Buffleheads, Goldeneyes, Mallards & Canadians

 

My first gig as a volunteer for the Division of Wildlife was a success and fun as well. My task was to complete a waterfowl count on a golf course on the Southeast side of the Denver metro area. I really had little instruction from the DOW other than to show up before sunrise and to count all the different types of waterfowl I saw so I arrived on scene at about 6:20 am with binoculars and a handy dandy bird identification book. The book was necessary because other than Canadian geese and mallards I really can’t tell a duck from a buck.

This past Saturday I drove out to the golf course to familiarize myself with the area and check out what kind of waterfowl were there. That day the only birds I saw were Canadian Geese….and there were probably 500 or 600 of them all over the course. When I arrived on Tuesday morning I was surprised to find only about 100 Canadians in the area and they were all in the water. (Now that I’m an expert, I know that they spend the night on the water and during the day move to the fields to feed.)

The golf course contains two different ponds and a creek that runs through the middle of the course so after I counted the geese at the main pond I walked around to the other pond and to the creek to see what might be there. When I got to the other pond I saw two other types of ducks/waterfowl that I hadn’t a clue as to what they were. I made some crude drawings on my notepad and headed back to my truck. After consulting the bird book I was still not sure about an identification and decided to go back to the pond and bring my camera as it was now light enough to get a picture and as they say “a picture is worth a thousand words for an old guy with CRS”

I got the pictures and on the way back to the truck again counted about 100 mallards along the creek. Fortunately between my drawings and the pictures…and the book I was able to identify the web footed flyers. In the picture above the smaller pair on the left are male and female Bufflehead and the larger pair on the right are male and female Common Goldeneye. I have never seen ducks like this before so I was thrilled at a new experience. By 8:30 am I had completed the count, drove home and completed my report which I faxed to the DOW office.

They must have liked my work because later that day I got an offer to help man the DOW booth at the International Sportsmen’s Exhibition this weekend in Denver. Unfortunately I can’t do that because on Saturday I’ll be driving down to Colorado Springs to attend another DOW orientation. At this meeting I’ll learn more about the opportunities to volunteer in Southeast Colorado. The orientation is two hours long and The Bride has agreed to come with me and then get some lunch in the Springs….which brings me to my next adventure.

Readers know that I like to investigate off beat places and down home food like BBQ and burgers. It just so happens that I recently heard about an unusual burger joint in Colorado Springs by the name of Conway’s Red Top. This burger joint has been written up in a number of national publications and is famous for it’s 18” hamburger….That is correct. Eighteen inches across. That’s way more than I could probably consume but the experience will be worth the trip as I see it. The soups and stews are supposed to be killer items too. So check back in a couple of days and see how this adventure goes.

Thanks for visiting.

Home For A Day

Well actually it’s two days but you get the idea. The Bride and I returned yesterday afternoon for a Circle The Wagons camping trip. It was just a weekend trip, not nearly long enough but we take what we can get these days with everybody's busy schedule.

Guitar, Pic-E, Too Tall-Two Timing and K left mid day on Friday and got the campsites….and dinner all prepared for our arrival at 8pm. Guitar made a stew in his Dutch oven and I was impressed. It was not only tasty but it hit the spot because there was a chill in the air once the sun went down.

Saturday morning we all rode over to Bishop’s Castle which was only a few miles from the campsite. The castle is a bit of major kitsch right in Colorado. For 41 years, Jim Bishop has been building away on his creation…and creation is the word for it. It is a castle that conjures up images of knights and dragons and sorcerers. It’s a fantastic bit of construction, all done one stone at a time and with the use of only the most primitive of equipment.

Jim allows people to explore the castle on their own, as much as they like. He doesn’t charge admission but accepts donations to help him continue his work.

I visited this amazing building about 7 or 8 years ago and was amazed at what Jim had completed since my last visit. I don’t think Jim has an end point in mind so he’ll just keep adding on as long as he is physically able.

Saturday afternoon, K and Too Tall-Two Timing took a little ride in their kayak on Lake Isabel while the rest of us did a little hiking. I even found time to squeeze in a little nap in the afternoon. At dinner Saturday night we posed for the picture at the top of the post. Nose wardrobe compliments of Too Tall-Two Timing. The young lady with us is Guitar and Pic-E’s great-granddaughter.

