HALLOWEEN CONFESSIONS

AN INVITATION TO DELINQUENCY

We weren't really so bad, my brothers and me.

Once we were too old for Trick or Treating

we reveled in the freedom of the night to

be junior hooligans-of a mild sort.

My mother ordained a simple act of "terrorizing."

She told us that when she was young, they would

toss dried corn kernels at windows.  We did 

a lot of that.  There was also this thing with a 

wooden sewing thread spool, notched and 

put against and window and then spun with fishing line.

When it worked, it made a clatter. But it seldom worked and you had stomp on flower beds to get near windows.

The corn kernels were easier and gave us more safety

of distance.

My brother John and I saved a stunt for a couple of

folks we didn't like.  They wouldn't pay their newspaper bill-we were carriers-or we'd had a run in of some sort-football

in their yard, bike parked on their sidewalk-that sort of thing. For them we did the big deal.

Dog poop in a paper sack, set afire on the front step.

Set it there, light it, ring the door bell and run for the

bushes.  Oh what a delight to watch the "jerks" stomp it out

and then swear any manner of oaths.

Oh there was a year when I must have been having

an identity issue.  Too old for trick or treating, but

I loved dressing up like Zorro.  So I waited in bushes

near a mail box, and as people approached-we actually used 

mail boxes back then-I'd jump out, make the sign of 

Zorro-the big Z-with my plastic swoard and then

hand them a cluster of grapes. Yes truly-I gave them grapes.  

As I think back on it now, it wasn't so much fright,

shock or surprise that I got in return.  I think it was

a look in the eyes that said "what the hell kind of 

nut job is this kid?"  I think it was the next

year that my brother and I moved up to 

paper sack arson.

SPEAKING OF GOOFY COSTUMES

In response to a previous post about pampas grass,

Bruce, aka, Catalyst, sent a picture of the day

we flew from his Phoenix home back to the mid-west with our California pampas grass in hand. Bruce is the handsome swashbuckler on the left with his beautiful lady SWMBO at his side. Lana is the lovely young cowgirl with the pampas grass.

Notice how there is a lot of unexplained plaid in the 

picture.  Oh, the geeky smirker with the jr.Solzhenitsyn beard?  Don't know who that is.  Looks like he could be

one of those latent Zorros.

But what is it about that plaid?

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) A WIT

DO YOU REMEMBER MORT SAHL?

Sahl was on the cover of Time Magazine in
1960, hailed as the best of the new school of
comics.  I first connected with his brand of
social commentary seeing him on TV.  In an
age when most comedians did a line of jokes,
Sahl seemed to be plucking observations from 
the paper under his arm, or from daily life.
He wrote jokes for JFK and later his obsession with the Kennedy assassination turned some against him.
He was the first comic to record a live album and recently
a new generation has come to appreciate his observational 
wit and humor. 
Here is a brief BBC profile, featuring some other
great comics.

Here for your weekend enjoyment
are three clips of Sahl over the years.
Enjoy. 
A TELEPHONE CALL TO GOD

SAHL ON LIFE IN VEGAS

AN AGING SAHL ON LA AND MALIBU

Thanks Mort.  You've made us laugh and think. Yep,
you are a dangerous man!
See you down the trail.

GOOD THINGS

FRIDAY GRATITUDE

The Friday Farmers Market is

one of the delights of life in the village.

 Fresh, local, friendly and a social meeting ground.

 It is in a very real sense, the town square

where personal lives, politics, art and food ideas

exchange.

 On one of our first trips to California, late 60's era, we were so smitten with pampas grass, that Lana carried some

on the plane as we flew back to Indiana.

Our friend Bruce aka Catalyst, possesses a picture of such.

A great Friday evening often includes work on this

work bench.  The old bowl Weber replaced by 

one that creates no charcoal sparks, dirt or as much clean up.  There are advantages to being an aging boomer though 

it seems many a good hour passed in the presence of 

the old grills. Still, the clean up difference is persuasive!

See you down the trail.

WHO WOULD SAY THAT TODAY?

A POLITICIAN WHO SPOKE A TRUTH

He is probably unknown by the majority of voters today, but he said it like it was.  Alben W. Barkley was Vice President of the United States under President Harry Truman.

Born in a log cabin, yes he was, in Kentucky he was named Willie Alben but later changed his named to Alben William.

He served in Congress and in the Senate, where he was

was majority leader from 37 to 47.

He coined the phrase "give 'em hell, Harry" as Truman was 

about to begin his famous "whistle stop" campaign by taking

a train across the country and speaking from a platform

at the rear of the train.

Barkley ushered a new age of presidential campaigning when he initiated a series of "prop stop" appearances-flying 

to several locations in a day.  It is hard to imagine

a campaign that doesn't involve air travel.

Barkley was a great campaigner, being called 

an "iron man" for giving as many as 16 speeches a day.

So in that context here's something he said

that we'd never hear one of the modern politicians say

"THE BEST AUDIENCE IS INTELLIGENT, WELL

EDUCATED AND A LITTLE DRUNK."

Wouldn't it be fun to hear a candidate

with that kind of spunk and humor.

It seems the modern strain of politicus candidatus 

is a bit anemic by comparison.

DAY BOOK

See you down the trail

OCTOBERFEST

A GERMAN EVENING 

The local dining group assembled for the 
13th Movable Feast, Octoberfest.

The beautiful setting of family china, silver,

service, linen and lace added an authentic charm.

