Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar is one of the Culturunners, a group of 10 Middle Eastern artists exploring the ideological boundaries between the US and the Middle East. More here.
04/07/2016
Uncommon ground
Can you transcend the uncommon ground?
Can I jump?
Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar is one of the Culturunners, a group of 10 Middle Eastern artists exploring the ideological boundaries between the US and the Middle East. More here.
Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar is one of the Culturunners, a group of 10 Middle Eastern artists exploring the ideological boundaries between the US and the Middle East. More here.
Labels:
art notes,
common ground,
note to self,
reality checks,
repost,
The Arts,
uncommon ground,
videos
03/07/2016
01/07/2016
Alligator Creek
Frieda Kahlo's palm tree is taller now. That's good news. Last time we were here it had been so neglected, I feared it would be dead by now. And being taller, most of the fronds are above the roof line. They're out of view but rustle more in the wind. It's a nice sound.
And pops isn't dead either. We saw him this morning. He's looking skinny and spry as ever. And, again today, Sonny and his mom are back screaming at each other. He's big with the, "OH MY GOD! OH MY GAAAAWD! SHUT UP . . . knock this shit off!" He's got a cast on his arm. A drunken brawl or slip? Maybe Mom whacked him with a broom.
God, I'm awful.
So, life at least on this little spot on Alligator Creek is same as ever. Comforting. Swami, Molly and I are in the screen porch. Is it "in" or "on"?
Molly and Swami on the screen porch. |
And pops isn't dead either. We saw him this morning. He's looking skinny and spry as ever. And, again today, Sonny and his mom are back screaming at each other. He's big with the, "OH MY GOD! OH MY GAAAAWD! SHUT UP . . . knock this shit off!" He's got a cast on his arm. A drunken brawl or slip? Maybe Mom whacked him with a broom.
God, I'm awful.
Life on Alligator Creek 1 |
30/06/2016
The cause of why
Day five - Tallahassee to Alligator Creek - 340 mi.
Good to be back on Alligator Creek. Sonny and his mom are still living across the street though we suspect Pops may have died and, when we pulled up, there was a huge flock of young Ibis grazing between their yard and ours. We stocked the house with food and saw some friends and now we're tucked in for the night. Funny, but sitting for five days in a car watching the miles flash by was exhausting. Tomorrow Kristiana and Thea arrive.Woohoo!
Swami watching the Ibis |
Good to be back on Alligator Creek. Sonny and his mom are still living across the street though we suspect Pops may have died and, when we pulled up, there was a huge flock of young Ibis grazing between their yard and ours. We stocked the house with food and saw some friends and now we're tucked in for the night. Funny, but sitting for five days in a car watching the miles flash by was exhausting. Tomorrow Kristiana and Thea arrive.Woohoo!
Labels:
DITL,
Florida,
travel notes
28/06/2016
Roadside oil rigs
Day Three - Amarillo to Shreveport - 551 mi.
Roadside oil rigs
metal dinosaurs in the
hot Texas morning.
Roadside oil rigs
metal dinosaurs in the
hot Texas morning.
Labels:
poetry,
travel notes
27/06/2016
Amarillo by nightfall
Day Two - Flagstaff to Amarillo - 608 mi
Flagstaff was fine, another Sweet Tomatoes for dinner.
Don't mind us, wild things. Just passing through.
I feel sorry for the residents of Amarillo. In spite of the beautiful sky and having a gigantic wind farm nearby, Amarillo Texas sucked. Perhaps we put too much emphasis on dinner but, after another long day on the road, it's very important. So here's the deal. Don't eat at the The 806, a cafe, lounge, and bar with music at night unless you feel like lounging because, above all, The 806 is a 20-something lounge.
We waited an hour for what turned out to be little more than, as M. Lee put it, a bread sandwich. He reviewed it on Happy Cow with a titled, "Unspeakably bad and lame". My cheese sandwich wasn't so bad but the diet coke was flat and warm. On the other hand, his "bread sandwich" which was thin bread smeared with a thin veneer of hummus—super lame—but the guy working his ass off behind the counter, probably his first job, was a nice kid. And we did manage to escape before the music started.
