FRIDAY SKY - PONY IN ARIZONA

FRIDAY SKY - ARIZONA HISTORIC ROUTE 66

CLASSY

I read an article published in a "highly respected" community newspaper about a finding by a "highly respected" university researcher listing the best way to improve academic success to a particular group of students.  The Classy researcher wrote, "If states and higher education institutions want to maintain higher levels of retention and a diverse student body, they should do much more than simply provide scholarship funding."  One of the recommendations was for universities to take a more "holistic" approach to providing additional funding, not just free tuition, to ensure that students can focus on academic issues rather than working to make a living.  

Is "holistic" a new word for entitlement, handout or taking from one group, giving to another group and calling it fair?  How I wish I knew about this kind of "holistic" approach when I was working during the day and attending evening classes at Hunter College.  It took me five years from 83' to 88' to earn my undergraduate degree.  My job at an insurance agency did not pay much but enough that I was not qualified for financial aid so I funded my own education and did not demand the school to provide a "holistic" treatment.  I guess you could say that I provided my own boots, pulled myself up by my own boot-straps and I am proud of that.

There seems to be a lot of Classy talk about the fairness and what should be done to help the working poor.  It sure reminds me another vision of an ideal world where the poor people no longer subject to the rich and everyone in society will be free, happy, well fed and treated with dignity.  Beware of the man who promises the sky will always be blue!

That burro threatened and held us captive until we gave him a carrot.  It was the only road out of town so we had no choice but paid the ransom.

WINDING ROADS IN OATMAN, ARIZONA

On our returning trip from Santa Monica, we travelled eastbound on Route 66 from Golden Shores, California to get to Oatman, Arizona.  (At the beginning of the trip, we drove half of Route 66 and part highway westward and saved interesting attractions for the eastbound trip knowing the drive home would be long after almost a week on the road.) Along the way, we saw mining remnants of "once upon the time" prosperous times from the Arizona Gold Rush. The road to Oatman from Kingman is very narrow with several sharp hairpin curves.  No vehicles over forty feet in length are allowed on this road.  (I still have nightmare from our drive up Pikes Peak, Colorado, in the T-bird, seeing an RV coming toward us around the narrow curve!)  The elevation is only at 2,710 feet (830 m) but from these photos you could see that the long and twisty roads through the Black Mountains of Mohave County is a bit scary.  I don't know how many times I had to get out of the car, waited patiently while my husband took thousands of pictures of his precious Mustang because the scenery was so "magnificent" at every turn around the curves. 

Unlike Colorado, I did not see any "Falling Rock" sign as the road twists back and forth down the Black Mountains.  Oatman is definitely the most desolate yet thrilling stretches of the old Mother Road.

The old road on a breathtaking 2,100 foot change in elevation, steep switchbacks and 15-mph hairpin turns around the angular Black Mountains was a very short eight miles but at that time it felt like eternity, especially when looking down at "is that really the road" stretch between a large boulder and a steep cliff.

Since we are on the subject of cliff, I am sort-of paying attention to the discussion of the "fiscal cliff".  I don't have a total understanding on this subject matter.  Besides, it is too much of double-talk and "fuzzy math" depending on who is doing the talking or what "side" the person is on.  I did learn a new word "sequestration" from reading about the fiscal cliff.  Sequestration, according to an online article, "is a budget cut across the board on spending reductions for the entire federal government" includes cutting defense budget which some argues would put national security into jeopardy.  It sure sounds like driving on that narrow twisted road looking at a large boulder and a steep cliff of the Black Mountains!

WELCOME TO OATMAN, ARIZONA

Looking over the images from our Route 66 adventure in July 2010 when we drove 4,437 miles of the Mother Road from Joplin, Missouri thru Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona (a side trip to Hoover Dam and Las Vegas in Nevada) and finally reached pier Santa Monica, California, makes me want to start packing to get "on the road again"!

This morning, it was in the low 40s when I left the house for an appointment with a career and employment counselor.  After the meeting, I walked over to the library and then to class to get ready for the presentation.  My classmate almost did not recognize me when we walked into the building together because I had the fleece hood and scarf wrapped around my face trying to keep warm.  It is supposed to get colder this evening and we might even get a few flurries.  The temperature was 116 when we were in Oatman, Arizona.  Perhaps looking at these photos will help keep me warm and less depressed!   

