"I'd rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate"
~George Burns~
"Naivete in grownups is often charming; but when coupled with
vanity it is indistinguishable from stupidity"
~Eric Hoffer~
"Wake up and appreciate everything you encounter along
your path.
Tune in to the sunrise, the little children, the laughter, the rain, and the birds.
Drink it all in... there is no way to happiness;
happiness IS the way"
~
Ain't gonna let it bother me today
I been workin' and I'm too tired anyway
But it's all right 'cause it's midnight
And I got two more bottles of wine
I'm sixteen hundred miles from the people I know
Been doin' all I can but opportunity sure comes slow
Thought I'd be in the sun all day
But I'm sweepin' out a warehouse in west L.A.
But it's all right 'cause it's midnight
And I got two more bottles of wine
Yep, I'm back to my old job. Like the majority of small
American Family Farms, we make most of our money from off the farm, both of us holding
jobs in town.
So we are picking up materials from one place, and hauling it to other
places. Sometimes it goes to the recycle yard, sometimes to the dump, sometimes to
venders. 'Moving Stuff' is how I describe it when asked. But this is all done under the
loose supervision of knowledgeable people who have the information as to what goes where,
but today, all 'Adult Supervision' was gone for the holiday. Us 'Workin Boys' didn't have
anyone to tell us what goes where, so we were instructed to sweep out the warehouse. Yep,
acres of smooth concrete with pallets and materials that needed to be moved aside to sweep
under it. Hours of pushin' broom and driving forklifts moving stuff around. All the time
sad country songs kept coming into my head, Roger Miller and especially Emmylou Harris
(who I always love to picture in my mind) filled my thoughts as the dust and torn-off
labels arranged themselves into neat piles for eventual disposition.
Music has a way of taking our thoughts and arranging it into the neat rows
like the dust I sweep. Perhaps it is the focusing effects that I appreciate. It takes away
the sadness of being away from home, or maybe it just lets that sadness share itself with
a kindred soul who had the wordsmith ability to arrange it all into poem and prose with
accompanying music. The soft angelic voice of Emmylou will be forever in my mind,
reverberating through the spaciousness inside like the cough of a backfiring engine
reverberates through the cavernous space of a metal clad multi-acre dusty warehouse...one
that still needs sweeping.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
~Roger Miller~
'King of the Road'
Trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets, I aint got no cigarettes
Ah but, two hours of pushin broom buys a
Eight by twelve four-bit room
Im a man of means by no means, king of the road
June 28, 2007
On Rattlesnakes
I usually come across a half dozen or so rattlesnakes each
year. Doubtless I come within earshot of several more that do not 'buzz' warning me of
their location. Since humans are so often unaware of wildlife that is well
camouflaged or concealed, I sometimes wonder if the rattle on a rattler might end up being
a liability to the species rather than the warning to hoofed animals it is thought to have
been designed for.
Yes, rattlesnakes don't want any large and heavy
hoofed animal to inadvertently step on it, damaging it's fragile spine and rib structure.
So the rattles are thought to be an evolutionary adaptation to warn these large cloven
hoofed creatures away. But with the advent of man on this continent, the rattles might end
up being a tattletale sign like a glowing beacon saying "Here I am, come and kill
me". Yes, we do so often as a species just kill what is frightening. And might it be
that in time, the ones less likely to spook might pass on those 'mellow' genes to their
offspring, ensuring success as a rattlesnake that rarely uses it's tail?
Knowing the ways of an animal is an essential
component to proper 'management' of the species. But with something like rattlesnakes,
this is fraught with difficulties. But now technology has come up with a way of track the
movements of these very interesting reptiles. MSNBC has an excellent article on
scientists who are tracking rattlesnake movements using telemetry devices inserted into
the bodies of live rattlesnakes.
This brings to mind a time when a cousin of mine was
visiting from Germany, we took her and her husband to Santa Barbara's botanical garden, and while walking there he expressed
his fear of rattlesnakes, although he had never seen one in the wild. He asked if there
were any in the area. Attempting to assuage his distress, I assured him that there were
likely few rattlers in such a populated area. Within moments we came to a small kiosk with
the local maps, and while looking at the map, we saw we were in 'Rattlesnake Canyon'. We
all got a hearty laugh, but still, I saw the look in his eye as we were walking, every
branch on the ground was a potential killing machine to him.
