Old Santa Fe Sign

It is always hard to capture the signs in the Raton Pass area of Colorado and New Mexico.

From what I can see this time around, the sign has seen better days.

I have mentioned before that the old Santa Fe Trail was the way that the wagon trains and pony express got to the west.

The state line between Colorado and New Mexico has a marker just feet from the north portal of the tunnel and I actually saw it just before we entered the tunnel. The side I saw said Colorado, which is the harder one to see. You can see a photo of the marker in this wiki article. Raton Pass.

Still a cool area to pass through and I thoroughly enjoyed it both times we visited.

I Crossed The Mississippi Twice This Journey

My Water Post For Today.

Every time we cross the Mississippi River, it is an occasion to be celebrated.

When you fly you never really know you are crossing this majestic river.

When you do it, via rail, it drives home the split between the two halves of the Country.

That which was known and that which was still to explore.

Lewis and Clark anyone...

Views Of La Plata

Our car can not get off the train at La Plata, MO. We would have to be leaving or boarding the train, to do so.

So when our car passed the station, I just kept shooting photos and actually got some of the views of the work in progress at the station right now. Even the infamous coke machine!

The normal 2 cameras that are mounted on the building, have been down for several months and all they have is the PTZ Lookout camera, that is off in the distance.

It is a small station, but amazingly, it gets the most views of all the Virtual Railfan sites.

If you want, you can view it HERE.

Going To The Hollywood Bowl (Updated With Setlist)

I can't say much, right now. More to come later in the post.

We are going to see Steely Dan at the Hollywood Bowl Friday evening and we are preparing our first bowl outing, with COVID-19 in mind.

We packed a picnic basket dinner, but I think we may eat in the car, at the zoo parking lot. We shall see.

It is get-away for the Memorial Day weekend and so traffic may be a mess early. We will have to figure that into our plans.

This will be the first concert we will have attended since 2020 and as a matter of fact, this one has been delayed 2 years in a row.

Being it is outside, we will mask and I will not sing. Hopefully, all will go well. :-)

More later...

It's later and here is the setlist:

Phantom Raiders (Stanley Wilson cover) Intro

Night by night

Hey 19

Black Friday

Aja

Kid Charlemagne

Home At Last

Green Flower Street

Time Out Of Mind

Babylon Sisters

Green Earrings

FM

Dirty Work (Danettes)

Bodhisattva

Keep That Same Old Feeling (Crusaders cover) Band Intros

Peg

My Old School

Reeling In The Years (encore)

A Man Ain’t Supposed To Cry (Joe Williams cover) Outro

Quick thoughts on the concert.

Adam Rogers was a masterful choice for the second guitarist. He was doing an excellent job replacing his friend, Walter Becker. Great technique and he went places with his solos. I wasn't happy to have lost Conner Kennedy, but Adam was a great replacement.

Snarky Puppy, the opening act, were great! I really enjoyed them, but missed lyrics in songs.

Some of the extended openings and mid sections were pretty wild. Adam Rogers was a part of that, I think. Green Flower Street comes to mind.

Donald did well with the songs but seemed a bit lost when he had to speak between songs. Almost like he didn't know how to put into words the things he was feeling about being in a town he had spent a decade creating these songs in. It truly must bring up memories for him. Many of them, not good.

From the setlist I had, they ended up pulling Josie and put in FM. It was a straight up version of the song and was probably added for the LA audience.

The two year hiatus did not do the band any good and it did not do the audience any good. We have changed and they have changed. We won't get that innocence back.

They were happy to give us what they could and it was a solid show.

The New Overnight Sleepers For The Eastern Section Of The Country

On one of our overnight journey's on the Lakeshore Limited, we lucked out on a brand new sleeper car.

It looked great, but as with most things made now days, it lacked durability.

Single level cars (aka: viewliner cars) have windows for both the upper and lower bunk, which my Husband appreciated. It has a better stepping area for getting access to the top bunk.

There is no toilet in your roomette, which I appreciated. There were 2 bathrooms toward the end of the car, which we used.

There is a sink to brush your teeth or shave and I liked that a lot.

What our main problem was, is that the headrest on the lower bunk fell off and so as you can see in the first photo, it is missing and a metal piece is sticking out. I had to watch out what I was doing and where I put stuff, so that it did not stick or injure me. The second photo has the headrest in its correct position, so you can see how it was supposed to be. Our room attendant took it with him and stored it in an unused room.

