November is known mostly for Veterans Day and of course Thanksgiving Day. Here in Arizona people love this time of year, with the highs being 70s and the lows being 40s. “It’s an invigorating month of sparkling days and cool nights.”
November 1st, The dog park is open! It was closed prior because they were watering the grass. And there’s Cooper. . . .
The golf course has been watered, so it’s time to bring out the golf clubs.
I went bird watching with my friend Marcia, who gives bird watching tours at different locations. We went to Madera Canyon. I went there last year but wanted to go again cause it’s a fun place to watch the birds coming and going plus listening to the birders yell out the names of the birds, while I just watch.
Madera Canyon in Green Valley AZ, Is a well known spot for bird watching, It’s the resting place for migrating birds. The canyon area has an extensive trail system for hikers and it’s 5,000 feet above sea so that makes it a great place to go when it’s hot and your looking for some cooler weather, actually it’s a great place to go anytime.
The last two pictures are of humming birds, and a fairly decent picture of a bird I took. I don’t know what the names of the birds are, but I knew when I was taking the picture.
In November our minds head to turkeys so let’s go.. Arizona is home to three subspecies of wild turkeys: Merriam’s, Gould’s, and Rio Grandes. The turkeys are found primarily in the ponderosa pine forests of Colorado, New Mexico, and northern Arizona. We got here just in time to see about 30 of these turkeys file into the bird watching area. The one on the bottom pictures flew up on top of the bird feeder and tried to eat the bird’s food. It was fun to watch it as it mainly just tried to keep it’s balance from falling off the top of the sloped roof. Wild turkeys have been known to fly up to 55 mph in short bursts. For domesticated turkeys, this is unfortunately not the case. They’re bred to be heavier in weight, almost twice as much as a wild turkey.
I also found out by Marcia, that when a bird watcher is so happy they spot a bird they’ve never seen, are now called a Lifer – a Birder that has seen and identified a bird in the wild for the first time. Someone decided that after you see the bird for the first time you get to have a piece of pie. Other birders after seeing a bird for the first time do some kind of a dance. In the Birding world you should do one or even both.
What made my day and a lot of other people was seeing a Coati !! Your probably thinking it’s a bird of some sorts, that’s what I thought until I saw it. Actually a Coati, also known as Coatimundis are mammals originally from Tupi, that now live in South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. Coatis enjoy wide-ranging habitat types including tropical lowlands, dry high-altitude forest, oak forest, mesquite grassland, and forest edges. they love eating fruit and insects.
I t was really exciting to see my first Coati up close. I think they are so cute.
3-2-1-0 – LAUNCH Titan Missile Museum
On the 17th of this month we went a little south and visited the Titam II missle launch facility and museum. It was kind of an eye opener and a great history lesson. I mean at the time these were active and I was just a kid. In school we would always have drills to duck and cover under our desks. YA right as if that would have saved us. The government has us hoodwinked for sure. Anyway, this site is the last remaining fully intact Titan II missle launch complex, there were 54 of them built between 1959 and 1963, when they all became active. Surrounding the air base here in Tucson there were 18 seperate missle launch complex’s, the other 36 were located in two other states. All 54 were active between 1963 and 1983., then 53 were demolished and decommioned, and this one saved for history as a living museum. This was all part of an agreement between President Regan and the Russians, to reduce the amount of nuclear weapons each of us had. The Russians also saved one of three bases for a museum, not sure where it is though.
The museum offers a one hour tour down into the complex, yes it is all underground about 50 feet or so. Before I talk about the tour a little about why these were built. Before the Titan II, the Titan I was our go to rocket in case of a necular attack on us. However, the Titan I could not be readied for launch before enemy missles would hit us. They were more of a offensive weapon, not a deterent as the Titan II was. The Titan I was housed in a underground silo, but when it was readied for launch it had to be eleveted out of the silo, then fueled, then launched. This took well over 30 miutes and by that time enemy missles would have already hit us. With the Titan II that all changed, it could be launched in under a minute, Why, because of the two types of liquid fuel it used. These fuels meant the rocket could always be fully loaded with fuel and ready to go in there underground silo’s. Also upon misture of the two fuels, it self ignited, so no need for an ignition source, which could fail, and did at times with the Titan I. Below the rocket they also developed ways to get rid of the blast flame and gases. So just like that an enemy had to think twice about attaching us as we could strike back within 5 minutes. This was what was called now in history as MAD or mutual assured destruction era. No one would win. OK, now let’s go for a tour.
Actually this incredible amenity was built as a Deterrent. Something that makes someone decide not to do something
Below is a picture of the underground missle complex.
Below is a couple pitures of construction
Our tour started at the main gate, this is where the four man crews would arrive every morning at seven a.m.. First thing you notice is that there is no security around the base but a chain link fence, no MP police nothing, that was by design. The four man crew consisted of a Crew Commander, A deputy commander, and two technitions. Upon arrival at seven a. m. the commander would call down to the crew inside, give his secret password, and the gate would be electronically opend, After the gate was closed the crew had 3 minutes to get to the portal stairway and call down to the control center. Anything over that time they would not be allowed in and the security police would be called. The m. p. police patrolled three bases each never more that 20 minutes away from one. Once they reached the portal entry, which looks like a strom shelter door, the commander would go down a flight of stairs and call into the complex. He again would give the password, if correct the door and gate would be unlocked.