June 26, 2007
All my Rowdy Friends
~Hank Williams Jr~
'All My Rowdy Friends Done Settled Down'
All my rowdy friends have settled down
And they seem to be more into laid back songs
Nobody wants to get drunk and get loud
everybody just wants to go back home
I myself have seen my wilder days
and I have seen my name at the top of the page
But I need to find a friend just to run around
But nobody wants to get high on the town
And all my rowdy friends have settled down
And I think I know what my father meant when he sang about a lost highway
And ol' George Jones I'm glad to see is finally gettin' straight
And Waylon's stayin' home and lovin' Jessi more these days
And nobody wants to get drunk and get loud
And all my rowdy friends have settled down
And the hangovers hurt more than they used to do
And cornbread and ice tea's took the place of pills and ninety proof
And it seems like none of us do things quite like we used to do
But nobody wants to get high on the town
And all my rowdy friends have settled down
Yeah and I think I know what my father meant when he sang about a lost highway
And Johnny Cash don't act like he did back in '68
And Kris he is a movie star and he's moved off to LA
And nobody wants to get drunk and get loud
And all my rowdy friends have settled down
Yeah me and my rowdy friends done right it on down
John and some of his more settled 'rowdy' friends
I spent a day at the Pitcher House in Hermosa Beach Calif.
Yes, we're not like we might have been twenty years ago, the whole day not
one drop of alcohol passed our lips, but we did spend the day eating about ten pizzas,
lots'a munchies, listening to music (the same song over and over) and gabbing the whole
day about motorcycles, women and other 'manly' things. It was a fun day, the weather
was great, and the company was unsurpassed. Maybe one day we'll all bring our wives
and have a 'mixed company' party...the language will have to tone down, but the wives
could enjoy a day of fun also.
The Pitcher House is such a cool place to spend the
afternoon, it is an old bar that has been open for over fifty years and is a Hermosa Beach
icon. Sadly, it is closing it's doors due to lease problems, but it will re-open down the
street next year. We hope it will have the same quirky atmosphere as it currently does.
This is a pretty good sample of the interior of the Pitcher House. Street signs,
brick-brack, and posters grace the walls in profusion. This is the entrance to the
bathrooms, the bell in the center is rung as one goes inside to use the facilities (it's
an old custom).
This old Elk mount has been decorated with various....ummm. items
through the years, including a gas mask and unmentionables. I am sure each item has a
story attached to it. And some of these items might have been added to the antlers decades
ago.
The bar also has several other mounts, one I found interesting was a 'killer squirrel'
with fangs.
June 24, 2007
On Dualities
~Bob Seger~
'Sunburst'
The smoke begins to rise
A sea of staring eyes
Gaze on the sunburst
His weapon at his side
He flashes it with pride
Before his legions
Fires begin to rage
And they engulf the stage
All right
Bring on the night
He makes his great escape
Leaves them in his wake
Without a warning
The ritual is done
A night no longer young
Fades into morning
The sun begins to rise
As he begins to close his eyes
We see the nature of the world at work in so many ways,
even in the nature of our work and our own lives.
After working for four days in the City, I drive back home to the country and reflect on
the separate lives of people in these two environs, and those who bridge both.
Heading home at sunrise,
the dual nature of the world is illustrated as the darkness of night is overtaken by the
light of a new day.
Salmon-tinged clouds brighten the sky as the Earth rotates,
bringing California into another cycle in the wheel of time.
The hills give way to the lowlands.
Both are places of extremes, some animals will forage in one and shelter in the other.
The sun comes up, my night's work is done, and I will soon lay my head
on my pillow.
There is benefit to being able to meld into many different
locals. Fluidity of motion and the ability to adapt to circumstances is what has
made humans the predominant creature on the planet. There is not one creature that can
exist in all of the different environments we live in. Yet we are such frail and fragile
creatures in most respects; unable to prosper without the tools and techniques we have
gathered through the millennia. Without our knives our teeth are no match for a predator's
claw and fierce fangs. Without fire, clothing and shelter we could not live where the
polar bear travels happily. Our fragile skin cannot last through a week of low elevation
desert without damage unless it is protected by clothing or shelter. We cannot last a week
without water as can many desert animals, yet we have the ability to carry water in a
pouch, a highly developed tool which is given little credit now.
It is the ability to adapt which makes for a strong person, family, culture,
country or species.
June 23, 2007
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today
Words similar to those were told to me the other day by a
fellow I was working with in Van Nuys. He is an immigrant from Africa, and a hardworking
man with a deep sense of the benefits he has gotten while living in this country.
I find it is the people who were raised in other countries who understand the
depth of benefits and opportunity available in this country. The folks who were born here
and have never left sometimes seem to be stagnating in their own funk. The ones who were
in a swamp of Third-World-Country politics and made it by hook-and-crook to these shores
appreciate the freedom we as Americans take for granted.