There are more plugs in the roomette and that came in handy, but they are not in a great place for someone who wants to work at the table. In our case, we were leaving just after breakfast, so we did not care.

The overhead bag storage was very difficult to access and we ended up putting our main luggage in the baggage car. Inconvenient, to say the least.

It was quite a contrast to our return trip in one of the 40 year old cars. I hate the bathroom toilet in the room. For that alone, I would rather take the new car. Falling headrest and all.

What A Difference 2 Weeks Make

We came through Las Vegas, NM on 5/8 and I was constantly getting warnings on my phone that there were mandatory evacuations going on just to the west and north of the Las Vegas area.

When we actually stopped at the station, it was smoky out and very sad.

There were 4 fires burning, one near Santa Fe, two that had merged into one by Las Vegas and another to the east, by Wagon Mound.

Two weeks later, on 5/21 we passed the exact same area and what a difference that two weeks made.

The fire was only 40 percent contained, but the amount of smoke had dissipated greatly and some of the fires were not being seen, by me at least.

I did get 2 messages on my cell phone, but that was MUCH better than the constant bombardment I got on the trip over.

My best wishes for the area. May the fires be completely extinguished soon.

Block...Or No Block

There are so many interesting things that you see, as you travel by train.

The most exciting thing is when the train station is SO small that it blocks crossings for upwards of 10 minutes or so.

I, as a passenger, feel so bad for the people who have to wait for us to do our thing at the station.

This was the front of the Flagstaff stop. Last time I was on the other end of the platform.

We were so far from the end of the train, that I had to just stay where I was and not wander around.

Very cool to visit.

Steely Dan Is Touring In 2022

I am way late to the party on this tour.

Being I have had tickets to see the show since 2020, I think I have a right to be a little behind in reporting about it.

The tour started on the night I was returning from my vacation, traveling by train. So I had no real communication for large parts of the journey.

Things that are different this tour is that Conner Kennedy has left the band and Adam Rogers has been added. Something new to watch for, as I listen to the show.

We have an opening act at the Hollywood Bowl show, this time around. Snarky Puppy. I have no idea how that will work with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

Note that Snarky Puppy is only the opener, until June 19th. Then the Dave Stryker Trio takes over, for the remainder of the tour.

DATE -- VENUE -- LOCATION

MAY 20, 2022 VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM PORTLAND, OR.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

MAY 21, 2022 WHITE RIVER AMPHITHEATRE AUBURN, WA.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

MAY 25, 2022 CONCORD PAVILION CONCORD, CA.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

MAY 27, 2022 HOLLYWOOD BOWL HOLLYWOOD, CA.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

MAY 28, 2022 NORTH ISLAND CREDIT UNION AMPHITHEATRE CHULA VISTA, CA.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

MAY 31, 2022 AK-CHIN PAVILION PHOENIX, AZ.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

JUN 02, 2022 DICKIES ARENA FORT WORTH, TX.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

JUN 03, 2022 CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL PAVILION HOUSTON, TX.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

JUN 05, 2022 ACL LIVE AUSTIN, TX.

JUN 06, 2022 ACL LIVE AUSTIN, TX.

JUN 10, 2022 WALMART AMPHITHEATRE ROGERS, AR.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

JUN 11, 2022 LIVE AT THE GARDEN MEMPHIS, TN.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

JUN 14, 2022 CADENCE BANK AMPHITHEATRE AT CHASTAIN PARK ATLANTA, GA.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

JUN 16, 2022 RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER CINCINNATI, OH.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

JUN 18, 2022 DTE ENERGY MUSIC THEATRE CLARKSTON, MI.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

JUN 19, 2022 HOLLYWOOD CASINO AMPHITHEATRE TINLEY PARK, IL.

