Just a Teaser

please enlarge

Courthouse Butte

Just a teaser...
This is the view driving into Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. I took it through the windshield.  For those of you who have never been here, Sedona is actually sitting near the base of this formation.

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Live My Life Again

You walk through the

Gardens of your dreams

Turning over new soil as you go

A warm and happy journey

From here to where you are now

I'll be waiting

Lying patiently beside you

Listening for the 6:00 a.m. Amtrak

It's long lonesome whistle

Strained and softened by falling snow

Just an hour from now 'til dawn

More than enough time

To live my life again

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Tomorrow morning, BMB and I will be on our latest road trip.
This time to Sedona Arizona, Oak Creek Canyon, Flagstaff, Jerome, and the Grand Canyon (maybe).  I'm hoping to stay off my laptop and phone for a week. So I'm going to get behind on my blog reading (and everything else).  However, I do plan on burning up my cameras. Hope my wife doesn't mind doing most of the driving, so I'm free to shoot on the move.
photo

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I'm Officially Old Today

I normally wouldn't say anything about it being my birthday. I'm pretty happy to have made it to this ripe old age, so this year I'm making an exception.  If you've been around my blog for a while, or gone back and read some of my life stories, I'm sure you understand what I mean.  Although we had a nice b'day party on Saturday night to celebrate, today is actually the day...

less than 1

1

7

no photos exist between the ages of 7 and 12

12

no photos exist between the ages of 12 and 16

Jr. year HS

18 just after boot camp

22

24

old

old

old

old (me, not her)

Grandson Lew on his "birth" day

recent, still older yet

damn near senile

all the way

early family

later family

Saturday night. 3 sheets to the wind, I'm sure...

...60...

...oh my goodness...

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Question 004 Would I follow My Own Blog?

Question 004 

From Anonymous

“If you were an outsider looking in, what would you think of your blog? Would you follow it?”

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Before I get started, I have to admit that I wonder why all but one of the questions have been anonymous (there are a few more I haven’t answered yet). I’m not going to take offense at anything that might be asked.

Okay, here we go…

At risk of sounding like I’m blowing my own horn, I like my blog. I like blogs that are like my blog.  Here’s why:

My blog includes several things that I really like.  It has true stories, photography, poetry, rants, and humor.  What you see, is what I see, feel, and have felt, in my personal life.  I think I’ve struck a balance in what gets posted.

• I'm not obsessed about having scads of followers.
• I don’t “pigeon hole” my blog for one type of follower. 
• You never know (because I don’t) what I’m going to post.
• I don’t post “filler” blog entries.
• It's a place where writers, photo geeks, humorists, and poetry lovers can all peacefully co-exist.
• I don’t post inflammatory political or religious statements. I won’t avoid the issues, but I’m not going to bring them up here.
• I keep it fairly clean.
• Most of my posts are fairly short. 
• First and foremost, I have had both the good and bad fortune to have lived a very interesting life. Many things that have happened to me fall under the truth, stranger than fiction heading. 
• I don’t think I’m a great writer, but I can tell a story, so that’s what I do.
• I fully realize that a percentage of my posts don’t appeal to everyone.  Another percentage of them suck.

One of the things I LOVE about my blog is the varied group of people who follow it.  I genuinely like and feel close to many of them. 

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My Favorite Ten TV Shows of All Time

Alex J. Cavanaugh has got another list going...
Here's my most favorite (non-reality) TV shows of all time (not in order).

Twilight Zone - The original show hit the very dark side of me (yes, I had one even back then).
The Sopranos - I loved the characters in this series and didn't want it to EVER end.
Seinfeld - "hello Newman..." 
Saturday Night Live (early years) - If you were around when this show started, and you did what most people did while they were watching it, it would be in your top ten list also.  Can we say "zig-zag?"
Mash - A little comedy, a little drama, and a great cast. 
The Wonder Years - The best show ever made about growing up "back in the day."
The X-Files - Another one I hated to see end. Thank goodness for Fringe.
Fringe - I love this show. The characters, the fantasy, the filling of the hole left by the demise of the X-Files.
South Park - Pure genius. 
Northern Exposure - Ditto...
Crime Story - This show died a much too early death. I LOVED it.
Monty Python’s Flying Circus - See "Saturday Night Live" above.
American Pickers - Currently my favorite show. Americana and beyond.

Wow, this was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. (I guess that's why I listed 13). A list of 25 would have been much easier. Although I didn’t include any reality shows, I could have. 

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Electricity

Importing from defunct photo blog 

These photos are greatly enhanced by enlarging them.

Swarm of Locusts

Amid the foggy chaos
That is my thought process
I’m blessed with moments of utter clarity
This is payment, I assume
For my usual confusion
It’s not having these things that taxes me
It’s drawing words out of the mess to describe them
My thoughts are like a swarm of locusts
My brain hides what I am not to see
And reveals only what I feel to me

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Only a Little Bit Self Serving

I'll get to the self serving part in a minute...

As most of you already know, I have a lot of active projects. I'm trying to write a couple of books, I write short stories, I write poetry, I blog, and I'm addicted to photography.  I know nothing at all about writing. I just know what's in my head and I try to get it on paper or on my blog, and hope it makes some kind of sense. 

Some time ago, I stumbled upon a blogger named Clarissa Draper.
She's a full time writer and published author.  Her blog is a fantastic reference for both writers and bloggers. It helps me make sense of what I'm trying to do.  She's also a very nice lady.

