Watch Out For Them Giant Boids

A small flock of large cinematic avians. Images were processed with Google's "cinematic photo" tool with varying degrees of success.

Santa Clauses Are Coming To Town

Can one have too many Santas? In this case the answer is probably yes. 

Fallen Foliage Of Willow Glen

An exclusive compilation of neighborhood leaf piles

Party Of One (The Lonley Carny)

 

Thing You Might See In Regent, ND.

 "Sir Albert and the Dragon"

 Depending on which direction you're headed, this is either the first or last of Gary Greff's scrap metal tableaus along North Dakota's "Enchanted Highway".

TSG met Gary at his headquarters/gift shop on Regent's main drag (such as it is). He's an interesting guy who has a slightly problematic relationship with the rest of the town. Apparently long time residents haven't ever gotten behind the idea of their town being a tourist destination and there is little local support for his efforts. He's a dedicated fellow though -- he expressed his determination to carry on with his personal crusade to keep Regent on the tourist trail as long as he's able.

Latest Fab Foto Folder Finds

Imagine our delight when we came upon a whole box of these vintage folder cards...for only $1 each! Worth noting: the "ONE CENT" postage required on the Coronado/Point Loma packet dates it to around 1919.

Dendroids Of The Coast Range Ridge Trail

 

A ̷ ̷̶̷M̷̶̷a̷̶̷n̷̶̷ Skeleton For All Seasons?

 It appears this homeowner has decided to save a bit of setup/takedown effort for his holiday yard display. Unfortunately we didn't think to get a pic of the big guy holding up a "Thank You Veterans" banner earlier in the month. 

 

Watery Hazards

 

Celebrity Cruise Ship

We recently spent a couple of hours wandering around Moss Landing Harbor. In the process of snapping pics of random boats at their moorings, we came upon this fine looking example: 

The Western Flyer

 In an interesting co-inky-dink, a few days later we came across an article in the LA Times about this very vessel.  Turns out it's kinda famous.

 After writing The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck spent 6 weeks on the Western Flyer in 1940 on an expedition in the Sea of Cortez with marine biologist Ed Ricketts. Steinbeck's book The Log from the Sea of Cortez documents his time on the Western Flyer. The book is considered one of Steinbeck's most important works of non-fiction-- his interaction with Ricketts not only impacted his philosophy, it also provided inspiration for characters in his later works. 

Following the Sea of Cortez voyage, the Western Flyer resumed it's job as a commercial fishing boat. After years of plying it's trade on the west coast it ended up in Washington and fell into disrepair. It was eventually purchased in 2015 and restored for use as a research and educational ship by the Western Flyer Foundation. 

 This weekend sees the homecoming of the Western Flyer to her original home port in Monterey.

 

Something Borrowed*, Something BOO!

 

*Soundtrack: Poor Skeleton Steps Out by XTC

 

 

 

Preview Of Coming Attractions

We're still in the process of gathering content for our annual Halloween slideshow. Here are a few of the treats viewers can look forward to. (Sign courtesy of a display on Vernon Ave in Willow Glen)

Cactus Tree (Tree Cactus?) / Sunset State Beach Road CA

 

Greetings From...

 Recent additions to the TSG Vintage Postcard Folder Collection

Spiders And Snakes And Boars, Oh My!

...aka kinda creepy* wildlife you might meet whilst wandering around in the foothills on a fall day.

*depending on the individual, encountering any or all of these

critters could potentially trigger a severe flight response

Disc Golf On The Road: Summer 2023 Edition

A Kalidesopic Stroll Through The Range Riders Hall Of Fame

Theres One Born Every Minute

Hmm...on second thought, that's probably a major understatement for these critters.

At The Port of Ludington Maritime Museum.

"Vintage" National Park Memorabilia

At first glance, these "mid century" National Park-themed 10 x 11-inch "carved wooden bowls" (seen in an Antique Collective in La Crosse WI) seemed kind of cool.  On closer inspection they turned out to be mass-produced molded plastic souvenirs from the 70s, which substantially reduced the coolness factor...meh, no sale.

No big loss though, the TSG gewgaw display shelves are at capacity. Now, if we ever came across them in mini fridge magnet versions, they'd be an instant purchase.

Ride 'Em (Jurassic) Cowboy

 Fetching bit o' yard art on sale at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center 

(Located, appropriately enough, on Carter Ranch Road)

Cool Corridors

An otherwise unremarkable 2-star property, The Redwood Riverwalk Hotel in Fortuna CA can justly boast of having some really neat murals adorning the breezeway corridors. The artwork may not be a deciding factor for the casual traveler when comparing local lodging options, but they were definitely a pleasant surprise to this road tripper.

Footie Selfie W/Bug

Surf-bedraggled praying mantis gains a TSG toehold

Limantour Beach / Point Reyes National Seashore

Inverness CA

 

The Blue Whale Of Westport CA

It isn't quite in the same league as the one in Catoosa, but it's always fun to see a big cetacean in someone's yard when you're driving down the road.

 

Looking To Make A Few Extra Bucks?

 Seen on the Trinidad Head trail today

Tiny Private Tide Pool

 

A closer look at the right half of this washed-up scallop shell reveals a tiny creature flitting around in what is essentially its own tiny tide pool. 

 

 

Behind North Falls / Silver Falls State Park

 Silver Falls rightly deserves it's reputation as a crown jewel of the Oregon State Park system. North Falls is just one of 10 waterfalls situated along the trail that runs along Silver Creek Canyon. Well worth a visit for anyone passing through central Oregon.

He Doesn't Look A Day Over 83

Visitors at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery admiring Herman The Sturgeon ("Oregon's most beloved fish"), who recently celebrated his 85th birthday.

Approaching Mount Hood On I-84

 

You Say Potato?

 The Potato Museum in Blackfoot Idaho has more to offer than just a big spud sculpture out front. First off, visitors are greeted with a cardboard cut-out of Marilyn Monroe sporting a potato sack dress*.  Once inside, the visitor is treated to a family of singing potatoes and all manner of tuber-related ephemera. (Please excuse the low audio volume in the start of the video, you might have to crank it up/use earbuds to hear the dialog.)
*editor's note: the actress' original claim to fame was as the first honorary Castroville Artichoke Festival Queen in 1948

 

A Skipper Convention On The Madison

The scenic Madison River flowing on the western edge of Yellowstone:

On a smaller scale, on the meadow's edge by the riverside, countless European skipper butterflies can be seen feeding on thistle and rabbitbrush flowers. 

 

No Hot Dog For You!

Wildlife encounter on the porch of the Yellowstone General Store

Trigger Happy

Selections from the humongous firearms collection at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West