The crew would enter and the doors closed and locked behind them. From here you decended down a stairway about six flights to the bottom, here you are greeted with another gated door, again the commander would call in and give the correct password for entry. Now you are about 40 feet deep in the ground and at the end of the portal entry way, which was not built to survive a blast. One last call from the commander with correct pass word, would now unlock the door and 4 rams would retract pins on each side. Now a crewman likely the youngest and strongest would pull open the door. Below, me making the call and the blast door open
Once inside, the door would be shut and locked, now directly in front of them is another blast door, they are in the air lock area now. Here they are on video camera from the inside crew. Each of the new four man crew would give his name, rank and serial number, also they could now be seen so if someone had them at gunpoint they would be noticed. After all is correctly done, this second blast door opens , the crew enters and the door is shut and locked behind them. Now you are in the blockhouse area, about 30 feet by 30 feet. This has 4 foot thick walls, floor and 5 foot thick roof all made of reinforced cocrete and steel. The blast doors which there are seven in total are made of solid steel pieces welded together with steel rebar within. Each door weighs 6000 pounds. To the left and right are blast doors, they are now open but in the day they both would have been closed, the right one is access to the 229 foot raceway to the missle silo and the left one you enter the control complex, which is where the crew would go.. Once the crew was inside the blockhouse, the control complex blast door would open and the new crew on alert duty would come in and greet the crew on duty who were preparing to leave. We entered the control complex first, this is domed shaped and about 60 feet in the ground. The walls are 4 feet thick at the bottom and go to 10 feet thick pretty close to the surface, all reinfroced cocrete with massive amounts of rebar inside. The control area itself is three stories high ,and independantly suspended inside the dome itself by eight giant springs and shocks. The pictures below are of the control center which is on the second level and where the crew enters. The first level is the kitchen area and sleeping area all very small. Each crew member had 4 hours of off duty on a 24 hour alert. The third level contained all the equipment to power the complex, batteries ,generators ,radio systems and the like.
I never heard of or saw a Coati so I was excited, and I think that they look so cute. It was a fun to go along birding with all “Twitchers.”
So now are crew is safely locked into the missle complex, pictue above shows typical crew. For the next 24 hours they would be on alert ,receive secret messages ,decode them and hope they never had to launch. A lot of stree was created with this job, never knowing if this could be the end ,and in that time it was real possiballity.
For us though, we now exited the control complex and headed to the missle silo through a 229 foot cableway, which is also suspened from the 4 foot thick concrete wall which surrounds it. The silo is 55 feet round and about150 feet deep. The walls are 4 foot thick at the bottom and increase to 10 feet thick at the top. The Missle silo door is made of steel and reinforced concrete and weights 760 tons, operated by a hydraulic ram, which the door glides on railroad tracks to open and close. Now the door is open halfway and is permanent with the other half open with glass enclosed roof to peer down into the missle silo. When we got to the end of the cableway another blast door greeted us, we went in and walked around the missle by gangway. there are seven levels to the silo, each one has it’s own purpose, but we were only allowed on the one level. The missle itself is surrounded by another steel wall which goes top to bottom, this is about 20 feet round. Another blast door puts you into this area, which we could not access. At the time only the blast door was the way to see the rocket, now they have big windows of glass where you can peer into to see the missle.
Above, walking down the cableway
Entering the silo blast door, with the missle blast door ahead.
The missle in it’s bay
missle door
Peering into the abyss of destruction
The Missle. The missle is 10 feet round and 103 feet high, and at the time the most powerfull rocket of it’s time. The titan II went on to power the Gemina and some mercury speacecraft into orbit. Two rocket motors take it from liftoff to about 50 miles up, then cut off and are jetisioned and one rocket motor ignites and takes it to 200 miles up and a speed of 16,ooo miles per hour all in a litlle more than 5 minutes. then that is jetisioned and only the nose cone with the warhead travels on to its target 6000 miles away.
The Warhead. The warhead was housed in the nosecone, which upon entry into the atmosphere would slowly shed it’s metal to dispurse heat. upon reentry the warhead was about all that was left speeding to it’s target. It was nine megatons in size. How big is that about 25 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. About nine million tons of TNT and would require 90,000 boxcars. The train would be 1,534 miles long and would stretch from Tucson To Lexington KY. The blast would destroy about 30 miles by 30 miles or 900 square miles of the earth. This is just one Titan II missle with a warhead.
Nosecone and warhead.
That ended our tour, none were ever launched. If they had, the crew could launch the missle in 58 seconds, after that there work was done. They would have known full well the meaning and could onl;y hope they would survive, or would you want too. If a warhead exploded more than a mile away they would survive anything closer they woul not make it, so all they could do was to have waited. thankfuly it never came to that.
How about a dance, A Share the Bounty Dance.
All you had to do was bring nonperishable food items to the ballroom to see the band and go dancin..
A lot of fun dancing with our friends Diane and Ken
Moby’s Restaurant has a beach themed decor here in the desert. It is located in Casino Del Sol. It was a nice place to eat and the food was good. Plus we beat the crowds getting there about 2:00.
I know it’s still November, but we wanted to check out this one-lady show and get in the Christmas spirit a bit early. We were glad we did as Alisa did a great job performing and making all the characters in “A Christmas Carol” come alive.
It was a good time and she even left everyone with a copy for making Smoking Bishop. In a Christmas Carol Scrooge undergoes a transformation. He becomes a more generous and compassionate man, and he begins to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. As a result, he no longer drinks gruel (an awful tasting drink) and he instead prefers to enjoy more flavourful and festive beverages, such as Smoking Bishop, a type of mulled wine. So if your serving fifteen guests or more and want to make a different drink, why not try this?
We got here on October 1st so we’ve been here a whole month. We are getting familiar once again with our surroundings and meeting our friends from the last time we were here. We’ve also reacquainted ourselves with the pool, hot tub and sauna and of course Fat Willy’s restaurant.
I just love taking pictures of the sky here at Voyager.
We haven’t been out site-seeing yet, we’ve just gone to the usual places to grocery shop, etc. But we have enjoyed the shows they have here like the fashion show.
Sharon and I went to the Injoy fashion show that was put on by volunteers from the store and the park on Wednesday October 11th.
Let the fashion show begin.
Are you a Thrifty? You are the person who loves a good bargain, likes a big assortment, and wants to recycle and reuse.
Located conveniently at Broadway and Pantano in East Tucson, InJoy Thrift Store is “Tucson’s neatest thrift store.” The well-organized and well-appointed shop boasts 24,000 square feet of clothing, shoes, housewares, furniture, toys, books, antiques, boutiques, and vintage treasures.
