Went to New Orleans again with Janine to hopefully go out into the gulf and put her dad’s ashes at sea in his favorite fishing and diving spot about twenty miles off the coast. But unfortunately, tropical storm Bonnie and the BP oil spill made that venture impossible. Still had a great time as you can In New Orleans. Got lucky with an upgrade and flew the red-eye from Anchorage, AK to Chicago and then on to New Orleans first class. My lucky night. So after a short meal, I snuggled down for a snooze. I had my inflatable neck pillow, eye patches, and headphones on and passed out. About 3:00 in the morning, I was awakened with something licking my hand (every guys dream). I pulled up my eye patch and looked down to find a dog had jumped up on my leg and wanted up in my lap. I picked him up, he gave me a couple of kisses, spun around a couple of times in my lap, put his head on my hands, and went to sleep. So what are you supposed to do, ring the flight attendant call button and announce a stray was on board? Upon arrival in Chicago at 6:00 AM the girl next to me awoke to find her pooch has escaped from his bag under the seat and was in my lap asleep. His name was Rocky and he was a four-month-old miniature Italian Greyhound. He had the body of a small Jack Russell with 18” legs. He looked like a baby deer. Rocky gave me a couple more kisses and back into his bag he went. Now I can say I found a dog on a plane.
I had to take a photo of poochy because no one was going to believe me.
Flying from Baton Rouge to Dallas/Ft.Worth we encountered an amazing thunder storm. This beast was miles wide and topped out at 35,000 feet. We flew around it of course with a smooth photo op.
Everyone should sleep easier these days – I am no longer on the TSA’s “No Fly List.” Thanks to editorials detailing my displeasure with George W. Bush a few years ago, I found myself on the “no fly list.” I thought Nixon was the last president to use government agencies to harass citizens who don’t agree with them. Well, up until recently, every time I went through an airport it was: “Take off your belt and open the front of your pants.” Then be patted down, metal detected, wiped down for explosives, and all my bags searched – every fucking time for three years. I finally ran into the head TSA guy at the Anchorage airport who told me what I needed to do to get off the list. What a bunch a bullshit if a middle-aged mild-mannered professor is put on the list by angry political hacks – who among us is safe? Apparently, there have been so many people put on the list by Bush’s people that when you now make an airline reservation there is a special “redress” field you can fill in with your “I’m not a terrorist” TSA number.
Since receiving this letter I haven’t been searched once. But I did kind of enjoy that open up the front of your pants in an airport thing.
Big Brother – George W. Bush – Keeping America safe.
Who’s that cool guy with that hottie? Well, it was on college choir tour and there I was with an old flame on the bed – unfortunately playing cards. Nancy found this old photo while digging through memorabilia for her high school reunion. She found me on Facebook and there you go. Who would of thunk it that a guy who looked like that would not now be in the custody of the authorities.
Still a hottie after all these years – I mean Nancy.
Dykes on bikes. Yes there really is a motorcycle club (and who would have guessed it) in San Francisco. But these weren’t the “gals” I saw in Phoenix. Some tough cookies there. Kinda made you afraid to make a lane change.
I happened to drive to Phoenix from SoCal two weeks after a serious week of rain. Thus when I got to the desert, everything was in bloom. The drive was amazing with great colors, sights, and smells. Here are some of the shots around the Blythe, CA area.
Arcosanti is an experimental town that began construction in 1970 in central Arizona, 70 miles north of Phoenix. Architect Paolo Soleri, using a concept he calls arcology (a portmanteau of architecture and ecology), started the town to demonstrate how urban conditions could be improved while minimizing the destructive impact on the earth.
The goal of Arcosanti is to explore the concept of arcology, which combines architecture and ecology. The town aims to combine the social interaction and accessibility of an urban environment with sound environmental principles such as minimal resource use and access to the natural environment.
Having begun construction in 1970, the town is still very much a work in progress. The population varies between 50-150 people, based on the number of students and volunteers on the site, but ultimately the town is intended to hold 5000 people. Currently there are 13 major structures on the site, of at most several stories in height, but the master plan envisions a massive complex, called Arcosanti 5000, that would dwarf the current buildings. (all of this was stolen from the web).
Okay, enough of the hype. I have always wanted to visit this place after hearing about it 35 years ago. I should have gone then. Arcosanti has fallen on hard times and you can imagine what a poorly maintained concrete structure can look like after this many years. I drove over an hour to get there and stayed about 20 minutes. This is an old hippie nest that unfortunately will not achieve the goals of its creator.
I’m not a fan of baseball, but when you are in Phoenix during spring training and have nothing else to do on a Thursday night, you go to a night baseball game. This game was between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics. About fifteen national teams have spring training camps in Phoenix (the others in Vero Beach, FL). They all have their stadiums around the Phoenix/Scottsdale/Glendale areas. So, if you are a baseball fan, spring training in Phoenix is your nirvana. The stadiums are small and the players park their cars next to yours. It’s very personal.
