Salvation Mountain

It has been several years since I visited Salvation Mountain outside of Nyland, California. It is one of those places you really can describe and pictures can’t show what is there. Leonard Knight’s Website gives some background and lets you know the history and a little about the man.
The site is listed as a National Folk Art Site and can be seen and movies, books, and other publications. This mass of tree branches, straw, mud, paint, and any other material he finds has been formed into a mountain of Love and words from the bible.
I took some pictures but as one of the other people said you really can’t describe it you just have to have people come to see it. Leonard is always happy to show people around. He was not there when I stopped but drove up just as I was leaving. He waived and said come back in I’ll give you a tour. There were many other people there and some that were repeat visitors so I continued on to other picture taking down the road.
Many days he finds little time to work on his project but still each year it continues to grow ans people give him paint and other supplies as well as donations for their visit. Truly something must see to believe.

Leon's New Clothes

One of the interesting things we do when we are staying in Indio is to visit all the resale shops. The selection is usually better for women. I think this is because women tend to change fashion more that men but I have been able to find shorts, pants, and shirts that are very nice.
With the possible performance at La Quinta Playhouse in the near future, I needed a tux. So we were off to the shops at the fourth stop we found a 48L tux at $75 with 25% off. To find my size and at a good price was great and they also had the tie and suspenders to match for only $6. Only 2 more stops and I had a shirt it was a little large and not fancy be then you don’t see much of it.
Now I am ready for the show and just have to hope it all comes together.

BIG STAR 2009

Marilyn had her 15 minutes of fame in this years Big Star “That’s Entertainment”. This is an annual lip sync show done here at RCB. This year Marilyn did Madonna’s Crybaby with our friend Jaak. This two hour show is always a big hit at RCB and I took pictures of the preparation and the show. I have a slide show of all the acts and also the behind the back stage people.
The staging and costumes are always a big part of the act and there is always a big production with both. Many hours and work were spent on the staging of the acts and since we have no place for storage all of stage has to be dismantled. As is often the case many people said it was the best ever. This was also the first time they hired a professional videographer to film the production. We have yet to see the result but there will be party in a couple of weeks to see the DVD.

Snow in Indio

For the most part it has been a warm winter here in Indio, however this last week has been cold and rainy. The snow level in the mountain was down to just over 2000 feet and this presented a very nice picture of the snow covered mountains across the valley.

I went out to try to find a good place for a photograph but didn’t find that perfect place. I guess you are always looking for the combination of several pictures. I did get a few shots including a panorama across the Terra Largo golf course the second day. As you can tell from that picture, the light covering of snow on the lower levels is quickly disappearing.
They promise another rainy and cool weekend and they are already above normal in rainfall. That means I may be able to get some great wildflowers in a few weeks.

Reflections

Went for a bicycle ride the other morning and it was just great for pictures. I started through the new housing development they are building around some manmade lakes. The water was still and the reflections of the palm tree and a snow covered mountains beyond was outstanding. I was lucky to have my point and shoot camera in my bag so I could stop and take some pictures.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. It is nice to have all the new development because it means new roads. There are not any real hills and traffic is sparse. The other nice thing about having so many houses being built is the new shopping center they are building. We now are less than two miles from about anything we need and you don’t have to fight traffic.

COD Street Fair

We went to the College Of the Desert Street Fair to get a new tennis banner to display on our shed. Just like Alice’s Restaurant you can get anything you want at the COD Street Fair. We usually make at least one visit to the fair each year and have gotten a number of different items.
We have gotten sunglasses, hair extensions, hats, shoe cleaner, clothes, and even food on previous visits. This trip was to replace the old banner but we spent time wondering the grounds to see the people, sale items, and dogs that were at the fair. People/dog watching can be fun anytime and COD provides a great diversity of people to watch. I even found a belt I have been wanting to wear with my Levis so it was a good trip.