On her main blog, Listen to the Voices, Clarissa's last three posts were:
"Mystery Writer's Guide to Forensic Science - Blood Stain Analysis." 
Book Critique 5:  The Rock Warrior by Jan Morrison.
How to Make a Book Trailer: Part III - Adding Video.

Even if you aren't a writer, or don't aspire to be one, it's still very interesting reading.

Clarissa's other blog is titled The Sholes Key.  This blog is a chapter by chapter posting of her latest and soon to be published novel.  It's a mystery and really good reading.  I'm extremely pleased to tell you that the cover photograph is one of mine.

Please take my word for it; Clarissa's blogs are both worth checking out. If you like to write (after all, you're a blogger aren't you?) the first blog is top rate. If you like to read, "The Sholes Key" is also well worth your while. Maybe you'll like both.  I sure do...

Did I mention that the cover photo is mine?

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Q And A 003 Friday Follow (and why I don’t)

Question 003
Friday Follow (and why I don’t)
From Anonymous

“I first came to your blog as a "Friday Follow" person. I left you a comment and you responded with a smart aleck remark. What exactly is your problem with me, or Friday Follow?"
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I don’t know who you are, but based on your question, I’m pretty sure I can figure it out. If you are in fact who I think you are, I have one problem with you and another one with "FF."  In a nutshell, you “misrepresented” yourself to me, and I believe that for the most part, Friday Follow is nothing more than a gimmick to boost the number of followers a person has.

The first time I noticed “Friday Follow” I thought it looked pretty cool and signed up. Somebody (you?) who also signed up, came to my blog and commented; “Hi, I’m here from Friday follow! Follow me back!” I remarked to her/your comment, “thanks, I’ll check you out!” When I went to the blog I found out a few things.

• She had not “followed” me at all.
• She already followed 300 people and couldn’t follow me, even if she wanted to.
• This person had well over 900 followers.
• She averaged only about 20 comments per post.
• Next, I went to several other sites who also participated. Found a lot of the same thing.
• Three others actually did sign up at my blog. I liked one of them and follow her blog to this day.
• The other two have never left a single comment at my blog.

I’m just not that easy. If I like a blog I follow it. If I don’t, I’m never going back there. I know a few folks who participate in FF on a weekly basis; I like their blogs, so it doesn’t bother me at all. If they like to participate in FF, that's fine with me.

I don’t “expect” a blogger to follow me, just because I follow them. It goes the other way also. I like followers, but if they don’t ever comment, they probably aren’t reading what I post, so what’s the point?

Currently, I feel pretty good about who follows me. I’m happy to say that I get regular or semi-regular comments from about half my followers. They don’t all show up on blogger though. I get a lot of comments on Facebook, on Facebook messages, and email. I clearly spend as much time dealing with comments as I do “blogging.” But I’m fine with that. I feel like I know a lot of the people who follow my blog. I truly think I’d be friends with many of them in “real” life, if given the chance.

At least one person “caught on” to my feelings about FF, because they appear to have signed me up on a few occasions without me knowing about it. I know somebody else did it, because I didn’t.  I must admit, it's pretty funny...

Seriously, this isn’t a contest to see who can get the most followers.

Well, maybe it is to some folks...

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Ironing Clothes

I NEVER iron.
I REFUSE to iron.
I made a pact with myself to ONLY buy clothes that never need ironing.

If for some reason something does come out the clothes dryer wrinkled. I have several options:

• Throw it back in the dirty clothes (maybe next time it will unwrinkle)
• Throw it in my wife's dirty clothes hamper (maybe she will do it)
• Throw it in the back corner of my closet (maybe it will disappear)
• Wear it anyway.

I would rather walk out of the house looking like an unmade bed than waste 5 minutes of my life ironing...

Or is it just me?

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Good Night From Moro Bay

Early evening from the pleasure craft end of the bay

This one was taken a few minutes after the previous one. We sped over to the rock and I took this one. It's the lower right corner of Morro Rock.

Looking across the bay at town

I have more photos of the trip, but I think I've posted enough.  Thanks for looking and commenting!

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Other Sights From Our Road Trip - Day 3

Fresh from a nice cool dip (or bathroom break)

Sound asleep. New fur is growing in fast.

Watch your step, the next one goes straight down!

Light house

A lot of work for advertisements and bills

Tomorrow, last photos from our latest road trip.

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Other Sights From Our Road Trip - Day 2

This farm is in a little valley, on an alternate route to the coast.

I think I could live here and grow flowers (for seed) for a living.

The old library in San Luis Obispo

A little trout stream running through downtown San Luis Obispo

A lot of bird droppings

Bird rock

I'd like to be down there in a kayak.

I almost got a sea otter floating on his back right under this guy, but of course he went under before I could snap it.

For those cold central coast nights

Tomorrow's post will be "Other Sights From Our Road Trip - Day 3"

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Other Sights From Our Road Trip Day 1

I know it's a bit busy, but this is my favorite pic of the trip

I'm pretty sure this is a valuable cabin cruiser even if it is neglected.

The working end of the boat harbor

I don't know what kind of bird it is, but he is trying to find a way to get into this bait tank

Somebody told me not to let looks fool me, this is one of the busiest fishing boats in the harbor

A look from the  foot of the rock to the town of Morro Bay

A friendly blue jay in an apple tree, at the little house we stayed in at Morro Bay

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, I presume...

Tomorrow I'll be posting "Other Sights From our Road Trip  Day 2"

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