Alan's Adventure

Wow! It's Been a Wild 8 Months...

2009-03-07T23:10:00.000-08:00

It's been too long since I've posted notes on Alan's Adventure blog, mostly because Virtualtourist.com updates have kept me so busy. I have traveled nearly all 48 states now as a commercial truck driver, a continuation of a habitual pattern I have to avoid the usual occupational trends for someone with my education and skills. I really got worn out on teaching overall, finally falling victim to the pathetic underpaying occupation of community college instructor. Education has lots of opportunity? Yeah, right. For the hundreds of applicants for each community college tenure track position offered...And, for those who don't get the job? Continuation of slave like wages for highly demanding work. Truck driving does come with safety and security issues, but mostly the lumbering vehicles are made safe by slow speeds on the interstate highway system. Of course, that's the rub. Adventure begins when one gets OFF the interstate. So, I have to put my education and traveler experience to use when trying to park the truck somewhere on some excursion off the freeway. My work over the past 8 months has been fruitful, and is viewable at the Virtualtourist.com website under my user name of atufft. Click my travel pages and examine what I have explored within the USA. Naturally, my worldwide travels are also detailed there. My trucking experience begins with visits to various towns in Oregon, where May Trucking is based, and continues with considerable detail in parts of Wyoming and Idaho. Periodically, during trips across the continent, I have paused in small and large towns within MA, MS, OH, GA, FL, PA, KS, and elsewhere, to do indepth photo and written essays on the history and character of American places. I have been particularly interested in capturing in digital foto form, for historical sake, vulnerable architecture, statues, and other often overlooked monuments. As winter closed in on most of the USA, I did capture some small OH and PA towns in great winter wonder form. Please check these out... I also found driving challenges in snow and ice storms that I could not photograph, and am lucky to have escaped from unharmed...

Our Dog Wrestles with A Friend's Pup

2008-05-28T19:32:00.001-07:00

Hillary Wins!

2008-01-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

The polls of New Hampshire voters were similar in results across the board, so forget criticism of this scientific instrument so loved by political junkies like me. The tool didn't really fail. What failed was the timing and prediction. Polling of voters effectively ended by Sunday and results announced on Monday, but before the vote on Tuesday, dramatic events occurred that altered the dynamics of the voter psyche. First, Obama and Edwards appeared to rhetorically gang up on Hillary during the debate, even while Richardson came to her rescue by praising the virtue of "experience" as an agent for "change". One debate question asked Hillary why she wasn't "liked" as much as Barack, to which she appropriately responded with a voiced expression of hurt. "You are likeable enough", Barack said under his breath, embarrassed by the question. Then, in a diner, Hillary broke into tears when asked, "How do you do it?". Enough said, women, particularly working class women, came to Hillary's rescue and put her over the top in the primary results. Hillary seems to have reinvented herself, and I can't help but admire and support her for that. Now, I'm as split as the electorate--I like both Hillary and Barack.

From Bush to Obama: The Politics of Fear, Experience, and Change

2008-01-07T22:38:00.001-08:00

I think that Obama has really hit the nail on the head in terms of the present American political theme--voters want CHANGE. This isn't the kind of flip flopping change debated among the Republicans candidates, particularly about wedding cake icon Mitt Romney, where politicians try to shape their values to match preconceived notions about how they think voters idealize their lives. Rather, CHANGE means out with the OLD and in with the NEW, and Obama personifies this very nicely. If elected president, his face would represent not only an Oval Office change in complexion but also self-perception a change in the appearance of the American voter, and maybe even the world citizen. Remarkably, though nobody can deny the importance of the president as model citizen of the world, Obama's candidacy isn't merely cosmetic change. The type of real change yearned for is replacement of Bush inspired zenophobic attitudes with hopeful worldly and pragmatic perceptions and constructive judgement about serious national and world problems.

As a male who has worked his entire career within famale dominated field of education, Hillary Clinton, appears as the ever so prepared elementary school teacher, prepared with an overly detailed program of controlled activities for the American nation for which she cares. Hillary's campaign emphasizes "hard work" and "experience". Interestingly, the most experienced candidate--Bill Richardson--has a lack luster campaign. If any candidate is experiences among the field, the bottom single digit Richardson is the man. Hillary's vicarious experience by spouse reminds me at least of some of the most intractable of problems in politics--nepotism. The nation has just suffered through eight grueling years of a president who arrived at that position in large part because his father had also been president. Does the American Democratic voter really want to seek revenge against Bush and Republican party for all their excesses? If they do, then Hillary is the candidate with experience to wage battle. But, I personally think that America would better avoid this Peronist populism by recognizing that even the best times of Bill Clinton's presidency cannnot be relived. Moreover, women voters who yearn for a woman president ought to think twice about how Hillary will have done it--on the coattails of her husband. Think about it ladies: Should the husband of a woman president earn office by virtue of his association with his wife's acheivements? While Hillary was certainly one of the most hardworking First Ladies in American history, she still was gifted a huge lift because of her husband Bill.

