Evening Light

The sun is setting very low now. Low on the horizon and well south of where it sets during the Summer. The flat, warm light illuminated a roughly stamped piece of glass hanging from a weathered wind chime. ~B

Marked in Michigan

Fort Wilkins State Park is at the very end of the Keweenaw Peninsula. As parks do, some of the trees are marked but this one with an engraved and then spray painted beaver? pelt shape, was different than the rest. ~N

Last Call

We don't get colorful Fall foliage in most parts of Southern California, but yesterday we had incredibly blue skies. Against this background the last of the dying leaves on a small maple waited patiently to fall. ~B

Goin' Out in Style

Wow, a very own mosaic for eternity - piece by piece someone honored Edward's life - or maybe he made it himself? Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. ~N

Festa Italia

Little Italy's Festa Italia is an annual event with all the standard booths selling crafts, countertops, T-shirts, newspaper subscriptions, voter registration, condos, etc. few of which have anything to do with Italy. Others sell italian sausages smothered in peppers and onions, cannelloni, Italian ices and other goodies designed to ruin a diet and cause gastric distress.

But the main attraction, what we go every year to see, is the street art - the chalk drawings (pastels actually) created on the pavement of the side streets. The only requirement is the theme must be "Italian". Pinocchio, madonnas, a sprawling fleshy nude, a mandolin, David. But this year the images were flat and unimaginative. Competent, but without inspiration. Earnest, but lacking.

The real art was the hands of the artists. Handfuls of broken colors tinting their skin, grim from rubbing pastels into the asphalt surface of the street. Their hands showing the tension their drawings lacked. Their hands were the real attraction. ~B

Ah ha - A CA Wannabe

This sign is just outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin . . . ah, sour grapes! ~N

Coyote Ugly

Every night I get a call on Skype from a different woman. Strange...I don't remember meeting them before. Perhaps during one of my blackouts back in the days when hanging out at the Coyote Inn or the Blue Roadhouse was part of my routine. I always thought the women were pretty fine back then, but maybe I wasn't seeing too straight either. Whatever...but the one tonight is the poster child for "coyote ugly". Excuse me while I go gnaw my arm off. ~B

Mercer, Wisconsin

There's a place for everything apparently. I've found the "loon capital" (labeled on the sign) in Mercer, WI.

Next to the Chamber of Commerce, a huge concrete loon towers higher than the one story Chamber building. ~N

How Hot was It???

The hottest day on record in San Diego was in 1899...until yesterday. Lindberg Field, the official weather station, topped out at 94. Coronado, La Jolla, Torrey Pines, Carlsbad and Oceanside were in the 90s by noon. A resident of La Mesa reported 110 in her back yard. Borrego Springs officially hit only 104, but we know that's understated. And at Chez N & B - a candle slump tells the story. How hot was it? Damn Hot!!! ~B

Bayfield, Wisconsin

Bayfield, Wisconsin is on the northern coast, a lakeside town on Lake Superior, with boat docks and a ferry landing. During the summer the ferries cruise the 22 Apostle islands. Tomorrow I might take the car ferry to Madeline Island (the largest) and explore a bit.

To quote from the ferry flyer: "In winter, after the ferries stop, some students cross by windsled to attend school in Bayfield until the ice road is passable by automobiles".

Really!? they drive out there!? ~N

Empty Morning

An empty corner of an empty coffee shop. The morning rush is over - they've all gone to their cubes. Empty tables, abandoned newspapers, silence, the quiet talk of barristas with no espresso to press, no milk to steam. ~B

Nelson, WI

Lawn art along the Mississippi River. ~N

Postcards from the Edge

From the edge of the West - eastern Wyoming - N sends me postcards to document her travels. Graciously she includes a biker babe to let me know she's thinking of me. Or, could it be, Testy instead? ~B

Mt Rushmore, SD

As I neared Mt Rushmore (and didn't expect to see anything), I noticed a bunch of cars/people with cameras, pulled over on the side of the mountain road. There's this spot between cliffs, outside the park, where you can view just George by himself. ~N

Is this Fall Weather??????!!!

It's hot, it's muggy, there are clouds in the sky, and the breeze has died. Joggers walk, walkers sit and the cold setting on the shower means tepid. San Diego isn't supposed to be this way - not at 5:30 PM in October. ~B

Alva, Wyoming

Small cabin near the quiet and small town of Alva, Wyoming - nestled among the oak, lots of deer - needs work. ~N

Lord of the Rings

Several weeks ago B lost his wedding ring - probably kayaking and definitely not at some country and western bar - honest. Today W, our 3 year old grandson, sent me a ring that he found to replace it. Plus, a pretty accurate drawing of how N and B look to a 3 year old. We aren't too sure what the 'talking rainbow' is in the upper right.~B

Hangin' out in Wyoming

They do it a little differently here in eastern Wyoming - I'm not sure why they hang up dead racoons by the side of the road . . . ~N