Opening act: Snarky Puppy

JUN 21, 2022 SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUN 23, 2022 ST JOSEPH'S HEALTH AMPHITHEATER SYRACUSE, NY.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUN 25, 2022 WOLF TRAP FILENE CENTER VIENNA, VA.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUN 26, 2022 WOLF TRAP FILENE CENTER VIENNA, VA.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUN 29, 2022 NORTHWELL HEALTH AT JONES BEACH THEATER WANTAGH, NY.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUN 30, 2022 PNC BANK ARTS CENTER HOLMDEL, NJ.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 02, 2022 XFINITY CENTER MANSFIELD, MA.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 03, 2022 BETHEL WOODS CENTER FOR THE ARTS BETHEL, NY.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 13, 2022 FIRSTBANK AMPHITHEATER FRANKLIN, TN.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 15, 2022 LANDMARK THEATER RICHMOND, VA.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 16, 2022 OVENS AUDITORIUM CHARLOTTE, NC.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 19, 2022 DURHAM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER DURHAM, NC.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 20, 2022 MORAN THEATER JACKSONVILLE, FL.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 22, 2022 THE MAHAFFEY ST. PETERSBURG, FL.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 23, 2022 THE MAHAFFEY ST. PETERSBURG, FL.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

JUL 28, 2022 SEMINOLE HARD ROCK HOTEL And CASINO

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

HOLLYWOOD, FL.

JUL 30, 2022 BARBARA B MANN PERFORMING ARTS HALL FT. MYERS, FL.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

AUG 01, 2022 DR. PHILLIPS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS ORLANDO, FL.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

AUG 02, 2022 DR. PHILLIPS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS ORLANDO, FL.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

AUG 04, 2022 NORTH CHARLESTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER NORTH CHARLESTON, SC.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

AUG 06, 2022 BORGATA ATLANTIC CITY, NJ.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

AUG 07, 2022 HARTFORD HEALTHCARE AMPHITHEATER BRIDGEPORT, CT.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

AUG 10, 2022 THE CAPITOL THEATRE PORT CHESTER, NY.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

AUG 12, 2022 THE CAPITOL THEATRE PORT CHESTER, NY.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

AUG 13, 2022 THE CAPITOL THEATRE PORT CHESTER, NY.

Opening act:The Dave Stryker Trio

==========

Photo is from the Santa Barbara 2019 Concert.

Rio Grande In New Mexico

First off, yes we are home. Yay!

My Water Post For Today.

This is the Rio Grande River.

When most people think of this river, you think of it as the border between the United States and Mexico.

Somewhere after it does its thing down south, it turns to the north and runs through most of the State of New Mexico.

Our train followed it just to the right of the river, except where we crossed it. I knew that was coming and so I was ready this time.

The Rio Grande, a north/south river (at least up in this area).

I hope you enjoy.

Home, Once Again (2022)

With quite a bit of luck, we should arrive home in L.A. around 8AM.

I will believe it when I see it.

Remember last year? We arrived 11 hours late.

We are hoping to not have a repeat of that lateness.

The photo is me at Flagstaff, (on our way to Chicago), two weeks ago.

It will be great to see Makenna again.

Thomas A. Edison Depot

When Thomas A. Edison was a boy, he funded his early experiments by selling magazines, newspapers, and candy on this local Port Huron train.

100 years later, after a fire had burned down his boyhood home, and tracks covered the remains, they found some of the projects he was working on.

This very area was the start of the inventor and what wonderful things he eventually gave this Country, making all our lives better.

It is a nice tribute, but unfortunately, it was closed on Thursday.

Our loss, but nice to check out the parts we could see

For those who follow our journey home. We should be at Flagstaff anywhere from 12AM to 1AM Eastern time. Too late for most, but available for those on the West Coast.

John J. Boland At Port Huron

We spent our last day in Michigan visiting the thumb of the mitten...Port Huron.

I spend a bit of time catching the weather near my Son, by visiting this Streamtime Live Cam, which you can see, HERE.

We walked around the breakwater and spent about a half hour in total.

As we were about to head back I checked in and found out a ship would be coming in 15 minutes. We ended up walking and in that time, the ship arrived.

The John J. Boland was built in 1973 and named after one of the founders of the American Steamship Company.

It made our day a bit more exciting.

I would have loved to cross over into Canada, but with COVID-19 still around, we didn't want any delays returning to the U.S.

A beautiful day to visit Port Huron.

For any who check this blog, we will be returning to L.A. today. Passing the Fort Madison Camera at around 7:30PM Eastern Time.

South Bend, Indiana

Before I get too far away from my two trips on the Lakeshore Limited, I just want to highlight a city I went through that means a lot to me.

