To Burn a Bridge You Must First Build a Bridge

Seventy years ago today the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, twisted, rolled and gyrated itself into oblivion. It is evident when looking at footage of the collapse, that it was the best thing that ever happened to commuters in that part of the state, the bridge was just two lanes. What a traffic nightmare, but it goes to show that you must first have a bridge to destroy it. In the corporate world we spend a ridiculous amount of time building bridges, in fact it mostly seems that we build bridges simply to avoid using the existing bridges. And if you have forgotten or neglected an existing bridge, building new bridges on ground already covered is perfectly okay. In life it doesn't work like that, a neglected bridge is likely to be burned or might as well be burned, and unless there is a symboitic relationship between the two sides, rebuilding a burnt bridge is, it turns out, difficult. I suppose this all is a way of saying, your elders were right, don't burn your bridges.

Sundown on the American Republic

Yesterday, for many, signaled the end of the American republic. For others, yesterday was the best day ever, or at least since the Contract with America. That election may act, if we are lucky, as a cautionary tale for Congressional Republicans. Lets face it these jokers on both sides of the isle aren't suppose to be working for their parties or their ideals, they are working for We the People, and occasionally We the People need government to do something, like fix potholes and pass budgets, etc. The Contract with America bunch forgot about that, and really only wanted to answer to the Contract and those who dreamed it up and benefited from it. Enough about that, politicians aren't like Mr. Smith so lets not suppose they will man up.

A few thoughts from this latest election...

First you must be a real jerk to lose a seat in Congress, consider some of the folks that didn't lose seats and then consider those that lost again.

Second, polarization is killing politics, there are fewer and fewer moderates. Moderates maybe championed by some parts of the media, but mostly for the oddity at this point they are like seeing pandas in the wild. Moderates it turns out, are the real jerks, as practicing the art of politics leaves you open to criticism from all the cable news channels and confuses the voters at home, that frankly are too stupid to understand the grey areas and therefore require the black and the white or the left or the right.

Third, the partisanship on the part of cable news networks is mindboggling, the talking heads at CNMSCNBSNews have very easy jobs, they need not report on the happenings of the day, but just express their opinion (louder and more sarcastic the best) of said happenings. Their existence polarizes America, how many times have you heard, the news is either too liberal or too conservative? Both sides loath one another's cable news networks. Ingoring them would be best. However cable news is like a three year old, ratcheting up a tantrum to get you to pay attention. If we stopped paying attention, the advertising money would leave and eventually Fox News and MSNBC would reformat and start showing reruns of, The Courtship of Eddie's Father and Family Affair. The far edges of both parties also act like spoiled three year olds, to entice the other side and thus fear their base into giving more money and getting out to vote.

Finally, the sun rose this morning, and if it comes up tomorrow I think we have a trend, and are likely to see 730 or so more sunrises until the next election.

Enjoy

Dan

As You Stare Down the Bloodshot Eye of Your Cupake

On this Halloween, it is time for the special elections version of America's Finest Blog. Whereas in some States your cupcake cannot vote, you still can, the question is which one is luckier. On one hand, the cupcake will be devoured by an overly stimulated child. You, on the other, will be devoured by robo-calls from concerned vets, animal lovers, illegal immigrates and of course Barrack Obama. That's not to mention the television and radio ads. Most of the onslaught of crap doesn't tell you what a candidate will do in office, but rather that the other candidate made money during a recession, or will take away a woman's right to vote, or will pass a flat 100% income tax on all Americans in return for a flat screen television and a couple pizza's a week.

Thinking about it, politicians have it rough, the deck is stacked against them, well before merit, character and performance even are weighed. That is probably one reason why so very many terrible people run for office, only the naive believe that they really can make a difference and city or county politics weeds them out, so that leaves the truly arrogant, unemployable and unscrupulous seeking political office. This can be seen here in Washington in both the senate and congressional races. Terrible choices all around, neither person in most cases deserves to win. Our ballot measures are also frustrating, as they all seem like they should be drafted and passed and signed into law by our elected officials, not drafted by special interests for primarily the benefit of special interests and put on the ballot.