I’ve heard that Jesus was a fisher of men and a prophet, but I didn’t know he was also a plumber. I knew he could turn water into wine and create a feast for thousands out of a couple Big Macs, but I didn’t know he could also remove a devil of a turd from someone’s toilet.
I want my Lord and Savior licensed, bonded, and insured.
As a kid my parents would infrequently take us for a trip to the desert. Along the way we would pass the dinosaur rest stop and invariably have to stop In Cabazon, CA. I’ve been inside these creatures as a kid as well as an adult. It’s one of those things you can go back to – up until now. Read the following story stolen from the web of how PeeWee’s Great Adventure has become a Creationist boondoggle.
From the interstate highway, the uncommon view of two giant dinosaurs, on an arid plain surrounded by mountains, is an irresistible magnet. But tourists are not the only ones compelled to stop. Well within LA’s convenient day-drive sphere, the Cabazon dinos became media darlings in the 1980s, appearing in everything from Coke commercials to rock videos to the film Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.
They were built by Claude Bell, who ran the Wheel Inn on I-10. Claude took eleven years to build Dinny, a giant apatosaurus and arguably the largest dinosaur in America. A small museum in Dinny’s belly still sells souvenirs.
Claude’s next project, a giant Tyrannosaurus with a slide down its tail, was nearing completion when Claude died in ’89. More sculptures were on the drawing board, including a Woolly Mammoth. The Tyrannosaurus was never completed and, according to the museum manager in Dinny’s belly, “it never will be.”
Update – August 2005: New owner Gary Kanter, an Orange County developer, is using the dinosaurs of Cabazon as a platform for his Creationist viewpoint. Working with Pastor Robert Darwin Chiles, they are transforming the Cabazon Dinosaurs “from tourist stop to place of worship,” according to a story by Ashley Powers in the Los Angeles Times. (Stolen from “Roadside America” web site)
From the road driving by.
View of the sculptures.
PeeWee hiding from the beast.
PeeWee’s Big Adventure.
Looks like a funky ride.
Even though we know dinosaurs survived the flood (on Noah’s ark) we don’t know if Jesus ever rode them. But he probably did.
While in Phoenix I made a stop at the Penske Racing museum. On display were great cars from the Indianapolis 500 and other stock car events. It was amazing to see the craftsmanship and engineering that go into designing and building one of these racing machines.
Out in the middle of the desert on the way to Phoenix from SoCal is the only gas station for miles. So you pull of to get a tank as well as drain your tank. Next to the Foster Freeze was this museum built to honor General George Patton. What the hell is it doing here? Anyway, it was closed both times I stopped through so I shot these photos through the fence. It had a great little tank display along with other WWII vehicles. Check em out.
Okay, I’m a semi-intelligent guy who is pretty aware of pop culture and its corresponding dementia. Saw these items on the back of two trucks on the way to Phoenix. You tell me if I’m out of touch with the world. I think both of these trucks should just keep on driving.
Some times I feel like I’m talking to Charlie Brown’s parents!
Cabazon, CA is one of the windiest areas in America. Because of the venturi effect resulting from all of the air from Southern California rushing to escape east, Cabazon is one of the wind power generating centers in the world. I caught these shots on my way to and from Phoenix. Different lighting going both ways.
I had allergies for as long as I lived in Southern California. As soon as I moved away, my allergies stopped. During the summer in SoCal, the smog would be so bad that I would have headaches and couldn’t breath well. I’ve been out of there for sometime, but realized what I was not missing on my return trip from Phoenix. Coming down into the Cabazon, CA area of the trip an amazing smog valley opened up to me. As soon as I hit it, my sinuses locked up and I realized I don‘t miss this place.
All of the air from the entire Los Angeles basin get blown through this one small opening between to mountain ranges near Palm Springs. There is always wind here and it contains all of the funk and pollution generated by millions of people in Southern California.
All of the air from this red area get funneled through the middle of these mountain ranges.
There are a lot of strange people driving out there who wish to adorn their vehicles with their mantra, life’s quest, or their inner child. Here are a few I saw on the way to Phoenix.
It says: “If your going to ride my ass as least pull my hair.”
Saw this guy in the mall assuming the “my damn wife made me come to the mall” position. This guy was there for over an hour as his other half apparently cruised every store. The guy in the blue shirt is taking lessons and hates himself for it.
Was going through some old photos and found this shot I took of my son on the top of the World Trade Center in New York City. Oh how the world has changed in 14 years.
I’ve always wanted to do a stand-up comedy routine but I swear to God this is not me! It was the label on the YouTube video that came up in a Google search that someone told me to look up. This guy is another Scott Fredrickson in Scottsdale, Arizona at an open mic night at a local comedy club. I’m a comedy channel fan and he was okay for an amateur doing his schtick. Check him out.
Somehow ended in in Phoenix, AZ for an entire day. The flight was late out of Houston and I missed my connection to Anchorage. Go figure, a direct flight from Phoenix to Anchorage. Who would have thunk it. Anyway, if I’m going to be stranded in a strange city for a day, I’m going exploring. Got a map and a metro pass and off I went.