The majority of the world's population live in pretty dismal conditions, the
politicians of their countries taking the bulk of the resources leaving little for
the people of the country. This leads to a sense of hopelessness and feelings of
resignation for many. Some of those people have greater aspirations, and will take the
difficult journey to Freedom.
Whenever I speak to someone like this deep and introspective man, it
reinforces in me the desire to be the best person I can be. This is a county of marvelous
opportunity, but as with anything in life you have to reach out and take the handle of the
pump, working it to create the suction that will bring up the life-giving cool water. The
Creator put a bit of the good water of life into each one of us. But for most of us it is
deep under the layers we build as protection from the world and society. You have to bore
deep into yourself and pull that water up yourself and by your own effort. It is not going
to be easy in most instances, you have to work at it, if it were easy, everyone would do
it. The harder it is, the more it can be worth, so do not be afraid to bring out the drill
and start the boring process.
I have thought often of the manner of life...are we what we are deep
inside...or are we what we show to the world, our deeds and actions? I don't know, but I
am starting to think that almost all people have the capability to bring light, life and
beauty to the world. The ability is inside of most people, but yet if you do not show it,
it is hidden, and you use the layers of emotion to cover your deep essence to keep the
world from seeing the fragile beauty of the flower inside you. But without that flower
being exposed, what good is it?
Perhaps it is that we are what we show to the world. Pull back the blankets
of emotion, open yourself to the world to show the beauty that is in you. The showing
alone is not enough though. You have to use your actions and deeds to create something. Be
it so small as a smile to a heartbroken person, a helping hand to someone in need, or a
prayer on your lips of thanks and praise for life itself. When we pray we are open to the
world, and the depth of yourself is available to others to help them along also.
P.U.S.H.
Pray Until Something Happens
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
~Kahlil Gibran~
'The Prophet'
On Prayer
Then a priestess said,
"Speak to us of Prayer."
And he answered, saying:
You pray in your distress and in your need;
would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.
For what is prayer but the expansion of yourself into the living ether?
And if it is for your comfort to pour your darkness into space,
it is also for your delight to pour forth the dawning of your heart.
And if you cannot but weep when your soul summons you to prayer,
she should spur you again and yet again, though weeping, until you shall come laughing.
When you pray you rise to meet in the air those who are praying at
that very hour,
and whom save in prayer you may not meet.
Therefore let your visit to that temple invisible be for naught but
ecstasy and sweet communion.
For if you should enter the temple for no other purpose than asking
you shall not receive.
And if you should enter into it to humble yourself you shall not be
lifted:
Or even if you should enter into it to beg for the good of others
you shall not be heard.
It is enough that you enter the temple invisible.
I cannot teach you how to pray in words.
God listens not to your words save when He Himself utters them
through your lips.
And I cannot teach you the prayer of the seas and the forests and
the mountains.
But you who are born of the mountains and the forests and the seas
can find their prayer in your heart,
And if you but listen in the stillness of the night you shall hear
them saying in silence,
"Our God, who art our winged self, it is thy will in us that
willeth.
It is thy desire in us that desireth.
It is thy urge in us that would turn our nights, which are thine,
into days which are thine also.
We cannot ask thee for aught, for thou knowest our needs before
they are born in us:
Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us
all."
June 22, 2007
Venice, Van Nuys, Encino and Sepulveda
I had a day's worth of work in Venice Calif. It was a very interesting,
enriching and educational experience working with artists. The day was long, the weather
was a bit warm, and we were outside the whole day. The opportunity provided itself to me,
as I seem to be given so many in my life, and for that I have nothing but gratitude and
thanks for the many blessings I have been given in my life. It is the people I meet who
are the blessings that come into my life, and from each one I learn something new.
As we were wrapping up the work, the people asked me to show up the
next day in Van Nuys for some more work. This was an opportunity too good to pass up, so I
thought I'd stay the night in Venice and experience the beauty and intrigue of a Venice
night and early morning. But the Hotels are a bit expensive, and the Hostel I tried to get
into wouldn't let me in as I was a bit dirty from working all day, and had no luggage to
prove I was a traveler, and not some bum walking in off the street... so I slept in my car
overnight. Sometime in the night my foot hit the horn and blared a signal over Encino that
I was a bum sleeping in a rental car, I quickly fired up the engine and took off deciding
I'd might as well get to Van Nuys early. But I was way too many hours early, and I saw a
sign that lead me to a wildlife sanctuary and wetlands that is part of the Sepulveda Water Basin
Area. It was a surprise to find this very natural looking wetlands inhabited by
rabbits, and loads of waterfowl of many species. I spent a couple of hours walking around
the lake and the local environs observing the wildlife surrounded by miles of tract
housing and industrial complexes just outside of Los Angeles.
