Quote of the Day

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.
- Henry David Thoreau

Quote of the Day

The worth of a State, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it.
- John Stuart Mill

Valley of Fire

The Valley of Fire area is a state park in Nevada, just outside that cesspool of sin and filth, Las Vegas. It has some nice desert areas and lots of reddish sand and weird rocks and even some injun cliff paintings.

There were some nice, lazily wandering roads out there.


This area was deemed by Albie as perfect for a fashion shoot. I think she meant "shoot" as in taking pictures, but I can't be sure.


There were lots of these metallic lids spread around the desert. I have no idea what they were for; electricity persnaps? Having seen Lost, Court and I came up with several alternative explanations.


Sands; lots and lots of sands, wheeeee! Actually, it was only an inch deep if that in most places, then hard rock beneath. Boooooooooo!


Wind and water carve out some pretty insane rock formations given a few million years to do their work.




Horsies! Pwetty horsies!


Two people being chased by robots with square heads. At least that's MY interpretation of it.

Quote of the Day

When one has been threatened with a great injustice, one accepts a smaller as a favor.
- Jane Welsh Carlyle

Return to Bryce Canyon

This is Bryce Canyon National Park, one of the most stunning natural wonders this lovely planet has to offer. We drove up there and knowing what was waiting, I drove all the way out to Rainbow Point (18 km into the park) before stopping. It worked well; Albie and Court were absofuckinlutely stunned at the views. Sadly, most of the day turned out pretty gloomy so they both agreed they needed to return in the summer.

I didn't take all that many pictures this time around, but you can see'em all here.

From Rainbow Point, it seems like you can see forever.


You also get a good overview of some of the crazy rock formations.


I don't know if this was the same bird who bullied me to give it an apricot in 2011. This one fixed me with a determined look until I shared my lemon flavored chips. They went down well.


Rocks. Crazy rocks.


I came up with the name Troll City for this area.


The sun came out for a ten minute period towards the end of our stay.


Surely, there must be worse places than Bryce at sunset.

Quote of the Day

The best career advice given to the young is: Find out what you like best and get someone to pay you for doing it.
- Katherine Whitehorn

Return to Red Canyon

After Zion, we drove up to the neat little part of Dixie National Forest known as Red Canyon. It's a small taste of the wonder that is Bryce Canyon.

It was strange to see this beautiful landscape with snow.


Lots and lots of snow.

Quote of the Day

A scholar knows no boredom.
- Jean Paul Richter

Return to Zion

I visited Zion National Park in Utah in 2011, so I won't go into detail about this year's visit, except to say that it definitely looks better in fall than in midwinter. Albie and Court seemed to like it though. The only pics I've deemed worthy of keeping are the ones I took of two bucks who were wandering around just outside the innermost parking lot of the river valley.

At first they were grazing peacefully. People were taking pictures like crazy all around, but they couldn't be arsed.


Then they got into a tangle.


Nothing too violent, just some pushing and shoving.


I'm not sure if this one was the winner or if the other one just got bored and walked away.


But this pretty much sums up what they thought of us.

Quote of the Day

The Christian god can be easily pictured as virtually the same as the many ancient gods of past civilizations. The Christian god is a three headed monster; cruel, vengeful and capricious. If one wishes to know more of this raging, three headed beast-like god, one only needs to look at the caliber of the people who say they serve him. They are always of two classes: fools and hypocrites.
- Thomas Jefferson

Quote of the Day

"All I've ever wanted was an honest week's pay for an honest day's work."
- Steve Martin in "Sgt.Bilko"

Quote of the Day

Never compromise, not even in the face of Armageddon.
- Rorschach, "Watchmen"

LeFevre Overlook

Some pics from an overlook in northern Arizona, gazing into southern Utah.

This is from House Rock overlook, where you can look out onto a huge plain.


This is from LeFevre overlook. The far off hills had a Mordor like quality.


Again, with a huge plain.


It was getting darker by the minute.

Quote of the Day

Old age is not so bad when you consider the alternatives.
- Maurice Chevalier

Cliff Dwellers

The Cliff Dwellers is a minor attraction in northern Arizona, along the Alternative US-89. It was originally built by former Ziegfeld dancer Blanche Russell in 1927, when her car broke down here. She found the place so nice she decided to take up residence and today one can drive all the way up to the "buildings" and gawp at one's own leisure.

All pics.

Half rock, half primitive stone house.


Insanely shaped rock.


I think the low building was a shitter.

Navaho Bridge

Navaho Bridge was the first bridge to cross the Colorado River in Arizona when it was opened in 1929. Today you can walk across it while traffic is wooshing by on the more modern bridge, which was opened in 1995.

Approaching from the south.


Nice surroundings.


The Colorado river flowing lazy beneath us.


A glimpse of the new bridge.


No, I didn't walk the full length of it; none of us could be bothered. Besides, it was cold and I had to pee.