The fashion show in the ballroom at Voyager. People from the park were the models for the show. They had a lot of fun putting it on and we had fun watching. After seeing the show Sharon and I had to go to Injoy and check it out.
Myself, Sharon and Marcia went to see “She Came to Me.”
It has Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones and Anne Hathaway. We all thought it was good, it had an off beat kind of story line.
On Oct. 14, 2023, We got to see an annular solar eclipse this happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, but when it is at or near its farthest point from Earth. Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the Sun.
This eclipse will be total for viewers along a narrow path which starts in the south Pacific, then runs through Mexico, the U.S. from Texas to Maine, and southeastern Canada, and finally ends in the north Atlantic. Tucson is about 560 miles from this path, which is why we’ll see a partial eclipse at this location.
They said to look at the eclipse you should have special 3-D glasses, we didn’t so what we did was put a pin prick in a sheet of paper. That wasn’t the best way cause you couldn’t look long at all. But I did manage to take the first picture. The other three were taken by someone else but it is exactly what we saw using our pin prick sheets. It was a neat thing to observe.
🎼🎸Mama told me not to look into the eyes of the sun, But mama that’s where the fun is …🎹
Tuesday the 16th I went bird watching with my friend Marcia from Voyager who is a certified audubon bird person who gives tours and knows so much about birds is amazing. I went twice with her last time we were here and I enjoyed it. Not only because of the birds but because of the scenic places I have been to like Madera Canyon and The Historic Canoa Ranch great places to visit and hike.
This time we went to Chuck Ford Lakeside Park, it’s only about 15 minutes from the park. Marcia & I met eight people there who knew a lot about birds too, and then there was me who can only recognize and name a few.
The group was finding all kinds of birds. The first one I knew and recognized was a Blue Heron. If you look real hard you can see one on the shore across from the lake. Below is a picture of what they look like closer.
In the first picture you see water fowl and also mallard ducks, like the one on close to the edge on the 2nd picture. I learned that male mallards mate with all kinds of ducks, so for it to be a true male mallard it has a dark, iridescent-green head and bright yellow bill. The gray body is sandwiched between a brown breast and black rear. Two central black feathers that curve back above the tail give it it’s characteristic curly-tailed appearance.
We saw a total of 32 spicies of birds. What cracks me up is most of the names of the birds. Like the Griseotyrannus aurantioatrocristatus also known as The crowned slaty flycatcher from South America. One of the birds we saw that I remembered is the Lark Sparrow. It was on top of the lights and it’s picture is below.
Tours that Marcia gives are for anyone as well as for people with disabilities and other health concerns. We went on this bird venture on Birdability week 2023 Oct 16-22. Birdability is a non-profit organization founded by Virginia Rose, who fell off a horse at the age of 14 and has used a wheelchair since then. She began birding 17 years ago and wanted to share her passion and joy with others with disabilities. Virginia founded Birdability in 2020. Birdability’s vision is that birding is for everyone—including those with disabilities and other health concerns. It is supported by National Audubon in the U.S. and many other organizations and businesses. In our group of birdwatchers we had a person with oxygen, one with a cane and anotherin a wheel chair, they were excitied to go on the tour. It’s a way to get outside, see, learn and trek along.
It’s Saturday October 28th, how about dressing up for a Halloween party?
Argh! Rrrrrr Shiver me timbers ya landlubber. Avast ye, ye hornswaggled my booty ye Son of a biscuit eater, I‘ll Crush Ye Barnacles and make ye walk the plank, SAVVY. Do you know what he said! I do you better run.
“Going so soon? I wouldn’t hear of it. Why, my little party’s just beginning.” — The Wicked Witch of the West, “The Wizard of Oz”
And thats what we did. Got our costumes on and went to the Voyager Halloween dance party with friends, ghosts and goblins.
Everyone had an awesome time. The costumes were good and the Raw band was great playing songs from the 60s & 70s.
Hope you had deFRIGHTful Halloween! and Hope all your SCREAMS come true!”
Went with friends to a Porch Fest, for a few hours this Sunday in the Garden District Neighborhood of Tucson. The neighborhood opened itself up to the community with good tunes and good eats. It’s the annual Porch Fest event which has been happening on the northeast corner of East Pima Street and North Alvernon Way, since 2014.
Just in case you didn’t know …. Porchfest music festivals began as a means for neighbors and local community members to highlight their music on front porches. These events are held across the United States and Canada. The concept was to find musicians and porches on which they would play. The original event in Ithaca, New York, started with about 20 musicians but has since grown to over 100. Way to go Ithaca!
People were dancing and singing in the streets together. They had eight residents who volunteered their porches and bands that played for an hour-and-a-half each.
It was really a lot of fun and really good musicians that played a variety of music from Irish, country, folk, blues and good old rock-n-roll. We didn’t get to see all of them, maybe nextyear.
After the Porch Fest we went to BOCA Mexican Resturant.
The food was delicious. BOCA is located in the heart of Tucson and was featured on the Food Network, the New York Times, and the Travel Channel with excellent reviews. The award winning chef is Maria Mazon. If your ever in the area and have a yankering for Mexican food go there for sure.
This trip our first stop is in Willoughby, Ohio to see our friends Bill & Barb, after that we just want to get to Tucson so we won’t stop anywhere else to see the sites. We took the same route that we did last Spring back to Newfane. However, I did take pictures of our first stop and where we stayed overnight on our way back west.
Our first stop Willoughby Ohio, which is along the Chargin River. Here’s a brief history of the city. Willoughby’s first permanent settler was David Abbott in 1798, who operated a gristmill . Abbott and his family were said to have had close relations with a band of Indians along the banks of the local river, which the Indians called the “Sha-ga-rin” meaning “Clear Water.” This river was later called the Chargin River, though the origin of the name remains in dispute. Of course it does, right.
We got to Bill & Barb’s on September 20th. We had a great site by their house and we had all the hookups, etc. just like a fancy RV resort.
