America: Prairies

Crossing America. We've reached the midway point. Catch the south in this post.

8:45 PM Outside Dallas, Texas: Some BBQ that I want for lunch every day.
I have the strong suspicion that Dallas freeways are the worst in the country. I've driven in a bunch of cities, but I never fail to miss exits here.We were miles outside the city and still the ramps were these huge disorienting clover leaves with only a few cars on them.

9:12 AM Backpacking hostel, Dallas, Texas: What do people do in Texas? Watch Cowboys football all of the time. No, not really? Yes. Really. Maybe. I'm kidding. We were in Texas less than an hour when we walked into a room full of people watching a Cowboys football game. A guy asked me who I was rooting for, and I said, "well, you know I don't really watch football."

He said, "That's what pretentious people from Los Angeles say. When you know they watch it. Everyone watches it."

At that time an Australian guy walked by wearing a shirt with a big Australian flag on the front. I liked it, but to all of the haters who say Americans are the only ones who wear their flag with pride while in other countries, you're wrong.

In the morning, I struck up a conversation with an older sailor who was newly off of a Kibbutz in Israel. He wanted to convince me to start harvesting wild herbs from city lots and even showed me a website to guide me in the pursuit. As we were leaving he shook my hand and said awkwardly, "May you find G-d," then mumbled, "sorry I have to say that."

2:42 PM Moore, Oklahoma: Site of the massive EF5 tornado in May. We literally got off the freeway and this is what we saw, didn't even drive a block. This was once a residential neighborhood. Very sad and very shocking to see first hand.

Most of the houses were abandoned, some were being rebuilt. This stretch of Oklahoma has got to be the most banged up area in the country, the heart of Tornado Alley. Bascially they are hit with major tornadoes every other year, and in 1999 another EF5 with the fastest wind speeds ever recorded (318 mph.) You wonder why people still live here, but I suppose you cannot underestimate the meaning of home.

The tornado this spring caused more casualties than any other this year. There were still signs and donation depots all along the main road. What's crazy, the El Reno tornadoes hit just a little over a week later and only about 30 miles west. Some of the world's best stormchasers were killed in the widest cyclone ever recorded (2.6 miles.) I imagine it just looked like a huge thunderstorm, you couldn't even tell it was spinning.

Striping away the humanity, there is something about tornadoes that is terrible and fascinating at the same time, like rogue waves and swollen waterfalls. I'm not saying I'd be a storm chaser, but I can see why people do.

6:46 PM Kansas Prairies: Miles and miles of Milo. The grain feed for animals

9:03 AM Mentor, Kansas: Catching up with my good buddy Hugo, who I haven't seen since he was a puppy back in Virginia. Corgis are the best.

Gorbet the cat, suspicious at first.

I just woke up, no one told me that my hair was all messed up. Hugo is ashamed to have his photo taken with me. Come on, don't be like that. Catching up with David; I practically lived at their house when I was a teenager. His daughter was my best friend. He and his wife were like my second parents.

10:02 AM Downtown Mentor, Kansas: Random things that happen when you are on the road. Going on Kansas access cable, checking my teeth for bagel.

Catching up with one of the wolfpaks. Remembering the family trip to New Orleans, the one in which David knocked me into the trash can. So good to see old friends.

The Denver folks were giving the prairie a lashing. I imagine it's difficult for young people or any people to live there long term. But we'd never seen this part of the country. I had painted a picture in my head from the Wizard of Oz, what I read of Grapes of Wrath and storm chaser clips from youtube. But actually being in the Breadbasket has been enlightening.

Prairies last forever.

Summer means camping..

.. we camp in spring and fall too, but it's nice not to be hanging out in Arctic gear.

Pictures of Shibat and I during our camping trip in April taken by Dennis Ho, 
who is an excellent photographer as you can see. 

There's nothing better than warm summer nights around the campfire singing, making smores, telling ghost stories, star gazing, and discussing the meaning of life.