That is: South Bend, Indiana.

I have read Pete Buttigieg's wonderful book, "Shortest Way Home" several times during the Pandemic and wrote about it, HERE. I feel that I have gotten to know his home town, pretty well. It is the one that welcomed him back after 10 years of getting an education and then electing him Mayor, and him serving 2 terms.

He vividly describes sitting on the 14th floor of the County/City Building, where he was Mayor for 8 years. The view out the windows, the snow falling, the birds landing on the window sill, and even the tower just across the way from his building.

When I saw the tall buildings just up the street from our train tracks, I knew one of them was City Hall and I took more photos than I should have.

There is a 25 story building, Liberty Tower, and right across the way is the 14 story County/City Building, that Pete discusses in his book.

It made me very happy to capture photos of an area that I wanted to visit.

At least its a start.

Greetings From Dayton, Ohio

We made it to the National Museum of the Air Force.

Spent about 4 hours looking around at planes both old and new.

It was quite exciting, especially for my Son.

He had wanted to see the North American XB-70 Valkyrie. The plane dwarfed every other one in the room. It was impressive.

I found the extensive exhibit on the Vietnam War fascinating. They explained quite a bit about the war, that we civilians knew little about. I had heard that our friend who was in Vietnam had been sent to Laos, to do things to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, but never knew what exactly was going on. All I knew, was that when Nixon disavowed any knowledge of troops being there, the troops wondered where he thought they were.

The museum and parking are both free, if you are interested.

We Made It To Novi, MI

We made it to Michigan on Sunday Evening.

We spent Saturday evening starting at 10:00PM boarding the Lakeshore Limited.

Slept through the night and detrained at 10:00AM in Chicago.

Got some lunch and stayed at the Metropolitan Lounge until our train left at 2:15PM.

My Son picked us up in Ann Arbor and brought us to the hotel.

Today, due to afternoon thunder storms, we just did laundry and then went to Spicer's Orchards.

Bought several things that we don't have room for...what else is new.

Tomorrow, with luck, we will be driving to Dayton, Ohio.

Oswego Riverwalk

My Water Post For Today.

The Oswego River on the Oswego Riverwalk, is a lovely way to work off your pizza dinner.

We took a stroll down the walk and saw all the people eating at the hotel across the river.

A bird was sitting on the rocks, watching the world go by.

A very peaceful way to finish up our time in the City of Oswego.

Back On The Trains Once Again!

Yes, we finished graduation and hopefully are on the train to Chicago and then Michigan.

We are due in around 8PM.

We will see what kind of car we get this time around.

Last time was a brand new sleeper car.

As you can see in the photo, it had its problems.

They just don't make things like they used to. :-)

Who I Came From And How Proud Of Me They Would Be

My mom was born a 1st generation American. Her dad was from Italy. Her mom was born in America. She was pointed into secretary training in High School, though what she really wanted was to be a journalist. That would have meant going to college and was totally out of the question, for her. Her family needed the money she would bring into the household. When I began college at a local 2-year school, I told her she should go too. Get that degree she had wanted so much. She never did, though she was only in her mid 40’s. I guess she felt time had passed her by.

Well, here I am at 67 years old graduating with a Masters in Strategic Communication. Why, I am not totally sure, but what I AM totally sure of, is that my Mom will be looking down at me from heaven and cheering me on this Saturday. So will my dad, for that matter. The man who did not quite graduate High School, due to English not being his first language. Yes, another first generation American. They worked hard. Mom at home and dad as a mechanic for city busses. They raised the 4 of us and they have 4 grandsons and 3 great grandchildren. We move on proudly in this American Land.

A broadcaster always rolls credits at the end of a production and I would like to do so here. So without further ado, here are mine.

To SUNY Oswego for helping me finish what I started in 1975, 2013, and now 2022. You all rock!

To my Husband, Mitch, without who I would have gone nowhere. He is my backstop and love of my life.

To my Brother-In-Law, Geoff, who spent more time on the phone giving me advice and actually reading my paper. Thanks, Geoff.

To my Son, Justin, who taught me about The Swiss Cheese Method of risk analysis and put up with me blabbing about the project for the past year.

I hope that since I now will have time on my hands, I will use some of my skills to work with social media and websites. We will see what that future holds for me and yes, I will document it all on my humble blog.

