Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Culture

Oh No! 10,000 Miles On The Sebring!

sebring.jpgAfter nearly eight years, my little Chrysler Sebring Convertible has finally passed 10,000 miles on the odometer. I know – most people have that sort of mileage after a few months of ownership, but I got this little car just about the time I retired from the daily grind, and settled down to take care of the domicile, the puppies, my gardens and my husband. Not a bad gig after all those years of wiping noses and butts raising the kids as a mother and wiping noses and butts taking care of customers as a sales representative.

9999.jpgI only drive it for recreation, when I need to run an errand by myself or when the truck is in the shop. That was the case last week when the SUV had a flat tire, and my little car had to go to work for a day. When it went, the odometer read 9999 on the way out of the driveway.

02 Sep 2007 by Culture Home & Garden

I Just Had to Have It!

route66.jpgWe went shopping at our local discount emporium today looking for a new clock for the family room. While we were there Damsel brought my attention to this little beauty. I guess they must have been a popular item, ’cause this one, which was on display, was the last one in the store. Damsel went and got a clerk to get it off of the wall for us, and it now hangs above the entertainment center like a majestic beacon. Oh – and it tells the time too.

Our recent vacation took us along parts of old Route 66 in Arizona; this little nostalgic trinket brings back fond memories. Not just from the last trip, but over the years back to before the 1970s when the old Route still thrived. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.

01 Sep 2007 by Culture Home & Garden Photography

Pigeon Dung and Reno’s Famous Sign

reno-old.jpgAfter reading news accounts about the contribution of pigeon dung to the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, I was reminded about how pigeons similarly factored into the destruction of the famous “RENO – The Biggest little city in the world” sign that spans the entrance to the downtown gambling district. I recall reading a the story in the 1980’s about how the old sign became inhabited by pigeons that roosted or nested in the sign. They got in through gaps in the sign and, of course, pooped while they were in there.

Image right: Reno sign, 1980’s – click to enlarge

reno-new.jpgEventually, despite having been evicted several times by the city’s maintenance crews, the pigeon problem persisted until one day there was an electrical short-circuit in the sign. The methane from the dung ignited; there was a minor explosion and a fire afterwards that damaged the sign beyond repair. The sign was removed and subsequently replaced by a newer Vegas-style beauty which electronically beckons visitors to the downtown district. While it’s a beautiful sight, the new sign doesn’t have the old sign’s charm and breaks the promise for a “little city” beyond. Recent visitors to the new Reno, if they knew the old Reno, will know what I mean.

Image left: New Reno sign – click to enlarge

As for pigeons? They’re just rats with wings.

26 Aug 2007 by Critters Culture Travel

Petroglyphs of Canyon de Chelly

Petroglyphs in the Canyon de Chelly are primitive works of art that span back for centuries. Various peoples have contributed to the collection, including the ancient Anasazi and, more recently the Navajo (Diné) people.

The name Chelly (or Chelley) is a Spanish borrowing of the Navajo word Tséyi’, which meaning “canyon” (literally “inside the rock” < tsé "rock" + -yi' "inside of, within"). The composite image below is a canyon view and several photos of petroglyph reproductions in the Canyon de Chelly National Parks Service Visitor’s Center.

petro-chelly.jpg

03 Aug 2007 by Culture Photography Travel

I-35W Bridge Collapse

i35w.jpgOur thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, families and friends after this terrible tragedy. Captain Ed at Captain’s Quarters has the most thorough blog coverage of this horrific event that we’ve seen. Here’s an excerpt from CQ regarding an interview with Governor Pawlenty of Minnesota:

Governor Pawlenty warned in the interview that it would take quite a while to remove the debris from the river and to get a new bridge designed and approved. It will take longer than a year to replace the collapsed structure, which will mean long delays and heavy frustration with traffic here in the Twin Cities. Today, though, it looks like many people have opted to take a day off to give the state some time to adjust.

Photo credit: AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune

02 Aug 2007 by Culture Current Events People

San Diego

We’re still in San Diego, and spent quite a day here today and last evening; we’ve seen some interesting things since we blew into town: a concert, museums, art galleries and, of course, San Diego’s great military heritage.

sean-hannity.jpgOur first order of business last night was to attend Sean Hannity’s Freedom Festival concert – what a patriotic rush that was; we saw Sean, Ollie North, Fred Thompson, Lee Greenwood, Michael W. Smith, John Voight, Montgomery Gentry and many others. Lots of military was there including the ‘WOLFPACK” Helicopter Squadron fly-over and the “Leap Frogs” Navy SEALS Parachute Team.

Photo right: Sean Hannity giving opening remarks at the concert.

Today, we drove to Balboa Park and went through the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Natural History Museum. After that, we visited other Balboa Park attractions, like the Arboretum and art galleries.

Next, we went to the Embarcadero where we saw the Star of India and a couple of other tall ships. We finished the waterfront by visiting the USS Midway, which is on permanent exhibition at San Diego Navy Pier. Below is a photo of a huge sculpture of a WWII sailor smooching a nurse from the famous photo taken after VJ-Day, which is across from where the ship is docked. In perspective, the people to the right are only a few meters away from the sculpture, which had to be nearly 30 feet (9 meters) in height. Photo credit – Damsel.

ww2-smoochers.jpg

27 Jul 2007 by Culture Military Patriotism Photography Travel

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