Today and tomorrow is re-provisioning time for me. I need to empty the waste tanks on the RV and refill the fresh water tank. A trip to the grocery store is also on the list to get food and snacks for my trip to the Pecos Conference. Tomorrow morning I have a dental appointment and a doctor appointment. The doctor appointment is to hopefully, once and for all to take care of a wart problem on my foot. The doctor has twice before…unsuccessfully tried to freeze off a wart between my toes on my right foot. If she is not successful this time, I’m going to be in a lot of trouble as my Forest Service volunteer project starts in a week and a half. It’s pretty painful walking right now and a 13,000 foot mountain isn’t going to make it any better.

I am leaving for the Pecos Conference first thing Wednesday morning and spend the night at Great Sand Dunes National Park. Thursday is the registration day and the programs begin on Friday morning. It looks like the weather will be somewhat hotter than it has been so far this summer with temps in the 90’s. There is no power hook-ups at the conference campsite so it may be a bit uncomfortable during the day. There are several field trips on Sunday to local archaeological sites. After the field trip I’ll probably head to Durango and find a commercial campground so I can dump tanks and get fresh water….and even take a shower in a full sized facility. I’ll be back home on Monday and then turn around and leave on Wednesday for my Forest Service gig.

I’m not expecting to have any internet connections until I return home a week from today so this may be the last post for a while.

In other news I was accepted to one more Passport in Time project. This is another archaeological survey in far southeast Colorado. This is a continuation of a project that I did last year and really enjoyed. Read about that one here. It will be at the end of September and I’ll tell you more about it in a later post.

Thanks for visiting

The Shady Dell & Dot's Diner

In a previous post I told you about our trip to the old mining town of Bisbee, AZ and shopping at their great antique and jewelry stores. This was a must for the ladies...and for the guys as well but for a completely different reason. The fact that the ladies got to "shop a lot" meant that us guys had built up enough "credit" to impose on them to visit a very famous bit of kitsch located in the same town.

The Shady Dell trailer park is Arizona's oldest continuously operated trailer park. Opened in 1927 it has been serving travelers for over 80 years. It didn't start it's life as the Shady Dell though. It had had numerous names over the years and before it became the Shady Dell it was called Snowbird Heaven. In 2004 two entrepreneurs bought the property and turned it into a haven for classic trailers. Even better, they restored these trailers and turned the place into a trailer motel.

Continuing on the theme, the owners purchased a 1957 Valentine diner in California and added it to the property. It's called Dot's Diner and seats a whopping 10 people inside and another 8 outside, so if you want to eat either breakfast or lunch there you'd better come early. Unfortunately, we arrived in late afternoon and the diner was closed.

Ownership changed hands a year or so ago and a young energetic couple now owns and is expanding the place with more classic trailers, a Tiki bus and a 1947 Chris Craft yatch. The Shady Dell is one cool place.

We spent some time talking with the new owners and it was refreshing to see a young couple so involved and excited about their business. The reported that at this time of year, the high season in AZ, they are pretty well booked up for most of the weekends. They extend this kitsch to their private lives as well and have a gorgeous classic Shasta trailer that they use on family outings.

The Shady Dell was one of the must do things I had on my list for the trip and I was not disappointed. Some day I would love to stay overnight in one of their classic trailers! Here's a few more pictures.





























Thanks for visiting.

Adrift In The SouthWest Again - Part VII

As I mentioned in the last post we spent Wednesday night in Gallup. We arrived in late afternoon and before heading to the RV park we cruised down part of old Route 66. There were a lot of old motel signs to keep us entertained.

Probably the most fascinating old hotel/motel we encountered was the El Rancho. As you can see from the picture at the top of the post, they bill themselves as the "Home of the Movie Stars". Apparently this was the "in" place to stay when travelling through the area or when movies were being shot in the area. The lobby is a fantastic piece of western lodge style architecture and on the mezzanine they had autographed pictures of about every major star of the 30's through the 60's.

They also had a pretty nice jewelry story that featured Native American jewelry, all of which was made by local artists and picked by the owner of El Rancho, Armand Ortega. The sales lady in the jewelry shop said that Mr. Ortega is 83 years old and still takes a very active role in the management of the hotel.

After checking into the RV park we decided to have dinner on the town and stopped at a local family style Mexican restaurant. It was outstanding and just what we needed after a couple of hard days travel.

Thursday morning we headed off I-40, north on NM 491 towards Shiprock and Farmington. This road goes straight through the heart of the Navajo reservation and is quite scenic. At Farmington we stopped for a few supplies before heading to Chaco Canyon which is VERY remote. While in Farmington we stumbled on a Muffler Man....a very appropriate stumble before we immersed ourselves in a couple of days of ancient culture.