Take a Hike

We took a day to get out of the park and go on a hike with the RCB Hiking Club. This hike was at Anza-Borrego Springs state park which was about 60 miles away. Even with the long drive 37 people showed up for the hike, so we were off in eight cars for the hour and half drive. Our friends Jaak and Barbara joined us for the drive. This was one of the largest groups they have had with the hiking club.
After a quick rest stop at the Visitor’s Center we went trhough the campground to the trailhead. The hike was up a canyon to a small oasis. It was not a big climb but some of the trail was over rocks along a stream. As we got higher the dry stream began to have some water but it was never a large flow that can occur during rains. The large logs that were placed high on the stream banks were and indication of just how much water can flow down this canyon. Although some of the other groups we met said they had seen mountain sheep on the hillside, we did not see any.
After reaching the oasis we took a short break before heading back to the cars. We then proceeded to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. The big excitement for me was when we got to the restaurant I realized I did not have my billfold. A quick search of the car and I was sure that I had dropped it on the ground as I got out of the car at the trailhead. I got it out when I paid the entrance fee and left it on my lap. So when I got out of the car it fell on the ground. As luck would have it, I had parked between two cars that were there when we got there and still there when I returned so the billfold was not out in the open and nobody and taken it. With it safely back in my pocket I returned to the restaurant for lunch.
After lunch we went back to the visitor’s center to look around and take a few pictures before slowly driving back to RCB. Along the way we stopped to look and some of the dessert badlands we had passed as we rushed to start the like. We also drove into some of the development by the Salton Sea.

White Christmas

Christmas is a time to share with friends. Marilyn does more of this than I do with all her girl friends sharing lunch and gifts. However, the year the weather limited the number of gatherings as the ice and snow caused several of the events to be canceled.
She still managed a couple of lunches and the annual pizza dinner with three tennis friends. Mine was limited to the usual coffee with my early tennis group and sharing the pictures of the group with our former member, 86 years young Wayne, that had to quit a couple of years ago. Marilyn and I were also blessed with a visit from my special singing friend, Pauline, and her husband Ed as they traveled back to Victoria, B.C. They had to put on chains to get up the hill to our house and could only stay one night but it was a wonderful time to catch-up on what has been happening.
Of course Marilyn has the house decorated just right and the table is set with the Christmas dishes long before anybody arrives. Like maybe two or three days before they arrive. The snow has putting the sharing of gifts and food with the granddaughters on hold until the last minute. Living in Portland with all the snow and ice has severely limited travel. Some the have tried talk of the hours it takes to get just a short distance and all the accidents you see along the road.
Today is overcast and we do see snowflakes fall once in awhile but with the temperature at about 35 degrees it doesn’t stick to the road. You can more of my Christmas pictures on my Flickr account.

Cold and Snow Continued

Well the cold and snow continues in Corvallis. It has been a very long time to have snow on the ground and freezing temperatures. We may even have a white Christmas. Well it looks like we may be above freezing in the daytime for the next week so maybe most of the snow will melt.
I don’t have snow tires so I have been forced to put on the cheap chains on my car. I never planned on using them. I only had them to meet the carry chains requirement that is sometimes posted.
They did plow our streets yesterday and it was a little above freezing so Marilyn got out for a few things she wanted to do. Then we got two more inches of snow and it froze last night. Now we wait for the next break. I put the chains on Monday and we did go out Wednesday to get a few things. I hope to take the chains off today.
I spent my life being ready for snow and able to travel in bad weather. Now I am ready to not think about chains, snow tires or even ice on the road. Maybe that is the reason we go south for the winter.

