Well I'm unexpectedly back home again after a crazy couple of days. I've been having an issue with the surgicaly repaired eye and although I believe everything is OK, I can see fine, etc. it has been a little scary. I decided to push through and keep my plans to go to Silver City, but first thing Saturday morning I went to Starbucks (duh) and wanted to test out my wireless connection. (I believe at this point the reader should just assume that every day starts at Starbucks). After four days of working with the Motel 6 tech support guys trying to figure out why all their access points kept kicking my off of my Suburgatory episodes on Hulu, I began to suspect the problem lies within. Sure enough, even at Starbucks, no WiFi. Now this was serious. Medical issues are one thing, but NO WIFI!! The great and powerful Oz was telling me to go home. I was booked to stay at someones house in Silver City and there is no way to do that without streaming. Not sure why most of these people do not have television sets, maybe that's a good sign, but most likely they are all serial killers and they don't want you to accidentally see them on America's Most Wanted while your sitting on their sofa. You are likely to panic in that event. Either way I was glad to be leaving Las Cruces, it depressed the hell out of me and clearly the feeling was mutual.
So I canceled my stay in Silver City then booked a room in Phoenix for Saturday night. [Note: while driving past the exit for Silver City, one of the signs read "Silver City, 30+ art galleries" Nooooooooo! ] There was no way I could make the drive from New Mexico to Corona in one sweep. I was so sick of Motel 6's I decided to stay at a Holiday Inn Express in downtown Phoenix. It was fantastic, although I'm puzzled as to why their vending machines are not encased in metal cages made out of military strength magnesium... weird. Downtown Phoenix is modern and glitzy and very, very clean. The Holiday Inn there was within walking distance to restaurants, museums and both the baseball and basketball stadiums. After grabbing a bite to eat I walked around and enjoyed not being in Las Cruces. All of a sudden I stopped dead in my tracks. Hanging on the side of the Science Museum is a huge picture of Van Gogh. The Van Gogh Experince was currently showing at the museum. This was divine providence, clearly all my bad fortune was for the purpose of getting me to this very spot at this singular moment of space/time. I MUST GO TO THIS.
So the next day I did. It was breathtaking, moving, emotional, incredible and every superlative ever thought up by mankind. Every human being on this planet must go see this. It's a huge dark room, with 20 foot high screens everywhere, showing Van Gogh's works, set to music and accompanied with some of his writings. Thank goodness the room was dark, for I was almost in tears a couple of times. My favorite quote was "I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it." If you get the chance, truly look at his work. I began to wonder why I had not spent every minute of my 54 years doing just that.
I'm a feared that this has become habit forming and I am already dreaming of taking the Amtrak to Seattle....
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Las Cruces Art
[Written Friday, March 23rd]
Well I hit the art scene in Las Cruces this morning, that took about 2 hours, and only because I was fortunate enought to stumble into the gallery of Flo Dougherty, who I'm sure was gald to see another human being looking at her art. It had probably been weeks sense her last vistor. she was very nice and her work was very good, and in a variety of stlyes. It as nice to talk art with someone.
After that I drove around Las Cruces looking for a possible spot to photograph the mountain range that looks down upon the city, hoping to get a great shot during this evening's sunset. Not really much luck and it depressed the hell out of me. This city seems like nothing more than a bunch of aprtment buildings. Many of which, surprisingly, have rooms to rent. My guess is it's very affordable.
A little after noon I headed back to my room to paint. I had an idea for a "painting". I am not in the least bit being modest when I say that my paintings look like something a
Oh, I did see a great painting in the Las Cruces Art Museum, which is a cute little space. The painter is named Sallie Ritter. Unfortunetly many of these older painters do not have much of a web presence and I can find almost nothing on her on the world wide web of the internet on this earth.
I'm off to Silver City tomorrow. Come to find out they don't have their very own Starbucks. I have been assured by the mothership in Seattle that everything will be OK, and that a few days with a substitute "coffee" can do no serious harm, as long as I return to a bona fide Starbucks before the end of the month, I should be fine. "Should be?!", No, No, No, I'm going to need more than that. Oh well, life is an adventure.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
You May Arrive in Las Cruces
I'm at the eastern most part of this trip, although I'm almost halfway across the country... Anyway, the road betwwen Tucson and Las Cruces was a little more entertaining than the first leg of the journey. The secenery was like more pretty. I will call that strech of highway "Extensional Road" because of signs like this: "High Winds May Exists" or my favorite, and possiblly the title of my first collection of short stories, "Zero Visibility Possible". If I happen to ever write a
The clerk checking me into the Motel 6 was super nice and even apologized that the rate is higher on Friday then today. I said not problem, but he threw in free Internet anyway. Maybe the other Motel 6 called ahead and told him of all the trouble I had with the WiFi in Tucson. Yeah, I'm sure that's what happened, he probably even talked to him on the Motel 6 network of CB radios. I think I've been on the road too long.