Getting into Chaco Canyon wasn't any easier that when I was there last fall. The last 12 miles of road into the canyon is severely rutted and it took one hour to drive this stretch. It is, as I said last fall, worth every bit of effort. I was really looking forward to seeing Guitar's reaction to this place.

I'll tell you this part of the story in the next post....

Thanks for visiting.

Good News, Bad News, Muffler Man News

Good News. My RV repair guys are going to be able to fix the broken window by just replacing the glass and not the whole window.

Bad News. It will still be pretty expensive and it won't be done until Monday so I will miss the Circle The Wagons trip I had scheduled to start today.

More Bad News. I made a a reservation for my camping spot at Ridgway State Park just to be on the safe side. When I'm traveling alone I rarely make a reservation because there is an $8 reservation fee. This reservation fee applies to each reservation whether it is one day or two weeks. In many instances, the camping fee is $13 and the $8 reservation fee amounts to a 70% surcharge..... Obscene. And if you think that's bad, there is also a cancellation fee if you decide, or in my case, just can't make it. By the time it was all said and done I was charged an additional $26 because I couldn't make it.....So, the charge for three nights camping (including reservation fee) was $62. The outside contractor, Reserve America, that handles all the reservations for the Colorado State Parks will keep 50% of the entire cost ($36) AND they will be able to charge someone else for the campsite as well. Something is really wrong with this. The outside contractor is really gouging citizens who supposedly own the parks by virtue of the taxes they already pay. Our wonderful state government seems not to care how its citizens are treated.....as long as the state gets its cut. I'm not sure who I can complain to that might make a difference but someone in the Colorado State Government is going to hear from me.

Last night I went to Bud's Bar in Sedalia to meet up with the rest of The Circle to wish them a good trip and to dine on a great cheeseburger. While talking about the trip, Too Tall - Two Timing mentioned that he had spotted a Muffler Man not far from Rock Mountain National Park! Long time readers will remember that I am a connoisseur of Muffler Men. Just look at the left margin of this blog under Labels/Muffler Man and you'll see that I have 8 different posts dedicated to Muffler Men. They are just another bit of weirdness and kitsch that I enjoy.

Anyhow, seeing as how my camping trip had been sunk, I decided that this morning I would go look for the cowboy Muffler Man and maybe take a short day trip in the mountains on the way back. As you can see by the picture at the top of the post I did exactly that.

This is a true Muffler Man. An original. You can tell by the position of the hands...right up, left down. It is not in the best of condition however. The left side of the brim of the cowboy hat is missing. This Muffler Man sits in the yard of a private residence not too far from Lyons, Colorado and it's one of the few of these giants that are "residential" in nature. Most of them are found in front of businesses or in amusement parks. Seeing a "new to me" Muffler Man was just what I needed to get me out of the funk caused by the cancellation of my trip, and there was more to come.

After finding the Muffler Man, I decided to head into the mountains and specifically to the little town of Nederland. Nederland is a quirky little town of about 1400 population just west of the Leftist Nation of Boulder. It's most famous for it's Frozen Dead Guy Days that is celebrated every March.

Whoda thunk that in addition to all of this quirkiness, I'd also find a piece of real history? As I was entering this little town I couldn't help but notice a huge old steam shovel sitting on the side of the road. I can remember seeing a few of these still operating when I was a little boy but they are now pretty well extinct.

To make things even more exciting (doesn't take a lot to keep me excited), this was no ordinary steam shovel. This was the only remaining steam shovel to have helped excavate the Panama Canal! Wow. And to think it now has a place of honor in Nederland, Colorado. And the 1400 residents have not only this to be proud of but Frozen Dead Guy Days as well. Let me tell you God has really done right by Nederland.

All of this excitement just made me ravenous so I stopped at the local brew pub for a bite of lunch. Yes, even with only 1400 souls, Nederland has it's own brew pub....Frozen Dead Guy Days, the last Panama Canal steam shovel and a brew pub....makes you want to go there doesn't it?

Anyway, the food was good but the view from the deck was even better and right next to the brew pub, another bit of kitsch. Vintage travel trailers for rent. Man, I've hit a home run for the day! As the old saying goes, "When one door closes, another opens." My camping trip was a bust but today's trip was fantastic. I decided to quit while I was way ahead and head for home.