Reeds frame the portrait of loveliness given to us by The Creator.
Migratory Waterfowl use this as a way-station on their journeys up and
down the continent.
The morning sun on the longest day of the year lights the mist rising
from the warm waters of the Sepulveda Basin Wetlands.
A duck takes flight to evade the Human interloper.
Luckily for me the folks I am working for give me lots of food.
They are interesting gifted people, and I enjoy watching them work as I learn so much from
just watching them. That morning as I was leaving the Sepulveda Water Basin to go to the
work site in Van Nuys I saw a Homeless fellow waking in his car parked in the parking lot.
I had my travelling food I carry with me and gave it all to him. I knew I would soon be
getting fed, and I had plenty to share. He was very grateful, and took the chicken and
boiled eggs with a smile and a hearty handshake.
Later when I got to work, the folks there fed me as if I had carried a sign saying 'Will
work for Food'. I had chicken, beef and fish for lunch, yum. I do enjoy life and eating is
one of the pleasures in this life of mine. The other is the fine folks I meet and
locations I visit on my travels.
God Bless Them All.
Thanks for the memories folks!
June 19, 2007
Echo Park Murals
These murals are both in Echo Park California
June 18, 2007
Echo Park
~Keith Barbour~
'Echo Park'
It's the morning soon he'll rise
Find the glasses for his eyes
Aren't what they used to be
Picks up the clothes he's worn so long
On the bureau sits the picture of a lady
And the mural of a man who's been gone for many years
The old man walks in Echo Park
From bench to bench he moves from morning 'til dark
For the ducks some bread he brings
Wonders if he'll feed them this time next spring
Listening to the children play
Reminds him of other days
Many years ago
Thoughts of a child that he helped grow
And the memory of a letter saying "Dear Sir
We regret to inform you, your son will not be coming home"
I had some business in Echo Park
recently. This was the first time I ever went into this town, and I found it to be a
charming bedroom community just between Hollywood and Los Angeles.
This road was paved with huge concrete pavers.
I'd guess this road was probably paved this way some fifty years ago.
This road was so steep, I really have a hard time accepting the fact
that any city government would allow building on such steep inclines. The roads are
dangerous at this degree of slope, and the risks of landslide is high.
But still, I must admit that as a person who has lived most his life in
hilly country, I prefer hillsides to flat land when it comes to interest and challenge in
a landscape. The ability to build good and strong terraces is paramount when it comes to
hillsides like this. Terraces will create a large amount of flat land while creating
intrigue with plenty of little 'secret' gardens here and there. The gardens I saw were
interesting and had an interest that is difficult to achieve on flat land.
All-In-All, I'd say this seems to be a pretty decent neighborhood. I
liked the openness of the people, and folks seemed to be friendly and open, and they all
told me it was a good neighborhood, when the locals are happy and proud of their
neighborhood it shows that they will also exert pressure on the 'neer-do-wells' who try to
cause trouble. This kind of community pressure is what it takes to keep a neighborhood
tight and cohesive.
June 14, 2007
New vineyards in the rolling hills of San Luis Obispo County,
California
June 13, 2007
Rock on Gold Dust Woman
'Sara'
~Stevie Nicks~
All I ever wanted
Was to know that you were dreaming...
Oh, dreaming...(you're the poet in my heart)...
And the wind became... crazy
And he reached her gently
(Heartbeat)
Dreaming and the wind became... crazy
And there's the heartbeat...
Ooh and it never really died
Dreaming... never really died...
Would you swallow all your pride
But could you speak a little louder?
Dreaming...
All I ever wanted..
Was to know that you were dreaming
But there's a heartbeat and it never really died
Never really died
No, it never really died
Never really died
Rock on- gold dust woman
Take your silver spoon
And dig your grave
Heartless challenge
Pick your path and Ill pray
Wake up in the morning
See your sunrise- loves- to go down
Lousy lovers- pick their prey
But they never cry out loud
Did she make you cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love
Is it over now- do you know how
Pick up the pieces and go home.
Rock on- ancient woman
Follow those who pale
In your shadow
Rulers make bad lovers
You better put your kingdom up for sale
Did she make you cry
Make you break down
Shatter your illusions of love
Is it over now- do you know how
Pickup the pieces and go home.