On the Road Again
It's Thursday morning and of course I'm sitting at a Starbucks. It's beautiful out and I have this little patio to my self, except for the two cute terriers waiting for their owner to come out with their Lattes, extra foam. I have been without Wi-Fi for a few days so being connected again feels like somebody stuck an IV in my brain and I can function again. Here following are the words from the last few days.
Wednesday, March 21 - Tucson Arizona
I'm stayng on the cheapest hotel alley I have ever seen. There are a half a dozen motels on this cul-de-sac that parrells the freeway. They run the full gamet of pricing from 29.99 to the upscale Motel 6, that I call home, that is an exorbant 37.99. You know I love to live large. From an internet connection that must go through a relay station on the dark side of the moon, to the suite of vending machines that sit safely in their big metal cages, this place is nice?
Yesterday's seven hours on the road through the desert was un-eventful. Not much to see except the drive through Pheonix. By the time I arrived in Tucson and finnished wresstling with the internet connection the sun was setting and I ended up grabbing diner just down the street at a waffle house. It was good but not spectacular.
This morning I headed for the closest clumping of Starbucks. Here is my Starbucks theory. When you are new in town look at Google Maps and find the concentration of Starbucks. They will usualy be in the cultural center of town, a little more upscale than the freestanding, satallite Starbucks and usualy close to a Unive rsity, fun resturants and bars and a place to pick up that fairy tattoo you've been thinking about for your ankle. It was afew miles away so it gave me a chance to see some of downtown Tucson. I'm excited because it looks fairly gritty. Today I'm going to walk to the Tucson Art Museum, they have a Frida Kahlo exhibit, and try to photograph some Tucson grit and graffitti.
Later that day
Always read the fine print, even, espicaly in the world of art. The Tucson Art Museum was very cute, very intimate and very southwest. a mix of art and history and local architecture. I was very excited to see the Frieda Kahlo exhibit, she is quickly becoming a favorite, not just for her amazing art, but for the life she lead. Turns out the exhibit's subheading, "Through the lens of Nickolas Muray" means roughly, "we don't have any of Frieda's art, so her are a bunch of photographs Mr Muray took of her, and we printed them out on an inkjet printer. It was still interesting, and they actualy did a good job with the display. Kahlo photographed very well and her expressions are very transparent and interesting.
Nickolas, who was not only Frieda's lover, but also a pilot, a championship fencer, an artist and of course a photographer, in the days when one did not just run to best buy and buy a Nikon. As one of the placards said "he lived a rich and textured life" Now that's something to aim for. Made me wonder if men like that still exists. I sat in a box making someone else rich, while I just winned and led a frozen life. Not no fucking more.
Wednesday, March 21 - Tucson Arizona
I'm stayng on the cheapest hotel alley I have ever seen. There are a half a dozen motels on this cul-de-sac that parrells the freeway. They run the full gamet of pricing from 29.99 to the upscale Motel 6, that I call home, that is an exorbant 37.99. You know I love to live large. From an internet connection that must go through a relay station on the dark side of the moon, to the suite of vending machines that sit safely in their big metal cages, this place is nice?
Yesterday's seven hours on the road through the desert was un-eventful. Not much to see except the drive through Pheonix. By the time I arrived in Tucson and finnished wresstling with the internet connection the sun was setting and I ended up grabbing diner just down the street at a waffle house. It was good but not spectacular.
This morning I headed for the closest clumping of Starbucks. Here is my Starbucks theory. When you are new in town look at Google Maps and find the concentration of Starbucks. They will usualy be in the cultural center of town, a little more upscale than the freestanding, satallite Starbucks and usualy close to a Unive rsity, fun resturants and bars and a place to pick up that fairy tattoo you've been thinking about for your ankle. It was afew miles away so it gave me a chance to see some of downtown Tucson. I'm excited because it looks fairly gritty. Today I'm going to walk to the Tucson Art Museum, they have a Frida Kahlo exhibit, and try to photograph some Tucson grit and graffitti.