A pleasant ride with temps in the upper 60's....couldn't be better.

Thanks for visiting.

Tucumcari Part III - Murals

With all the faded glitz of Tucumcari, the last thing I expected to find was a very current and lively public art. The art was in the form of murals. Murals on the outside of buildings. All kinds of buildings. From the Chamber of Commerce to the local pharmacy to a tobacco shop. There are somewhere around 30 different murals all over town and I probably saw twenty to twenty-five of them on my walk. All I can say is WOW. Totally unexpected and really, really cool.

The majority were painted by the husband and wife team of Doug and Sharon Quarles. Their style is photo realism so when you look at their murals there’s no need to “interpret”. The subjects range from historical scenes to humorous to personal memorials. I’ll say no more….the murals speak for themselves.

Click on any picture to enlarge it.









This on one side of the building















And this on the other....














To absent friends...







Very realistic....














Historical...














Humorous....










Thanks for visiting.

Tucumcari Part II - American Kitsch

It is a very good thing I decided to stay in Tucumcari today and not drive on. As I type this the wind is blowing at about 50 miles an hour. The RV is really rocking back and forth. Fortunately there are no large trees near the RV or I would be worried.

As soon as the sun came up this morning it started blowing and according to the weather report it will not abate until after the sun goes down. I'm very sure the news will report vehicles blown over by the wind on the interstate. Driving in conditions like this with a high profile vehicle is really asking for trouble.

The wind can be considered to be a blessing in disguise for me. If not for the wind I wouldn't have stayed here for another day. I only would have seen a half mile stretch of old Route 66 and that would have been a shame. Because of the wind and my proximity to Route 66 and the old Tucumcari downton area I had a loooooong kitschy walk this morning. When I say this morning, I mean ALL morning. I left the RV at about 8:30 this morning and did not get back until right at noon. Walking all the way.

I walked up and down old Route 66. I walked to and around the old downtown area. I walked my socks off and I walked in the wind. As I record this post, I can tell that I have a good case of windburn. I wore a had....no I brought a hat but had to carry it all morning because it was so windy that it would not stay on my head. I saw a good part of Tucumcari.

Tucumcari is alive and dead at the same time. It is exciting and sad at the same time. This once glitzy town is now for the most part a has been. Being a has been can be exciting in an odd sort of way. The main strip of old Route 66 has thirty or forty old, run down, boarded up businesses. The surviving business are struggling. You can get any number of motel rooms on this street for less than $20 a night. (I'm really glad I have an RV!)

Most of the businesses, alive or dead have great old signs...or remnants of great old signs. Even the old boarded up businesses have elements of kitsch and/or charm. What a great walk...a walk back in time. At the same time it's depressing because every where you look is failed dreams. Dreams of a thriving business that would support a family. Untold dollars that never made a profit.

Exciting or depressing...it's still interesting and I enjoyed the day. This is not the only thing I have to show you about Tucumcari. Another great story is just around the corner but that will have to wait till the next time I'm hooked up to WiFi.

Tomorrow, I'm headed very slowly back to the Denver area. I will not make it to Carlsbad Caverns as I had planned. It's just too expensive to travel like this. Tomorrow morning I will head west to Santa Rosa a distance of only 50 miles. If it looks interesting, I may stay there for the night. If not I'll head north towards Las Vegas, NM. Wherever I end up there will be stuff to see and do.

Thanks for visiting.

On The Road Again!!!

After a couple of false starts....having to have some additional "adjustments" made to my new (to me) RV, I finally hit the road for New Mexico on Wednesday, mid-morning. This was the first time I had driven it on the Interstate and it was a "white knuckle" affair for an hour or two.

I'm used to towing a trailer behind a big SUV, but it's totally different to be sitting high in the air and right over the front wheels of a giant brick shaped vehicle. It actually requires a light touch, rather than a death grip on the steering wheel. After two full days of driving I feel much more comfortable but it will still take more time for it to feel "normal".

The first stop was Trinidad, CO. When I was there last, on my trip with Guitar, we went to the cemetery to try and find "Uncle" Dick Wooten's grave. We were there on a weekend, couldn't find it and there was no one to help us. This time I found someone not only who knew where the stone was, but also had a great story to tell about the grave.

It seems as if some years ago, some of Uncle Dick's descendants wanted him to be near other family members....but they didn't want to spend a lot of money to do it.