Of course Hillary argues tearfully that she has worked hard to bring change to America and that she doesn't want American to go "backwards". She brings out the old Walter Mondale salvage, "Where's the beef?", in her efforts to disparage Obama's general message of hope. But, Hillary is overly prepared. To continue the teacher analogy, her "lesson plan" ignores the fundamental social conflict found in her class. In contrast, Barack seems to understand that the greater chore at the moment is in compromise and political analysis, not policy details. So, a more serious problem with the "hard work" message right now is that in a flagging economy, the American voter would rather not be reminded about how hard they work to pay of their home mortgage and this year's Christmas credit card bills. Eventually, Hillary's stern lecture turns off middle-class white voters looking for a fresh face and smile. Meanwhile, after Iowa, African-Americans, trained to be fearful, and previously worried that only Hillary could beat the Republican's come fall, are suddenly hopeful. Is is possible that a black candidate can win? Yes, I think so, and he doesn't have to do so with so much hard work and bitter experience.

What's most dramatic about the Obama theme of change though isn't in the backlash toward the Clinton legacy, but rather toward the eight years of tormented politics of fear. Axis of Evil, Guantamamo, Iraq, Iran, and Osama Bin Laden--these were symbols the Bush presidency taunted Americans with for so long. In the end, the American voter wants change because of weariness of being conned, of being told that the whole nation is at risk and our international neighbors are also our enemies. The sham is over, argues Obama. We don't need to be told that we can't acheive our hopes and dreams. Change indeed!

Letter to Nancy Pelosi

2006-10-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

I figure that Nancy Pelosi will soon become speaker, but there are lingering doubts about the majority leadership in the house. I don't like Emanuel, the elections chief who fumbled finding a candidate for my district #11. I personally like John Murtha, the ex-Marine representative because he would be a good combination with Pelosi toward bringing the troops home from Iraq. I also write here about my foreign policy, hoping that the ideas will bring some creative thinking to the situation in Iraq.

What to do about Murtha and Iraq

Dear Representative Pelosi,

Representative Emanuel probably feels that he has done a good job finding candidates at the national level, but this was a year of grassroots candidates, and often a time when the party seems to have stifled grassroots efforts some based upon a national view of the local campaign process. In my district #11 in California for example, where radical right Republican Richard Pombo dearly needs to be removed from office for the benefit of your district and all others in the Bay Area, one would have thought that this is certainly a year when such a corrupt land grabbing owner-developer in California could have been beat. But, the Democratic Party seemed to find ways to support the wrong candidate in the primary, and then seems disinterested in funding a solid fall campaign.

Naturally, I fully expect you to become Speaker, but I also expect that you will help select other leadership based on a pragmatic basis both inside and outside the house. So, from my perspective Emanuel let down the voters of San Joaquin County and district #11. Meanwhile, although I know you have the credentials yourself as a member involved in national security related committees, it seems that you could really use the military brass of John Murtha to counter those like John McCain, in the senate, other men who would like to claim military expertise. I am quite confident that you can enhance the prestige of the house, and that will lobby on behalf of Californian's to include in the next session of congress leadership in the majority Democratic party who can resolve once and for all this foreign adventure quagmire in Iraq.

I have heard you state on occasion that some kind of "time-table" or "phased withdrawal" from Iraq is important to prevent a chaotic collapse of the government there. It would be nice to make a smooth transition, but this doesn't seem likely. Having lived and studied in Saudi Arabia for two years between these gulf wars, I was against the war from the start for the reasons we see on the streets of Bagdad daily now, and I really am not confident that the CIA intelligence has this region any better understood now than they did when the American Embassy was taken by Iranian students a couple decades ago. I'm quite certain that if the blood must flow in civil war, as it did here in the USA, it might as well start sooner than later, and there is little the American military can do to stop it.

Again, you may know better, particularly since you have visited Bagdad, but my personal belief is that a rather quick withdrawal would serve America's interests well. With America gone, Bagdad will likely descend into a chaotic neighborhood mess similar to Beirut of the 1970's, but that this phase will not be so prolonged because the wide open geographical lay-out of the city won't allow so much bunker and trench building, but also because despite the present collapse government and institutions, the commercial value of Bagdad continues to rise. Bagdad will probably partition itself in the short run, but it's vital value as a commercial center between the oil of Kurdistan and the ports of Basra seems to require a relatively fast reconciliation.

While stabilizing forces from neighboring countries may become involved, these will be reluctant forces, and none of will be any more successful than has been the USA. After a military stalemate is achieved, a coalition of Shiite, Kurd, and Sunni factions will come to the bargaining table. Syrian efforts to help Sunni's will likely occur, Turkish incursions to discipline Kurdistan will be an abysmal failure, and Iran arms donations to Shiite militias will not be repaid in political benefits. Bagdad looms very large as a cultural center indeed, unique from its neighbors, and Iraqi politics will be much less susceptible to manipulation as were those of Beirut.