June 12, 2007
Green days on the Central Coast
I took this photo in San Luis County California in March. The hills
were then green from the winter rain. And although it was a dry winter, and the grasses
never got high this year, the green covered the hills like velvet. But now in June, the
hills are dry, the trees and dry brush are ready to go up like tinder if a spark should
blow. So this is the time for all rural dwellers to clear dry brush and vegetation from
around their buildings and sheds. Make sure you have a good 'defensible space' in
which emergency vehicles will be able to safely park to protect your dwelling...help them
to help you.
June 11, 2007
El Rincon-The Corner
Rincon
Palms is a Palm Tree Nursery at 'The Rincon',
one of the most famous point breaks in California.
June 10, 2007
Imago Articulus
Local photog and world traveler Rusty Lopez has put together a huge and
most beautiful series of his photographs at his site at Imago
Articulus. Most any time I look at his website I am astounded by the beauty of the
photos he takes.
June 09, 2007
Lompoc Valley View
This is a view into the Lompoc Valley from Harris Grade.
55th Annual
Lompoc Valley Flower Festival
The 55th Annual Flower Festival will be held
June 20th through 24th, 2007
It's a great time to visit Lompoc. The parade begins at 10 AM on Saturday, so that's
the time all the fun really begins!
“Over the years the US has sent many of its great
young men and women into great peril
to fight for freedom beyond our borders.
The only amount of land we have ever asked for is enough to bury those that did not
return.”
~Colin Powell~
World War Two was a war that kept America free from eventual
invasion by oppressive forces. It was also a war in which some fifty million people lost
their lives. Just during the 'D-Day' invasion thousands of soldier lost their lives.
Those thousands of soldiers who died on the beaches of the very grateful country of
France were mostly buried on the spot.
Now the 'Dog Tags' from one of those soldiers who died for us so long ago have been found
on the beach of Normandy and returned to his family in Tennessee exactly 63 years after that tragic
day.
A good accounting of some different soldiers from so long ago can be found at StickNStein.
June 06, 2007
These are Red-Winged Blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus gubernator
The male on the left, the female on the right
There is an old Native American story about these birds. It is like
many folk tales, a parable designed to teach a lesson. And much like the rainbow in
Christian theology, is meant to make one think of the lesson often.
It goes on, you know, in this way....
A young boy was given a bow and some arrows by his father. They had
worked for many days together on the bow, making it of a good wood with much spring, but
easy for a young boy to pull. They chose arrows of a good straight wood, and heated them
in the fire to straighten them to perfection. The fletching was made of the feathers of a
turkey they had killed and eaten for food. They wasted no part of any animal, for each was
a gift from the Great Spirit, and to waste is to throw away the gifts given by the
Almighty, and the sacrifice by the animal.
The father taught the boy to shoot straight and unerringly, but warned him to never use
animals for target practice. They were only to be shot to eat and feed the people.
Then one day the boy saw a blackbird on a bush, he did not want to eat it, but he felt
compelled to shoot it. The arrow sped through the bird, it died at the feet of the boy as
he retrieved his arrow. On each shoulder was a red spot where the arrow had gone through.
The boy went home unconcerned. The next day, many of the other blackbirds put on red
feathers on their shoulders out of sorrow for their companion killed for no good reason.
They haunted the boy mercilessly until he repented, and confessed to his people what he
had done.
Since that time, there are blackbirds that will put on the red shoulder feathers to remind
us to take care of what we have, and to not kill without need.
June 05, 2007
Oak Fire Cooking, Central Coast Style
The Central Coast of California is renowned for it's Oak
Wood Barbecue. We ourselves are aficionados of this style of outdoor cooking. It is
easy, convenient and does not leave a greasy mess in the kitchen. We are lucky in this
area to have a plentitude of the fine Red Oak wood we use to fire up the grills in these
parts.
I've seen on television that some folks have trouble getting
wood fires started and keeping them going. Well, it's not so hard if you keep in mind that
fire needs fuel and oxygen to burn well. So you must start with good well-seasoned wood
that has also been kept from recent contact with the ground. When you start the fire, use
smaller bits of wood (kindling), once they are going well you can add larger bits, until
you are ready to add the wood that will do the actual cooking. When you do this, use the
'teepee' style of burning to get the wood off to a good start. This method of stacking
will enable the fire to pull in the oxygen it needs to the bottom between the relatively
widely spaced branches, it also focuses the fires' point of heat on a large section of the
wood near the top. This will get your fire off to a good start.
