Music for a Road Trip

Family-friendly Road Trip Mix

Nope, we're omitting the likes of "Rick James Style" (the Lemonheads), "Smoke two Js" (Toyes), "Roll another Number for the Road" (Neil Young, 1975), and oh so many others. That's the stuff of another, quite different mix, for a solo road trip. Today I'm posting a mix that meets these two basic qualifications:

Must be child-appropriate. I get to decide.

Must be Parent tolerable. I get to decide.

1. Ape Man (Kinks)
2. Hey, Hey We're the Monkees (Monkees)
3. Octopus' Garden (Beatles)
4. Yellow Submarine (Beatles)
5. Hawaii 5-O (Dweezil Zappa OR Dick Dale OR the Ventures)
6. Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weeny, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
7. Yakety-Yak (the Coasters)
8. Splish-Splash (I was takin' a bath) (Bobby Darin)
9. Smelly Cat (Phoebe Buffay & Chrissie Hynde)
10. Stay up Late (Talking Heads)
11. Holy Flypaper! w/Batman Theme (Nelson Riddle)
12. Spiderman Theme (Ramones, of course!)
13. Secret Agent Man (The Ventures) / Hombre Secreto
14. Superman Theme (John Williams)
15. James Bond Theme (London Symphony Orchestra)
16. Ska Bond (Skatalites) / James Bond (The Selecter)
17. Happy Boy (Beat Farmers with Kazoo & Gurgle Verses) / Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python)
18. Crazy Egyptians (She Drives Me Crazy w/ Walk Like an Egyptian / Fine Young Cannibals v. Bangles)
19. If I had a Million Dollars (Barenaked Ladies)
20. Good Day, Sunshine (Beatles)
21. If You Want to Sing Out (Cat Stevens/Yusuf)

Surf on over to my YouTube Channel for a mix of most of these song.

Escape to Nevada County

I'm on Day 5 of my Escape to Nevada County. I observe the following:

• Grateful Dead Hour muddled and drifted its way through a lazy afternoon into Grateful Dead Permanent Audio Channel. For the uninitiated, this can be overwhelming. Even for those of us who attended a sane & sober New Years Eve Dead at the Oakland Coliseum back in the day, it bears a certain resemblance to an acid trip flashback that just won't quit. Sure, Archive dot org has an entire channel devoted to the Dead, nevertheless, too much of a good thing is...too much.

• Starlight, Star bright. Does it seem like all the stars have disappeared from your night sky? Mine too. I finally figured out where they went: Nevada County, CA! Note, however, that some nights it's better to appreciate the beauty of the sparkling stars than it is to contemplate all those big philosophical questions (can we ever know how big the Universe is? Boy, do I feel insignificant now.)

• Smoke follows beauty: I don't much care if my clothes smell like campfire. Too busy stargazing.

•  A tiny baby lizard smaller than my little finger!

• So. Yuba River at Hwy 49 has a wonderful concrete arch bridge. It's a good place to contemplate the rushing water as it wears away the surrounding stone. Love that place! Here's a link from BridgeHunter.com, with photos and a map (or surf back in time to last year in this very blog for other So.Yuba River posts). It's a few miles away here, but well worth the trip. Hike far enough on a warm day, and you can glimpse some frank-and-beans or lovely melons at the nudie hang-outs :-)

• Man, they gotta lotta skunks around here!

Alaska Escape - Day 2: Ketchikan Art

This blog tries to focus on my Escapes, and  Random Refuge purports to focus on public art, notably that from the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, and beyond. Sometimes the two blogs over lap, as with the recent Alaska Escape in June.  Here are the links to see more Alaskan Public Art from Random Refuge:

Ketchikan: Stained Glass
Ketchikan: Pier Art
Ketchikan: Public Transit
(don't forget the "l" in public!)

Alaska Escape - Day 3: Juneau Critter Count

"That sure is a funny looking dawg, y'all"

One critter - two photos

Porcupine Passing

Alaska Escape - Day 3: Juneau Hiking

Always favoring real experience over trinkets made in Taiwan and crowds of tourists, our *free*, self-propelled port excursion took us up and out of Juneau, walking through winding steep residential streets affording wonderful views of Gastineau Channel, until finally, we left all that behind and climbed Perseverance Trail, past Mt. Juneau, past Mt. Roberts and closer to British Columbia.

Leaving Town....