Iran now stages itself in the world limelight by its nuclear ambitions, but will probably put such efforts on relative hold as it become preoccupied financially and militarily with the problems of neighboring Iraq. Right now, the USA is the stabilizing force for Iran, but with ground troops removed, Iran becomes concerned with an opportunity to expand its territory, particularly along the waterways and marshland petrol fields in the disputed Persian gulf area. Naturally, Iran's interest in resuming trade and cultural relations with Iraq, means supporting the Shiite ambitions to take control of Bagdad. These concerns are unrelated to the desire to build a nuclear device, and so conventional military ground forces, small armaments, and short range missiles will rise in value for Iran's strategic efforts, as they had during the Hezbollah conflict with Israel. However, Iran's efforts to manipulate Iraqi politics will fail even more miserably than will Syria's. The 200,000 or so Farsi speaking Shiites are not enough to sway the Arabic speaking Iraqi nationalism of the Shiites of the south, much less the grand cultural center of Bagdad. The Shiites of Tehran are not the same as the Shiites of Bagdad! The notion that these dissimilar groups of Muslim committed forces would agree to work together smoothly defies any recent historical precedent.

While control of the airspace over Iraq by American forces, particularly over the Kurdish region may be desirable given United Nations approval, this rather quick withdrawal will provide an opportunity for quiet dialog with Iran and Syria to appease their real needs to be recognized as growing regional powers. Eventually, military conflict in Bagdad will quiet, and the nation of Iraq will ask for American investment and even cultural influences to return, another loss for Iran's Islamic world view in the long run.

With the Republican's marginalized into a minority that can be beaten by majority vote, this will be the time for Democratic leaders such as yourself to insist that President Bush stop his "state of denial", and bring some pragmatism into American foreign policy. These are likely politics that Representative John Murtha and you can work together to impose upon the Senate and President in public and in private.

Good luck on Nov. 7th.

Respectfully yours,

Alan Tufft

Letter to the Stockton Record

2006-10-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

With this political campaign season in full swing, my normally thoughtful non-agenda theme of this blog will be altered a bit for awhile. Here's a letter I sent to the Stockton Record today regarding their need to take a stand against re-election of Richard Pombo, representative to California's eleventh district:

Seven term Representative Richard Pombo's record speaks for itself, and it's time for the Record to endorse the other candidate in the race.

It's Time to Endorse McNerney

First, let's consider his self-serving record, one that clearly fails in terms of honest leadership values. As Chairman of the House Resources Committee, Pombo has fought to give government land--old railroad easements---to adjacent land owners, a move that enriched his family's extensive land holdings in the Altamont Pass region--the largest in San Joaquin County. Then, he follows up by advocating that taxpayers purchase some of this land to build another proposed freeway to the Bay Area, a move obviously designed to create a windfall profit for his inherited family fortunes. Pombo has apparently pocketed additional cash through a number of petty office holder loopholes, such as the $5,000 RV vacation paid for at taxpayer expense, and by not so petty donations from out-of-state energy and mining companies and Abramoff related indian gaming and casino interests, the amounts of which are still unclear. Pombo's response at a recent debate with opponent McNerney is that accusations of corruption leveled against him have all been "checked out and he's been cleared every time". It's time that District #11 chose better for itself than re-electing a self-serving landholder who has managed not to be thrown in jail for corruption.

A strong supporter of President Bush, Pombo doesn't mince words as he remains one of the dwindling number of congressman in denial, willing to spend $2 billion per month to occupy civil war driven Iraq as a way to fight the war on terrorism throughout the world. But, Pombo's politics are often even further to the right of the president. He is willing to sell National Forests to help balance the budget, to sell corporate sponsorship of National Parks like Yosemite to "pay for themselves", but remains apparently unwilling or unable as committee chair to ensure proper oversight for proper collection of taxpayer royalties owed private oil companies drilling on public lands.

Pombo's interests have really never been in favor of the rancher and farmers. In the words of former Republican representative Pete McCloskey, “To Pombo and his family, who own hundreds and thousands of acres, it isn’t the farming they’re concerned with, it’s the development of subdivisions”. Pombo's combined political and ranching interests are mostly to protect his electricity generating windmills from endangered species like the San Joaquin kit fox. Despite the fact that Friant Dam near Fresno puts not one drop of water into the San Joaquin River that flows through his district, Pombo has been bent on modifying legislation that would have all but eliminated the possibility of the recent landmark deal between farmers and fisherman that would restore the habitat of the Chinook Salmon. Pombo's vision of San Joaquin County is much different than the residents who live there. For Pombo turning San Joaquin County into an urbanized landscape is fine as long as federal dollars to build more freeways can be secured from Washington. And he apparently believes that maintaining the once mighty San Joaquin River as a drainage ditch for pesticides and fertilizers is just fine. Pombo's future view is anything but the bucolic farmland San Joaquin County once was, and so it's time that he be replaced by the other guy.

It's time for the Stockton Record take a clear stand to vote for the other guy--Jerry McNerney.