Snow in Corvallis

It seems Corvallis gets a bad storm about every year and this may be it, at least for now. We escaped the start of the storm on Sunday as it hit Portland with cold and snow. Chains were required to travel in Portland not just the hills around Portland. However, we had a nice day all things considered. We had some early morning snow but it never got below freezing so the snow melted and we even saw some sun during the day.
As darkness came so did the wind, snow and cold. Now at 9 PM it is 26 degrees F. and snowing. We will see what tomorrow will hold. I don’t think I will be playing the 7 AM tennis and Marilyn’s 9:30 tennis has been canceled, too. Maybe it will be a day to turn on the fireplace, pop some popcorn, and relax. I think I will save this note and not post until tomorrow and maybe even get a picture to post. It does look like a white Christmas but then I am sure all the snow will be gone by then. They are saying freezing for the rest of the week, but it never seems to last too long.
Well it is Monday morning and it is cold 23 degrees F. It got down to 21 last night. I don’t think we got much snow. With the wind it is hard to tell just how much there is but none of the drifts are that big. Most of the schools are closed for the day and the paper was late as is the garbage pickup. The birds are happy I had filled the bird feeder but the hummingbird is not that lucky since the sugar water froze. The wind blew snow onto the covered deck and entry but not really that much of a storm just cold. It is just the ice that will case problems if it melts and freezes again.

Out of the Fog

We have had some foggy days in Corvallis so it was great to take a trip to the coast. Marilyn has many activities at this time of year with the regular tennis matches and then lunches or dinners with her friends. This meant that we didn’t leave Corvallis until after 10:30 in the morning but were glad to see the fog lifting before we were 20 miles out of town.
We got to Newport just before noon so we stopped by Mo’s for the usual clam chowder and garlic bread before we headed to the aquarium. The sun was out and we left our jackets in the car for our three-hour visit to the aquarium. It was not crowded so I was able to get many pictures without being in other people’s way. A visit to the aquarium is always a great was to relax and is a sure way for me to raise my spirits.
The early sunset meant that we drove home in the dark after having our dinner. So the drive home was not as relaxing and enjoyable but well wroth the time out of the house and valley fog.
Some of my pictures from the day are on my flickr page.

Halloween in Lahaina

Halloween in Lahaina is always an interesting time. We have been going dressed as Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy and it seems to be well received by many people. This year was much different than the last two years in that they did not close down Front Street for the whole evening. They closed it for the Kiddie parade but then opened it up again. It made for a very crowded sidewalk and not as nice for taking pictures. I guess there had been too many problems in the past but I can’t think that this would prevent any of the drinking or carrying on. It just created a very crowed Front street with cars and people instead of just people.

As the evening went on some of the costumes become more R (X) rated and there are more people that have been drinking but for the most part a good time is had by all. I took my 100+ pictures again this year and posted a few of them.

Usually we have left by 8:30 but this year we stayed later so we were stopped by the sobriety check as we left Lahaina. It is usually a short stop unless they think you have been drinking then it becomes a longer time to prove you are sober.

Just hanging out

Relaxing in Maui means hanging around the condo reading or processing pictures, talking with people we know that come every year, or going to some of the same places we always go like Halloween and Keiki Hula show. This year was about the same. Marilyn finished a couple of books and I read a little of Tom Brokaw’s book “Boom!”. The nice thing about his that is that it is a collection of stories about people he first met as a young reporter in the 60’s and what they have done and how they have changed over the 40 years. Of course my pictures are much the same with fish, flowers, and the people. Some are out on flickr.
There are always some of the same people staying at KBC each year but then we also meet a few new people. They had the first of the Thursday gatherings the last Thursday we were there which is always good for meeting people. The young couple staying next to us were there with his Father, Dr. Edward Jones, and step Mother, in a different unit. It was nice to meet them as he also attended the University of Washington and his Father was retired from UW. They gave us a copy of his book Tutankhamon. At 86 he follows my feelings that many college professors can never retire they just keep researching and writing books. Since we will be taking the Red Sea, Egypt trip next spring the book will be a great reference.
We met friends for dinner one night, at a place that had a great jazz trio playing and also when out for our usual dinner at Kimo’s with the Hula Pie. We also usually go to the Tropical Plantation were Marilyn’s get to feed the ducks and I get to take pictures of the flowers. It is a beautiful place but I’m afraid we don’t do much to help it survive since we spend very little money there. The last Saturday we have been checking out and then going to the Seawatch restaurant for a great breakfast with a view of the ocean. It is a great way to end the two weeks.
The Halloween in Lahaina is another story.

