On the Road 4

This is just a response to several comments about the Andy Devine Museum. It was a bit of a disappointment. I had heard from a friend that it was pretty good. It may have been at one time. Now it is only a small room with some photos, movie posters and newspaper clippings about Andy. It is part of the Mojave Museum in Kingman, AZ, Andy’s home town. I was sorry that it wasn’t better. The museum itself is quite nice, but I, too, was disappointed that there was not more about Andy Devine.

We holed up in Las Vegas to watch the Breeder’s Cup. I won’t bore you with a lot of horse racing stuff but the two days of racing were terrific for this old guy. And Zenyatta, the mare, went up against the guys in the Breeder’s Cup Classic and won. She’s a huge horse. 17-1/2 hands.

Now we’re in Tonopah, NV, about halfway between Las Vegas and Reno. It’s over 6,000 feet in elevation and a bit cold out at night. It’s touted at being the best place in the U.S. to star gaze. The nights are clear and cold and there is a map of places you can drive to where you have no light obstructions for looking at the stars.

On the Road 2

On the Road 2 - 11.02.09
Coming north from Soccoro, NM we passed a GMC car dealer. His name was Tillery. We wondered whether his first name was Art or Dis.

We stopped at the Laguna Pueblo casino, about 60 miles west of Albuquerque, for lunch. It is a small casino but the most friendly people. The casino is called Dancing Eagle after a ceremonial dance of many Pueblo people. Our waiter was Will Louis and we had quite a conversation with him. He had been up to Washington state and told us of the many things which he had never seen before. Driving across the Narrows Bridge high above Puget Sound was one of them. Another was watching the fish mongers at the Pike Place Market throw big salmon from the front of the cases where they are kept in ice to the person who weighs, price and wraps the fish.

The people at the next table were from Minnesota on the way to visit their daughter who is in the service and stationed at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma. They were happy to hear a weather report from the Puget Sound area. They began to talk about the beauty of Minnesota, especially of the Boundary Waters area near the border between the U.S. and Canada. Since we have been there I knew exactly what they were talking about. They were trying hard to convince Will that he must visit there and canoe in to experience the silence when there is nothing or no one else around.

I told Will that he could read about that part of Minnesota in the wonderful books written by Sigurd Olsen. Olsen taught and was sometimes Dean of a community college in Ely, MN. I’, quite sure that he could have had a university post almost anywhere but he chose to stay in the area of the country that he loved. He’s been dead many years but his books have been republished within the last few years, I think by the Univ. of Minnesota Press. Anyone who loveds the outdoors or even to read about it would do well to search Olsen’s books out.

Oops! Apparently this did not get posted. Randon abstracts, rejoice!

On the Road 3

On the Road 3
We stayed in Soccoro an extra day because Anna came down with the flu. A couple of days later it was Frank’s turn. Blessed be Immodium AD. In each case it only lasted a day. Weak, we journeyed on. This is written in Kingman, AZ where we will visit the Andy Devine Museum tomorrow morning. Andy Devine was not my favorite western sidekick but he is well-remembered for his gravelly voice and his rotundity. He sure acted in a heap of western films from my childhood and youth. I’m anxious to see what is in the museum. Then we’ll go on to Las Vegas. To gamble?? No, we’ve already done that on the horses and dogs in Phoenix. To watch the Breeder’s Cup on television. Two days of horse racing. Supposedly the best horses currently running. And Zenyatta takes on the boys. We wish her the best and we’ll see how that comes out. You go, girl. More from Las Vegas – maybe.

On the Road 1

It's been a month since I've written anything on this blog. Excuse #1 is that we've been on a road trip. Excuse #2 is that I have a new laptop and have been learning my way around it and how to get on the internet at the various motels at which we lodge. We old folks are slow learners. You can teach an old dog new tricks but it takes a bit longer.

We have traveled out to the ocean from Seattle, then all the way down the Washington and Oregon coasts and followed the California coast down to Big Sur. There have been many highlights. The exotic names of Bodega Bay and Half Moon Bay beckoned. I hadn't been to Big Sur since sometime in my late twenties. I thought it would be nice to see it one more time. The towns turned out that they were just other tourist places with nice ocean scenery. But the coastline scenery was spectacular. Monterey we had visited before. We spent most of an afternoon on Cannery Row, one of the most touristy places of all.

One of the highlights of the trip so far was backtracking to Salinas, in the heart of agricultural California, to visit the John Steinbeck Museum. I first was introduced to Steinbeck's novels in 1949. I took to him right away. Now that I think of it, he wrote about times that are far away from current times. He was much closer to the Great Depression and World War II as was I. Anyway the museum was fabulous with many rooms, each devoted to a specific novel or time period. There were mock ups of dwellings, such as Hooverville shacks from The Grapes of Wrath, or Doc's lab from Cannery Row. Many quotes were on the walls; artifacts from the time period and place abounded. Screens showed scenes from movies made from Steinbeck's books, or from plays. Sometime readers read sections from his books. It was a wonderful experience, spending a couple of hours in the museum. I have read many of Steinbecks novels but I was surprised at how many I had not read. Something which I must remedy. Soon. Afterward we ate lunch in a cafe where Steinbeck occasionally ate. It's now called Sang's.

More from the road later, now that I've semi-mastered the beast.

Radon Daughters

Radon Daughters
I finally finished this book by Iain Sinclair. I’ve read several non-fiction books by Sinclair and enjoyed them very much, This was fiction of the most surrealistic kind. Non-sentences, short phrases, rarely a complete sentence. It really was quite difficult to read. I found myself reading four or five pages at a time before putting the book aside. But buried in all of this was a plot, a story, several stories, in fact. Most interesting to me was Sileen’s search for a manuscript, an unpublished work by William Hope Hodgson, a sequel to The House on the Borderland. Also somewhat entertaining was a brief scene in which a science fiction convention was the focus. I once attended many such. I hope I was not a model for any of these characters.