Political Junky 2006

2006-10-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

This midterm election has me on edge. The Democrats really need a big win in order to take over the House of Representatives, and hopefully, the Senate of the USA's federal government. Normally, I'm more interested in state and local politics, but the Iraq War, the federal budget deficit, and a whole host of "value" issues really need my attention at the national level. For those reading this post, please consider going to the website of Jim Web who is running neck and neck with George Allen, a long time Republican politician in Virginia who's has one of the most conservative voting records even among the Republicans. The state of Virginia and the nation need Allen replaced.

Also, consider a visit to the website of Harold Ford, who is in a toss-up race for the Tennessee Senate race. Americans really would benefit by solid wins in the south where populist politics by the Republicans have created a dangerous shell game of "values" extremism. African-American needs have been almost completely forgotten and brush over with a neo-Anglo morality that is corrupt and marginalizing of other citizens.

Meanwhile, in the center of the nation, the bellweather state of Missouri is also up for grabs. Here, stem cell research is a big issue, and Missouri needs to join the mainstream thinking about this. Go to Claire McCaskill's website and learn about how you can support her grassroots effort there. Similarly, it seems like the entire state of Ohio is up for grabs again, so please stop by the Ohio Democratic Party website.

Keep in mind that Ohio is using in many districts those awful Diebold electronic "black box" voting machines that don't provide a receipt. This can mean real potential for manipulation in a tight race where the losers are Republican incumbents. To illustrate the possibilities, consider the case of a Tennessee precinct where a lawsuit was file after it was learned that illegal and uncertified Lexar Jump Drive software was loaded onto the Diebold GEMS central tabulator, enabling secretive data transfer on small USB "key chain" memory devices. This blocked election transparency and raises questions as to whether hidden vote manipulation may have taken place. It also raises questions as to the privacy of individual ballot information. Since the Republican campaign machine under Carl Rove have built up a huge national database of voter information based upon purchased consumer preference information, there's no telling what the conservatives will do to remain in control of the government.

If you read and agree with the sentiments of this blog, and want to make a sympathy contribution to support the race in my own California district #11, I would be grateful. Here six term Republican Pombo, a certified anti-environmentalist and Abramoff scandal money guy, is in a surprisingly tight race with a Democratic candidate named Jerry McNerny. McNerney is definetly short of cash and Pombo has managed to saturate the television media with ads showing him to be a hard working rancher and businessman--but he's mainly a realestate salesman in the central valley. Until recently, the Stockton Record and KCRA in Sacramento consistently referred to McNerney only as "the challenger" and deleted any reference to his name. In spite of all this, traditionally Republican District #11 appears fed up with Pombo and is beginning to lean McNerney's way. In any case, go to these websites and make a small donation now!

These races are very important for those who want the USA out of Iraq. Even if you were for the war in the beginning, I can assure you that Iraq is virtually guaranteed to descend into civil war, regardless of whether or not the USA stays there. The sooner the USA pulls out, the sooner that process will unfold, and the sooner the USA can return as friends and supporters of whoever wins the military and political contest. For those who fear increased terrorism or expansion of Iran. Don't worry about these things. First, the focus for Iraqi terrorists will be on Iraq, not the USA. Second, Iran, a nation of only slightly larger size and population would be loath to invade Iraq, and in particular, Bagdad. The Shiite population of Iraq share only the religion with Iran, but are separated by language. The Shiites of Iraq are mostly Arabic speaking, and would not want Iran to try any manipulations. Besides, the Syrians, Turkish, and Saudi Arabians are certainly not friends of Iran, and would support Iraqi opposition to such an invasion for sure.

Worried about "cut and run" or "saving face"? Forget it. The USA is still the most respected world leader with no other power even competing for our spot. While Bush is hated, American's are loved--even in the Middle East. But, as long as America exercises the policy of occupation, we can't be improving our relations with such a disturbed nation as Iraq. We want our soldiers to return home and be properly integrated back into society. The last thing this nation needs is another generation of men disturbed by the horrors of war. Besides, this monthly expense of maintaining our soldiers in Iraq is taking away from the retirement plans of the baby boomers of America. Vote Now!

This Old House

2006-09-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Since 1999 when I found this 1/2 acre urban Stockton waterfront property, I have spend have my life and much of my money fixing up this old house. The ranch style home was built in the early 1950's and though it is basically well constructed, having a good foundation and hardwood floors, it also had suffered decades of horrible additions mistaken repair work. Within weeks after we moved in, we pulled up the old carpets covering the red oak hardwood floors, and then I crawled under the masterbath and found soaked and rotten floor joists. We didn't like the pink and charcoal colored tile, and the toilet under the window anyway, so I spent nearly a year in demolition and then complete reconstruction of a grand masterbath, complete with large copper water pipes and ABS drains below, and new porcelin pedestal sinks, matching toilet, and a larger doorless stepdown shower above. Since it is the masterbath, I put in all the bells and whistles I could imagine except the whirlpool tub. The picture shows the results of a 500 sq ft addition that was designed to eliminate a maze of children's bedrooms that faced the back patio, which by the way tended to drain toward the house. The old concrete patio was uplifted by the Magnolia tree, and so it was time to dig, expand, and reinforce a new subterranean wall that would contain the tree roots, without doing damage to the lovely forty year old backyard center piece that shades our home on the south side. In any case, the rear of the house was expanded, making the fireplace a center piece in the family room, and providing much needed ambient light via new skylights, patio side windows, and eight foot high French doors. That old family room, being down two steps onto the slab foundation was a cool spot in the summer, but a freezing place to congregate in winter unless the fireplace was used. The second photo shows the solution to that problem--radiant floor heating. With the help of a company based in New Hampshire, I wrestled with pex tubing and soldered huge copper pipes to produce the strange looking system that now makes the family room the most comfortable room in this old house during the coldest of winter evenings. Meanwhile the Kayak sits waiting to be pulled down to the dock.