This is a pretty decent start to a good fire. The inside of the teepee
is full of kindling and it is burning well. The pine I placed around the kindling is off
to a good start, and then I placed the Red Oak around the pine to get it going also. The
pine will burn fast and hot and get the oak burning well. The oak will then burn nice and
slow and steady, and result in a nice bed of coals. On this fire we grilled some Kielbasa sausage, and a
half dozen hamburgers.
Notice how clean the fire is burning? This is because it is good wood that is
properly seasoned, and the fire is not starved of oxygen which causes the fire to dampen
down and smoke more.
This is the local style grill. It is easy to ratchet up or down,
enabling us to control the amount of heat the fire puts onto the meat. In half an hour or
so, the fire will be at the right stage to put meat on the grill. This is the small
fire needed for hamburgers, they will cook up in fifteen or twenty minutes, so the bed of
coals does not need to be deep nor last all that long. For chicken, or Tri-Tip we would
also use larger oak logs to make the fire last longer. There would probably be a time
during the cooking process that we would even add a bit more wood to keep the fire going
hot enough to keep that thick chunk of Top-Block cooking well.
I've heard it said that us Central Coasters are a bit
possessive of our Red Oak. I agree, it is a precious resource that we have, and it is
imperative we not waste it. So we don't cut oak trees on our place, but we do get some
trimmings off the trees, and sometimes huge sections of trees break away during storms,
and every year it seems there is a local Oak tree that comes down across the canyon road.
At those times, the word gets out, and we have half a dozen neighbors appear like
apparitions in the darkness, chainsaws whirring, gloved hands cut the tree into sections,
trucks haul away entire half-ton logs, and in a hour or two, all that is left is some
small branches, leaves and piles of sawdust. Yes, we Canyon People like our oaks, and when
it is winter, I am convinced many people here drive everywhere they go with their chainsaw
in their trucks "just in case".
June 04, 2007
Gas and less gas
Yep, the gas prices are getting to people in a lot of ways.
But oddly it seems most Americans are not responding in a way that makes sense. They
instead whine about the cost of filling their SUVs and then roar on down the highway ramp,
to rush to the next town at 70 mph, only to blast from stoplight to stoplight when they
might save huge amounts of fuel by trying to anticipate traffic and light patterns and
reduce their freeway speed.
I'm one of those people who does a fair amount of driving,
until recently it was in the neighborhood of fifty thousand miles yearly (although half of
that on someone else gas bill as a delivery driver). I was reading postings on fuel mileage, and saw some 'fuel-saving solutions' there
that might be downright dangerous and illegal.
'Drafting' is the technique of letting someone else take the headwinds
bluster, you tag along behind them getting a little pull from their wake behind them. This
can be done in a legal (although almost inconsequential) way by staying some ten car
lengths behind a big-rig, but some people like to get one car length behind, that is just
too close, you can't see what's ahead of that guy that he might have to avoid and you run
into, or you run into him when he brakes suddenly. And if you can't see his mirrors, he is
not likely to see your vehicle either.
Driving way below the speed limit; this is advantageous if you plan
your time, and there is little traffic, but when the traffic is thicker, you should for
safety's sake (pretty much) 'go with the flow'. People insisting on driving way below the
speed limit hamper the efficient flow of traffic resulting in traffic slowdowns, accidents
and frayed nerves. And anytime you are not passing someone, you should be in the right
lane. There is nothing like driving some tens of thousands of miles in Germany to teach
you the wisdom of that rule!
Turning the engine off to coast downhill; egad!!!! This is
one of the most stomach turning 'tips' I have ever read! This is downright dangerous,
illegal, and I'll punch you in the nose if I hear you that you do this! Do not turn your
engine off when going downhill!!!! You lose all power to respond to changing conditions,
evasive maneuvering capability and a host of other things like... maybe your brakes and
steering will no longer work, your steering wheel might even lock up!!! NEVER ever have I
felt so compelled to put so many exclamation points into anything I wrote, in fact this
should have been at the top of this list. Who knows how many accidents happen due to this
silly (read stupid) 'technique'. Another variation on this I read is the 'coasting'
technique of pushing the clutch in. The thinking here being that you can pop it back out
and the engine will help with braking or be able to rev if needed for tire purchase. But
this is terrible on the 'Throw-out-bearing', and will cause early failure, leaving you
stranded somewhere, and a huge expense to remove the transmission to replace a small part
inside the clutch. Also the suggestion of putting an automatic transmission into
neutral at higher speeds can ruin the transmission. Your engine should always be running
in the 'power band' area for optimum responsiveness and safety. That being said (it's
stuff I learned in driving school), I have on occasion put a manual transmission into
neutral for coasting downhill, or to stoplights and signs. I'd rather let my rolling
resistance slow me down than using my precious brake linings and the fuel it takes to get
that last quarter mile of offramp. But do be aware, I do not advocate this move,
because my training as a highly-experienced professional driver goes against it on all
levels (ever need a driver for a car commercial or movie? Come see me!).
