Nobody Died But the US is on Life Support

Old Roomies Together After 30 Years
Bernard the Instigator is 2nd From Right and the Pretty One is Barbara.Neil with the Hat and el Escargot wid de Belly.
Front:Neil,Doug,Donna,Pat Back:Susan,el Escargot
el Escargot With Our Hostess Ginger
Spent the weekend of 29 March at the annual Nobody Died party,this must be the 7th or 8th iteration. Held on Ron&Ginger's land outside San Antonio(FL not TX),it's a woderful gathering of old friends from 30 years or more. Bernard had the idea when we all met at his brother Jeff's funeral. And with Barbara,Ron and Ginger and grateful participation,including clams&oysters from Cedar Key,live music,fantastic food and great vibes it's a REAL celebration of life,love and the pursuit of whatever. I'm gonna post this cause I got a rant coming and the juxtaposition would suck.Here ya go,Neil.

Return of the Slacker

Yep,the return of el Escargot and he's max aroused. The state of our society has achieved a whole new level of absurdity' We seem more hell-bent on failing as an experiment in this country than on becoming something new and meaningful. A well developed sense of irony may be our best chance to parse the BS. Another FL election looking like a failed backyard scrum, the first John in 50 years jailed for violating the Mann Act, Posse Comitatus still MIA, half a billion spent by the party of the people on a pres campain(sp) while the economy tanks. ETC!!! Mentioning Iraq would make a very noticable change in my blood pressure. I don't plan on having lots of solutions but I DO promise to speak out against the idiocy that is laying us low.We should be ashamed of having become soft and complacent in the last 30 years. Those of us who now smile condescendingly at the Smothers Brothers need to remember how daring they were at the time.Rise up,people-this ain't the best we can do.

el Escargot

Thanksgiving & leftovers

Thanksgiving was wild as ever. We start out thinking, gee, only a few people, then..and then...it grows! Thankfully! Lou and Linda arrived on Wednesday. Chuck came over. Much wine was drunk!! I spent Wed. readying all kinds of food so T-day would be "calmer." In that respect...it was! Bought a different kind of turkey this year (what was I thinking?). So, it was not my usual, fantastic, bird. Oh well...I made the mashed potatoes differently (again, thinking?) they were dry, what the hell? My famous sweet potato casserole? Not up to snuff either. And then....green bean casserole, which I have NEVER made in my life...passable. Everyone was gracious enough to say nothing. Or...maybe they thought it was good. They said so...but you know, you can't always trust that. OK, I have been making Thanksgiving dinner for over 40 years (yikes!)...this year begged for the old ways. My kids, Lesli & Miles, were here. Sammy's daughter, Kim, and her family were in St. Augustine. Daughter Molly, in Colorado. She is a vegeterian, eats "meat" once a year, Thanksgiving, and, this year she even added bacon to her dressing! Patte (stepmom for 54ish years) and her friend Julie, Brad and his father, Howard, Celeste (ex sister in law/now sister). We were able to eat on the patio. Lots of loud political talk, which I dearly love!! Generally, preaching to the choir type of thing, but very supportive! Lovely day. My niece, Gabrielle, her very newborn son, Max, and her partner, Nate came for dessert. All in all...a very great day. No raucous dominoes 'tho. Sorely missed. My personal favorite game. It is a family game which we play all the time, with lots of yelling, hollering, tapping of tiles, laughter. I was thankful to have loved ones all together.
Friday night, Jonathan & Tama, friends from Tuscaloosa, came for dinner. At that point there were 5 dogs communing. All quite happy, as were the 2-leggeds. We had a great time. It was great having them here! I cooked Picadillo which I don't think I screwed up! It was quite a rousing evening too. LOTS of political talk! Whoopee! Keep it alive, ripple it out to the universe!
Miles did mention to Lou that he was tact challenged!
A very old friend, from high school days passed away last week. We found out Monday, just in time to attend his memorial service. It was moving. He was a marine, back in the day. There were 3 full dressed Marines there. The flag was folded and presented to his wife, Vicky. They played taps, which always brings tears. Jimmy was dressed in his favorite Hawaiian shirt, which brought a chuckle. Ahhhh Jimmy, we'll miss ya!
Yesterday was Celeste's birthday. She wanted all the "girls" to go bowling. Let me tell you, girls is the operative word here! Girls we are not!! I sorta strained my back working in the yard a couple of weeks ago. Not healed. Left side. Not good when you have to slide with your left foot...it was nothing short of grueling! The highest score of the 4 of us was 88!! That would not be me!! Good music in Pinarama, lights flashing. Corky, our friend the owner, asked us several times if we wanted the "rails" up! Absolutely not!! Maybe we will overcome the gutter!! I felt pretty good today, but you know, it's usually the second day when your muscles scream!
12.06.07
Today is Cody's 13th birthday! In doggie years that's about 70. He's doing great!
Sammy keeps saying he's going to do his "turkey" blog...so I'm going to go ahead & post this so I can do another one!! Tired of waiting for "el escargot"
*Perky*