 THE MENU

German Potato Salad and Bratwurst

Gurkens, Creamed Herring, Cucumber Salad

Red Cabbage

Spargel (White Asparagus with Hazelnuts),

Butter Salad

Potato Pancakes with apple sauce & sour cream

Dark Rye and Light Rye Bread

Sauerkraut & Pork

Saurbraten

Konighsbergerklopse (Veal meatballs in caper sauce)

Spaetzel

Apple Cake with Cream

Hazlenut Cake

Mohnkucken (poppy seed tort)

Haselnut Cakronen

Beverages

Moonstone Gewurtzaminer

Lone Madrone Old Hat (zin-petite sirah-barbera)

Ravenswood Merlot

Spatten Premier Lager

Hoffbra Original


I am always amazed at the extraordinary talent
of this group.  It continues to exceed any restaurant anywhere. 
But now I'm going to do some heavy exercise! 
See you down the trail.

A BAD SOURCE COULD HAVE IT RIGHT

A CONTRADICTION IN A TIME

OF FAILING MEDIA

Something to remember about the confused media today is that just because it comes from a source with a point of view, does not mean that it is not right.  Fox gets things right.  MSNBC gets things right.  So do all of the nets and even many on line sources despite the fact that some, too many  to my liking, have staked out a political or philosophical skew. Amongst the chaff is some real wheat but you must discern.

It used to be easier when journalists cared about

information first, before the tyranny of ratings

and the need to be a "profit center."

Objectivity used to matter.

Unless you only read the Economist and watch the BBC, about the only way you are going to get "the straight news" is to consume information from all over the spectrum.  We should be doing that anyway, but most of us rely on the same old...

Glass-Stegall ?  Remember your history?  Here's something the OWS has done well. Regardless of the "commercial like" close consider the historic clips and the point they make about banks.

Here's the wikipedia paragraph that lays it out.  Look what the repeals did and consider those in light of credit default swaps and other such scams.  The point is, we had strong economic growth without devastating recession UNTIL we began "repealing" and de-regulating.

The Banking Act of 1933, Pub.L. 73-66, 48 Stat. 162, enacted June 16, 1933, was a law that established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in the United States and introduced banking reforms, some of which were designed to control speculation.^[1] It is most commonly known as the Glass–Steagall Act, after its legislative sponsors, Senator Carter Glass (D–Va.) and Congressman Henry B. Steagall (D–Ala.-3). Some provisions of the Act, such asRegulation Q, which allowed the Federal Reserve to regulate interest rates in savings accounts, were repealed by theDepository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980. Provisions that prohibit a bank holding companyfrom owning other financial companies were repealed on November 12, 1999, by the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act, named after its co-sponsors Phil Gramm (R, Texas), Rep. Jim Leach (R, Iowa), and Rep. Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. (R, Virginia).^[2][3]

The repeal of provisions of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 by the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act effectively removed the separation that previously existed between investment banking which issued securities and commercial banks which accepted deposits. The deregulation also removed conflict of interest prohibitions between investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks.

We may not always like the source, but we are served by

remembering that sometimes the truth can come

in thorny packages.  Very few of the Old Testament

prophets would have won a popularity contests.

Political dialogue in the US has been hijacked by ideologues, zealots, hacks and cable news "personalities."  While most of it is bilious and not worth your time,

some of it is necessary to fully understand all points of

view, even those with which you disagree.  And

some of it is probably right, from time to time.

Even if the media is less objective than it should be

you can be as objective as you allow yourself in

considering, really considering, honestly considering,

all points of view.  You can always rest in your

 view, and if you've allowed opposing thoughts to

cross your mind and it has not nudged you a bit,

then you can take solace in the knowledge.

An open mind wont hurt.

See you down the trail.

 

SIMON UPDATE-THE BAND

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE SOUND

We are still buzzed by the incredible Paul Simon

concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl.  I know

Phil Spector created the so called "wall of sound" but 

Simon's touring band creates a wall that wraps around you

and then boogies its way into your spine.

The playbill did not list the players and Paul's

introduction came at the end of the third encore and I didn't get the names.  Music News Net to the rescue-

His touring band for the run includes Cameroonian guitarist Vincent Nguini, pianist Mick Rossi, drummer Jim Oblon, saxophonist & keyboardist Andrew Snitzer, bassist Bakithi Kumalo, guitarist Mark Stewart, master percussionist Jamey Haddad and multi-instrumentalist Tony Cedras.

A STROLL AND PAUL SIMON IN SANTA BARBARA

CENTRAL COAST CLASSIC

Nature provided one of those great California October days. Perfect for an afternoon of people watching in Santa Barbara as a prelude to an evening with Paul Simon.

 A sun kissed day watched over by the surrounding mountains.

 The principal reason for the trip to Santa Barbara was to see Paul Simon at the Santa Barbara Bowl. A trip to the bowl is a great outing.

Once you park you begin a bit of climb, with the option of a ride in a Santa Barbara Bowl pedicab.

 The historic bowl is a beautiful venue.

I'm sorry for the poor quality of the photos. It was twilight,

we were walking up, as in climbing, and the shots are rushed.

 The landscape settings at the Bowl are beautiful

and unique.

 The walk into the Bowl is a good cardio workout.

 In this case, the cliche is true-there is not a bad seat in the house.

 The opening act, the Secret Sisters from Muscle Shoals

were outstanding.  They have a great future.

 Then the newly 70 year old Paul Simon rocked the house.

 He is an extraordinary artist and performer.  The audience

was in rapt attention and in motion as Simon and his 

superb ban moved through a play list that chronicled his hit laden career.  

 With the exception of Sounds of Silence which came in 

the third encore, everything they played had you either

seat dancing or up and moving.  

 I've been lucky to see many major acts

in a variety of venues.  Paul Simon at the 

Santa Barbara Bowl is one of the highlights.

There was a great California vibe between

artists and audience and it was a special night.

Three encores that were as good as some

full shows.

Still Crazy after all of these years. 

See you down the trail.