Overinflating your tires; yes, this WILL help reduce 'rolling
resistance', but it will also cause the center of the tire to wear out more quickly, so
what you save in fuel you might pay back in rubber, thereby not reducing your
'carbon footprint' at all. Instead if it counts that much to you, when you are next due a
change of tires, buy the narrowest ones the manufacturer recommends. But ALWAYS keep the
pressure at the setting recommended by the engineers (they're smart people).
Now, I like to save money and gasoline as much as anyone,
maybe more because my driving dictates whether I make money or not, so I have little
leeway to reduce miles driven beyond what I already have. But here are what I consider to
be a concise list of ways to save money on fuel.
Consolidate trips, by combining errands and trips. Now, we already do
this, cause we live ten miles from the nearest store, if we realize we forgot butter, we
ain't gonna drive for an hour round trip to get a cube of butter. So we do without if we
pull a 'brain-fart' and forget something we should have gotten. All our shopping is a
result of our deliveries or other work trips.
Keep your vehicle maintained; this is something us American guys
are usually raised with (here anyway). We change our own oil and spark plugs regularly.
This is much easier nowadays with solid state ignitions, in the olden days (my High School
days) we had spark plugs that lasted ten thousand miles, points that had to be filed and
reset regularly, and carburetors that required constant maintenance. Now it is so easy on
me, I replace our plugs with the best I can find every two years, along with the
spark plug wires and the distributor cap, and that's generally it! The computers, solid
state stuff and fuel injection keep everything running properly. The filters and oil
are changed at three thousand mile intervals (by me), clean oil is slipperier, so your
engine lasts longer, and works more efficiently. I replace the air filter when it's
getting a bit gray looking. Keep your tires properly inflated, they will last longer, and
you'll have less rolling resistance to slow you and hurt your mileage. On a side note,
every time I get my vehicles smog-checked they adjust the timing to the factory specs, and
with the huge number of miles on my truck (275k) the factory settings make it run badly, I
have to reset it myself after paying these guys to 'adjust' my vehicle to government
standards which often are less efficient. I cannot legally replace my engine with a non
stock engine that uses less gas and pollutes less, this is a stupidity of the government
system that needs to be rectified. But, since it is a legal mandate from the
government, you can't expect it to make a heck of a lot of sense all the time.
Don't do the jackrabbit starts; Yes, I like Jackrabbits as much
as the next guy (not for eating though, they are much too stringy unless you tenderize
them on the highway for at least a day) but I don't wanna be one. Nor should I make my
little truck act like one. I try to take off in a reasonable fashion such that I don't get
someone behind me angry (too much), and usually in the City of Santa Maria (where I do
most of my city driving) the traffic lights are arranged in the most ludicrous fashion
such that when you are getting close to them they will turn red, so almost all the time
you just go stop light to stop light, the only ones who make out OK are the LowRiders
(Santa Maria is famous for LowRiders) who are able to go from green light to green light
by maintaining a steady five mph all the way from one end of Broadway to the other. I
suppose if you had a fast drag racer you might be able to get to the second light before
it went yellow, but the Santa Maria cops do not like folks going fast, it gets them
nervous. Cities should consider setting the traffic lights to flow traffic better. I
suppose there must be a good reason that they don't do such. But with my huge trust
in government thought, I doubt it.
Be easy on the accelerator on the Freeway; sometimes you have to gun
the engine to merge into traffic or avoid an accident etc. But usually driving with the
cruise control on at a steady speed of something like fifty five to sixty mph will get you
the best mileage, although this changes for some vehicles. A friend of mine swears his
Toyota Corolla gets better mpg at seventy than it does at sixty, more power to him!
All of these little recommendations are not expensive or
exotic such as some you read about, things like engine add-ons that might work, but seem
suspicious to me. Exotic wheels that reduce the 'unsprung weight' of the vehicle, while
this might improve the gas mileage, how many miles will it take to recoup that two
thousand in fancy rims? Ditto with plastic body panels, taking off mirrors etc.
The same goes with going out and buying a new vehicle, I am doing fine right now
with my little Toyota, even though I often look at used vehicles for sale that get better
mileage, the payments, taxes and insurance I'd pay would eat up the savings in fuel. I am
about saving money in general, not gas in particular, so as long as the little truck gets
me around, that will be my regular commuter/delivery vehicle, sometimes we have a thousand
pounds or more of cactus to deliver, for that I need the big truck and can easily get a
small business loan to fill the tank.