Juneau's Perseverance Trail, a National Recreation Trail

 Caveat discipulus!                  

In spite of rough terrain (boulders in the trail), very steep spots and the like, several intrepid bicyclists passed us along the way. They  were friendly and observed proper trail etiquette too!

Alaska's First Road

Alaska Escape - Day 3: Juneau

Juneau! State Capital of Alaska.

"The area of Juneau [Alaska] is larger than that of Rhode Island and Delaware individually and almost as large as the two states combined."

--Wikipedia                            

Alaska Escape - Day 3: Tracy Arm

Alaska Sunrise, 3:51 a.m. Tracy Arm

This is what "Purple Mountains Majesty" refers to, right?

 

Mt Sumdum 

South Sawyer Glacier

Critter count included a mother & young harp seal, relaxing on an ice floe.

Alaska Escape - Day 2: Ketchikan

view from Ketchikan

Haida Memorial Pole, Old Kasan     

An early arrival in Ketchikan (5:30a.m.) obviated any possible need to linger among the tres touriste Old Historic District with the Red Light section on Creek Street. Whew! Instead, walking along Ketchikan Creek, and through the blooming park in the light north coast rain,  we arrived in advance of the bright yellow Humvee of tourism lassitude (involving a $$$ per person "convenience" fee) at the Totem Heritage Center. Really, there's nothing like free, self-powered transpo to help you get a real feel for a place! I liked walking in the rain though I'd neglected  to bring "proper rain gear" (all the better for getting wet!) One thing we walked past was the local baseball field, which we noted was completely GRAVELED (both infield & outfield). This field was in stark contrast to the opulent luxury of our local high school's  newly  renovated track & field in the heart of SilliValley. 

Here's a totem I like:

Beaver

Halibut

Alaska Escape - Day 1: At Sea

6/20/2011

Alaska Escape - Prelim Seattle

Seattle was a short stop en route to Alaska. Paging through Seattle Weekly, I saw several bands I'd have loved to see...if I'd come in time for Thurs, Fri & Sat night shows.

IF I'd planned it right, I might have incorporated music right into the trip and crashed on a friend's couch, floor, lawn.... but I'm not alone, and planning is for ... somebody else, I guess.

Nevertheless, a short bus ride from the pier to Downtown and a lot of walking at Pike's Place Market. I like Seattle. A little touristy at times, but ok.  

Red Umbrella, Inside-out. It wasn't raining anyway. Just Seattle-grey.

Don't forget to look down! courtesy of Random Refuge .

Moth Day - Fleurs

Moth Day - Stevens Creek

Mother's Day Fleurs

Sticky Monkey Flower

(as opposed to "stinky" monkey flower)

 Brodiaea

Iris

Globe Calochortus
Mariposa Lily

Gate to the Twilight Zone?

My friend MM and I used to look for the door to the twilight zone. You never know where you might find it. Or what it might hold in store for you...

I don't think these are the gates to the twilight zone, but you can never tell what exactly is down there. I mean, these folks have invested in quality perimeter security -- Territorial Pea Fowl. The theory is, they scream like dying babies and chase off unwanted visitors, internet bloggers and paparazzi. Here's one making the rounds now:

Actually, I think this pea hen's on the tame side, letting me get nice and close for a photo op. Word's out, Gertrude's the first in her flock of security-guard pea hens to be featured on an Internet blog. And here are the gates to heaven. Someone's heaven, just  not mine. Their heaven has a great view of the south bay, and also a wide expanse of the active cement quarry below, which spews dust and whose gravel trucks challenge cyclists. 

But they do have cool gates.

Flower of the Month: May - Bougainvillea w/ Rose

Bougainvillea w/ Rose next to my gate.

Body Art?

As much as tattoo art has progressed to higher, more colorful and intricate levels, I don't see myself getting tattooed any time soon. Beyond a trio of ear piercings, I Never really contemplated piercing anything else anytime soon. Nevertheless, health issues conspire, and I'm as good as pierced. And contemplating jewelery decor to offset the horror of it all.

This Wheel's On Fire

A music post today, and why not? I really like it when my horizons open up to a much wider perspective. It's a glorious sunny day out, as good a day as any to enjoy a haunting, dark apocalyptic tune from the late 1960s....

