholarship to college playing Volleyball. (wait... I'm going to get to the point .. no really)

She was tall, athletic, and not the type to settle somewhere behind a desk, so she took up dog walking. Mom and i used to see her every time we went to lunch at Scotty's, on the strand. She was a dog whisperer of the first order, and had at least 2 packs of dogs:

The big dogs (like this pack) and some small dogs who thought they were big, and the smaller dogs (and a couple of big babies who couldn't walk with the big dogs). I remember stopping her one time and petting all the goldens, who then went right back to their places without a hitch. She was marvelous.

and made a lot of money..

You see, when you live in a wealthy area and HAVE to have a big dog (but have no back yard or can't leave them out all day) you will pay a lot to have someone come and take them out at least once a day.

a lot.

My niece did it for a while when she was younger... it's the greatest job in the world.

Good living.

Good friends.

And you're outside walking every day for a few hours and then you're DONE!

For Wyatt, Since She Asked for It...

2010-06-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

I don't know... Wyatt seems just a little too interested in Garbage trucks, but her wish is my command...

I even added a little insert of the bin down, as I don't know her preference in such matters... (although she DID update the picture with her title!... I TOLD you she was interested in garbage!)

um

trucks, that is....

Just Plane Close...

2010-06-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

There's a park near the airport (and right next to an In'N' Out burger) where you can stand underneath the landing zone at LAX. I've tried several times to get good pictures, but, oddly enough, the speed of the planes is waaay to fast to get a good shot. I was, however, stopped at the signal and along came this plane...

Still hard to gauge. I thought it was closer...

just you wait..

I'm going to settle at the park for a while and wait... and wait.... and hope and wait... and..

So this is just a taste. I want one RIGHT OVERHEAD...

and the first one who mentions that I might need a life is in real trouble....

Sunset on the Oregon Coast in the Trees...

2010-06-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

I was just playing with Google and set this picture as a backdrop and realized how beautiful it is.

I took it several years ago on the coast in one of the very out of the way campgrounds on the coast on the east side of the highway. I backed up to get it just right (and think I got scolded (like I care)).

It's just a really nice shot..

I want a house in these trees with water on the other side..

sigh...

FIC ...

2010-06-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

(Found in Camera)

This was the last picture I took on the trip in April. This is the campground in Buellton (home of split pea soup). It is ALWAYS windy there. Hot and windy. Cold and windy. Windy and windy. Raining and w... well.. you get it.

But...... late that night I looked out and the moon was between the trees and all the little campsites were lit and it was a pretty picture. I just can't hold a camera still enough with the flash turned off (grin).

Normally I don't like all the lights in a campground; in fact, my favorite ones are those that are dark dark dark.

This is pretty, tho.. reminds me of the picture in my sister's house when the power was out.

For Paula (grin)

2010-06-02T16:47:00.001-07:00

The Devil made her do it...

What happens when babies eat steak...

and Paula KNOWS this... She'll be "justified" in her beliefs...

Squirrel Love...

2010-05-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

I was awakened this morning by the pitter patter of tiny feet and the screeking of something.

No, it wasn't the stork (who would have been shot on sight no matter WHEN he showed up in my life) nor was it the kitties.

It was squirrels. Running across the roof and yard and fences.

At first I thought some stray kitty caught one, as there was this squeaking sound and then more pitter patter. I got up to find the kitties glued to the back sliding door, watching the show.

Not one, not two but FOUR squirrels, cavorting in the back yard.

Now, I have to tell you I quit feeding the squirrels quite a while ago, as it was unfair torture for the cats, who twice pushed through the screen door to try to 'get me some of that'. So I haven't seen squirrels for a while.

But they were back in force today, and I figure it must be a late mating day, because they were VERY EXCITED.

Some of you may remember my squirrel love pictures. If not, I have some poor copies today just for the fun.

First stage..

Begging... the PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stage..

Second Stage..

Sweet Nothings... nothing works better than whispering in her ear..

Third State..

HOME BASE!!

YES... OH YES.. .OH YES!!!

sigh...

The kitties are worn out from watching ..

Huge Aircraft... Yet Another Fun Job.

2010-05-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

I couldn't think of any image for Hughes Aircraft, so I borrowed this one. You have to have SOMETHING, and this is a LASER. The connection will come in later.

I worked for Hughes for less than a year. My father was SO HAPPY when I went to work for Hughes... It was a 'real job' in my list of jobs that have been chosen with the idea of keeping me from being a serious contender in the world of employment. When I applied for work at Hughes, I had to have a RESUME! It was then that, even with some careful pruning to eliminate jobs like "Wonderful World of Wigs" and Meat wrapping at Ralph's and stretching the time in on the 'better' jobs, I realized that I had 13 jobs in 15 years. Still.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement. The good news was that I had an "in", and only really had to prove my typing skills. Thank goodness for Elementary school (wait, did I really learn to type in Elementary School? Damn...).