An Unofficial Graduation Photo

It is not official, by any means. If you look hard you can see I am wearing my tee shirt. :-)

But it gives you a hint of what is going to go on, this Saturday.

I am still totally mystified by the whole hood thing. Sigh...

We move to Syracuse today, for our last night in town.

We might do something different like a touristy thing. I will have to discuss with my travel partner.

In good news, we did get our laundry done. Yay, clothes to wear.

I Have The Cap, Gown And Hood

Success is mine...at least in regard to my cap, gown and hood.

The hood is weird, but they will be attaching it, and not I.

The sleeves on the gown are very long. They are weird, but something different from the Undergrads. Looking up the history of the Masters gown, it comes from the 12th Century. Modeled after the monks who taught the students. Their robes had long sleeves, that they probably used to hold money that people gave them.

I am glad to finally get a chance to experience this event.

Here is the link for the Saturday graduation ceremony. Mine will be at 4PM Eastern time. SUNY Livestream.

Oswego Is Still Here And looking Fine

Tuesday, we pulled into Oswego around 1PM and after checking into the hotel, I made a quick trip over to the school to pick up my green rope to wear for graduation. I gave a senior gift to the school of $20.22 and so I get to wear this rope.

Later today we will stop by the college store and pick up my cap and gown and stuff.

Wish me luck on all that. I remember last time it took 2 days to get it handled.

We visited the Oswego Sub Shop and got a meatball sub. A reminder of the real old days. I can't believe it is still there, 45 years later.

The one I really can't believe is still around is Pizza Villa, right across the street. The pizza was terrible there! How can it still be in business?

It's good to be back.

Hopefully Coming To Oswego Today

I did not get the schedule for the Lakeshore Limited, since we spend the vast majority of the trip, at night.

Once I am in NY State, I KNOW where I am and will wave at friends, as I pass.

The final leg of this journey brings me to getting a rental car and a cap and gown.

Wish us luck with all that.

God willing, breakfast Wednesday at Wade's Diner and dinner at Rudy's one of the days, at least.

I have missed both of them so much.

By The Mississippi At Fort Madison

My Water Post For Today.

With luck, we should be passing the camera at Fort Madison this morning at around 10:30A (Central Time).

Onward to Chicago and our transfer to the Lakeshore Limited.

I always love the Mississippi River and can't wait to see it again.

Enjoy.

On Our Way To Chicago

By the time this posts, we should be almost to Flagstaff, Arizona. Of course that is if we are on time. :-)

Here is the link to the camera, if you want to check us out. VRF Flagstaff. It worked out well for us, having something I could call up on my cell phone, to know where we were, or how late we were running.

Departs Los Angeles, CA (LAX) - 5:55p
6:25p | 6:30p - Fullerton, CA (FUL)
7:11p | 7:13p - Riverside, CA (RIV)
7:33p | 7:39p - San Bernardino, CA (SNB)
8:47p | 8:50p - Victorville, CA (VRV)
9:43p | 9:46p - Barstow, CA (BAR)
12:11a | 12:13a - Needles, CA (NDL)
1:15a | 1:25a - Kingman, AZ (KNG)
4:14a | 4:20a - Flagstaff, AZ (FLG)
5:18a | 5:20a - Winslow, AZ (WLO)
8:00a | 8:06a - Gallup, NM (GLP)
11:20a | 11:48a - Albuquerque, NM (ABQ)
12:58p | 1:02p - Lamy, NM (LMY)
2:51p | 2:51p - Las Vegas, NM (LSV)
4:38p | 4:42p - Raton, NM (RAT)
5:39p | 5:41p - Trinidad, CO (TRI)
7:19p | 7:29p - La Junta, CO (LAJ)
8:21p | 8:23p - Lamar, CO (LMR)
10:48p | 10:50p - Garden City, KS (GCK)
11:41p | 11:47p - Dodge City, KS (DDG)
1:37a | 1:39a - Hutchinson, KS (HUT)
2:15a | 2:19a - Newton, KS (NEW)
4:37a | 4:40a - Topeka, KS (TOP)
5:07a | 5:09a - Lawrence, KS (LRC)
6:53a | 7:28a - Kansas City, MO (KCY)
9:31a | 9:33a - La Plata, MO (LAP)
10:49a | 10:49a - Fort Madison, IA (FMD)
11:48a | 11:48a - Galesburg, IL (GBB)
12:38p | 12:38p - Princeton, IL (PCT)
12:59p | 12:59p - Mendota, IL (MDT)
2:00p | 2:00p - Naperville, IL (NPV)
Arrives Chicago, IL (CHI) - 5/9 2:50p

Dinner On The Train?