Later that day
Always read the fine print, even, espicaly in the world of art. The Tucson Art Museum was very cute, very intimate and very southwest. a mix of art and history and local architecture. I was very excited to see the Frieda Kahlo exhibit, she is quickly becoming a favorite, not just for her amazing art, but for the life she lead. Turns out the exhibit's subheading, "Through the lens of Nickolas Muray" means roughly, "we don't have any of Frieda's art, so her are a bunch of photographs Mr Muray took of her, and we printed them out on an inkjet printer. It was still interesting, and they actualy did a good job with the display. Kahlo photographed very well and her expressions are very transparent and interesting.
Nickolas, who was not only Frieda's lover, but also a pilot, a championship fencer, an artist and of course a photographer, in the days when one did not just run to best buy and buy a Nikon. As one of the placards said "he lived a rich and textured life" Now that's something to aim for. Made me wonder if men like that still exists. I sat in a box making someone else rich, while I just winned and led a frozen life. Not no fucking more.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Home Again
Well this leg of the journey is done. I'm home now basking the glow of family and friends. As traumatic as it was leaving everyone, it is equally rewarding coming home. My last day in Vancouver was good, nothing more than a long walk around all of downtown. From whatever Starbucks I found myself in on the North side across Granville street to the Burrard Bridge, along the beach on the south side. The view of the 10 or so oil tankers in English Bay was a little sad. Through Stanley Park and the picturesque Lost Lagoon and back down through the glittering condos and glass towers near Coal Harbor.
The night before, coming back from Chronic Tacos in Gas Town (I know, I know, but I had a craving for Mexican food and I have never had the Chronic) I managed to get off some great early evening shots with my bag of tacos and big drink in one hand and my camera in the other. One of the shots was a perfect shot for HDR, but I made the cardinal sin of photography and left the camera on auto for a night shot, so the ISO was way too high and consequently the noise in those photos was off the chart. Rookie mistake.
So Monday night, I had practiced setting my camera to the right mode, and studied how to set the ISO, etc, and waiting for the magic hour when the lighting was just right, and headed out for that photo that would make me a legit HDR photographer. Well not only did the camera not cooperate, but I had re-shot from the wrong corner (smack to forehead). Oh well, we learn from our mistakes and I get to keep my amateur standing, for now.
I feel like I should sat something profound and meaningful to wrap up this journey, so here goes. It was very traumatic to leave loved ones and hit the road. I honestly had no idea when I would be back. My intent was to be gone for at least a couple of months. But being away from everyone was just too hard. However, the longer I was on the road, the more comfortable I became with being alone and the adventure of it all. Now I really miss it. But if I leave I miss everyone I love. I guess that's the duality of just about everything in life. Next up is finding a way to balance the two.
p.s. I'm working on a series of HDR versions of some of the more interesting photos from the road. Stay tuned, I will have a special exhibit coming soon-ish. Here is a sneak peek.
The night before, coming back from Chronic Tacos in Gas Town (I know, I know, but I had a craving for Mexican food and I have never had the Chronic) I managed to get off some great early evening shots with my bag of tacos and big drink in one hand and my camera in the other. One of the shots was a perfect shot for HDR, but I made the cardinal sin of photography and left the camera on auto for a night shot, so the ISO was way too high and consequently the noise in those photos was off the chart. Rookie mistake.
So Monday night, I had practiced setting my camera to the right mode, and studied how to set the ISO, etc, and waiting for the magic hour when the lighting was just right, and headed out for that photo that would make me a legit HDR photographer. Well not only did the camera not cooperate, but I had re-shot from the wrong corner (smack to forehead). Oh well, we learn from our mistakes and I get to keep my amateur standing, for now.
I feel like I should sat something profound and meaningful to wrap up this journey, so here goes. It was very traumatic to leave loved ones and hit the road. I honestly had no idea when I would be back. My intent was to be gone for at least a couple of months. But being away from everyone was just too hard. However, the longer I was on the road, the more comfortable I became with being alone and the adventure of it all. Now I really miss it. But if I leave I miss everyone I love. I guess that's the duality of just about everything in life. Next up is finding a way to balance the two.
p.s. I'm working on a series of HDR versions of some of the more interesting photos from the road. Stay tuned, I will have a special exhibit coming soon-ish. Here is a sneak peek.
[The flower market, just off the ferry in North Vancouver, inside the cute little shopping mall.]
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