July 29th, 2010
Hey all. It’s that time again. We finally have our “new” truck back. Yay! During its 7-week absence, I missed out on a family cookout in Delaware and a July 4th get-together in them thar hills, so, it’s off to the hills for the overdue visit…I’ll be away July 30 – August 7. (Yeah, I usually take the train, but Amtrak’s mid-summer fares are outrageous…and I’m cheap…uh, you know what I mean.) As is usual, I won’t have internet access, but I will check in once in a while from the local library. Lucy will be here to oversee the wonders of auto-post, so there should be a photo up most days. Stop by for a look if you’ve got a moment.
Love to see the family, but will still miss home, the bike and all of you. Have a good week!
April 12th, 2010
Yep, it’s that time again. I’ll be away April 14-21, and barring any snags (referencing here my last trip and subsequent abandonment by Amtrak), I hope to be back as planned. And there. I’ve just jinxed myself. That’s why I’ve posted this sun-kissed shamrock. Yeah, it only has three leaves and it’s been something’s snack, but it’s all I could find…didn’t see the lucky kind. As is usual, Lucy and W will be here, and I’ll auto post some photos so you’ll have something to look at if you happen to stop by. So, in case I don’t see you before I leave, I’ll see you when I return…on the 21st…right, ratty old three-leaved clover?
November 18th, 2009
Exactly four years ago today, we were driving east on I-40, heading home on our cross-country trip. We had heard about this sculpture called Cadillac Ranch, near Amarillo, Texas, so we decided to stop and see for ourselves. The experience was truly surreal, with the sun beginning to set, the flat, wide-open field, and of course, the 10 half-buried, nose-down Cadillacs. We were the only ones there, so that made it even more eerie. The art is ever-changing as visitors from around the world put their own touch of graffiti on the cars. We were there after the cars were supposedly painted pink in tribute to breast cancer victims, but as you can see, they were already covered with new layers of graffiti. You can still make out a general underlying pink layer though.
The sculpture was created in 1974 by a San Francisco art collective called Ant Farm when they were invited by Stanley Marsh 3 (he felt Roman numerals were too pretentious), the owner of the wheat field, to create a unique piece of art for his ranch. They came up with the concept of placing used or junk Cadillacs, facing west, half-buried at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza. The original sculpture was moved a couple of miles west, to its current location, in 1997.
What does it represent? Don’t know exactly. You tell me.
November 10th, 2009
While we were standing on the Virginia shores, Lucy was swimming peacefully on the Potomac River, unaware she had just crossed state lines into Maryland. Don’t worry, she was only a stone’s throw away from us. That’s the strange history behind Virginia’s border with Maryland. (Some more historical information if you’re interested.) Basically, Maryland owns the Potomac River and the boundary between the two states runs right along the Virginia shoreline (technically, the low water mark of the river).
We came across a boundary marker nearby. (We were at Jones Point, near Old Town, Alexandria.) The first photo below shows the marker with the Potomac River in the background. The second photo zooms in on the face of the marker, showing an arrow pointing towards the river, stating the Virginia-Maryland boundary is 42 feet away, which puts it right at the shoreline.
Doesn’t seem fair, does it? Hey Maryland, we want our river back!
August 28th, 2009
On my recent train trip, for the first time, I sat in the cafe car and people-watched. All kinds of folks coming and going, sitting a bit eating overpriced snacks or taking them back to their undersized seats. Having set up housekeeping next to the window in my booth, I wrapped up in a sweater, wishing I had worn socks with my holey Crocs and cradled a hot cup of coffee between my palms…mmm. Headphones pretty much render one invisible as a target for conversation, so I was safe. Ironically, the conductor seated a blind man across from me, but as it turned out, he was more interested in eating than talking. So, with CSN&Y wafting through my ear buds…Old man sittin’ by the side of the road…I looked across the way and noticed this man.
He was definitely the most interesting looking person on the train. A little out of place amongst the iPods and Izods and yes, in this economy, even the Izods are taking the train. Dressed in a cotton caftan and looking rather exotic—I didn’t intend to stereotype, but apparently did—I imagined that he might be from a foreign land and that his shawl and crocheted cap were of homespun wool. Well, I was a little disheartened to see plastic sequins sewn into his beanie, and when he spoke, he sounded as if he could have been from any one of the small towns in which the train stopped. Still, he was the most interesting looking person on the train, and it was funny to see that another crocheted cap happened to join him.
The highlight of the trip out of town, I’m afraid.
And by the way, Strangers on a Train is an excellent Hitchcock flick, although I may have lost credibility in the movie department when I pushed Spencer’s Mountain. I know, sappy.
August 17th, 2009
Just wanted to let you all know that I’ll be away for a week starting this Wednesday and will have no internet access…again. *argh* Please come by, though, and amble about if you’d like. Lucy will be here and some photos will be posted (no surprise there) and there’s the new playlist featuring some Woodstock tunes. Comment away, if you’d like…I love your comments, and I’ll get back to you when I return, if not before.
However…I have a brief respite, so I will ninja-blog and post a stupid pic of myself while biding my time.
May 8th, 2009
Just one of my peeves that I jotted down while on the train the other day. To be fair, I’m known to yak too loudly every now and then, but, W tactfully quiets me. So from Wednesday…
It’s 3:30 p.m. and we’ve just stopped in Staunton, Virginia, a few hours southwest of D.C.—pronounced Stanton by southerners and some others. We’re moving slowly through Virginia farmland and it’s raining out there. And everything is green, really green. Very peaceful. But I’ve had to go under the cover of headphones, cranking up Jefferson Airplane, trying to drown out the constant chatter of the two in front of me. Boarding in Charlottesville, I suspect they’re UVA students. Wah-hoo-wah. Anyway, his voice is too loud and is distracting. I think he’s disturbing others around him, as well, as they’re staring at him, and it’s not interesting stuff.
The song, My Best Friend (an excellent song, I have to add…a little reminiscent of The Byrds), is over and the music has stopped, but my headphones are still on and I can still hear him…a sky that turns red scares him… his seat partner speaks more softly but she supplies audible heh-heh’s to almost everything he says. He says he has a fear of heights…she says she doesn’t. Oh no, now I can hear her. The music resumes…Blues From An Airplane.
I think Grace and Company can keep me sane until he falls asleep…that is, if he falls asleep.
Oh, and she’s a hummer.
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ann
Catherine
Grace
Jennifer
Joanne Olivieri
YogaforCynics