Onward Thru the Blog

In response to the many requests to continue the blog(actually only one.Thanks,R)we have decided to keep posting ruminations on whatever as it's pretty good therapy and certainly cheaper than the standard varieties of shrinkology.Accordingly,we are asking our hordes of readers to submit suggestions on topics,format,good books,yoga postures and like that.Since our return to what passes for normality here,my main contrbution has been to stand around scratching my head and breathing thru my mouth.I NEED INSPIRATION,PEOPLE-help me out here!!!!Please limit your text to 5000 words or less and feel free to send pix.I remain your faithful servant(uh-huh)

el Escargot

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!!

I take it all back. There is a lot to see in Florida! Once we finally packed up we went across the street to the Waffle House for breakfast. We pulled in and suddenly there was a man in uniform, a colonel, standing at the passenger window. With a big grin on his face and light in his eyes! He saw us on the road and followed us into the parking lot. Seems he owns 3 VW vans! A 68, which his son drives, a 73 for parts, and an 82. He was so excited to see us. He took pictures of us and our van. Turns out he is a flight surgeon in the Navy...shades of Dr. Lou! He and Sammy had a great time talking. Younger than us, so no Vietnam connection. After breakfast we got on I10. Not being champions of the freeway we turned off on Hwy 98. It was NOT raining! Overcast and cool but no rain. OK...I have never been to Panama City, Ft. Walton Beach, etc. Destin does look like the Truman Show...and the rest...like every other bastardized beach in Florida. Can't see the water for the fast food places, tourist joints, and CONDOS! But! Once we got past all that it was old, old Florida. We meandered down the road, oohing & ahhing at the woods, the narrow highway and glimpses of the Gulf and bays. Sammy saw the sign for "scenic" highway 98 (I thought that's where we were!) Back and down we go. Even more beautiful. Looking for a place to stay for the night. We're hoping to make it to Apalachicola. I have never been there and have always wanted to see it. We passed a turn off which said camping and cabins. Turn around and go down this road for 3 miles, Wow! The road deadended at the water. St. Vincent's National Wildlife Refuge. You can take a shuttle over to the island which is a preserve. It's now about 6, the sun is setting, we have no food with us, so decide this is a place we want to come back to and continue on. We make it to Apalachicola, find a motel, the Rancho Inn, check in, settle in, clean up and go into town for dinner. Caroline's Seafood on the river. A dozen Apalachicola oysters for $7.50! Sammy was in heaven. Really great seafood. Very nice restaurant. Never did rain. Up early the next morning. Walked Cody across the street, saw 2 convenient stores, I am on the hunt for COFFEE! Spot a restaurant down the street past the motel. Take Cody back to the room and go for the java. Sat in front of our room drinking my jo. Sammy was still asleep. There is a car parked next to our van with California plates. I was thinking how far he was from home, just like how far we have been. Interesting to be in the reverse. Pretty soon this guy steps out. We start talking...he lives in Half Moon Bay, left home July 5, drove north up the west coast, across the top of the country, down the eastern seaboard to St. John's River and straight across to the Rancho Inn. He has covered 12,000 miles! Following his passion of wildlife photography. I mentioned that I know the area where he lives and that I had lived on the Russian River. He mentioned he knew the area and used to live in Cazadero. I barely responded...it was too weird. He said he is a fisherman on the Bering Sea, out