We had a really good time hanging out with our friends. On Wednesday night we took a walk through Historic Downtown Willoughby seeing the old buildings that are now shops and restaurants.
Thursday morning Dave & I took Cooper for a walk at the:
The park is about a mile from their house and it has nice walking trails throughout.
The Holden Arboretum, in Kirtland, Ohio, is one of the largest arboreta and botanical gardens in the United States, with more than 3,600 acres including 600 acres devoted to collections and gardens. Diverse natural areas and ecologically sensitive habitats make up the rest of the holdings. Holden’s collections includes 9,400 different kinds of woody plants, representing 79 plant families.
The arboretum is named for Albert Fairchild Holden, a mining engineer and executive. Mr. Holden established an arboretum in memory of his deceased daughter, Elizabeth Davis Holden. When he died in 1913, at age 46, He left everything to his sister and her husband to take care of. In December 1988, 75 years later The Holden Forests & Gardens finally became a reality.
A nice guy we past walking on one of the trails.
They have everything laid out perfectly to make the walk enjoyable with various flowers and trees blooming at different times of the year. Beautiful scenery with benches, fountains and butterfly gardens.
The Emergent Tower is 120 feet (or approximately 12 stories) tall. It has 202 steps, with platforms every 30 steps or so. When you reach the top you get to see a 360 degree view of the surroundings. We saw all the way to Lake Erie. It was the perfect day to go to the top of the tower and see the views.
The Canopy Walk is a 500-foot-long elevated walkway that rises 65 feet above the forest floor. It was really neat to walk the canopy among the treetops.
Next we went to Squire’s Castle – A Historic Castle in North Chagrin Reservation, located just off of River Road in Willoughby Hills.
The Gatehouse had several bedrooms and living areas, a large kitchen, and a breakfast porch. All of the Castle’s rooms had white plaster walls and elegant woodwork. Leaded glass windows looked out on the property. One of the most beautiful rooms, according to the Cleveland Metroparks, was Squire’s Library or Hunting Room. It was a cozy room located just right of the driveway and featured books, trophy cabinets, actual stuffed animals, and paintings. The Castle was constructed of silt stone, which is also known as Euclid bluestone, and it was quarried in a location that is now a part of the Cleveland Metroparks’ Euclid Creek Reservation.
His wife, Mrs. Rebecca Squire never liked the country and it’s quietness or the sounds of animals. So she really didn’t like going there. So if they went it was only on weekends. Some say that the castle is haunted by Rebecca. She was said to have gotten scared late one night and got a red lantern for light, then Mrs. Squire went alone into the trophy room carrying her red lantern. While in the room, something frightened her and some that believe that Mrs. Squire looked into the face of something unearthly that night. Regardless of what it was, she became so frightened that she attempted to flee the room. In the darkness, she fell and broke her neck. Some say that isn’t true at all!
When Feargus B. Squire retired in 1909 he seldom visited the castle and he sold the property and his family moved to a new mansion. Over the years through vandalism and partially for safety the inside of the castle is nothing like it once was but it was still really neat to check out. It’s become a popular spot for picnics, hiking, weddings and photography.
I wanted Barb to have these paintings I did to remember the good times we had in the Florida Keys.
Our friends Barb & Bill and their new big beautiful garage. We had an awesome time with them, seeing the sights and visiting with our great friends who happen to be good cooks too. We’re so very happy to have met them work camping at Florida State Parks a few years back. As Barb said “when people ask me what is the best thing about working in a state park is, I tell them it’s the people you meet.” We definitely agree. 💖
2nd Stop Richmond, Indiana
3rd Stop, Vandalia, Illinois Perfect place for the night and we got to see “The Fire Breathing Dragon again!
4th Stop, Springfield, Missouri. We stayed for two nights. I forgot to take a picture of our site so this nice drawing is in it’s place.
5th stop, Yukon, Oklahoma
6th Stop, Amarillo, Texas
Here we are again at Cadillac Ranch. When we were here in the Spring it was really muddy so we couldn’t both participate in the fun. But we did this time!
Here’s the scoop about Cadillac Ranch: Four guys in 1974 decided to put a row of 10 Cadillacs, faced nose-down and half-buried in the ground. They wanted a unique, one-of-a-kind-work of art an eye-catching display of public art now known as “Cadillac Ranch.” Its original purpose was to show the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin. Ten Cadillacs, starting with a 1949 Club Sedan and ending with a 1963 Sedan de Ville were in the ground in a straight row. When people started to visit the site some of them would spray paint and rip off pieces for souvenirs. The four guys who made the piece of art weren’t mad about what was happening and actually encouraged tourists to take pieces with them and spray paint the vehicles.
Over the years, Cadillac Ranch has become a kind of a ritual site ” for passing travelers according to Roadside America. And people have come all over the world to spray paint. It is a neat experience so if your ever in the area grab your spray paint, or most likely someone has kindly left one behind, your camera and capture the experience of Cadillac Ranch.
My Mind is thinking Cadillac and I just heard . . . .
Yeah, heel toe, docie doe, come on, baby, let’s go, boot scootin’ Oh, Cadillac, Black Jack, baby meet me outback we’re gonna boogie Oh, get down turn around go to town boot scootin’ boogie
A brief musical interlude, sorry I can’t get it out of my head.
7th Stop, Edgewood, New Mexico for 2 nights.
8th Stop, Deming, New Mexico, our last stop before we get to Voyager!
On last stop Voyager, Tucson Arizona.
A 10 day trip lots of driving and not stopping, but we made it here safe & sound yesterday, October 1st.
Now we can take time and settle into the lighthearted beat of Arizona.
We had a great stay in Newfane this summer seeing family & friends. Fixing, relaxing and visiting.
We did have a cooler and wetter summer than
usual but all in all it felt good to be back. Before
we head back on September 20th here is a few
of the things we did. I forgot to take my camera
along sometimes cause we weren't traveling.