Oatman, Arizona is an old rough and tumble mining camp from 1915 to 1941.  It is hard to believe that back in its glory days, the town had two banks, seven hotels, twenty saloons and over 40,000 residents.  Since 1960s, the town became a Living Ghost Town with wild burros roaming and begging for food from tourists.  We noticed that most of the burros just stood in front of the shop and wait for visitors to feed them.  We did not see any re-enactment of "Wildwest" gunfights.  The current population is less than 100 people, mostly owners of shops that catering to tourists.

Back in 1939, this Oatman Hotel was a grand palace that was good enough for Clark Gable (Rhett Butler) and Carole Lombard (not Scarlett O'Hara) to make it a honeymoon stop after their wedding in Kingman.  Of all the hotels from those hay days, this is the only place still in operation.  There are about 40 gift, antique, souvenirs and native American craft shops, restaurants, saloons, and old time photo shops, lining both sides of the streets.  Of all the towns on Route 66, I must say that Oatman is most interesting.  We will be sure to stop by again on our next road trip and stay a day or two instead of just passing thru. 

SIMPLE THINGS WE TAKE FOR GRANTED

(Above - Colo Motel/Niland's Cafe on Lincoln Highway, Iowa)  I saw the news about NYC ending gas rationing, nearly a month after hurricane Sandy visited.  The rationing system was implemented using the odd-even license plate numbers to cope with fuel shortages after the storm.  According to a reliable source from Bath Beach, as of last week, there was no long lines at gas stations and things were sort-of back to normal.  (Below - Mobilgas sign on Lincoln Highway in Nebraska.)

(Above and below - Newsberry Springs on Route 66 in California)  Ever since gasoline went above $3 a gallon, I usually fill up when my car has less than half a tank.  I read that Tuesday thru Thursday are good days to purchase gas as the prices would go up before the weekend when consumers do the most driving whether shopping or just going places.  Psychologically, I trick myself into believing that I did not pay too much for gas when looking at the total for half a tank of gas compared to "an arm and a leg" if I waited and pay for a full tank.  Furthermore, having a full tank of gas gives me a peace of mind should a major breakdown of supply from countries that produced oil or some disasters that prevented oil from being transported.

Watching the news about the long lines of people with gasoline containers waiting at the gas stations after the hurricane, I thought of how easy to have the simple things we take for granted all taken away in a blink of an eye!  I will remember not to complain about eating the left over turkey for the next two weeks, or the cold weather or even the gray hair and the wrinkle and definitely I will not complain about the NHL cancelled the 2013 All Stars Game!  At least football is still on ;-)  

TO QAPTAIN QWERTY - FROM JOLIET WITH LOVE

Happy March everyone! How are your New Year resolutions? I hope you are not "stuck in the toilet in Joliet" like Qaptain Qwerty - haa haa

These photos were taken in June 2010 when we drove from St. Louis to The Begin of Route 66 in Chicago, Illinois. Travelling Eastbound, we followed Hwy 53 north from Wilimington, thru Elwood, and past I-80 into Joliet. We heard about a very nice Route 66 Welcome Center and Gift Shop inside the Joliet Museum at 214 N. Ottawa but we never went inside because the building closed both times when we were passing thru! Hey Qap, I have a suggestion - the next time you happen to be either in Chicago or St. Louis, let's plan on driving on Route 66, then we could stop by Joliet for a potty break!

FRIDAY "2012 EAGLE DAYS" SKY

I took this photo after we walked the entire length of Old Chain of Rocks Bridge from Missouri to Illinois. Why do I need to explain that the photo is on the Illinois side? Because the "Eagle Days" banner on the Missouri side was tangled and twisted by the wind. Someone did not go a good job at securing it to make sure the wind would not blow it into a knot! Since the banner was up high and not easy to fix, the "knot" was left "flowing in the wind".

It has been a busy week and I am pleased to report that I have accomplished a few more re-organization projects. (Last month I re-organized our food pantry to make room so we could stock up ready for the winter months.) At the stores, I noticed many shoppers picked up containers and organize systems. It is the new year and we all seemed to believe that we could somehow be "clutter-free" or become "zero accumulation" if only we have things in place.

I started with re-organizing the coats closet in the front room. Then I spent the entire morning on Saturday putting all the video tapes in boxes and move them to storage space in the spare bedroom. I organized the DVDs and found there are a few duplicates. That is where our money goes, buying things we don't need because it is on sale or forgot that we already got the same items or where we put them. It took three days to re-organize the dry bar. Five loads in the dishwasher for all the wine glasses, beer mugs, souvenir shot glasses, and now they are sparkling cleaned. Next, I re-organized the storage room in the basement. We were able to donate a blanket, a set of travel bags and a box of Christmas decorations we should not purchase in the first place. The last few years, instead of putting everything back in the boxes after the holidays, we set the goals that we would give away those that we could live without.

