The Next One

Making blankets is something that I do. I just finished the next one (fifth for the year)—and it might be the prettiest blanket I’ve made in a long time.

The picture does not do it justice as the zig-zag looks like a neon light shooting thru the a sea of black.

 I think a teenager will like it.

 

Duh!

Yesterday we were on a mountain road and saw this sign.

Here’s a closer look at it...gee...did you know that a hill would block the view? The Great State of California made this sign with this important piece of information, just in case you did not know that a solid mountain would block your view. I’ve known this all my sentient life...but then, this is California and we’re not too sure how many sentient folks are running it.

Away from Home

Today I met the owners of this vehicle. It’s a European motorhome called a Hymer, and there are not many of them rolling down US highways. The couple in this unit are from the Netherlands, and they have been winter-camping in the US for 2 years now. (The picture is copied from their “business card.”)            

They started in Halifax and wandered to Las Vegas last year where they left the RV with their son. This year, they picked up their RV in San Francisco (their son drove it there), and they started touring the western USA. They will be leaving the US next week, so they can return in time to see the tulips at home. They plan to leave the RV in SF where their son will pick it up and drive it back to Vegas.

What a great adventure! Years ago, we thought it would be fun to RV in Europe but we discovered the joys of river cruising and we did that instead. One of my joys is meeting people on my morning walk. 

A “Tents” Moment

The other day I talked about recreational vehicles. Today I’m going to talk about tents! 

Tents have come a long way from those I remember as kid. The old tents were canvass and smelly and dark. Mostly they were tree green. My best girlfriend’s father set up a tent in his backyard every summer and we would play in and around the tent. We loved it even if it was dark and smelly. Maybe that’s why we loved it. Kids are strange as you know. Well, forget about that tent of old, and look as some of the tents that are in the Park. This “3 bedroom 2 bath” wonder (I’m exaggerating only a little) is proudly set up not too far from me. It has an entry hall, and a couple of “pop-outs” to give it more room. 

Not all tents are huge. This is more of a normal size in light blue

If one tent is good, two must be better

Camoflage-Shamoflage...it’s good to be seen

...so why not a red tent        

...and a blue tent

Not all tents sit on the ground. Some are mounted atop SUVs. I talked to the campers with this tent and they were very pleased with it. When the tent is folded up, it makes a 18 inch high package that fits nicely on top of the SUV. Inside it has enough sleeping space for 2 adults and 2 dogs...and the mattress is 3 inches of plush memory foam. The downside...remembering to not walk out of the tent in the morning. The fellow told me it was a long drop from tent to ground, but he’s only made that mistake once!

 

And here’s another roof mounted tent. 

I’d be remiss if I did not picture the pop-up camper. When we first started camping, this was the entry level RV. After folks had tented for a few years, they bought one of these vehicles...all the joys of tenting with some of the mod-cons (refrigrator, stove, and dry space).         

Tents seem to bloom when the weather is good and the view is wonderful. 

As we are starting President’s Day weekend, I’m expecting to see more tents coming. 

A Farewell to Arms

As you know, our local library has a collection of DVDs...some old, some new, and some “in between.” Last night we saw another of the “old” variety...the 1932 rendition of “A Farewell to Arms.” The tragic story of forbidden love in a war zone was written by Ernest Hemingway, however, there were several “leaps” of storyline that just did not make sense. A quick look at Wikipedia told me why...the screenwriters made some changes. Hemingway did not approve of the changes, but they were made nonetheless.There’s a 1957 version of the film...I wonder if it has the same “leaps” of storyline?  

Helen Hayes is beautiful. Gary Cooper is moody. The title is a play on words...farewell to war and farewell to the welcoming arms of a lover. In fact, the title was used before—by a 16th century poet. Folks are unsure if Papa knew about the poem or not, but it is a moot point, as titles cannot be copyrighted (not to mention that something written in the 16th century is in the public domain). 

The copy of the film that we saw was in shades of gray because so many copies have been made of the film, it’s hard to find one that is crisp. For classic movie lovers, it’s another “must see” but not so much for the rest of us.

Valentine’s Day

It’s Valentine’s Day. Tell your special honey, that you love him/her. 