Hot fun in the summertime 🎼
Them summer days
Those summer days 🏖️
That's when I had 🎶
Most of my fun 🩴
Hi, hi, hi, hi there 🎹
Them summer days 🎉
Those summer days 🎵
Hot fun in the summertime (ooh, yeah) 🍉
Hot fun in the summertime (ooh, yeah) 😊
Settling in at Steve’s
Helping Steve Out.
Somehow a red & white table cloth reminds me of summer and with that comes picnics with Family & Friends.
At Warrens Corners Methodist Church.
Large, small and bulky, there were things for everyone
With 4 awesome ladies we had a lots of fun
Two days of festivity and then we were done
We did make money, son of a gun
A party at my sister’s for friends, and her who used to work for the DMV.
Lots more people, forgot to take pictures 😒
Karen, Donna and myself went to Olcott Beach, a historic treasure, in Niagara County.
Another treasure in Niagara County is Bye’s Popcorn in Olcott. They’ve been making popcorn at the same stand since 1923 and it’s still very good. Happy 100th Birthday Bye’s keep on poppin.
Practiced pickleball in Steve’s garage so as not to look to bad when we’re partners with Bill & Sandy
We visited the The Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) to give them a painting of my father’s. Jennifer contacted the museum to ask them if they would like the painting he did while attending the Albright Art School. They did want the painting so we went to deliver it to the museum. They were very happy & excited to receive the painting plus his diploma from the school. The museum will have an exhibit to honor the former students of the Albright Art School in the museum where his painting and diploma will be. We were very excited the painting found a great home! He was truly a very talented man.
Painting by Jackson G. Smith
My dad attended Pratt Institute for fine Arts in Brooklyn NY the 1940’s, he was drafted and after WWII, he couldn’t afford to go to Pratt, so he attended Albright Art School.
Jennifer, Doug and myself giving her the painting
She gave us three free tickets to go into the newly constructed Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Here is a brief history of the museum and art school.
The Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) is one of the oldest museums dedicated to the art of our time, and the sixth oldest public art institution in the United States. It was founded in December 1862.
Clifton Hall, the third building on the museum’s campus, was constructed in 1920 and in 1929, the building became the home of the Albright Art School. It was only an art school for 10 years and then Clifton Hall was transferred to the State University College. Clifton Hall is now the offices for the museum.
Ground was broken in November 2019, and after nearly four years of construction the museum was done. The new Buffalo AKG Art Museum is more than 50,000 sq. ft. and includes more than half an acre of new public green space outside. A parking garage was installed below ground, underneath the green lawn.
The first picture is an old picture, the rest are of the new art museum. It’s an incredible building.
We took our tickets and went thru the art gallery as we walked thru I took pictures of the art that interested us.
The paintings we liked were mostly called realism – fine arts or whatever. They looked so real, the eyes, the folds on their clothes, down to every detail they looked like a photograph. They were done by: Jehan Vibert – A Marvelous Sauce 1890, James Tissot – A Woman of Ambition 1884,William Harnet – Music & literature 1888, Giacomo Balla – Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, 1912 and Winslow Homer – Croquet Players 1865. Yes, the sign is a art piece, but I don’t know the artist’s name. The last two are abstract art, which you tend to think, or at least I do, they have been done recently like these last two, but they haven’t. They are called Cubism art by: Jean Metzinge – Dancer in a Cafe, 1912 and Albert Gleizes – Man in a Hammock 1913.
There are so may paintings and such here these are a few I took pictures of. The first one is the only one I know who painted it Milton Avery – Bucolic Landscape, 1945.
These art forms are different, unique and whatever. I do appreciate what they represent and they took time to put together but they fit into what we call maybe Contemporary art. I guess it’s like ” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” I’m thinking the same goes for art. The first one that’s hanging is called mixed media, then Man on a wooden scaffold, Tom Thumb next is I don’t know what it’s called but as you can see it’s the inside of a house on a huge background and the last one is I don’t know the title but it’s a kitchen sink and cupboards.
These are definitely unique pieces of art? I do appreciate a tire, especially one this big with chains, but is it a work of art? I bet Michelin is glad it’s an art museum. The next was balloons talking to us with the eyes and mouth moving while the recorder was playing something bizarre. The next is a painting called “Orange Yellow and next is a plug. I can only say you have to be at the right place at the right time and maybe someone will say it’s a piece of art. As for me I just don’t get it.
Last but not least The Mirror Room designed by Lucas Samaras in 1966. It’s a room-sized cube that contains little except a mirrored table and chair a huge crystalline structure that has no top, bottom, or sides, the feeling of suspension creates a space in which the only images are “drawn” by the reflections of visitors. He created “a space, an environment and a panorama.” He continued: associatively enveloping and valid to me as a work of art, wonder, sensuality, pessimistic theory, and partial invisibility.” It’s a visitor favorite. When you enter all you can see is yourself continuously going on and on. Anewspaper columnist summarized the encounter as “an experience not soon forgotten. How often can we step into a work of art and become both spectator and participant?” We really had a good time going thru the gallery if your ever near Buffalo NY take a trip to the art museum.
We Celebrated a 40th Wedding Anniversary.
Jennifer my sister and Doug got married on Sept. 2, 1983. Buck was Doug’s Best man, & I was the Maid of honor. 40 years later and we’re still lookin good!?
It’s Labor Day Already!
We visited our friends at their campsite and had a great breakfast and then headed to the lake for the celebrations.
Donna & Jeff had their annual Labor Day picnic. We were glad we came here this year to join in on the food and fun.
There is also an annual Kickball game at the picnic. Dave is the pitcher for both teams when were in town. Needless to say it’s not a very regimented game. But it’s a lot of fun.
we went to Bradford, PA. to Togi’s restaurant for lunch to visit with Kathy a friend from way back, it was a good time seeing and reminiscing with her. She left us some of her homemade delicious peanut clusters – white, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. 😊
Went to The Grove with some family & friends for some singin and a dancin and to celebrate the bands 37 year anniversary. 👏🕺💃🎶🌀
On our last weekend here September 15-17th we got to say good bye to some family and friends. At a campfire at my sister’s where my pictures didn’t come out. But the next day we went to an annual Pig Roast Party and they all turned out. It was at our friend Sharon’s house, another great party.