Tears for Lebanon and Israel

2006-08-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

The ongoing military confrontation between Israel and its Arab neighbors reminds us once again of how fragile any peace can be. The military campaign and "collateral damage" of Isreal makes me feel very sad for the civilians in Lebanon and northern Israel who have tried very hard in recent years to make their country a fun place to live and visit. I express here empathy for the Israeli civilians who huddle in fear within bomb shelters wondering when Hezbollah terror missile launches will end. I'm not inclined to argue who's at fault here, for it's clear that both sides have failed to keep any sense of peaceful respect for the other. There is a failure of understanding how much each really needs the other. As hard as it will be to forget, to bypass efforts at revenge, Muslims really need to focus on forgiveness and acceptance--a basic theme in the Koran. Violence can neither sooth the soul nor bring peace and happiness, regardless the inspiration for it. Meanwhile, in fairness to the downtrodden, Israel needs to recognize that Muslims really are the poor and disenfranchised. Keeping them in Gaza ghettos won't bring peace! Once the embattled state of immigrant volunteer fighters, Israel is now the bigot of the neighborhood quick to label "terrorism" in order to avoid fairness and responsibility. It seems easy to complain about terrorism when one holds power over land and economy, but in the long run the imbalance is a receipe for disaster. That's an old method of propaganda and control for those of wealth and power. Borders open, borders closed. Is the kidnapping of two soldiers really a cause for military siege of Gaza? And, now that Hezbollah is willing to launch it's missiles, is an military invasion really the answer? I think not. I recall pleasant days shopping among Syrian Muslims in Aleppo, and visiting residents among quiet ruins of the Middle East. Is my experience a dream to be forgotten?

Traveler's Translations

2006-07-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

During the July 4th holiday weekend, Belinda and I visited the family cabin at Mount Hermon. About two hours drive west of our home in Stockton, the Santa Cruz mountains are familiar territory to me. I have been a tourist to the region many times and have faint memories stretching back to early childhood when the family visited the beaches of Santa Cruz and Capitola. But, places change, and this region is heavily touristed by visitors from all over the world. During this trip we took in the Pancake Breakfast at the volunteer fire station in Ben Lomond, where I saw this van with a fender encrusted with lichen. We also had two less than desirable restaurant experiences, the inspiration for this blog. During a dinner with my 89 year old uncle in Pacific Grove, we ate at the famous Fish Wife Restaurant. Unfortunately, the menu was replete in deep fried fish of one sort or another, a capitulation no doubt to visitors unable to appreciate the finer experiences of good fresh fish. The wine list was weak, but I settled upon what appeared to be a promising entree--Blackened Fish. The menu describe three filets of different fish, for the price of $22-. I made a mistake. I must of have misread the deeper meaning of the menu--the plate turned out to be three tiny greasy fried cuts of meat. Since it wasn't blackened, I complained to the waiter. The menu described the dish as Cajun Blackened Fish, but this was anything but that. So, I chose a linguini and shellfish plate as a substitute, a plate which was OK, even if smothered in a horribly cheesy cream sauce. As far a may experience was concerned, the original Fish Wife was no more, but no traveler could divine this from the menu. To return to an upbeat mood, we walked the dog at Pebble Beach--his first experience ever with the sea. The second disappointment was at a place in downtown Santa Cruz called Soufit. The place has a great wine shop and bar, but we must have arrived too early. A table was open immediately and we sat down. The menu appeared simple at first: small plates, appetizer, and entrees. But, then I had discovered the language problem of what exactly was the difference between a "small plate" and an "appetizer" because nothing on the menu spelled that out for me. The waitress wasn't much help. She knew nothing about the wines that could be verbalized to me, but we were all in a good mood and knew that both the food and wine would be good regardless of what we ordered. Then, the menu tricks appeared. The "small plates" and "appetizers" were indeed small. Three smelt were placed on three little crackers, and on another plate, about eight very thin cheviche style mahi mahi were the attraction--the total for both dishes? Twenty dollars! Shockingly, the entree dishes were hardly better. I had about 10 wonderfully cooked nickel sized slices of duck dribbled with a blueberry sauce. The taste was wonderful, but the portion was simply to small to be considered hardly fair. The traveler was caught and the joke was on him for failing to understand the menu. Needless to say, I left Soufit hungry, even though I did stop to buy six bottles of Spanish and German wine at the shop. At least the shop keeper sales person was an inspiration, and the prices weren't out of this world, or were they? We walked the streets of Santa Cruz at night windowshopping, discussing what were the responsibilities of travelers and hosting restaurants. But at this point, I find myself feeling somewhat ashamed for discussing such issues within the context of one of the world's wealthiest neighborhoods. I returned home and posted VT images and text, and then received the news of member Kinga_freespirit's death from malaria in Ghana. I browsed her website--the scenes from the funeral were there. I browsed further into her image base for Africa--the scenes of her communications with African women and children, with Ivory Coast rebels, and with UN Peacekeeping troops in Liberia. Kinga wasn't a journalist nor diplomat, but a traveler. This Polish born wanderer of the world had attempted to translate life as it was in this region, but could not translate herself out of the scourge of malaria. How are we to measure her life? View her images at www.kingafreespirit.pl and you translate the experience.