of Dutch Harbor. I was becoming more speechless by the minute. Found out he flew helicopters in Vietnam. I said my husband flew F4s. By this time I feel like I should see about Sammy. Thankfully Sammy was up...Sammy! This guy says he lived in Cazadero, flew helicopters in Nam....fishes on the Bering Sea out of Dutch Harbor where my brother fishes. You need to talk to him!! I am too stunned. Sammy's talking to him and I hear "Bottling Works"...that was a wonderful bar in Caz...everyone hung out there. Big stone fireplace, pool tables, old, old, bar..hippies from the hills above Caz playing bluegrass..it was your dream of a bar. Owned by 2 great gay guys. One night, while they were asleep, they lived above the bar, the rednecks burned it down. They barely escaped with their lives, their dog didn't. With that...I found my voice. I went outside and asked him if he knew Pat & Doug Douglas, or Kathy Gibson. OK, now I know I am in the Twilight Zone. Not only does he know them...he used to live in the "little" house between Pat & Kathy, around 1972, when I lived there. Don, his name, is a Nam vet, used to drive a 71 VW, had long hair and a beard. As we talked we find out he knows everyone intimately, knows current information about them all. Who is this guy? I'm afraid to touch him for fear he really isn't there. But...who knows how "they" take corporeal form! I mean....this is TOO spooky! I tried calling Pat but couldn't reach her, called Kathy and she answered! We have a witness! She talked to Don and what a reunion. We spent about 2 hours with him, off he went to the north, off we went south. We went into town, had Cafe con Leche, guava turnovers. There was a band playing in the square, the 3rd annual blues concert, bikers everywhere. Warm Florida breezes. River at the end of the street, marsh grasses, we are truly home! We went into the Apalachicola River Keepers headquarters. Spent an hour with them talking about the state of the Apalachicola river and many rivers in Florida. The man there had just returned from a 107 mile, week long, kayak trip from the headlands down. Fascinating story. Our last 2 days on the road, in Florida, were really profound. What a fantastic end to our journey.

Rain, rain, rain......

OK...while we have not seen any rain in 4 1/2 months...this is a bit much!! Had no idea when we left Vicksburg what we would be encountering. It was raining in Vicksburg...but not like this! Of course we stopped in Pensacola. What a bright idea!! It was pouring all the way in and didn't stop. Little did we know there has been 12 inches since Tuesday! We parked "Flossie" in the parking lot, on a slight incline...what a bad idea. There was water standing in the back, inside, had to pull everything out and rake out the puddles. Thankfully, only a few things got wet...and we are almost home. We had work done on the van in Santa Fe...seemed like all was well but looks like they didn't tighten all the gaskets/screws and we have an oil leak for the first time in thousands of miles. We stop about every 150 miles and add a pint. Great fun in the rain! Now we're actually considering taking the freeway all the way home. What do we want to see in Florida anyway? According to the weather channel there will be rain all the way home...whoopee! I am glad that there is rain...the southeast needs it....but jeez!!!! We added a pint, wiped out as much water as we could and will be heading out...the van is a mess. We got some red chile ristas...they are dripping hot sauce on Cody's head, on the floor. Sammy said we can find our way back to Santa Fe by the peppers that have fallen off! Is running the last leg causing this mess? Or do we have too much crap? I am a freak when it comes to keeping the van organized and clean...but...it's ok...home is around the corner...later, gator...