The solution was to provide a new headstone next to the family....but not to move his body! The picture above is the memorial stone and somewhere in the next picture, where you see a lot of "blank" ground, is the bodily remains of "Uncle" Dick. Even after his death, Uncle Dick provides a good story!

Three quarters of the day on Wednesday was driving on the Interstate; Denver to Raton, NM. At Raton I took a smaller road to just past Des Moines...New Mexico. I chose Des Moines as my stopping place for two reasons. First, I wanted to visit Capulin Volcano National Monument and second, because there is a state operated rest area in the area that allows overnight stays at no charge.

I got to the rest area at about 4:30 pm. Because of daylight savings time this gave me a couple of hours before it got dark so after I set up camp, I broke out my metal detector to see what I could find. It was a rest stop after all, so most of what I found was "antique" metal pull tabs from drink cans. I did find one 1967 Roosevelt dime which was cool. I'm still trying to find my first Mercury dime with the metal detector.

The night was very windy and pretty cold. As you can see in the picture above, there was not a lot to hinder the wind so I rocked around for most of the night. The wind died down as soon as the sun came up and after breakfast I was off to Capulin Volcano, 10 miles or so up the road. I was there right after the National Monument opened and there was no one else in the park except the Rangers....I'm glad because the drive to the top is on a very narrow road!

The top of the volcano is 2,200 ft. above the surrounding plains and the view from the top is just spectacular. At the parking lot at the top is a trail that winds around the rim of the crater and is about a mile long. I hiked the trail and took lots of pictures but it was a bit hazy to get a really good picture. I had to do some adjustment to this picture so that you could the the Rocky Mountains (over 100 miles distant) clearly. Believe me, nothing I could do to the picture on the computer matches the incredible beauty of the real thing.

I was down off the volcano by about 9:30 and headed in a round about route to Tucumcari. My original plan was to stay at a small town to the east of Tucumcari that has a city park that allows free over night camping. Several things caused me to alter my plan.

The atrocious mileage the the RV gets, the rapid increase in gasoline prices and the distances I have been traveling means that I have been spending in excess of $100/day on fuel. I just cannot justify that expense, especially when I am traveling alone. If I am going to continue to do these outings, I will have to do shorter trips or drive less miles per day over a longer period or find some other way to contain the costs.

It really is disheartening to come to this conclusion after planning for and looking forward to this lifestyle for so many years but that is the reality. It would be different if The Bride and I were "full timing" and did not have a stick house and all of the associated expenses that entails....but we aren't and we do and that will not change. Don't start crying for me just yet...if you want to send money that's OK but don't cry. There's still plenty to do without driving these very large distances and I will do those things. Tons of stuff within one days travel from the Denver area that will keep me busy for quite a while

The other reason I chose Tucumcari instead of the free camping at San Jon is....Tucumcari itself. A classic relic of Route 66 culture. I've been through Tucumcari about twice before but I never had the time to stop and explore. There are literally dozens of motels and other businesses with classic neon signs and the thought of being able to see the Blue Swallow Motel sign at night lit up was irresistible!

I checked into the Cactus RV Park just a couple of doors down from the Blue Swallow at about 4 pm. The Cactus is a defunct motel that an enterprising Indian or Pakistani family had turned into an RV park with hookups and WiFi...$20/night. It's on old historic Route 66 so I couldn't wait for sundown and a neon treat. I was disappointed.

I will continue the story tomorrow. It's late. I am staying in Tucumcari all tomorrow as the forecast is for very heavy winds and I don't want to drive in that. Check again tomorrow for "The Rest of the Story" about Tucumcari.

Thanks for visiting.

Rockmount Western Wear

Some sad news from an iconic Denver business today. Jack Weil, the Younger died after an 8 month battle with cancer. He was 79.

This Jack Weil is called the Younger because he is survived by his father, the founder of Rockmount Western Wear. His father "Papa Jack" is 106 years old! That is correct one hundred and six years old.

Papa Jack started Rockmount in 1946 and the business has occupied the same downtown Denver location since that time. Even if you've never heard of Rockmount Western Wear, you have undoubtedly seen Papa Jack's products. Elvis, Eric Clapton, Clark Gable, James Cann and Tom Hanks are just a few of the celebrities that have worn Rockmount western shirts.

These are not just your run of the mill western shirts. These shirts can be considered works of art. From the snap buttons, which Papa Jack used before anyone else, to the fantastic embroidery, to the outlandish designs, these shirts have become classics. So classic are they, that the Smithsonian Institution has several in it's possession.