Traveling Retro Style

2006-06-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Margaret and Uncle Chris were the childless couple that my cousins and I always most admired. Not bogged down by family life, they became globetrotters, and always had a nice souvenir for us each Christmas. Given that most of my many female cousins also declined the urge to have a family, and traveled insted, I guess their influence was a remarkable one. In any case, after they died, I inherited by handme down boxes of slides, which I recently digitized with a scanner. While my uncle's photography skills were modest, he was able to capture some period poses that I have posted at my Virtualtourist.com pages as "1960's retro" (see link in the margin). In the July 1962 trip to Barrow Alaska, where they visited the Presbyterian Church Mission among the Inuit there, we see them dressed up in traditional cold weather gear, but in another image in the same town, my aunt stands at the beach in three inch heals and a skirt and blouse and nothing more.
For her, travel meant dressing up for a special occasion, unlike the backpacker mentality that travelers have evolved toward today. My Uncle was similarly disposed toward a tendency to dress up for travel. At Giza, for example, we see him wearing a white shirt and tie. Everyone poses formally with the clear view of the pyramids at Giza behind them. Nearly forty years later, I posed at that same spot completely unaware that the pyramids were out there, for the smog had obscured their view. And, on the flight to Hawaii, Uncle Chris wears a full suit, overcoat, and hat. Passport and airline ticket in hand, and carrying his properly tagged carry-on bag, he seems only slightly interested in the Aloha girl who holds his arm. This was a routine trip that he had taken before, and his debonaire style shows in his pose. My grandfather, who rarely left his home in San Francisco after his massive heart attack in 1957, also sports a full suit for the occasion, but shows his preoccupation with the pretty hospitality girl. Wrapping his arm around her, he demonstrates his venerable manliness even at this late age, while the Aloha girl poses more sensually, more like the object of male affection that Pan Am had intended to be. Another thing I found remarkable among the images was the antiquated cruise ship. My Aunt Margaret and Uncle Chris's epoch spanned from the height of world cruise ship adventures through to the advent of world flights, when Pan Am was the leader. The ship appears to be one christened during the heady post WWII days, when ships still had port hole windows and wooden decks, but also when cramped swimming pools and shuffle board had become the rage.

Yanomami Memories

2006-04-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

I have many boxes of slides for all travels prior to 2004, and I'm trying to scan them all before the colors fade. I expect this job to take several months. Meanwhile, I do post the images, combined with writing, at virtualtourist.com. One of the recent posts completed is for a Puerto Ayacucho, and I was remined in writing this entry of the ongoing concern for the indigenous inhabitants of the Upper Orinoco and it's tributaries. Even as we speak, malaria, the common cold, flu, and measles are taking their toll on the Yanomami and other tribal hunter and gathers of the rainforest. I recall the beauty of the sunsets outside Puerto Ayacucho, but can't forget the invasion civilization must have on these people. On the virtualtourist website, I provide advice for how to purchase authentic handicrafts, as distinguished from the hastily crafted tourist souvenir imitations. I am concerned that the weaponry, for example will depart from the carefully crafted bone and natural twine wrapped arrowheads to those made with a fragment of metal wrapped with nylon string. Note the image showing these below.The other photo shows the difference between a carefully tied aerodynamic set of feathers, which will make the arrow spin as it flies, versus the hastily tied feathers, which serve only to decorate the end of the arrow. The beauty of handcrafted work is never as regular as what machines can produce, which actually serves to inhance the beauty of the work to me. In these Yanomami baskets, for example the colors are basic black line, and the shape is basic and simple. I also note the functional orientation in simple tools that Yanomami women used to pulp manioc roots. Note the different between the large curved rallo and the flat one. The flat rallo is essentially made from a piece of milled lumber while the larger rallo is carved from a single piece of wood by hand.