Ramon and Gypsy

Deep under the city, in an empty garage, silent, alone and patient, Ramon's car waits as he struggles through the night in a small cubicle to raise the funds Gypsy demands to pursue her reckless wanderings. ~B

Mountain Lite

I left Libby, Montana early this morning. It was chilly in the 40's with mist and fog hiding in the trees just waiting for the early sun to brighten things up. ~N

Ramon

High on a hill overlooking Mission Valley, N's new pool boy (toy) Ramon carefully cleans the walls of their 'love puddle'. ~B

The Briar Patch, Washington

I stopped this morning by the side of the road, for breakfast. I picked this whole cup of wild blackberries hardly moving to a second bush. ~N

Huh?????????????

Tucked in an alcove at the SeaTac airport is a ??????? No plaque, no explanation, no nuthin'! ~B

Stuffed Staff

Sadly we checked out of the awesome Desolation Resort (near Lund, BC Canada) this morning. Two stuffed black bears from the local woods, stand guard behind the registration desk - "Shot by the owner", added the clerk with a frown on her face. ~N

Morning on Okeover Arm, BC

As the fog crept up the Arm, it intruded between the sun and the dock. ~B

Lund, B.C. Canada

They stand at attention - leaning, old, rusty and dated, like WWII troops . . . rural mailboxes waiting for the daily mail truck to swing and squeak their hinges. ~N

The Watchers

Residing on the dock at Desolation Resort are a number of critters guarding the premises from those who arrive by sea. ~B

Oyster Sea Farms in B.C. Canada

Today near Desolation Sound we paddled through oyster sea farms out in the middle of the bay.

On the shores nearby are huge garbage piles (20 ft+) of empty oyster shells. ~N

Desolation Resort, British Columbia

In the broad Desolation Sound area, on the Okeover Arm, we stumbled across the small, unheralded Desolation Resort. With 9 pristine chalets scattered in the woods along the shore, it's among the best we've ever found. Here is the view from our deck. This evening we paddled on the glassy water along the wild shore. ~B

It's Your Perspective

B.C. Canada - start or end, the thin narrow road through the woods (Hiway #101) goes no farther. ~N

Oh Canada!

Even with Canada's celebrated social support systems, some still fall through the cracks. Even in the small coastal town of Gibson's Landing in British Columbia, some needs aren't being met. ~B

Flag Day

Driving through Blaine, Washington today, someone has made a unique flag holder on their lawn overlooking the bay. An hour later we crossed the border and drove into Canada. ~N

Public Art in Bellingham

On a building wall near the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, we found a mural celebrating the culture of the native americans who first lived is this area. ~B

Orion on Top

Like Powell's Books in Portland and Tattered Cover in Denver, Village Books in Bellingham, WA is an incredible bookstore spread over 3 floors of a 100 yr old brick building in the historic area.


Nice to see Orion magazine gets one of the top eye level spots in the "Travel, Environment, Earth Sciences" carousel. ~N

Reflections

At Squalicum Marina in Bellingham reflections danced on the smooth oily waters. ~B

Lopez Island Spiders

Walking at dawn we found a field of spider webs. ~N

Dockside

On a small commercial dock in Anacortes, amid a jumble of broken down equipment, rusty hulks and heaps of deteriorating dock lines, through the rotted window of an old boat, silhouettes of cranes and masts are outlined against the evening sky. ~B

Lopez Island, WA

We walked along the beach as we waited in Anacortes WA for the ferry to Lopez Island - we almost stepped on this huge jelly fish.

All the kayaks! We may never leave Lopez Island! ~N

Cascades National Park

Hiking the Jackita Trail we walked alongside Canyon Creek. As the sun came through the trees, it struck the rushing water creating an impressionist view. ~B

Lake Chelan, WA

We drove into the small Washington town of Chelan last night - it hugs the edge of a huge lake on the eastern side of the Cascade mountains. The breeze was slight, the light was low and this old dock was rotten and falling down. ~N

Leavenworth, WA

A dying town decided to re-brand itself and Leavenworth WA became a bit of Bavaria in the Cascades. As one writer put it - "It's Bavaria without the airfare". But beyond the yodeling and oompah muzak, a touch of the old Leavenworth remains. ~B

Near Mt. Ranier in Washington

Today we hiked near Mt. Ranier, above the valley where the National Park's Visitor Center is located. ~N

Shaniko

In north central Oregon is the small, dying town of Shaniko. The hotel and cafe are closed and up for sale. The RV resort - a dilapidated building a few hundred yards from the center of town - is for sale. Buildings are shuttered and businesses are closed. Currently there are 27 inhabitants, but that's expected to drop to 11 and, perhaps, not rise again. One of two active businesses is a lonely trailer offering espressos. It's run by an elderly man with few teeth and the feeling that his town is dying around him. ~B