Deer at Grand Canyon

While driving out of the Grand Canyon Village area, we happened upon a very cute thing. A doe and three little bambies were walking around without a care in the world. Naturally, we got up our cameras and fired off some shots.



In this pic it looks like one of the bambies has its head stuck up the doe's ass.


They were very cute.


This little fella was busy scratching hisself.


So cute.

Quote of the Day

I'm 43 today.

My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right.
- Ashleigh Brilliant

Return to the Grand Canyon

On the evening of Dec 26, we packed our bags and headed for Flagstaff. We didn't make it till after midnight, but the general mood was good. The next morning we drove through a wooded area up to Grand Canyon, which I last visited in 2009.

This time we went and saw stuff we didn't see in 2009, on account of the whole area being only open to shuttle bus traffic back then. Meaning we'd have to fraternize with plebeians, and we just don't DO that sort of thing.

All pics here.

Last time, we went in July. This time was December, so much colder although also much sunnier and much less people.


My new camera allowed for better focus at long distances.


Have I mentioned that I like dead trees?


Way down there you can see the Colorado river, which over millions of years has created this wonderful landscape.

Quote of the Day

Politics, when I am in it, makes me sick.
- Edward de Bono

Quote of the Day

It is impossible, in our condition of society, not to be sometimes a snob.
- William M. Thackeray

Aboard the USS Midway

The USS Midway is a former harbinger of doom and death to commies and towelheads all over the world. It was ready for action just after WW2 ended, and sailed the seas in the service of that greatest good for humankind ever, the US armed forces, until decommissioned in 1992.

Today it's sitting pretty in the inner harbor area of San Diego and in December 2013, I finally got my ass down there to take a closer look (I mean, I've visited regularly for nearly 16 years). It was the 26th, it was sunny with temperatures in the mid 20s (mid to high 70s F) and as you can see from (some) of the pics, not a cloud in the sky. When I retire I think San Diego sounds like a good proposition...

All pics here.

The reason the slant-eyed, emperor-worshipping cunt in the pic is grinning from ear to ear, is that the Midway was stationed in Japan in 1973 to protect his warmongering country from assorted commie nations, at least two of which - the Chinese and the North Koreans - had just cause for revenge.


I can't look at this without thinking "Village People". Sorry.


I get "Battlestar Galactica" vibes from this.


The E2C Hawkeye was the Navy version of the E3A AWACS.


The Midway was the Navy's flagship during Desert Storm back in '91. The geographically insightful among you may recognize the area on the screen.


Out the window of the control room, we could see the USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Carl Vinson (which buried Osama bin Laden). It's reportedly rare to see two carriers in port at the same time.

Quote of the Day

God tells Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If this was the only way they could understand the difference between good and evil, how could they have known that it was wrong to disobey god and eat the fruit?
- Laurie Lynn

The LBJ museum

In Austin I stopped in at the LBJ presidential library & museum. It is an absolutely huge building where only a few of the floors are set aside for museum stuff.

All pics here.

Massive building.


LBJ was a huge guy and he used his large body to great political effect.


Something I really liked about the museum is that you could lift up a phone and push a button to hear lots and lots of recorded conversation with LBJ and other notabilities at the time. I came away with a whole new appreciation of what a great talker he was.


There were lots of examples of LBJ's jokes and stories.


LBJ and JFK did not go well together and the vice president was shut out of the important stuff for most of the latter's presidency. LBJ's relationship with Bobby Kennedy can only be described as pure hatred.


The Oval Office under LBJ.


The presidential limo.

Peacocks at Cedar Park

In Cedar Parks, a suburb of Austin, I encountered something completely surprising. The local Motel 6 had two peacocks roaming their grounds. Upon further enquiry I learned that they were the last remaining specimens of about a dozen or so that had belonged to the previous owner of the property. When Motel 6 moved in, they just left the peacocks to their own devices.

Busy, busy, busy.


Though never too busy to stop for a moment and wolf down some biscuits.


I broke the biscuits into smaller pieces and this was met with general acclaim.


The other peacock was too busy preening around the grounds. These are both males... so not to speculate, but I've seen peacock hens and whatever these two are doing I'm not judging, also I can't say I blame 'em.

The JFK museum at Dealy Plaza

After the Dubbya museum, I drove down into the historic downtown area of Dallas, where I visited the JFK museum at Dealy Plaza. The museum covers the top two floors of the old Texas School Book Depository, including the room Oswald fired from. Sadly, there is a complete and utter ban on taking pics inside, so you'll have to settle for a few images from the outside.

This photo is from the top floor. The X on the asphalt marks the exact spot the president was in when the second shot hit him.


The famous window from below.


The grassy knoll of conspiracy fame.

Quote of the Day

A little of what you fancy does you good.
- Marie Lloyd

The Dubbya museum

The day after the George Bush presidential library and museum, I went to the George W. Bush presidential library and museum aka The George W. Bush presidential center. I guess there's a lot of confusion between them, cuz when I tried calling the one in College Station, one of the first things the automatic answering machine told me was the number of the W center in Dallas.