Our friend Mike made chowder for his family & friends, and he got a retirement cake. Chowder was good and so was the cake. We were sorry that Kathleen’s husband Eric wasn’t feeling well, we missed him not being there.
When we first arrived the hay was growing tall in the fields, then they started cutting it down and putting it in rolls, now they have wrapped the rolls in plastic and they looks like giant rolls of toilet paper. Fall will be here shortly when you see this and along with it winter. It’s time to boogie out of here.
That’s parts of our summer in a nut shell. Thanks all for making it a good time. Now it’s time to get out there and discover new roads & territories.
We are now back at home base at my brother’s in Newfane NY for the summer. We have been here for two weeks now, unwinding. As most everyone knows it was not the most pleasant trip back here from Arizona. However we made the most of it, and put that behind us now. We will be here until about September 17 th or so, then head back to Voyager Rv park in Tucson for the winter. We have a lot of doctor’s to see here and get caught up on a lot of things. One thing we have noticed is that it is very humid and muggy here, not used to that as Arizona is very dry even when it is hot. Other than that, that is about it for now.
We were on I-44 and took exit 208, We saw these Indians trying to cross the street. It looks like they’ve been trying for quite a long time.
It is May 27th and we’re staying overnight at at Kaskaskia Dragon RV Park in Vandalia Illinois. It only has about 12 spaces without any bells or whistles. But what it did have was a Fire Breathing Dragon ! !
This roadside attraction was built in 1995 by the nearby Kaskaskia Supply and its owner, Walt Barenfanger. In 2001, the dragon moved near the highway in Vandalia, Illinois, to its current resting place, where hundreds of visitors have paid to make the beast breathe fire.
You have to stop by the hardware store across the street to register and they give you free tokens to operate the dragon or you can get them at the hardware store and liquor store across the street or online for $1 each and they will ship it to you for free. Each coin buys approximately 10 seconds of fire breathing fun.
I knew that Lincoln was born in Kentucky but I didn’t know why Illinois was called “The land of Lincoln” and why Vandalia had Lincoln’s silhouette on their water tower.
I found out that Vandalia was founded 1819 as a new capital city for Illinois. In 1834-1837 Abraham Lincoln assumed the first statewide office of his political career at Vandalia. This is also where he studied to be a lawyer. Lincoln was an important part of the legislature but he was not very fond of Vandalia and he was interested in moving the capitol to his home area Springfield Illinois. The Capitol was moved to Springfield at the end of 1839. However, the Capitol in Vandalia remains a historical landmark today. He lived in Springfield where he met his wife Mary. His family moved to Washington D.C. where he became the 16th president from March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865. We all know what happened after that.
And now the fun begins . . .
We waited till it started to get dark and . . . boom the flame starts.
It was really neat to watch.
Standing next to me is the scorched man. He keeps getting way to close to the flame.
On our way to Indiana we passed another roadside attraction.
— America’s Largest Cross
The Cross at the Crossroads in Effingham Illinois intersects Highway 57 and 70, easily visible to passersby from the Interstate and surrounding area. At 198 feet tall and 113 feet wide, the cross, made of over 180 tons of steel looms over Effingham, easily visible by day and illuminated at night.
Illinois has 20 listed roadside attractions, some quirky some big but they are fun to see. So if your driving thru the state check out some of these. You won’t be let down, I hope. 😊
World’s largest Ketchup bottle
The Gemini Giant
Two-Story Outhouse
Leaning Tower of Niles
One and Only Hippie Memorial
Kaskaskia Dragon ✔
Statue of the World’s Tallest Man, Robert Wadlow
Statue of Popeye (and friends)
Gold Pyramid House
Superman Statue
Cross at the Crossroads: America’s Largest Cross ✔
World’s Largest Wagon and Big Abraham Lincoln
De Immigrant Windmill
Henry’s Rabbit Ranch. Pink Elephant Antique Mall
Pink Elephant Antique Mall
Paul Bunyon Muffler Man Holding a Hot Dog
Dungeons and Dragons Park (Boo Castle Park)
Superdawg Drive-In
Haunted Trails Frankenstein Muffler Man
Big Things in a Small Town
We arrived in Indiana on Sunday the 28th and stayed at All my Family and Friends Campground in New Lisbon Indiana.
We were all set to leave on the 29th Memorial day, stay in Ohio, visit with our Friends Bill & Sandy and then head home. But . . . As were were pulling out (Old Pete) our truck wouldn’t move. We’re still at the same campground, while Old Pete is getting a new transmission. The people who run the campground and the owners David & Crystal have been super nice. We are so thankful we were here and not on the thruway when this happened. We are going to get Old Pete back on Tuesday or Wednesday and head straight home to Newfane.
So All My Family & Friends Campground has been our hangout since Memorial Day. The people here said that we were now honorary “Indiana Hoosiers.” Everyone agrees that a Hoosier is the official title for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. Other than that, Hoosier originated The 1840s the origin of the term remains a matter of debate.
Since we’ve been here since Memorial Day and they have been wonderful to us, I figure I should do a bit of advertising for them. So here we go . . .
The pond is across the road from where we are. You can fish or they have paddle boats for you to use.
Cooper and Dave getting some exercise at the park.
Pics of the front of the park and a path that that’s there too.
Indiana’s slogan is “The Crossroads of America. But New Lisbon Indiana’s claim to fame is that Wilbur Wright was born here. He was born on April 16, 1867 in the small farmhouse in New Lisbon, Indiana. He was the third of seven children born to Milton Wright and Susan Wright. Orville was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1871.
We have also been riding our bikes around the area. It’s a very small town not much in it. Like most old towns it was booming in The late 1800s cause it was right by rail road tracks. Here’s are some pics of our bike rides.
We followed the signs Wilbur Wright’s house & Museum but it wasn’t open.