Snorkeling Maui

Snorkeling is my favorite thing to do in Maui unless it is going out to eat. I spend many hours in the water looking for the fish that is willing to have its picture taken. Photographing the underwater animals has a number of problems. First they never stop to pose. I met one person that shoots video and then takes his pictures from that. Of course he also had a new camera that gave me a case of camera envy. It was not one of the $1000 plus but still a nice camera.
Of course it did get some nice shots from the over 800 I took I have about 50 I would show you but then that is photography. There are also a number of very small fish that dart about and never really show on the picture even though they are often in shallow water and I can get close to them. This year I also saw a number of octopus but they only look like a rock in the pictures.
We had great luck with turtles this year and even got to swim with two of them one day as they were feeding on the moss. There I was almost too close to get a good shot and be in focus. One of the turtles was missing its right front flipper. I am not sure if it was shark or boat that did the damage. I also saw a number of eels this year and even got a few good pictures.
We did not venture out to many sites this year going only to Ulua beach and the beach by the condo. We tried the beach by the Maui Prince which is close to turtle town but it was not that great and you can see turtles other places. Ulua is our favorite but I like to look for the turtle that lives in the coral by the condo. Even though I didn’t think we would try to go to Fish Bowl this year I was sorry to hear they had closed it. It is a 30-minute walk across the lava field but the water and fish were great. The problem was that people were trashing the small-protected area. It was a great place to take pictures. Maybe next year we will try some new places.

Other fish pictures from Maui.

Nuremberg

Our day trip to Nuremberg was beautiful, overwhelming, and enjoyable. Since it was fall the color was great and everywhere you looked the fall colors were outstanding.
Since about three hours of our time was spent and the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds, the amount of information and remains of the building that were never completed after 1939 left us tired just from standing and listening. The Documentation Centre opened in 1994 provides an excellent source of information about the Nazi Party and the plans for these rally grounds that cover eleven square kilometers. We listened to the audio guide for about two and a half hours and were still not through the complete exhibit. But we quickly went through the rest of the exhibit and walked around the uncompleted Congress Hall. It was a nice day and it would have been a beautiful walk around the Dutzendteich lake but time did not allow and some food seemed necessary so we caught the bus back to the center of town.
Once we were at the Hauptmarkt we found the Bratwursthausle and a nice table outside to enjoy our lunch of bratwurst and beer. We then wondered up to the Castle but it was too late to take a tour so wondered the grounds and enjoyed the garden.
Our walk back to the train station was a pleasant time of enjoying the sights and doing a little shopping. We left tired but with many things that still need to be visited.

Wings of Wnder

I spent about two hours taking pictures at Wings of Wonder by Buena Vista. I took about 200 pictures but could immediately eliminate at least half of them as out of focus or no butterfly. It was a great time and there were many of the butterflies that never stayed in one spot long enough for me to get a picture. They are such beautiful creatures and for most of them such a short life. They are also very fragile and you would see a number of butterflies with wing damage.
I was pleased to see the number of people visiting the exhibit. I realize that it is not in a major population center or on a main road but people seem to be finding their way to the excellent exhibit. Most people did not spend the length of time I did in the exhibit. It is hot and humid and I was sweating soon after entering the exhibit. The sweat did have a positive effect you could say. It seems to attract one of the butterflies. First it landed on my leg and I was concerned I would damage it as I walked but it later moved to my head and stayed there until being removed before I left.
One very large moth did not move the whole time I was there. They said it was nocturnal and also did not feed, no mouth. One other very enjoyable animal was the Button Quail. There are several adults and a few very small babies. The plants were also interesting and varied as needed for food for the butterflies and there was a nice garden outside the exhibit but I did not spend time taking pictures there, maybe another time. I had depleted one set of batteries and needed to move on.
I have posted a number of pictures but have not tired to identify the butterflies as I am sure I would be wrong.