I had read The House on the Borderland once and it probably was equally dense and difficult to read as Radon Daughters. I won’t recommend this book. I merely wanted to make a record that I had eventually come to the end of its 458 pages.

Owner's License

Word has come down from the Washington Horse Racing Commission that partners in syndicates should have an owner’s license. I wish they had told us earlier because the perks are pretty good. Unfortunately there are only a few racing days left in the meet. But our horse, Gavin Slew, can’t run this week unless the partners are licensed. So off we hied to the track, not to watch races, but to take care of this licensing business. They decided they didn’t need fingerprints but did take a photo of my physiog. The perks are free parking, free passes to the track any day, free seating in the grandstands and access to the barns after morning training sessions are over. That will be useful next year. So I guess I’m legal now.

Late word is that Spring Run, the filly, has an injured hoof. Doubtful that she will run again at Emerald Downs this year. A rest and healing will find her at Portland Meadows.

Thoroughbred Yearling Sales

Anna and I spent Tuesday afternoon at the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association Yearling Sale at the Sales Pavilion at Emerald Downs. There were close to 200 yearlings up for sale. It always amazes me that these magnificent youngsters are only a year old and haven’t gone into training yet. Many of them are only halter broke and have not had a saddle placed on their backs nor been ridden yet. They will be saddle-broken and go into training in the spring. Truthfully most of them are about a year-and-a-half old. Thoroughbreds have their birthday on January 1st no matter when they were born. We have part ownership of a young filly who was born in early April. She will be one year old this coming January 1.

The sales pavilion is very comfortable. It has sloped seating with theater seats. The sales ring is raised so there is good viewing. Potential bidders were able to view the yearlings the previous day. The managing partner of Horseplayers Racing Club had the assistance of three trainers and a veterinarian to view potential purchases. The auction crew was very professional. One person described the yearling and its breeding and ancestor’s earnings. Two auctioneers each took long sessions at calling the bids. Three persons caught the bids from the audience. A young man and a young woman took turns bringing the yearlings into the ring. Many of the young horses gave a resounding neigh when they found themselves in the sales ring.

Needless to say we enjoyed the afternoon very much. But we did not bid on any horses. If horse racing is the sport of kings, it is also a sport for people with deep pockets to support it. We feel fortunate to be able to share ownership of several horses with others who could not do it alone. It would be fun to follow the careers of some of the horses auctioned, but many of them have not been named as yet so that will be impossible. But it was a joy to be able to see so many beautiful horses up close.

During a break to get a brat for lunch, I ran into Jason Beem, the race caller for Portland Meadows in Portland, Oregon. He is quite active on the Emerald Downs Fan Forum, a bulletin board for the track. As such, the rest of us get insights from an insider who is not an owner or trainer. I had met him briefly a couple of years ago but it was nice to introduce myself to him again and have a very pleasant chat.

Unfortunately the economy has taken its toll. The bids were dismal. We were in attendance from Hip # 1 to Hip #99. Only four or five horses brought bids between $30,000 and $60,000. Maybe ten or so were in the mid-teens. And many were in the very low thousands. I’m sure breeders especially are moaning that the end is near. I know of one breeder who is getting rid of much of his breeding stock. For the moment, it is sad, but with the recovery of the economy will come the recovery of the thoroughbred industry.

Swiss Mailing

I subscribe to a magazine called Cumbria which is about the Lake District in England, or, as it is sometimes called, Lakeland. The magazine is small in format, but beautifully produced, on slick paper with many lovely photographs. It is published in Yorkshire, along with a sister publication called The Dales. It is sent in a protective plastic sleeve, so it always arrives in good condition. The surprising thing about all this is that is mailed from Switzerland. I’ve been puzzled by this since I would think that anything mailed from anywhere in Great Britain or Europe would pay the same rate of postage. The only thing I can think of is that, for whatever reason, it is cheaper to mail the overseas subscriptions to Switzerland in bulk to have them remailed individually. Anyone know if I’m corrrect?

Legionary

Legionary by Philip Matyszak. London, Thames & Hudson, 2009.
For the last ten or more years I have had an interest in ancient Rome. I think it started with the mystery novels of Steven Saylor. If you like historical fiction, and particularly, historical mysteries, I recommend these highly. I also am interested in Roman Britain, where, in days past, we visited quite a few sites from the time when Britain was part of the Roman Empire. I was intrigued when I found this book. It purports to be “The Roman Soldier’s Unofficial Manual.” Having read many novels with the ever-present legions somewhat in the background, I found this book to be very interesting.

The book is exactly what it says it is. I was told how to join, the training, discipline and ranks, the equipment, where I was likely to be sent, who the enemy is. I learned what life was like in camp, what it like when on campaign, even how to storm a city. I learned the style of battle, the use of auxiliaries (who do the early fighting) and when the legions come in, how the cavalry are used. I was even told what retirement was like, in case I had lived out my twenty-five year enlistment. Nicely illustrated with statues and bas reliefs, and drawings, especially useful for the equipment and the formations for battle. There were also colored photos of modern day reenactors in full uniform displaying their weapons. The use of shields was especially impressive. Scattered throughout were quotations from various sources of the time, Caesar, of course, Ovid, Tacitus, Strabo and others. And occasionally a quote is given at the top of the page in Latin and translated, for those of us who have forgotten anything but ‘parva puella’ from our Latin in high school, at the bottom of the page. I enjoyed this book very much. It goes on the shelf with my small collection of Roman Britain.