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Judgment at Nuremberg

The old movies continue, this time with Judgment at Nuremberg. The 1961 classic is a must see movie. It tells the story of government gone crazy (do we see any relationship to what is happening today?) The message is meaningful. 

The all-star cast told a timeless story of what happens when an ideaology goes wrong. If you have a chance to see this 57 year old masterpiece, take it. 

(On a side note, a very young William Shatner is in the movie.)

Number 4

I finished the fourth blanket for 2018. It’s shades of lavender with a blue/lavender variegated stripe.

 The stripe looks like little pieces of stained glass so I’ve been calling it my cathedral blanket. 

That’s a close up of the stripe...I think it came out well.

Spring

Earlier in the month a rodent prognosticated that we would have 6 more weeks of winter. 

No matter what that rascally rodent has to “say”

...the blossoms are starting to appear

...it’s the beginning of spring in this part of the world.

California Bear

As we were driving home from the Library, we saw a bear walking across a field. By the time we turned around to take a better look, the bear had wandered along a bit. Do you see the bear?

Now, do you see the bear? I tried to highlight the critter a little bit! I know it’s not a clear picture, or very big, but it’s the best I could do under the circumstances. Bears are not common in this part of the world. It’s the first time we’ve ever seen one here, and we’ve been returning to this area for at least 20 years.

Bullitt

Bullitt with Steve McQueen was a major disappointment. I vaguely remembered seeing the movie in 1968 and I liked it. I thought it was exciting, especially the chase scene on San Francisco streets. Funny thing, 51 years later, the movie did not hold up well. McQueen’s speaking part consisted of a handful of words to say as he played a cop with attitude (Dirty Harry did it better). Robert Vaughn played a classic a-hole, and the storyline was shallow. It was interesting to see San Francisco 50 years ago. It was also a good look at “high tech” 50 years ago: phone booths, dial phones, a TWX machine, all of which are hardly used today. As for the car chase...it was still good. The streets were almost empty as McQueen’s Mustang chased the Charger down the narrow hilly streets of the city. A fun chase scene in SF is always good...and this is one of the good ones. 

 

Gunga Din

The winter of old movies continues. We saw the film classic “Gunga Din” last night. It was OK, but I would not put it in the “classic” category. To me it was just an old movie that had awkward scenes with a very young Cary Grant playing a comedic role.

Of course, the famous line is “You’re a better man that I am, Gunga Din” comes from the Rudyard Kipling poem and the movie. When it is said, at the end of the movie, it was touching and sad. I asked myself, why do we wait for death before we tell people they did well...or we love them...or thank you...or... (you fill in the blank). 

The movie was not filmed in India, but in Lone Pine, CA about 300 miles from Hollywood in 1939 and it was re-released in 1957. There were a couple of “features” included in the DVD...an interview with some of actors, and a classic Porky Pig cartoon. The black and white masterpiece is a must see for classic movie buffs. For the rest of us, it might not be as important. 

 

Camping

 

The front yard changes, but I’m always at home...that’s the motto for most campers.

 And, campers come in all sizes and styles...

From the huge Class A Diesel Pusher to...                              

Splashy big or...                            

 

Splashy small...

Generic...

Individualized...

5th wheel...                              

Conventional

Extended or ...                              

Compact...                              

Stationary Yurts or...                              

Cabins...

With canopies...

Or Boats...

We’re all outdoors and having a good time!

 

Musings

I love to “play with my pictures” to see what I can get. There’s a wonderful app that’s called Brushstroke that will take an ordinary picture and make it a watercolor. The river and the mountains in the distance show the essence of this lovely part of southern California. Perhaps, the way it used to be?  

I call the next 2 pictures “Friends and Lovers”...you’ll get the idea when you see the second picture

See?

It’s a face that only a mother (or a birder) can love. The red headed vulture is.... (fill in the blank)

On the otherhand, there are about a million perky ground squirrels in the park. Their holes are everywhere and more are being made as I write about them. I happen to like both the vulture and the squirrel.  

I’ll end with the curly oak. The oak trees in the park have curvy, curly limbs. I find them fascinating.. I wonder what is the reason for such a convuluted shape? Is it genetic? Environmental?