23 and counting, Dan & Cruz

October 27th, 1984. Twenty-three years ago today, this was the scene. The child at right in photo is our niece.



Only days later, Clint Eastwood was filming Pale Rider while we were on our honeymoon. We missed him by one day, as we visited a town in the Mother Lode region of the California gold country (Columbia). We did not know he was there, nor about any filming. We went into a Wells Fargo bank to look around, and were told that he was just there the day before, in that bank. He was filming a scene where he tosses his preacher's collar into a deposit box, and retrieves a gun. That was that bank. Too bad, he coulda met me! It might have changed his life. Yeah, right.



A day or two later than the "Clint Eastwood bank thing", we were visiting Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. It was early November by that time, but no snow yet (except glacial ice and higher elevation snow). Yes, that's me coming out of the outhouse. It was built to deal with a bit of snow depth, but otherwise, use the ladder...!

Altogether we toured the high desert region around Apple Valley, went to Bishop, on to Lake Tahoe (minimal gambling at Harrah's, South Lake Tahoe), Donner Pass, Grass Valley, Truckee, numerous "gold country" stops (mines everywhere), Yosemite, Morro Bay, and back home. A great road trip.



My wife, Cruz, in Morro Bay, Calif., I'm not certain of the year, but it was around the time of honeymoon days.



Long lost brothers? Dan/Pete? That's me, 1990. The other guy is a Mirror Boy.

See ya,

--Dan

My wife's birthday balloons and more

If anyone has maybe kind of noticed, I have tried to blog at least once a week, usually on Saturday. I have been a bit giddy this week, and Saturday's blog (as well as more that I lightly did) happens on this evening, Friday, right now.

My wife, Cruz, celebrated her umm, "number xy" birthday a couple of days ago. I decorated the remaining celebretory balloons with a hand marking pen for the little boy, our grandbaby. He is not quite two years, now. He likes elephants and all animals.

I like to make quickie cartoons, and kids like 'em too. In both of these photos, the Little Boy is liking the image of the elephant, though there was a dinosaur and a cat.

I hate balloons somehow...kids love them so immensely, quickly and happily, then they inevitably shrink or pop, only to bring tears.

We'll see.

Anyway, I made sure the Disney video "Jungle Book" was loaded for him to watch, and Rachel, one of my now very grown kids, forwarded the VCR tape to the elephant part. Joy, joy, joy!

There is a very long interesting story concerning that old Disney video tape, but I am not in more of a typing mood. Maybe later?

--Dan

WW II, US subs, photo by my Dad

My scanner is very abnoxious, and suspect of many things, but I managed to get this scrawly photo anyway....

A photo taken by my Dad in WW II, US subs at the ready.

I love this picture, it is a rare one. Click on it, it will "grow", but it coulda been better with a better machine scanner. I am otherwise pleased as punch.

--Dan

Something to Post

I was looking for something to put up on the blog, and I ran across this old sticker. It has never had the backing removed. I should place it on ebay for 1,000 bucks.



Maybe not.



I went to see McCartney & Wings in 1975 at the Forum in Inglewood, CA.

Now for other stuff...

My neighbor, Allen, is playing the Neil Young stuff in the garage. This was recorded on a dinky cell phone with horrible sound, but you get to visit The Garage, just the same... last April, 2007.

--Dan

A Visit with History...and the Now

Hey music fans, notice anything here...besides me blocking the view?

Here is the car I was blocking in the above picture. It is an old Don Garlit's dragster. My daughter and I were visiting the NHRA Hot Rod Museum and Cruise Night on Wednesday.

Hey, little Cobra!

This car was juiced up to 183 miles per hour at Bonneville salt Flats in 1960. It is a 1957 Plymouth. Looks a LOT like the old car they brought out of the ground from that time capsule in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This car looks gads better.

My youngest, Marion, stands next to a famous old dragster.

The future is now! TV at the gas pump (petrol, for some Euro-folk). This was KTLA channel 5, a Los Angeles station on the way home from the car stuff.

A blast from the past: This is a picture of General Joe Engle (Astronaut, X-15 pilot, and associate of Chuck Yeager...the sound barrier guy), my daughter, Michelle, and me, Dan. It was around 1996 I think. The very next year I caught up with Joe again, and while he was being escorted away from the VIP stands, I held up this photo...it caught his eye, he stepped over to me...and signed it! This scan of the photo was before he signed it, of course.

--Dan