Now, if you think that is something, listen to this. Papa Jack still comes in to work every day! After all he still is the president of the business. His grandson Steve, is the vice-president and takes care of the everyday business, but Papa Jack still puts in his time on the job.

When I first moved to the Denver area and learned about this great story...and business, I was determined to own one of these classics. I now own two. I have a shirt of the same design as the picture at the top of this post and I have the design shown to the left. This is the shirt I'm wearing in my profile picture.

I am proud to say that while shopping for these shirts, I spoke with Papa Jack. Jack, the Younger, will be missed but the business is in good hands and promises to continue for many years.

Thanks for visiting.

Semi-Circle Lunch

Too Tall-Two Timing emailed Guitar and me a few days ago, wanting to know if we wanted to get together for lunch at the B & B Cafe in Castle Rock on Friday. Since my calendar is now totally open almost every day I was in for sure. Guitar is fighting a cold but said he would make it if he could...and he did.

At noon we all met at this quaint little "joint" in the middle of downtown, metropolitan, not to be confused with a city of any large size, Castle Rock, Colorado. This is more of a local hangout than a culinary extravaganza but if you're a weird seeker like me you will enjoy it. Not only does the B & B have a great old sign hanging out front, but it's got a great old lunch counter and back bar that the owners bought in the old mining town of Leadville early in the last century. Both the counter and back bar are made of Italian marble and black onyx....circa 1880.

If that was not enough to entertain, the piece de resistance is a bullet hole in the ceiling. That's right, the owners have preserved a bullet hole through the old metal ceiling. It seems as if the local sheriff and a Denver desperado had a shoot out in the restaurant in 1946. Unfortunately, the law lost and the sheriff was killed. The desperado was caught later and met his maker too.

This is my kind of lunch. A weird, kitschy, kind of place. Lots of interesting locals to watch, and on top of that friends and conversation.

One of the topics of the Semi-Circle's conversation was how do we cram everything we want to do into the next few weeks??? There are a lot of things going on in the Denver metropolitan area in January and I don't know how to cram them into the 31 days allotted to this month. Here's our list so far:

Colorado RV Show
National Western Stock Show
Indian Market
Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering
Concert at The Ogden Theater by The Subdudes
Snowshoeing in the mountains
Road Trip to AZ or NM??

It's going to take some real planning to be able to get even half of all of this stuff into the next couple of weeks....I guess we'll have to establish some priorities. Stay tuned to see how we do....

Thanks for visiting.

Hot Dog, I'm Home!

Business road trip is over. I've gotta tell you, without my GPS I would have been toast more than once. Technology is amazing and it's also amazing how quickly you become used to...no, dependent upon some of these new gadgets.

I left Chicagoland yesterday, late afternoon on another packed 777. It was an oversold flight so loading took longer than usual and after they had filled every seat it was discovered that someone in business class had a "broken" seat. The captain came on the intercom and advised that we would have to delay departure until they could either..(1) get someone to say the seat was airworthy. (2) fix it if they couldn't get someone to give it a pass. (3) empty the seat...which meant the guy that paid more to sit in business class would have to leave the aircraft since all the other seats had already been filled.

Put yourself in the seat....ha! that's a play on words...of the guy in the business class seat that was thinking that he was going to have a nice flight home to Denver on a Friday evening and then was faced with being "Bumped", thrown off the flight because his seat was broken!

The good ending was that they fixed the seat and we took off...an hour late but as the saying goes, "Better late than never."

Business-wise the trip was a success. I bombed on my first attempt to find a Muffler Man, but I did manage to get a glimpse of the Joliet "Jackhammer" Muffler Man. Not only did I have to contend with cold windy weather but downtown Joliet made me a bit nervous. The ballpark was closed, the neighborhood was...a "hood", I walked fast, took pictures fast and exited as quickly as possible.

The picture at the top of the post was one of the few signs that I happened upon during the week. I was really hoping for more classic signs but for whatever reason I didn't seem to find the groove this week for sniffing out signs.

This coming week is Thanksgiving week and it's been decided that the first annual Turkey Trot Trip will be to Taos, NM. Unfortunately, The Bride will not be with us so I'll be batching it. I am enchanted with the NM area so I'm really looking forward to this trip. I would have a lot more fun if The Bride were along too, but she's got some serious stuff to attend to in North Carolina. I'll be with her in spirit.......

Thanks for visiting.