Old building with a barber shop on the left.
We also came upon a cemetery with no name. We found the Hatfields but not the McCoys.
Map & Old postcard of New Lisbon. We are where the red dot is, as you can see it’s a small town.
As I was doing the blog on Indiana two songs kept coming up in my brain.
🎵 Indiana wants me, Lord I can’t go back there by R. Dean Taylor and Gary Indiana, Gary Indiana my home sweet home form the movie and play Music Man 🎶.
Now you know a little bit about Indian and more then you ever wanted to know about New Lisbon Indiana. Please wish us safe travels on our way back to Newfane NY.
To Arizona and Voyager RV Resort. We’ve been here since December 1st of 2022. At first I was befuddled about being anywhere. But as things got better, it became our home away from home. We got involved in some of the 100s of activities they have going on and met incredible people from all over.
Dave is sitting at one of the Villas you can rent, the other pics are of the dog run and dog park.
The park has 16 pickle ball courts, an area for 12 shuffle boards Dave is in one of the 3 pools they have along with 2 hot tubs and a men’s and ladies sauna.
They also have different shops with different creative things to do like, wood working , quilting, sewing, glass fusion, ceramics, silversmith, Lapidary and stain glass.
Dave chose this class and he said “NO, NO,NO, I did not take a lap dance class. I took a Lapidary Class. What is that you ask, it is defined as such. Lapidary (from the Latinlapidarius) is the practice of shaping stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameos), and faceted designs. Below are two of his creations.
I made the two stain glass pieces on top.
I took stain glass never realizing how much it involved, especially cutting all the pieces of glass out with a small tool and getting all the pieces to fit back together. One of the talented people here did the one below. Learning all the hard work it entails I really appreciate the art. I plan on doing bigger and better stain glass projects next time we’re here.
Dave’s favorite cactus is called the Ocotilloor/ Flaming sword. They can reach heights of up to 20 feet. they appear brownish off season but when Spring comes they turn green and flower.
The Best thing in the park is Fat Willy’s. Dave & I came here often and the food was always good!
But the best time was when my friends got together every Friday night for Ladies happy hour. To my right is Bert, next to her is Saleen and her son Robert who was visiting from Alaska, so we let him join us. Marsha and Sharon and me. Missing from the group is Kathy. We had a lot of fun and I will definitely miss going. Till we meet again ladies. 😊
Voyager has so many different things going on all the time. Between all the sporting activities going on, the clubs, groups, entertainment, etc. you don’t have to be board, only if you want to. If your in the area give it a try.
We are truly going to miss Arizona and the West but we will return. The desert is beautiful with all it’s different flowering cactus and wildflowers.
Of all the paths you follow, be sure a few of them is through the desert.”
Things you might not know about Arizona: The Grand Canyon National Park is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and the only one located within the United States.
The world’s first McDonald’s drive-thru is located in Sierra Vista, AZ.
Arizona’s Sonoran Desert is the only place on earth where the iconic saguaro cactus grows. Cutting down a saguaro cactus is illegal. If you cut down an endangered cactus, you can face up to 25 years in prison.
Tequila was invented here! It’s made from the Weber blue agave plant, which grows in Arizona & Mexico.
If your driving through Arizona, the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, and maybe a few other states, keep a look out for this sign:
I’ve been told that “An open-range state means that cattle are typically free to roam at large” so if you hit a cow it’s your fault and you face a huge fine and sometimes your insurance won’t pay for the damage. So beware if your out here.
In Tucson they have Sonoran hot dogs that taste really good! It originated in Mexico and now they are in Tucson and other parts of Southern AZ. It is a bacon-wrapped hot dog tucked into in a warm bolillo roll, topped with pinto beans, pico de gallo, jalapeños, mustard and mayonnaise. If your in the area this is a must.
Tucson has break rooms or rage rooms, a room designed specifically for destruction! It is a safe place where you can gear up and destroy items without any worry about the mess. I hear you can also bring your own stuff to crash. The Breaking Room in Tucson is suppose to be good from what I’ve heard. I’m sure that they are in other states too, just never heard of one before. I haven’t felt the need to use it, but you never know.
Our first stop was in Deming, New Mexico at Dream Catcher RV Park.
Is this suppose to be a Dream Catcher?
We’ve been riding on interstate 40 & 44 which runs along side The Historical Route 66.
I’ve never seen the series, we were to young but I found out that It was completed in November 11, 1926,a nd winds 2,448 miles from Chicago to L.A. Through most of the Western states. It was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. With its iconic landmarks, quirky roadside diners, retro neon signs, museums, shops and spectacular scenery. Finding out there is much to do on route 66 we’ll be coming back thru this way to see some of the attractions.
Our 2nd stop we stayed at Edgewood RV Park in New Mexico. Which was right off of Route 66.
It is Tuesday May 23rd, and we stayed two nights in Amarillo Texas right on route 66.
Amarillo is famous for all the Route 66 crazy tourist attractions. We aren’t doing really any sight seeing on our way back but we did have to see Cadillac Ranch since we were right there.
In 1974, local billionaire Stanley Marsh teamed up with a San Francisco-based art collective named The Ant Farm to create Cadillac Ranch, which has now become one of the most famous roadside attractions in Texas, as well as along Route 66.
The group set about acquiring ten used Cadillacs, ranging in model years from 1948 to 1963. Built along with the tattered remains of historic Route 66, the cars represented the “Golden Age” of American automobiles. Most of the cars were purchased from junkyards and averaged about $200. The cars were then buried nose-down, facing west along the old highway. Those that could run were driven into the half-burial holes; the rest were hoisted in. In 1974 the project was completed, and in no time at all, visitors began to come from all over the world, leaving their mark on the ever-thickening graffiti-covered cars.
Right next to Cadillac Ranch is The 2nd Amendment Cowboy.
the Cowboy has Cadillacs right next to him, but you can’t paint these, darn.
John Wayne was driving this caddy.
Willy Nelson was in this caddy.