Last year we did not know if they would offer us dinner that first night, so we grabbed an In-N-Out burger on our way to Union Station.

This time we intend to have dinner on the train. Probably a bit late, I am sure. Like 7PM, but that is fine.

Hopefully before we get to Barstow. Click the link around 9:30PM West Coast time to see us arive. :-)

We might wave at the camera, if anyone cares. :-)

The Plants Have Been Moved

It's the final days til we leave on our trip East.

Worried about COVID-19? Yeah, maybe a bit. We did our best to keep ourselves away from people, during our train trip, and hopefully it will be enough.

I will mask up for graduation, since it will be indoors. I have my Oswego mask, so at least I will be coordinated. :-)

One of the last things I always need to do, is move my plants onto the beds that get watered automatically.

I did it last year and with a bit of luck, they will survive our absence.

Lady Rain On Musik Laden

It has been 12 years since I found Lady Rain on Youtube. I posted about it HERE.

In all that time, I never saw a similar version of the song, that was done on Musikladen (which was a music show out of Berlin).

You can watch it HERE and see the differences and similarities between the two performances.

They are both EXCELLENT and worthy of your time.

The Pumpkin And The Black Sheep

I wasn't going to post this photo on my blog, but since my Sister saw it on our Zoom session and mentioned it, I guess I should.

Here is the tiny dish with the black sheep on it.

Truly, so cute!

The stylized pumpkin is in the back of the photo.

What the artist did is roll out the clay like you would a pie shell.

Then she stamped it with a pattern and cut it into strips working from a base that had all the strips connected to it.

Yes, it is in a general shape of a pumpkin with the long...long stem at the top.

I find it so beautiful to touch (I am very much a person who loves to touch artwork).

I signed up my email for the CASI Ceramics studio. Maybe sometime I will be able to join.

Ceramics And Pottery Sale

Remember the days before COVID-19?

One of the things I was looking into, was attending classes at a Ceramics studio.

The next classes to sign up for were in March of 2020, since I would be cruising until mid-February.

Yeah, we all know how that turned out.

A week or so ago, I saw this huge ceramics article in our local paper, The Signal.

You can read it, HERE.

Since the majority of my college academic work wraps up this next week, I felt it was karma, or something and so I joined the Abandoned Art Facebook page and have been following where the ceramic art pieces have been hidden.

I even ran to a local café down the street, to make sure it had been picked up by someone. It had (darn!).

So though this weekend has been Power Point, all the time, in preparation for my Thesis Defense, I carved out an hour or so, to visit this art show and see the pieces, close up.

Here are the publicity photos of two of the artists (I did not take a single photo of the event and I really should have.

The artwork is stunning and creative.

The stamped works particularly caught my eye and if I ever get somewhere with pottery, I would love to make some.

Yes, if you need to ask, I did buy two pieces. One by the artist at the top of this post, Michelle Maga, (It is the most creative pumpkin I have ever seen) and then a small dish with black sheep on it, by the second artist profiled, Dana Harbeger Schneider.

A Beautiful View Of Maui

My Water Post For Today.

I was visiting my Maui photos the other day and didn't think I ever showed you this one.

Unless I did not use the word Maui in the post, you did not see it.

Maui is a beautiful Island and the place my friend has chosen to live and raise his daughters.

It's truly an island paradise and I was glad to finally see it on this journey.

Route 66

Welcome to a new month and it's May Day!

7 days until we leave on our train.

The Southwest Chief follows I-40, which is mostly where Route 66 used to be.

Many of the towns along the way, ended up in the song by Bobby Troup.

Google put a tribute to the route on Saturday and it had over 100 images by one of their employees, in it.

You can view it, HERE and you can see what CNN had to say about the video.

Very cool.

Some of the places pictured are the Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis, MO, which I went by last year.

The beautiful sandstone cliffs in Mesita, New Mexico.

And the historic Hotel du Beau in Flagstaff, AZ.