After letting go of my wedding dress, I had courage to pack up three more dresses and sent them to a thrift shop that funds shelter for pregnant teenagers. One of the dresses was a traditional red Chinese dress called cheongsam. I wore it in 1989 at the reception in New York given by my parents to their friends so they could prove that I did not just run away without a proper wedding ceremony. I was 50 lbs lighter and 23 years younger, so it would be appropriate to give the dress away for a good cause because I would never fit in it again and for a 51 years old geezer, I would look hideous in a red cheongsam!

What are your plans to achieve "clutter-free" or zero-accumulation goals?

FIRST FRIDAY SKY 2012

I did not watch the Rose Bowl football game between Oregon and Wisconsin and I only watched part of the parade. I just thought the above photo taken in July 2010 when we were outside of the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasedena, California and other photos from the same trip were fitting for the first 2012 Friday Sky post. The Rose Bowl game is traditionally played on New Year's Day, same as the Tournament of Roses Parade, but since January 1, 2012 fell on Sunday, the game and the parade were scheduled on Monday, January 2nd.

The water tower with the "Historic Route 66" shield was more than just a welcoming sign as we drove straight into Kingman, Arizona. It was comforting whenever we saw the landmarks mentioned in the guidebook. We needed to know that we were on the right track. We did not mind the few times when we were off course and had to turn around. But when the temperature was over 100, we were hungry and have driven the whole day, finding a town with plenty of eateries and cold drinks definitely made a person feel better!There was little chance of missing the giant US Route 66 shield outside the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma. On the complex, there were 2 giant Kachinas in front of the old Trading Post. Visitors could walk around the Old Town Museum, sort-of an outdoor museum, that included buildings depicted what was once life on Old 66, auto camping with old vehicles in the desert, neon tourist courts, motels, diners and gas stations. Murals, memorabilia and recorded narration provided stories of the Mother Road.

FRIDAY SKY - SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

Hearing all the reports about the snow covering the Southern Plains, part of New Mexico (Tucumcari), Arizona (Flagstaff) and Texas, made me think of our Route 66 adventure in July 2010. It was a wonderful road trip and we had beautiful sunny blue sky almost the entire 10-day, 4,437 miles from St. Louis, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona (with a side trip to Hoover Dam in Nevada) to Santa Monica, California and back to St. Louis. Looking at these photos, I am so ready for another road trip!

Santa Fe is filled with Old World charm and historical buildings. Above is the manificient Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Construction of this Romanesque church with French architechs and Italian stonemasons, began in 1869 and continued until 1887. The Cathedral was elevated to a Basilica by Pope Benedict VXI in 2005.

A classic multi-story abode-style architecture, La Fonda Hotel (above) on E. San Francisco (off the Plaza) was called "The Inn at the End of the Trail". The current La Fonda was built in 1922. Trappers, gold seekers, soldiers, gamblers were regular guests at the hotel during the 19th century.

Because of tight schedule, we did not spend more time in Santa Fe. I wish we could stay the whole day/night and definitely attending Mass at Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The whole city, compacted with layout of a mini-village, filled with gift/antiques shops, outlets catering mostly to women (i.e. assocceries and jewelries), and galleries.

We watched and gave a thumb up to the driver of the above firetruck as he skillfully maneuvered the vehicle around the tight street corner on the busy, crowded and narrow roads. I also noticed that all the three firemen were very good-looking. Not sure if physical appearance was part of the requirement/qualification to be selected by the Santa Fe Fire Department or the men were on the way to be featured on a TV commercial for the visitors and tourism bureau!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

These photos were taken in 2009 during our Route 66 Adventure to Oklahoma.
This Halloween, we had about 15 kids came by. It was a comfortable night. I don't remember all the costumes, just a few like Batman, a princess, a flying monkey, three vampires, a nurse and a ladybug. The little kids were cute and no big kids that did not really dressed up, just making the round in baggy clothes to get the candies.

My husband was not feeling well. He is in pains trying to pass a kidney stone. I already bought the candies and did not want to disappoint the kids. So we turned on the front porch light, put out the dancing ghost and the pumpkin filled with goodies. Between the Chiefs vs. the Chargers game (Monday Night Football) and the NY Rangers v. San Jose Sharks hockey game, I had the candies ready so I could quickly give them out and get back to the games. But each time I got up from the sofa to give out the goodies, the Rangers scored a beautiful goal. The bell rang, I got up and Cassel would throw a 45 yard touchdown. At around 8:30, I decided to take everything in, shut the light and closed the door. Next year I plan to put the bucket of candies out and let the kids help themselves!