Once again a disappointing election cycle is coming to a close, and when all is said, if in Afghanistan some districts can get 600% voter turn out, then you can mail in your ballot by Tuesday.

Now eat your cupcake.

The Warm Fuzzy Feelings

Tonight's photo is not a benign picture of suburbia, but instead a picture of a ruthless human. Tonight's photo is not a picture of a Chevy Vega, a high water mark of the 1970's, be instead a photo of a real villain, a child on a tricycle. Not since Leon Czolgosz has there been a more vile human. Actually, I am stretching it a bit here, 4 year old girls on bikes with training wheels are the worst humans on earth.

Story out of New York, a Manhattan judge is allowing a negligence suit against a four year old to continue, the judge noted, that there is no evidence that the girl couldn't appreciate the danger of riding her bicycle into an elderly women. The suit is being brought by the estate of women, that was struck by the four year old girl on a bicycle with training wheels. The women, age 87, broke her hip and required surgery and then died three months later.

Question should be, is the judge and estate negligent of ruining the childhood and maybe life of a four year old, by moving forward with this case.

So next time you see a wee one on a tricycle or a Spider Man bicycle with training wheels, get out of the way, because they are cold blooded.

Or stand your ground and sue 'em.

Just A Bit of Neandertal

Once again I have every intention of blogging about something that would be blog worthy for America's Finest Blog. Well once again the forces of others and lack of sleep has done me in. Oh well, I did see an article about Ozzy's genome, sadly Ozzy does not have a special dark lord of partying gene. But he is a bit of a Neandertal, really just a bit. Who knew the genome could be so much fun, at least until they turn everything into a cross between A Brave New World and that terrible British horror film about the mad scientist that breeds plants and humans into human like planets. Or was it planet like humans, there Halloween costume idea free of charge. Did I say Halloween? This year should be real fun as always, and in honor of the season and Ozzy, bony meatloaves...

Fat Tired and Grey

That describes me right now and in tonight's photo, oh maybe add confused as it is nearly 11 PM and I have no idea where my day went (the photo doesn't show that). It seems that I live several different lives during the course of a day, week or month, all of them incomplete, disjointed and neglected. Even my times of enjoyment are interrupted or tinged with guilt. Tonight, will not be about yesterday's trip to the Japanese Gardens, but instead another self-pity blah blah fest. Makes me wish for those old what to blog posts, how about you? Besides its late, I got to get up and go to work in the morning, so tonight a self pity blah blah post, so I can hopefully blog about Japanese Gardens, Halloween and the Election later this week. I can still dream.

Dan

Looking Ahead, Not Looking Back

So tonight instead of looking at the past two months and contemplating the way my life has changed, I am going to look forward. Tomorrow I will be going to the Japanese Gardens at Washington Park to take photos, without other too many other people around. It is something I have been looking forward to for the last 10 days. That said, the last ten days have been some of the toughest days in recent memory. So I am really excited to go and do it, but at the same time, I am a bit down since the weather has turned grey. I don't think I needed the additional melancholy, but guess I will use it to my advantage. I also worry that after this I don't have much to look forward to for awhile. That sort of thing is importan right now. And of course a bit of me will be in Wenatchee, but that won't be any different than any other day for the last two months.

Tomorrow will not be the first time I'll been to the Japanese Gardens, I've been once before, when Cicely's parents came up to Seattle for the first time. Tonight's photo is from that visit, a grey March day as I recall.