We took off to La Jolla Indian Campground north from San Diego. The campground is on the La Jolla land of the Luiseño Indians. We met a guy a while back in the area who was part of the tribe and said that the La Jolla Res was the only Native American reservation established on land that was already occupied by the tribe. Every other tribe was displaced. Imagine how different the US would be today,  if settlers had worked with the Native Americans, instead of against them. Would the style of governing be much different? Would the continent be more ecologically sound? Certainly the American culture would have a stronger bond to the land.

  Our New Yorker and Parisian had never camped before, 

so we did our best to be ambassadors of the Great Outdoors.

 I only took pictures down by the creek, so here we have some wild flora and fauna:

 I love the little futuristic-space-craft shadows that the water spiders make.

 Walking on water. Impressive little guy, impressive.

What the heck are you? Answer: Damsel Nymph. This is kind of a let down being that you are neither nymph-y or damsel-y. But my wild research definitely uncovered the scope of human hobbies. I found this species name on a professor's blog who studies Central Virginian aquatic insects in his spare time. I really appreciate that. Everyone's got their thing. The weirder the better. I had a professor of illustration in college who was really interested in snail reproduction.

Do you have any unusual hobby or interest? Feel free to share...

happy camera

Last week was a long week, but I must've had some kind of astrological windfall, because I got paid up for a lot of work from several of my freelance jobs at once. That meant it was a good camera weekend! I bought a portrait lens with my earnings. Nothing fancy (50mm, 1.8), but I've already gotten some use out of it. We did some shooting at a very important project on Sunday. My friend is involved with a school that is starting in South Central. I'm going to make the website look magnifique with lots of pictures.

There were some great characters there. Some of these were shot with the new lens. Some are from Manzanar two weeks ago. All are gentlemen.

Basketball Championships in Anaheim

Shibat and his uncle, Charlie. Charlie is so funny! I can't properly convey it here. He's 88 years old, on top of everything, involved in every conversation. He's loud, crazy and a smartass. We drove them all down there to give Shibat a break. Charlie was kicking back in the front seat. They were having a disagreement over which exit to take and after saying that J's head was like Gibraltar (a big rock), he turned and spit.
J said, "Did you just spit in my car?"
"What, what are you talking about?"
"I just saw you. You spit in my car."
"Eh, yeah..."

 We went to support our friend's nephew #2 - who's really good. 

 

They lost but I think it was solely the responsibility of the uniform designer.

Nancy's brother is Crazy

Best weekend activity: hanging out at Shibat's house with Shibat and Suga. 

Eating fresh oranges and then fine coffee with real cream, and making foil hats, Ha!

Suga is awesome.

He is a great inspiration. About two years ago, he went to the doctor and they told him that his blood sugar levels showed that he was prediabetic. They also found some spotting in his lungs that they thought was cancer. He freaked out and came to the best natural doctor in the world (Shibat of course).

Dr. Shibat put him on a strict program. First, the diet: only organic meat, no processed food or anything out of a box or bag, no sugar, no bread, only raw milk or diary products (point of contention in CA right now), only brown rice, only fresh vegetables and fruit. Suga had been a smoker for 50+ years, so he had to stop smoking and start walking every day. Suga followed the program religiously. Do you know how hard it is to stop smoking after 50 years?!

He lost 20 lbs. and when he went back to the doctor three months later, his sugar levels were normal, his lungs were spotless, he had a clean bill of health. They couldn’t figure out what the heck happened.

It's great inspiration for anyone who might have a similar prognosis from the doctor. Unfortunately, western doctors tend to give medication and casually mention healthy diet and exercise. Some people think a healthy diet is Cracker Barrel or Applesbees. Most doctors don't do much to change that misconception. The focus should be on a healthier lifestyle. It's not easy, but reclaiming your health really can't be. It's hard  work. 

goofing around.. beam me up..

Revival of the cholo pose

This is what I will miss most about LA.

Shabu with Shibat

Shabu Shabu at the creme de la shabu on Sawtelle with Shibat. 

This is a stock picture, because I was too busy eating to take photos. You just dip that meat there into the boiling vat in front of you and stuff yourself.