Santa Fe Deux

We left Royal Gorge and took a back road thru the mountains on our way to Santa Fe. Drove by the Sangre de Cristos, which are spectacular, thru beautiful canyons and wide open valleys. The aspens changing into their fall clothes are so beautiful. A bright gold that shimmers and shines with the wind and sun. The fascinating part is the gold that emanates on the mountainside thru the fir and pine trees. Dark green with these splashes of gold. Along the road, at the summit was...all of a sudden out of nowhere a sign that said Bishop's Castle. Stop!!! We have to see this. I cannot do it justice. This man has single handedly built this incredible castle out of stone, concrete, wrought iron outside walkways, stained glass windows. He was working while we were there, stirring concrete and non-stop talking at the top of his voice. "9/11 was an inside job..they wanted to put the Patriot Act into place and it worked, we gave them Homeland Security...no plane hit the pentagon..measure it folks, the Constitution is being dismantled.. I have to say I agreed with everything he said. He has quotes from the constitution painted on signs all over the place. "They" have bankrupted Social Security by stealing money from it...on and on. What a wonderful find. Back on the road trying to get to Santa Fe. You know that story! We did make it!Our second stop in Santa Fe has confirmed my first impression-this place rocks!!!GREEN CHILES RULE AND CHILE VERDE IS ON EVERY MENU.Very cultural city with an amazing art colony,views to die for and the weather is close to perfect. Shelley was so wonderful to us! She took us all kinds of places. One of the most special was up to the Santa Fe Ski Area. We rode the ski lift over 4,300' up to 11,250 ft (scary as hell with no snow to break your fall-like it would anyway).The aspens are turning yellow and gold and the mountain sides are ablaze. It's glorious. (Perky here....I was really surprised that Sammy & Shelley were scared. I told them there was a guard rail that would drop down in front of us but they wouldn't let me do it because they were afraid I would rock the boat! I was in my glory...guess I didn't have enough sense to be afraid! Finally I just reached back and pulled the rail forward and they were much happier. I have a most hilarious picture that I took of Sammy & Shelley in the lift car. Shelley is smiling and looking so beautiful....Sammy is staring straight ahead, wide eyed, and not even blinking. He was beautiful too, in an introspective sorta way!! At the top it was worth it all! At 11,250' you could see all the mountain ranges for 360 degrees. As far as Colorado & Arizona. In the distance was a huge black cloud...quite a storm brewing. Lightning! Not the brightest idea to be on top of a mountain, open to the elements. We took pictures and rode the tram down. The colors on the mountains were spectacular. Huge swathes of color, bright gold and some orange. Just don't have the words to draw you a picture.
We had a wonderful time in Santa Fe. What a complete city! So diverse, but the American Indian culture influence is prevalent. The food is out of this world. Shelley & Bart know all the best places! Shelley took us out to Madrid which is a really cool, old town which has seen many transformations. Shelley and I made hot pepper jelly and, I must say, it's excellent! It was great fun and easy! I'll be making some when I get home. Course...I won't have Santa Fe jalapenos! It got really cold - 32 - one night. It was cool weather the whole time we were there.
Our last night we went to Dara Thai. The first Thai food since we left home. Really, really good! No Sing Ha tho'.
With reluctance we hit the road for home. Our first night was Amarillo, then Bowie, TX, then Shreveport, then Vicksburg, MS. Vicksburg is very historical and beautiful. Hope to spend some time there someday. We stayed in a motel right on the Mississippi River. It started to rain when we left Bowie, and hasn't stopped since!! We knew we HAD to get the windshield wipers fixed for the trip...we figured we would see rain. We left June 5, the first rain was in Eureka Springs (15 minutes worth), then Oklahoma City as we were driving out, then, believe it or not, Pahrump for 10 minutes. (That's when the driver's side just uh, uh, uh and the passenger side wiper flew off!) So, yesterday it rained buckets, the wind blew like crazy and we bounced along. The wipers worked! Today...was worse! Found out there was a tornado in Pensacola and that would explain all the high winds and heavy rains we dealt with. Arrived safe and sound in Florida. "Flossie" seems to be balking. For the first time....