My job at Hughes was typical of the problems that led them to be sucked into who ever bought them in the early 80's. It could have been done half day. My job was being... well.... hmm... let's call it EARTH MOTHER to 17 source engineers on the east coast. Their job was to source glass (we made LASERS.. I told you I'd get to it) my job was to keep them happy, healthy, paid, on task and on time.

What I loved were the letters I wrote to them each week. Letters filled with Hughes News (not that they cared) and my news and tips for them on how to keep me happy (on time expense reports, showing up for tasks, etc.).

I loved those guys. My father loved the job because, as I said, it was a 'real job'. I had a serious paycheck a pension and I wore a BADGE.

It was the badge part that irked me. Being caught without your badge at Hughes was a firing offense. Naturally, I took it off after I entered the place, and never wore it inside.

And, because I'm me, no one ever asked me for it.

Ever.

It's all about the attitude.

Since my guys were done working around 1PM my time, I had lots of time on my hands, which I spent going into the restricted parts of the plant and watching them make things.

I still have some parts of LASER boules they gave me. LASERS have to be PERFECT. So if a teeny tiny glitch happens while one is being made, it's toast. That's where these synthetic diamonds came from. The primary job of the fake diamond people was making LASER boules, but the left overs made pretty nice gems.

Anyways, it was a great job while it lasted, but then I met this dentist and threw it all away.. but that's another story for another time.

Poor Dad (grin).

Samurai...

2010-05-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

My nephew, the one who does all the incredible metal work, sent this to me. It's an oil painting he just finished. At first I thought it was another sculpture, as the colors and feel are of metal.

I think it's beautiful and powerful... and so unusual how much it looks like his more physical work.

Akira Kurasowa would have loved it...

Just a Reminder...

2010-05-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

So...

I'm home again, which should surprise no one. Except maybe me.

It was a good trip. It rained a bunch but was mostly just cool and quiet. My favorite kind of trip.

So, since I have not much else to say, I thought I'd put up the map of where I've been...

43 years of travel.

Hell, most of you aren't even that old!

No Pictures Today

2010-04-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

It was a day, again, of driving. Lots and lots of driving and some rain.

Good thing is, I LOVE to drive. .

I met a nice couple last night at the camp ground. They live in Tahoe, California, and had 2 dogs with them. They winter, apparently part of the time, at the campground. They were going to take their motorhome home today, but it's snowing in Tahoe even as we speak. We've had, as have most of you, a very unusual spring. Weather wise, that is. They're opening a restaurant up there on the south shore called Dory's Oar. It has a Tudor Pub (makes me think of Henry VIII !). I should go camping up there sometime. It's beautiful.

Ok.... ONE picture. They finally fed the kid instead of her feeding the dog (grin)

ribs..

Description of High Water in the Redwoods..

2010-04-27T18:24:00.001-07:00

In December, 1964, a combination of early snow melt, heavy rain and high tides backed up the Eel river (and several others). The results were disastrous, especially for the small towns along the Eel River (notably Weott and Myers Flat). The river, which is far to the right (the tree tops can be seen), rose above Highway 101 and wiped out these small towns. All bridges, roads and even railroads were 'disconnected" from north to south. People died and recovery was slow because of the massive damage. I had to stop illegally to get this video, but it's something that amazes me, so I did! You can still see the high water marks on many of the old redwoods.

High Water in the Redwoods

2010-04-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

Beasts of the Sea..

2010-04-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

Just one picture. Southern Oregon Coast is rife with these piles of rocks. They have named many of the which are supposed to resemble things, and other remain lost and forgotten. I showed you one picture on the way up. This is outside the campground at Harris Beach. I love these monoliths. They remind me of some pre history things that started to crawl out of the oceans when the earth was so young that there weren't names for them.. Then something.. freeze... comet... something stopped them as they struggled to rise out of the water and here they sit. Forever. On some of the beaches there are piles of driftwood, looking like so many bones from the more fragile of these beasts... They never cease to amaze me.

I had to get the thermostat replaced today. I could have driven home without it working properly, but couldn't stand the "service engine soon" button glaring at me on the way home. It put me off a day from my travels, but I'm not on a schedule so who cares.. I had a similar problem on my '62 Buick Le Sabre, but once I found out what it was, I had it removed from the vehicle... they are remarkably unnecessary in Southern California!

OH... and it's POURING here..

A Break From Travel...