Dan

Stepping Back

I have found myself recently so overwhelmed and consumed by the events in my life, that I has ceased feeling anything. Numbly I have been attempting to juggle, family, life and work, to poor results. I came to the conclusion this evening that I would bury myself if I continued. So what to do, there is the stoic and selfless act of motoring on, or I could drop interest in the family or work, or I could simply walk away from the stress for awhile. This is by far the hardest of the choices, in fact a younger and more rested version of me would consider the act, weakness. But a tired and older and wiser me, understands the war will not be won by fighting any battles in the next couple of days, so why not regroup and recharge. Tonight a visit to the lonely hi-way. This is the Sunset Highway just south of the Big-Y. The road may have been bypassed 50 some years ago, but the white line is still doing its' job. I suppose there is a lesson in there some place.

Dan

The Pumpkin Patch Redux

It is that time of year we deal with all things Pumpkin Patch and of course the pending election. This year will be no different, the election albeit a mid-term is still important, even if both parties are running on a, "We are not the other guys," platform. There are other important things to decide in November as well, so read that election guide. Anyway we went to a Pumpkin Patch today with what seemed half the known world. It was fun, maybe not as fun as in the past, mostly due to the crowd, but it was ambitious, after the farm fun, it was back to the Froelich farm for more fun. It was a good time there, even with 50 people, I mostly did not know. Lately, I have found myself blogging about staying within the moment and often enough it is because it is so hard to do. Again tonight I found myself sucked out of an enjoyable moment and into a place I'd rather not be. My mistake this time was to look at my smartphone and see the email. The moment was gone and so was the enjoyable, as I knew it would be back home to respond. Anyway a little pumpkin patch fun, from believe the half.

Waiting for the Pumpkin Patch

The Pumpkin Patch has become a very special time, now that we have a kid. This weekend will mark yet another trip out to the farms of South Snohomish County. This will be a time to put aside the worries of the world and enjoy the simplicty of enjoyment. It sounds easy, but when you have too much going on, enjoyment without guilt or worry can be tough. Again, I suppose, a reason to try to live in the now, not thet past or the future or the dreaded, "What if..."

The Teapot

Continuing on with our look at the bygone era of filling stations, we leave Kittitas County and head south to Yakima County and the town of Zillah. Here for many years stood the oldest continuously operated filling station in America, the Teapot Dome. The building built in 1922 was constructed as a reminder of the Teapot Dome Scandal that was currently rocking the country and the Harding White House. The little Teapot pumped fuel for 85 years before closing in 2007. This sort of building is once represented America, built by hand, it is a symbol of resourcefulness, it's message is a form of grass rooting activism, its shape unique like its country and maybe most telling is the rye wit and bit of sarcasm about the whole thing.

More Filler

I mentioned in an earlier post that there were many old filling stations throughout the Kittitas Valley and for that matter the state and the nation. The best part of the filling stations of old was their unique appearance. Sure many stations had a bit of a cookie cutter appearance, but nothing like the modern gas and sip. Just as many however had something special about them, an unique design, a restaurant, small store or a repair garage. Many had a combination of these elements. This evenings filling station is located in Thrall, just south of Ellensburg at the entrance to the Yakima Canyon, on old U.S. 97. I-82 replaced the Canyon Road in 1971, so its last days were sometime around then I would guess. It is hard to believe a major oil company would allow one of their stations, owner operator or otherwise be pink stucco with green trim.

The 21st Century is Kinda Cool

One nice thing about smart phones, aside from your ability to blog from them, is the new and better cameras, some phones have cameras up to 8 MP. Another nice thing about smart phones, are app stores that allow to get built in affects, normally reversed for those users of CS4 or like programs. This seems rather trivial and it is, but it is nice to know I can be creative when using a camera on a phone. Considering the recent past, I am very happy with the recent discovery of fun camera phone apps. Sometimes it is the little things that keep us going. Tonight two photos taken with my Retro Camera app on my Android phone. Note a bid of photo shopping has occurred after the fact, but not much.

Enjoy

Dan

Autumn Is Here

Autumn is here and once again I can't say that I am ready for it, I just wish each day that the sun holds on a bit longer. Especially, since the weather people say its going to be a real bad winter. And besides the fall sunlight is the best to photograph in.

What If...