Never Again

Corvallis held its “”NEVER AGAIN” Hiroshima/Nagasaki Remembrance at the Starker Arts Park on August 7. I am sure it was very similar to other remembrances that were held over the last few days to commemorate the 63 anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
There was an opportunity to fold cranes and decorate small paper sacks to float on the pond at the end of the evening. The cranes were part of the continuing project started by Sadako Sasaki and there were two stands that held a large number of prefolded cranes. I did not find out the number on these stands.
There was a reading of Hiroshima Mayor’s Proclamation by Sho Kimura followed by the Mayors’ Peace pledge by Mayor Charlie Tomlinson. Mayor Tomlinson followed this with the singing of the Mayors’ for Peace document adding Corvallis to the list of 128 cities in the USA that have joined.

The night ended with the floating of the candles on the pond. More pictures

Summer flowers

Well we are into summer and that means many beautiful flowers. Marilyn works hard and deadheading and cutting some flowers to bring into the house. We even provided several bouquets for a 50th wedding anniversary party at the tennis club last Sunday. Of course in the front yard the deer have taken care of all our pansies and marigolds. I have even sprayed the flowers so the deer are not supposed to eat them but they don’t read the labels very well.

I have been spending time taking many pictures of all the flowers. It gives me a chance to learn how to better use my camera. I have even started using the manual setting more to help with the settings and try to get the focus better. Close-up photography is a very interesting process and it seems the camera keeps getting into the light to cause even more problems. Anyway it has been fun and I am sure I will have a very large collection of flower pictures by the end of the summer. I even got a wall in the dinning room for my collection of framed enlargements.

Of course I have a large collection of the pictures on my flickr account in addition to the ones displayed here. I am now trying to get more birds and bees to pose for pictures. The bees seem to like the sunflowers but both the birds and the bees seem to fly away just as I am going to take the picture.

Philomath Frolic

This is the weekend of the Philomath Frolic & Rodeo. We attended the parade with Lance and his two daughters.
Of course it had most of the standard things you need in a small town parade but it was missing the marching band. Other than recorded music only a Western Band played on one of the floats.
You start off with the Grand Marshall. When Kevin Boss graduated from your high school and play for the NY Giants to help them win the Super Bowl, he gets to ride in that first convertible as the Grand Marshall. Did I mention he went to college at Western Oregon University where I taught? No he was not in any of my classes.
Then you follow with all the standard floats for a local business, other festivals in the area, student robot or drag race team, and the rodeo Queen Alyssa Miller. Many of the floats were throwing out candy so the granddaughters had a small bag to bring home in addition to what we all ate while watching the parade.
Both political parties had floats but I only got a picture of one of them. The Hull family had a number of logging trucks in the parade. They are one of the big logging families in the area. Some of the trucks were new and some were very old, showing the different trucks they had used over the years.
Both the fire trucks and the local swim team were spraying water so you had to be on the lookout for a stray stream of water. One lady about 50 yards from us said, “Spray me,” and they got the lady next to her, their aim was not that good.

Oddwater

We stopped by the Aquarium for a short time on the way to visit friends on the Oregon Coast. This was our first time to visit this summer and see the new exhibit, Oddwater.
We will be back for another visit in a couple of weeks with the granddaughters but it is nice to stop by when ever we can. Even though it was a short visit I did get some good pictures.

The new exhibit was very interesting with all of the different and weird looking animals that live in the ocean. It was displayed very well with blown glass in the water with the fish.
We didn’t spent much time with the otters or seals but they are more fun a feeding time. Maybe we will see that later. Also we went past the touch area. I will get more on that with the granddaughters.