Flagstaff was fine, another Sweet Tomatoes for dinner.
Land of the free |
Don't mind us, wild things. Just passing through.
Texas afternoon |
I feel sorry for the residents of Amarillo. In spite of the beautiful sky and having a gigantic wind farm nearby, Amarillo Texas sucked. Perhaps we put too much emphasis on dinner but, after another long day on the road, it's very important. So here's the deal. Don't eat at the The 806, a cafe, lounge, and bar with music at night unless you feel like lounging because, above all, The 806 is a 20-something lounge.
We waited an hour for what turned out to be little more than, as M. Lee put it, a bread sandwich. He reviewed it on Happy Cow with a titled, "Unspeakably bad and lame". My cheese sandwich wasn't so bad but the diet coke was flat and warm. On the other hand, his "bread sandwich" which was thin bread smeared with a thin veneer of hummus—super lame—but the guy working his ass off behind the counter, probably his first job, was a nice kid. And we did manage to escape before the music started.
Labels:
Florida,
travel notes
Roadtrip - Nevada to Florida - Day One
Day One - G'ville to Flagstaff - 664 mi
The road is always a risk, best laid plans and all that but actually the grueling shortcut turned out to be one of the best parts of the day. We saw wild horses and donkeys grazing in the desert hills plus several coyotes and—later—one jackrabbit scampering through the sagebrush.
The temperature was 108° by the time we got to Vegas and lunch at Sweet Tomatoes buffet. It was freaky sitting a table away from a couple of macho idiots exercising Open Carry. By the time we crossed over into Arizona, the temperature had climbed to a sizzling 116°.
Are you ready?
There are two types of travelers in the world; which one are you?
Source: Cooper Canyon Review by Sarah Cooper.
As one mefi commentator put it:
"For our honeymoon, Mr. Machine made a three ring binder with a detailed itinerary for each day, including not just attractions to visit and where we were staying each night, but also the mileage we would need to drive each day, alternate routes, alternate attractions in case of bad weather, options for eating, and places en route to buy souvenirs and snacks. It was more than 50 pages long for our two week trip, and was organized in a three ring binder and tabbed with section dividers.
"He sent the word document to his parents, so that they could admire it, and their first (loving) comment was that he had a typo on the first page."
-- joyceanmachine -- courtesy of M. Lee
Day One - shortcut, outback Nevada - |
The road is always a risk, best laid plans and all that but actually the grueling shortcut turned out to be one of the best parts of the day. We saw wild horses and donkeys grazing in the desert hills plus several coyotes and—later—one jackrabbit scampering through the sagebrush.
Wild horses in Nevada desert |
The temperature was 108° by the time we got to Vegas and lunch at Sweet Tomatoes buffet. It was freaky sitting a table away from a couple of macho idiots exercising Open Carry. By the time we crossed over into Arizona, the temperature had climbed to a sizzling 116°.
Labels:
Nevada,
travel notes
23/06/2016
Here and gone
We returned from London on the 14th, spent a week in Portland and now we're back in Nevada for a couple of days. Sunday we leave for Florida. As usual, we're driving. And, as usual, M. Lee has already booked the motels and loaded the GPS with the addresses of the restaurants where we'll have dinner each night. You don't want to hit town after 12, 13 maybe 15 hours on the road and still have to find a place to eat, especially if you're vegetarian. We're not fussy though. A salad and baked potato will do just fine. But just for today, good to be home. Home—a strange and special place.
Labels:
note to self,
travel notes
20/06/2016
Happy strawberry solstice
source: National Geographic |
I was delighted to hear, via my son and daughter-in-law, that tonight is the summer solstice and full moon and that this conjunction hasn't happened since 1948. Wow!
I have a tradition of noting the solstice and equinoxes but I thought it was yesterday and didn't even know about the moon. We've been back in America for about a week but I must still be a bit jet lagged. This is a happy reprieve.
Labels:
Big Events
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