Have fun with your vehicles, enjoy the driving for the
pleasure it can give, but also remember that it is a multi-thousand pound thing with great
potential for harm if not used properly. Safety should be the first consideration when
driving, rules of propriety exist to help the proper flow of traffic. But do try to reduce
fuel use... the laws of supply-and-demand say that until the use goes down, prices will
continue to climb.
As for me, I have a new goal, to get the most miles per
vehicle that I can. I read about the 'Cars that made a million miles' and decided that our little Toyota
might be in the running one day for a plaque to show what proper maintenance can do for a
vehicle.
Fox's 'On
the Lot' is a film contest/reality show wherein aspiring filmmakers compete for a one
million dollar film contract. A friend of mine, Dave
Curran entered a great film he did called 'The Mailbox', but sadly and
perplexingly ('cause I thought he did a great job) he did not make it to the finals. Last
week was the premier episode of the show, and they had some great short one minute films
the filmmakers presented.
I was especially stoked by one called 'Danger Zone'
which sort of reminds me of some of the places I've worked before. What I find most
intriguing about this particular short is how well the whole thing was composed. The
camera does a 360 degree turnaround, while all the actors do their stuff, and this is very
complex due to the fact that one person not doing what is needed at the right time will
put the whole take down. So it is due to the technical complexity that I think this
particular film stands out so much.
My second-favorite short was called 'Spaced Out' in
which a patrolman pulls over a Space Ship that is weaving all over. His encounter of the
second kind with these little partiers is interesting and fun.
I think this show will introduce us to some very talented
writer/directors, so I will be waiting on each episode.
June 01, 2007
Mariposa Reina, and the storms of life
Mariposa Reina is a small area off the side of Highway 101 near Gaviota. The hills with
their exposed rock are very picturesque. It is also an area that has very little human
travel, so it is wild with deer, bears and other native wildlife. Other than the
introduced plants such as the Eucalyptus trees in this photo, I suppose it is much like
California might have been five hundred years ago.
This is a small tree that was burned over by fire a couple of years ago.
The fire killed the tree, so now it slowly returns to the earth from which it came.
This is a red-wing blackbird. They come to this area every year.
These birds are striking with a large red patch on their shoulders, other than that, they
are jet-black. This one is resting and probably nesting in the mustard plants that are so
at home in this soil and climate.
All things in nature work out their place to live, but
things are not as harmonious as some people visualize. Nature is hard and cruel if we wish
to assign anthropomorphic measure to it. It is not that plants tend to move to where they
are best suited, their seeds are dropped willy-nilly for the most part by the winds,
animals and flowing water. The ones that land in soil suited to them grow, the others may
try hard to live, like a broken winged bird... but in the end they will likely succumb to
the hard life they are given.
We humans and animals to a lesser extent have the ability to pack up and move
on when things are not good in the local area. There is an old saying...
"The strong give up and leave...
The weak give up and stay".
I've known many people raised in dire circumstances, but something in
them compelled them to leave the bad environment and make their way to a better life. I am
sure it is much like working your way through a swamp, or uphill through a sand dune, it
is a long slow slog; one step after another. You cannot sit and contemplate the length of
the journey, the length is determined by you. When you give up and make camp, that is as
far as you'll get that day. When you sit and say, "this is where I will stay",
there is no more going on for you, unless in time you WILL yourself to pack up and leave
again. We all have a certain amount of control over our own destiny, even though factors
such as storms and winds will have an influence on our journey. But the signs are always
at hand; a storm coming is usually foreseen, it is ourselves who choose to ignore the
warning signs and continue in a resolute and mindless funk. There are times to hunker down
and suffer through storms of life, there are other times those same storms can be
forestalled and the sun encouraged to shine sooner. Do not force the storms upon yourself,
many people seem to carry a dark cloud with them, and all around them see the cloud and
avoid it, and the person under it. Look up and see if the cloud hovers over you, if it
does, there is work to be done. But work well-managed will reduce the storms of life.
John says I look at the moon and the stars
these days more often than I look into his eyes
and I can't disagree so I don't say nothing
I just stare on past his face at Venus rising,
like a shining speck of hope hanging over the horizon
With each passing year that I sit here
that horizon seems to inch just that much nearer
and all that appears on it seems as clear as spit
But if there's one thing in my life
that these years have taught
it's that you can always see it coming
but you can never stop it