Black History Month Memories

2006-03-01T15:15:00.000-08:00

Having returned from the Big Easy (see previous blog entry), I have begun to plow through the stack of history and culture texts that I bought during the trip. I've already finished reading a history of New Mexico, which I'll blog on sometime, but right now, I'm reading a book called Africans in Colonial Louisiana. The Louisiana colony was perhaps the most neglected of France, a nation whose history of neglected colonization was certainly worse than either Great Britain, Spain, or even Portugal. The colonists sent to Louisiana consisted mostly of outcasts, criminals, and slaves for a long period of time. Bienville, a familiar name in New Orleans history, was a self serving administrator who diverted supplies ordered by colonists to himself for a huge middleman's profit, and just as often he ordered the ship elsewhere in the Caribbean or Mexico to sell supplies at an even higher price. French military protection was spotty at best, and for lack of food and clothing soldiers frequently deserted their posts to live with the Indians. On more than one occasion, Indian chiefs pleaded on behalf of deserting soldiers who were regularly shot or hanged for their offense. Yet, if it weren't for the tenuous agreements between the Indians and the French commanders, the colony would not have survived either the incursions of Spain or hostile Indian attacks. Naturally, Bienville was eager to import slaves to work fields and shore up the levee system around New Orleans, since in the hot and humid climate of the gulf coast region, colonists were loath to work very hard. The vast majority of slaves imported came from Senegambia, and with them came traditions and spiritual beliefs that are notable in Louisiana even today. While the slaves survival rate in gulf coast was often better than the European colonists, treatment of them was harsh, causing many to run away and join the Indian tribes. This neglect and mistreatment of African-Americans remains in many respects, as the aristocratic attitudes of the tradition white leadership in New Orleans remains intact and the government prone to corruption. During the last days of our stay in Louisiana, we visited the original settlement at Natchitoches, and just south of their, the Cane River plantations. I stopped along the country road to talk to an old black who lived in a sharecropper house, complete with a wringer washer on the stoop. This sixty year old man had lived on the Magnolia Plantation prior to its conversion to a national monument, and now rented his pitiful home from a local cotton farmer. I didn't learn much from him, but that his mother had live to age 90 and had died in that house. Soon, the farmer arrived on his Honda ATV to see what I was up to, and to provide a few hours work for the old black man. Waving goodbye, I re-entered the 21st century, mindful of the social history I had just experienced.

The Big Easy

2006-01-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

I'm at the age when heavy duty drinking and street revelry aren't as easily overcome by sleep and a cup of coffee, so after Katrina hit New Orleans, I considered the possibility that just after Christmas 2005 might be a good time to visit the French Quarter and the city in general. I wanted to size up the mood of the city in the wake of the disaster. Fortunately, Virtualtourist.com and hotel contacts in the city confirmed my hunch, and so we drove through the southwest accompanied by our miniature schnauzer puppy, Dali. We stopped in Tucson and San Antonio, among other places, on our way to the Big Easy. We saw San Antonio's Riverwalk decorated with holiday lights, but we continued in a hurried pace to appreciate one of the most unique cities in North America. While the French Quarter didn't flood, some looted boutique shops had closed their doors for lack of inventory. In the morning we at breakfast po'boys and walked the dog along the river and through Jackson Square. During the second morning, we toured the devastation of the Lower Ninth Ward, Lakeview and Gentilly Districts. What we saw became a source of photo frenzy for me and a source of despair for Belinda over the thought of the loss the residents of this city must face. She gave me a hard time, but I had to continue capturing images to document this great city's catastrophe. Future generations must remember the consequences of neglected levees. In the afternoon, we walked the dog in the Garden District, an affluent part of town hardly touched by the storm. In the evening, we ate at the famous Red Fish Grill, and enjoyed Zydeco music along Bourbon Street. This blog can hardly cover the details of all we saw, but considerable more detail can be found at my pages at Virtualtourist.com. The photos are: 1) Bourbon Sex Show Heckler, 2) Jackson Square and Cathedral, 3) San Antonio's Riverwalk just after Christmas, 4) Barge breaks through levee in Lower Ninth Ward, 5) French Quartere Carriage Ride 6) Zydeco Band Thrills a Club Patron