Today I'll focus on a song fave of mine, This Wheel's On Fire, which it turns out, was not a Siouxsie & the Banshees original. But it is a great rendition from 1987. No, the song writing credits go to none other than our very own Bob Dylan, together with Rick Danko. It was performed early on by the Band (1968) and released on the Basement Tapes in 1975.  Notable early covers included Julie Driscoll with Brian Auger and The Trinity, and The Byrds who recorded both in studio and live versions 1969-Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde, and Live at the Fillmore - February 1969.

This Wheel's On Fire
The Byrds
1968

There have been a plethora of cover versions since the 60's, among them you'll find: Phil Le sh, Golden Earring, The Hollies, Ian and Sylvia, Les Fradkin, Leslie West, Serena Ryder, Rod Stewart, KT Tunstall w/ Billy Bragg, Neil Young and Guster.  But I must say I like seeing this song performed by young men in suits and ties!

Because it sounds so different, with their respective vocal styles, I include the KT Tunstall / Billy Bragg version from the 1992 Tribute to Bob Dylan (courtesy of YouTube).

KT Tunstall / Billy Bragg

A good album or play mix can get stuck in my cd player for months or even years, sounding great even with the familiarity of repetition. If you've got a high tolerance for repetition or just plain like covers, as I do, surf over to my playlist on my YouTube channel, where I've gathered together some great performances. Most are videos, with a couple of audio-only tracks, or audio-still image tracks as well. Enjoy!

A Recording of Rod Stewart's version of This Wheel's on Fire

Read the Wikipedia article here. 

Watch/listen to This Wheel's on Fire, performed by various artists featured on YouTube:

as a playlist, courtesy of HiKit's YouTube channel

Siouxsie & The Banshees Live on Razzmatazz 2/1/1987  or the Music Video

Golden Earring

Serena Ryder - Top of the Park, Ann Arbor, June 27, 2008

The Hollies in Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki, Finland 1969


The Band

Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger Trinity 1967-68


Leslie West 1969

Guster

Neil Young & The Sadies  have a version of This Wheel's on Fire too. I know I have this somewhere and I like it better than some versions, but you'll have to try to track it down if you're a Sadies / Neil Young fan.

Flower of the Month: April - Yellow Pond Iris

Auspicious Day

I knew it was an auspicious day when I caught a glimpse of a Great Blue Heron while passengerizing along Hwy 280, California's autobahn. Since this was roadside viewing at 80mph, I don't have a photo. But I do have this photo, taken just an hour later in Golden Gate Park:

Night Heron

Stow Lake, Golden Gate Park

Some time later the same afternoon, I was treated with not one (shown here), but  several bison were ranging and visible in their "habitat" at Golden Gate Park. I think they have a back pasture, where they can be out of sight of people. I like to check in on them, but rarely get to see several at the same time. A powerful beast. Nice.

A little while later that same day, I spotted a second Great Blue, posing in the grasses at the ruins of Sutro Baths.

 Besides the critters pictured here, I also saw sandpipers at the Half Moon Bay Taco Bell-by-the-Sea, and red-tailed hawks near Woodside. 

 Canada Geese Goslings & Parents

Stow Lake, Golden Gate Park

This is a special raft was tethered to the shore, apparently a duckling feeder!

Also at Stow Lake, this is just one of several ducklings -- they were Much smaller than the goslings and did a much better job of staying hidden.

The Man Who Planted Trees - Giono, Back, McCurdy

JEAN GIONO

L'homme qui plantait des Arbres 

You can read this book in English, The Man Who Planted Trees. It's the sort of book you can read easily and finish in one sitting, say, during a commute home on the train.   

There's a 1987 Canadian short animated film of the story, directed by Frédéric Back. From his web site: Back's  Bio, Filmography, Illustrations, Back's KidZone Bio, Museum & Research, As Activist, Caring Together Activity Kits

AFTER YOU READ THE SHORT BOOK, Watch Back's animated version on YouTube:
En Francais, L'Homme qui Plantait des Arbres, part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4
In Italiano, L'Uomo Che Piantava Gli Alberi, part 1, part 2, part 3
En Espanol, El Hombre que Plantaba Árboles, part 1, part 2, part 3
In English, The Man Who Planted Trees, part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

Wikipedia: The Man Who Planted Trees

Michael McCurdy - Henry David Thoreau Cards

Book Illustrated by Michael McCurdy's woodcuts 

Complete List of Michael McCurdy’s Exhibitions