Bacon was good for you...

Everyone's final days were lived out in stoic grace and dignity...

All the hard living and mistakes we make only resulted in a personal library of cautionary tales...

People still lived in small town America

Trails were returned to rails

We can play the, "What if," game all our lives, but sometimes we need to be face the real world and what it has to offer. It may not always be pretty and it may not always be nice, but it is real and the best part is tomorrow always comings, there is no, "What if..." about that.

Filling Stations

Kittitas County is littered with old gas stations from the bygone age of travel, from Snoqualmie Summit to Vantage there are tens of old filling stations. These are relics of a time of two lane black top and cars that got 8 mpg, done in by progress and technology. As you look beyond the Interstate you see them, ghosts from a time in the not so distance past, when cross state travel wasn't an undertaking done without care and planning. Spokane could be 2 or 3 tanks of gas depending on the car and the starting point of the trip. These old gas stations, where a product of their times, some had restaurants, some had garages and some just had pumps. Some had unique architecture and some were more traditional, some were in the cities and towns the highways rolled through, some were in the country, beckoning weary travellers with neon signs and a hot meal or ice cold Coca-Cola.

But when the Interstates were finished and the easy access taken away, these places were among the first to wither and disappear from the landscape, leaving only memories and the buildings behind. Tonight a filling station on U.S. 10 east of Ellensburg. I have seen photos of this station from the 1950's on a snowy day, it was Texaco with a restaurant. This photo is from 1994, the awning over the pumps lasted only one more winter before it collapsed.

Random Thoughts

I continue to be busy and as I would like to spend a bit more time with America's Finest Blog, I simply cannot. I can say that watching Ken Burns's new addendum to the Baseball Documentary was delightful and really the highlight of a rather long and terrible month. Not that the whole month was bad, it had many nice moments. And now October is upon us and the end of the year draws nigh, baseball will finally come to an end in Seattle, the leafs will turn, corn mazes will be wandered thru, the election will come and go and then the holidays. All the while the crap and the stress will still be around. But in it all the hope that there will be the occasional laugh shared with my wife, wrestling with my boy, his spontaneous smile, corn mazes, orange and yellow leaves, the first snow and moments of peace and stillness.

Anyhow tonight's photo is of Barry Bonds striking out.

More Hours

This weekend has been an example of needing more hours to get the things in life done, that you would like. In fact the last 6 weeks to 3 months have been a prime example of this. I'd like more time to do a lot of things in general and tonight I'd like more time to blog. But them is the breaks. Right?

I'm going to try blog this week about the old gas filling stations of the world and a photo recap of the summer. We'll see if that actually happens.

Tonight's photo an old lady.

Remember to look into the measures and candidates on the November ballot, and then vote early and often, if the Afghan's can get 625% vote turnout, then so can we!

4 Fingers and 10 Years

There are photos that are taken that you wish were not. Even though this photo sits on my desk in my office, I actually don't much like this photo, and never have really. It is crass. However, I do like the girl in the photo and I do fondly remember the night. You see this is of course, myself and my wife on our first date, or first time we hung out or whatever you call it. I wish somebody had be trailing us with a camera so we could have a photo of us holding hands, as we walked down to the QFC. Instead Cicely's sister came out on the porch and told us to flip off the camera. Photos are suppose to capture a moment in time. But this photo really is everything but that to me, sure it does remind me of that moment, but its more, it is sitting on her porch talking and watching the rats on the telephone lines, it is marrying her, it is all the love we have shared, it is our son, it is the promise of many more years together, it is youth and it is the wisdom that comes with age, that says you shouldn't take photos like this.

See Ya, Now It Is If You Didn't Even Come

Summer has ended, and what a down summer it was. Not very warm and not very long. The worst June since the last ice age and a September that thus far has been 3 times wetter than normal. But still when the sun is out and it's warm this is the most beautiful place on earth. As the sun now has set on Summer 2010, here's to an even better summer in 2011.