Recollections of Djenne

2005-12-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

The opportunity to visit West Africa is something few tourists take. Most tourists want to hang out on the beach in a tropical paradise or browse the historical wealth found only in Europe. Mali lacks both of these things, and has a reputation as one of the world's poorer nations, providing for me and Belinda the kind of adventure few tourists can barely imagine. The standard of living in Ghana, our port of entry, is well below that of any Latin American country, and yet it is distinctly above Mali, one of several nations created from French West Africa, an arid region about the size of the United States. The rusty and worn vehicles that transported us in Ghana and Burkina Faso managed to navigate broken pavement and deliver us promptly to our destination, but in Mali, almost every vehicle we took broke down. We crossed the great Niger River twice in leaky piroges, and on the journey from Segou to Djenne we had to abandon a broken bus in favor of an overcrowded and slow moving local bachee. By the time we arrived at the crossroads leading to Djenne, it was midnight, and we had to bargain in the dark for a ride in an incredibly old Peugeot pick up. The fenders had been repounded into shape many times, the doors didn't close properly, and the interior paneling had long since vanished. We had to help push start to get the overloaded vehicle going. The headlights flickered off and on along the bumpy levee road, and the driver had to pump the brakes occasionally as we proceeded in a heavy fog. In the foggy darkness around us, marshland threatened to sink our dream of reaching Djenne. Eventually, the vehicle braved the mud to climb aboard a lonely ferry, and then we reached Djenne and sought out our encampment. In the morning light, the imposing mud mosque stunned us with its clear and alien beauty. The noisy marketplace before the mosque flooded with bright tribal colors. Buyers and sellers bantered over their village produced goods. We wandered narrow muddy and smelly streets admiring the ornamented mud residences that lined the perimeter of the low rise of the island town. During the rainy season, the town is an isloted island, but we had arrived before the seasonal rains of the inland delta region of the great Niger River. Now, only a barren patina of green grass lay beyond the town. In the afternoon, my guide rented an underpowered Peugeot scooter to convey me over the terrain toward villages in the surrounding countryside. Although mixes of tribes do live in larger towns like Djenne, smaller villages typically are home to one or another tribal group only. Distinguished by language, religion, occupation, clothing, and marks of scarification, each tribe establishes for the individual his or her identity. For example, the Fulani are Muslim and herd or grow crops while the Bozo are typically Animist and fish for a living. These groups have unique domestic arts and otherwise live in harmony when resources are plentiful. The image above shows a Fulani family arriving at the Market in front of the great mud mosque. The image below shows a Bozo family at home in a village. On market day, tribal groups converge on Djenne from great distances by boat, truck, horse cart, donkey, and by foot to exchange their goods and spread news. The great mud mosque casts its spiritual influence over the market. The largest mud building in the world, it is ceremonially replastered with mud each year. Thus, the wood stakes featured on the face of the mosque serve as a scaffold for workers. Non-Muslims weren't allowed inside this sacred building, but having seen smaller Sudanese style mosques, I know that the massive mud requires an equally massive wood framing for support. As a result, the inside isn't the cathedral like open space suggested by its huge exterior. It's the plastic exterior forms that startle the imagination of those interested in architecture. For real cultural knowledge and adventure, visit Djenne, Mali. More photos and travel advice can be found at http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/611ff/200b0a/

Venezuela meets California

2005-12-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

My wife's niece, Freya, was the first in her family, other than her father, to visit us in Stockton. Freya had never left Venezuela before, and if it weren't for her newly acquired Spanish Passport, she would not have been able to come now. At age 26, Freya is just the sort of tourist the American State Department has pegged as likely to stay forever in wonderful California. Indeed, Freya quickly adapted to life here, finding a Mexican friend at the Adult School English class with whom she could pass the time. I took her on trips to Yosemite, San Francisco, Monterrey, and Santa Cruz during her two month stay. Life won't be the same for her back in Venezuela.

California's an African Basket Case

2005-12-18T14:04:00.000-08:00

Since this IS as rainy day, I thought those visiting might appreciate images and comments from the previous summer. We hosted a friend named Christy who is from Ghana and who sold basketry and other handicrafts during the summer. I took Christy to see the usual tourist sights--San Francisco, Monterrey, Yosemite. While she sold handicrafts, I reroofed our house. Christy is a very capable business woman in Ghana, but it took her awhile to catch onto the process of selling her crafts here. Fortunately, by the end of the year, a neighbor named Bea assisted and introduced many people in town who came to our house to buy basketry. If you are interested in Bolgatanga Baskets, let me know.

Waiting for New Orleans...

2005-12-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

It's a rainy day here in Stockton. Finals are finished, and I'm ready for adventure. No travel images yet. The winter break trip will begin on Christmas afternoon. The Big Easy is busy cleaning up after the storm and is certainly not waiting for us, but we thought now would be a good time to drop by and see what the city is all about. Katrina seems to have changed the urban and political landscape in the city, and I want to know with my own eyes and ears what this means for the city's future. We are booked for only two days at the Hotel Villa Convento, an 1840 period building, so after that we will have to enjoy the Cajun region from the Holiday Inn in Morgan City. Hopefully, we will not only spend time browsing the places spared by Katrina-- the ten square blocks known as the French Quarter and the uptown and affluent Anglo Garden District, but also get a tour through the ravaged neighborhoods with camel back homes in the Lower Ninth Ward and elsewhere along the industrial canal. I want to trace the waterline of damage from it's low at the French Quarter to its high at Lake Pontchartrain. Later, we hope to take a swamp tour in the Atchafalaya, to investigate the waterline among what remains of the old growth live oaks and other trees in Cajun country. Later, the plan is to tour through Mamou on the way to the plantation homes of Natchitoches. In the meantime, I've changed the oil in the car and made a packing list. This is a road trip in the planning. Those waiting for an image can check out the photo of myself and our new pooch, Dali.