ARE YOU READY FOR SUMMER?

Last July (2010) we completed our adventure on Route 66 from the Beginning in Chicago, Illinois to the End of the Trail at Santa Monica Pier in California. This year (2011) we will begin our cruising on Lincoln Highway. I read that Route 66 is the Mother Road and Lincoln Highway is the Father Road. I laughed and commented to my husband when I saw the front cover of Parade Magazine (Sunday, June 5, 2011) - photo below - Jimmy Fallon's list including Go to Graceland (we did it in Feb. 2001 and again May 2011); Take a ride on Route 66 (been there); See the Grand Canyon (done that)!

The featured article began on page 11 listing other items/places that Fallon also would like to do such as singing onstage with Paul McCartney (in 2002 we saw Sir Paul in concert) or soaring over the Serengeti in a hot-air balloon (well, we went to the hot-air balloons festival at Forest Park). Fallon also listed getting an RV and drive across the country (my husband would rather drive the T-bird or the Mustang).



Here are what on other people's "bucket list" compared to our "done/wish list" - not in any particular order of importance:


1. See Mount Rushmore (we are planning to do that in September this year).



2. Eat real BBQ in Memphis, Tenn. or Kansas City, MO (done that) - Austin, TX is still on our list to visit;



3. Watch a lawn mower race (done that in Claremore, Oklahoma);



4. Visit a Farm (Not sure if this will count - back in 1987 when I almost married a man from the Netherlands who moved to Canada to be a pig farmer. It is a long story with a sad ending and I don't want to talk about it!)



5. Participate in a tradition that's so odd, it has to be American, like the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island (we not done it yet) or the sidewalk egg-frying competition in Oatman, Arizona (we were in Oatman and almost did not get out of town because a burro blocked our way until we gave him a carrot);



6. We hope to stand at the base of a really tall tree like the giant sequoias in California;



7. Own a pair of cowboy boots (done that);



8. Attend a religious service of a faith different from your own (will have to table this item for now);




9. Invite someone new to Thanksgiving dinner (good idea but bad idea since I don't cook!);



10. Read the Constitution (after I finish reading both the Old and New Testaments);



Check back later for other items on the list. Feel free to share your lists.

I WANNA BE ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Cabin fever finally got to me and I could not wait for Spring and Summer to arrive. I have been planning road trips in May when we will start driving the Lincoln Highway in Illinois and in September for a niece's wedding in Aspen, Colorado.

These photos were from our Westward Route 66 adventure in July 2010. For 9 days, we drove 4,437 miles from St. Louis to Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and reached the End of the Trail at Santa Monica Pier in California.

In September, we plan to drive the Lincoln Highway from Missouri to Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California. Visit http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ to read about the first road across the United States of America. The Lincoln Highway is known as "The Main Street Across America".

I asked my husband whether we would take the T-bird or the Mustang for the trip in September. He said we should take the Mustang as it is more comfortable for long distance driving. I commented that if we really wanted to be comfortable, we should take "Luc". CP looked at me as if I just said something really insulting! "It is not a cool car", he said! Oh, I am so ready to be on the road again!

THE GRINCH WHO STOLE VALENTINE!

I am sure I am not the only woman who does not care for Valentine's Day. I am not against the occasion and everyone has the rights to celebrate what is important to them and their relationship. In my humble opinion Valentine's Day is marketing ploy invented by florists, restaurants and greeting cards companies. When I was single living in New York, I remembered on Valentine's Day, the women in the office would wait anxiously for their flowers be delivered, sent by their significant others. Those that did not get the flowers, except me, were disappointed, felt rejected and unloved.

I am posting these photos from our Route 66 road trip in June 2010 showing the murals around the town of Pontiac, Illinois. These photos would be sort-of a celebration so I won't be labeled "The Grinch" when it comes to Valentine's Day!

Top mural - Palace of Sweets by artist Cam Bortz.

Allen Candy Co. mural by Jay Allen (what a coincidence!)

Above mural - Scatterday Pop by Carole Bersin.
Pontiac on Route 66 (below mural) - Tom & Kathy Durham.

Just like any loving wife would do, I waited patiently while my husband took gazillion photos of his precious car in front of this mural - Route 66 by Diaz Sign Art.