2010-04-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Feeding a cookie to Rosie...

Might want to eat it herself???

I just drove around and antiqued yesterday... and won $290 in the casino...

We won't talk about how much I SPENT, but I came out ahead...

Florence Musings...

2010-04-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

So I'm here for one more day. It's raining again, which suits me, but not the billions of dune buggy riders who came into the campground last night. I wonder how long the dunes will last.

I met some fun people last night.. actually, they came into MY camp space the night before, driven out by the smoke in their campground. It's usually me who goes searching. They had friends come out to visit last night and we sat and talked (well.. I talked) and then it started raining... Nice people. Lucky people, they live in Oregon.

In the camp site next to me was a couple from Germany, with an 8 month old baby. They usually tent camp, but rented the motorhome because of the baby. Very nice people, even though I never saw the kid... The Cruise America gave them away even before they spoke. It's the rental 'deal' and I see lots of visiting Germans in Big Sur in similar rigs.

Both groups offered to feed me! I politely refused, having met the chef of a small restaurant in town who offered to cook lunch for me. I had a Portabello mushroom sandwich, even though he wasn't actually cooking. We started talking about computers and books while in my favorite coffee place.

Yum.. yum... yum..

Spent the day seeing if it would be feasible to move Mom up here.. might not be. Got a cute picture of Mom and Kimmy and Rilynn from my sister. Mom looks very engaged.

and...

This is what I want to watch from my deck every day...

Just a Kitty Today...

2010-04-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

At least to start.

My sister is taking care of the kitties. Big Kitty, of course, is all over her, but Baby Kitty is shy. She IS getting better, and my sister sent this picture to show that she isn't always under the covers.

Maybe, if you're really good, I'll take more pictures!

Settled in Florence...

2010-04-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

I'm firmly ensconced in Florence, in my little campground, watching the birds eat the crackers I've left on the table. It finally got too cold to stay outside and read.

It's been so nice and quiet on this trip. It's let me read and nap and sleep without the constant sounds of a neighborhood. I can't say I miss that, as I've never really been without one. A neighborhood, that is. I can only say that I don't miss it now, and would like to spend at least a few good years without one. Maybe constant travel IS the answer.

It's rained on and off today, but once you get away from Bandon at least the wind drops. Bandon is probably the windiest part of this coast and yet it has, apparently, a world class golf course. I talked to a man last night who got soaked playing in 30 mile an hour winds and rain. He was happy as a clam...

I never understood golf (grin).

I drove around and checked out things. There are these beautiful pink trees blooming everywhere. I don't remember seeing them here before, but I'm rarely here this early in the year. They look like cherry trees, but may be a flowering version. No one in Moe's knew what they were.

and here's Moe's! I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of what is purported to be the best clam chowder in the world. I won't argue with them.

This is definitely the off season for camping, so I have had no trouble getting 'lodging' so to speak. We'll see about the weekend. This little bed (see below) is not only comfortable for sleeping, but I can stack up the pillows on one end and make a decent couch/lounger out of it, where I can sit and read or do computer stuff with ease. I wish I'd known this 35 years ago!

Morning Post

2010-04-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

Two things struck me this morning (no, sweetums, not physically).

The faucet in the bathroom was a push down handle, and it moaned like an old hooker trying to simulate arousal. I swear!

Coming in to town I noticed the traffic on the other side was stopped and I stopped and a mama duck and a boatload of duckings crossed the road at a pretty fierce clip! soooo cute. no time for picture..

In the meantime, here is a picture of the ever growing Scotch Broom.. it seems, if I recall, that it is taking over the coast...

Bandon By the Sea

2010-04-20T13:59:00.001-07:00

Not much to say.. it rained all night long, and is raining still, even as we speak. That means no pictures (rain and fog), but I did take this. This is one of the most popular picture places on the coast... No wifi at the campground, as I recall.. so I'm in town, stealing again..

Big Rocks.

Oregon at Last!

2010-04-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

I arrived!

I am here!

I didn't drive very far today, but it seems that I've driven 875 miles since I left L.A.

That's a long damned way just to get out of a state, dontcha think?

It's been cool and almost rainy all day long, which suits me (as you all well know) just fine. It's supposed to rain tonight, and be quite cold. (does the mizmarilyn dance). It was very nice and cool as I sat in my little camping spot and read and napped and just had a great time.

I know, I'm easy!

This picture was actually taken at one of the pretty rest areas in Northern California (hell, what am I thinking... it's one of the ONLY rest areas in California!) I like the composition and think I might try it in black and white. I miss my BW camera. Doing it digitally ain't the same. (and no, it's not like doing it virtually, so just settle down).