Dave remembers his Grandfather driving a caddy just like this
Elvis is driving this one.
Wednesday the 24th we stayed in Oklahoma at the Mustang RV
It was a very nice place and they even had Tornado Shelters just in case.
It’s now Thursday the 25th and we are now in Springfield, MO staying at a KOA.
We are here for two nights and there is a regional car show, I got to take a few pictures before a few of them left for the show.
I gotta say I like the red 1963Valiant the best.
Tomorrow the 27th we’ll be on the road going to Vandalia, Illinois
It has been a while since I have posted, Melissa of late has been doing that ,and a fine job she is doing.
As most everyone knows it was a very trying time here last December and this January, with Melissa being very, very ill. (thank God they have state of the art health care here)It was also a trying time for me. However as of this post she is back to her old self, although on a few extra meds right now, and some extra doctor visits.
With Melissa sick, we had to extend our stay here at Voyager,(in some ways it has been a very good thing)and had to cancel all of our plans of heading up into Utah, and Idaho for the spring and summer. So ,we have been just at Voyager for the last four months. We like it here and will be coming back in the fall.
So , what are our plans, we will be leaving here May 20 th and taking 10 or so days to travel back to our home base in Buffalo, NY. There we will reconnect with friends, and family. We also both have a lot of doctor appointments to catch up on too. We will stay there until about mid September, when we will head back down here to Voyager and stay from Oct 1 to March 31 of 2024, six months. Then hopefully we will take, April, May and part of June 2024 to travel up northeast Arizona, Utah, the western side of Colorado, and back down the east side of Arizona. Then we will decide if we want to go back to home base for that summer, or head back to Voyager. Even if we head to home base we will be back to Voyager for that winter. Then again we will decide if we want to stay long term, (as we do like it hear). So, that is our plan for right now, and We both know full well plans can change.
On Saturday, April 29th with our friends Dawna & Scott.
Visitors traveling along I-10 between Tucson & Casa Grande in southern Arizona can’t miss the prominent 1,500-foot peak of Picacho Peak State Park. The state park has 3,747 acres for hiking, rock climbing, spring wildflowers, and camping. The peaks are visible from downtown Tucson, a distance of 45 miles. The summit rises to 3,374 feet above sea level.
Once inside the park we saw some Saguaro cactus. I think they are really neat and their flowers are Arizona’s state flower. The Saguaros are only found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert. The saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) are large, tree-like columnar cacti that develop branches (or arms) as they age. These arms generally bend upward and can number over 25. Saguaros are covered with protective spines, white flowers in the late spring, and red fruit in summer. They are very slow growing, a10 year old plant might only be 1.5 inches tall. Saguaro can grow to be between 40-60 feet tall. When the rain is plentiful and the saguaro is fully hydrated it can weigh between 3200-4800 pounds.
Saguaro flowers are usually found near the tops of the stems and arms of the cactus. They will start to bloom May – July. They are white in color about 3 inches (8cm) in diameter. They emit a strong smell, sort of like melons. During the night the flowers are pollinated by the lesser long-nosed bat and the Mexican long-tongued bat. During the daytime the flowers are pollinated by bees and birds such as the white-winged dove.
After the flowers have been pollinated they mature into bright red fruit. When the fruit ripens it split open showing juicy red pulp. Each fruit can contain up to 2000 small black seeds. The fruit is a source of food for many desert animals.
Saguaro flowers bloom for less than 24 hours. They open at night and remain open through the next day. They only have that very short time to attract an animal to be pollinated.
The pole that is used to get the fruit down from the cactus knocking it to the ground.
I would like to try the fruit one of these days cause it has Vitamin C, helps rehydrate the body, Cure Rheumatism and is rich in fiber. You can eat the fresh fruit or turn it into juice, make a reserve, jam or syrup from it, the seeds can be dried and pulverized to use as flour or make porridge, you can also use it to make wine and use the seeds for oil. The saguaro plant can also be used for splints, furniture and fences. I have to apologize for my lengthy description of saguaros but now you know more than you ever wanted to about them. 😊
Visitor Center
We learned that the rocks of Picacho Peak have seen the passing of prehistoric humans, Spanish explorers, gold miners on their way West, Mormon soldiers, and, most notably, Civil War combatants. Once Dave knew that there there was a Civil War battle fought here he was excited to learn about it, and now I’m letting Dave write about it. . .
So, little did I know there was a civil war battle in Arizona, really a small skirmish, that lasted about two hours. Although if you were killed or wounded in this battle, it was the biggest battle of your life.
In Early 1862, confederate Texans crossed into Arizona, and came as far as Tucson, which became sort of a supply area and staging for troops. After the union found out about this they sent U. S. California cavalry troops, east to see what was up. In early April of 1862 the confederate troops had an outpost at Picacho pass set up. Picacho pass was a well known landmark at this time seen from a long way off to guide people in there travels. Union forces approached on April 15 and decided to attack. They split up and one force followed the dirt road, while the other force went around the small mountain range. When the union troopers surprised the confederate troops they were willing to surrender, however, someone, deliberately of by mistake fired a shot, and the skirmish was on. It lasted a few hours, with several killed and a good many wounded on both sides. The union withdrew and left the confederates in charge. However the next day thinking they were going to be attacked by a larger force, the confederates with drew all the way back to Tucson. It was not until six weeks later did the union advance on Tucson, but by that time the confederates had withdrawn back into Texas.
This little battle was the westernmost engagement of the entire civil war. Also after the war a few men from both sides came back to settle in the area, two of them settled about forty miles northwest of Picacho pass, and named there little town Phoenix.
Scott and Dawna were at Picacho Peak before and hiked on some of the trails. Dave & I decided we would come back another time and hike the trails. The park has 5 trails from easy to difficult.
We had lunch with Dawna and Scott at the park and then we headed to their site in Fiesta Grande RV Park Resort.
Later in the day, We had some of Dawna’s delicious chicken paprikash.
We had a good time at Picacho Peak and visiting with our friends.