OH.. and in case you think you're out of the woods?

My niece sent a picture to keep me company..

Looks like she takes after her father, the chef. I only hope her tongue doesn't get stuck!

hmm... it IS interesting in Black and White...

Fortunate? Fortuna!

2010-04-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

So I'm in Fortuna. More than 700 miles and I'm STILL IN CALIFORNIA! It's much nicer here... it's starting to cool down, as there is supposed to be rain coming in tomorrow.. maybe.. (like I said, it's California, and if there one thing certain about California, it's that nothing is certain)...

Another long day of driving, but I did make a video for you (below).

Oh.. and I included some Pruneville Art. This little 'sculpture' was behind my camping spot (with the barking dogs and too many people and no one to talk to except for the guy who wanted to see some bracelets to me.. a real deal at just $8 (they were worth about 50 cents). I wonder how long the gloves have been there....

Another picture of the quaint San Fran street (19th street. one of only TWO ways to go through San Francisco... the other is the main highway, 101, which takes you THROUGH DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO which, as I've mentioned, no longer needs the business). All these little houses share common walls... must be fun at night.

At Fortuna, which is a nice campground and a cute little town, I met someone in the gifty shop (you know me, I'm so shy). When I was discussing the spelling of my name he popped up and actually KNOWS a Schenck...

There are no big worlds, only little concentric circles that pull you into someone with whom you have something in common..

Go figure...

So I'm quiet and happy right now, and closer to Oregon than I was yesterday..

Golden Gate Bridge

2010-04-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

Pruneville?

2010-04-17T18:25:00.001-07:00

and NO, you are not getting a picture of Pruneville...

Consider yourselves lucky.

I'm on the road again, 350 miles North of L.A, and STILL NOT OUT OF THE STATE...

I will blog when I have something to say...

;p``

Yeah.... Yeah.... I Know... Enough Already!

2010-04-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

So..

I'm going to get with my Nephew's artwork shortly, as promised, but there's a link on the right to his incredible stuff...

Until then, this is the piece that inspired my Gniece (pronounced Geeniece) to stick out her tongue. You can see, if you look, the pieces he used to make this object'd'art (forgive me). There is a pick axe and weights and car parts and the tongue is the end of a stair railing. He really is talented and unique...

and another one that made me laugh.

She can sit up now, and likes to get into things. My sister put her into the ice tub (from parties) and gave her things with which to bang and clatter . She can see herself in the reflection, and has a ball in there..

and..

it's a meaningful activity when you're baby sitting!

Also, I have this picture, that was a postcard (common in the late 1800's) that shows my grandfather (the one born in China) in a tub...

He, however, is getting a bath!

And here's another to prove the large eye picture ain't a fluke!

Oh, Those Beautiful Eyes, Those Great Big Beautiful Eyes!

2010-03-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

A better picture of my GREAT niece...

Look at those eyes...

OH.. and more about my nephew shortly, I promise!

We're Calling Her Gene... Guess Why!

2010-03-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

My grandniece has discovered her tongue.

This means, of course, that she has to try to touch things with it... bound to get her into trouble at some junction or the other.

My nephew (on my brother's side) was out last weekend with some of his incredible artworks. He makes things out of things.

Beautiful and completely original things, about which I will blog very soon.

One of the things he brought was this metal (his speciality) THING made out of some interesting parts. If you look closely, you can see that there is a pickaxe blade and some weights and a pot metal bulgy thing (notice how carefully I paid attention to all the parts) and some buggy eyes. The fun part of this particular piece was the 'tongue', which is made out of the end of a railing. You can see the distinctive curve.

The first thing Rilynn did was stick out her tongue in answer to the age old question: just how LONG does a tongue have to be?

She imitated it every chance she got, and it cracked up the bunch of us.

My nephew asked me which piece that he brought that I liked best, and I said the 'frog' (or whatever it is) so he said I could have it. He also had some incredible lamps, but I have no counters that are large enough or prominent enough to handle them. He said I could have the sculpture, but, of course

It belongs to our little Gene Simmons impersonator..

Who just loves it!

How to wash an Aussie

2010-03-07T23:19:00.001-08:00

My friend in Florida, Marsha, has a new Aussie puppy. I figure this is a really good way to wash AND wear out a rambunctious dog!! When she's not getting wet, she usually is hanging on Marsha's pant leg, being dragged around the yard...

Was That Sushi or Tsunami?

2010-03-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

We're ready either way...

Just in case y'all think I took the tsunami waring casually, here are the kitties, life vests on, loaded in the little boat, jussst in case...

(sorry for the not so great graphics, I still don't have a good working 'photoshop' thingy... )