Any old way, I had a grand time with ole W, and here, for the first time, are pictures from my new, even fancier camera; a Nikon 3100. All pics here.

The center is located just north of downtown Dallas and the surroundings leave a little something to be desired.


The entrance hall had a very impressive slide show that made it look like actual 3D-people were walking on the thin ledge up under the ceiling. Very cool. Also very cool was the lady I talked to at the ticket booth who tought I was American.


The defining moment of W's presidency will always be 9/11 and his response to it. These twisted metal pieces were from the towers.


Yours truly in the president's chair calling up a nuclear attack on France.


Followed up by a nuclear attack on Sweden. Again, the guide in that particular room thought I was American. Yeeeehaw.


This painting is called "A Charge to Keep" and the title became the guiding principle for Bush during his presidency.


The museum had lots of high tech stuff; there was a big table where you could (or so I imagine) attack Afghanistan and Iraq. Or possibly just look at them.


There was also a computer room (largely populated by the tiny people), where you got to decide some of the most important dilemmas the president faced in his 8 years.

My Christmas trip to America - the George Bush museum

Here is, belatedly, a quick recapture of my trip to the US this December. I flew over December 18 with British Airways, with a quick stopover in London. This time I walked through immigration in Houston without any hiccups at all. I don't know if this means the US government is now satisfied that I'm not a threat or if the two previous times were just coincidences. Personally, I think I should be given an honorary US passport with any number of gold stars in it for being such a wannabe yank.

The 19th started with me driving up to Huntsville, which has a strong connection to Sam Houston. Y'all can read the travel blog about that visit here. After Huntsville I set course for the George Bush presidential library & museum in the strangely named city of College Station. Sadly I couldn't get my camera to work, but it later turned out that the battery was defunct, it worked just fine when I charged another battery. Yes, I'm an idiot.

The two pictures below were taken a few days later, when I dropped in at College Station to plead for the people at the Bush museum to look more closely for the passport I lost on the first day there. My trusty old passport was issued 6/6-06 so you can see why I wanted to keep it, besides the obvious hassle it would be to acquire a new one. Just a few days before leaving Norway, I was actually reading an article about how record high numbers of Norwegian passports got reported missing and I thought to myself "what kind of moron loses his passport". Well, now I know. Have I mentioned that I'm an idiot?

It must have slipped out of my jacket or back pocket somewhere between Huntsville and Dallas, most likely at College Station, but no one has reported finding it. To get a new one, I had to report it stolen at the police station in College Station and then go get two photos and a money order for $75 for the General Consulate in Houston before they would give me an emergency passport. Well, they were polite and quick so I can't really fault them. Le sigh.

Dis be the entrance to the George Bush prez museum. The interior had a nice collection of memorabilia, including a replica of the Oval Office.


The entrance area, with a huge Christmas tree and lots of gaudy, fake toys.

Quote of the Day

Everything has its limit - iron ore cannot be educated into gold.
- Mark Twain

Melrose Abbey

Melrose Abbey was my final destination for the day, which was surprisingly heavy on clerical buildings... or rather ruins, which is the correct state of repair for any religious structure. The abbey was founded in 1136 on the order of king David I, and remained the most important abbey of the Cistercian order in Scotland until the reformation. Several Scottish kings are buried here, as is supposedly the heart of Robert the Bruce.

All pics here.

I searched and searched, but could not find the heart of ole Bob Bruce.


I did find the latrine though.

Scott's View

The next historic place was very close to the Wallace Statue. It's called Scott's View, on account of some rather shaky stories of it being a favorite spot of famed author Walter Scott. Still, the views were impeccable.

Naturally, there was plenty of fog and rain.


The river Tweed.

Wallace Statue

I visited three places after my tour of Hermitage Castle, Jedburgh Abbey and Dryburgh Abbey - it was, like I said back in August, a very productive day. However, the pics on my pocket camera took five months to download, not a week.

Any old way, here are some pics from the first of the three places; the Wallace Statue in the Scottish Borders.

He's looking down on the river Tweed and the surroundings are very nice... like most of the Borders area.


Rolling Scottish landscape.


Looks cozy.

Quote of the Day

A child is a person who can't understand why someone would give away a perfectly good kitten.
- Doug Larson

Some more pics from the Military Tattoo

I took some pics from the Tattoo with my pocket cam, and lo & behold, they didn't come out any worse than my fancy PX500 cam. Makes ya think.

A fancy schmancy artistic picture (meaning a complete failure on my part to get a decent shot) of some kids doing stunts on motorcycles.


One more.


This is actually what the castle looked like. They lit it up in several crazy color schemes during parts of the show.


As you can see here, it was raining. What can I say; this is Scotland.


Normal people in front, crazy color scheme on the castle in the back.

Quote of the Day

How long soever it hath continued, if it be against reason, it is of no force in law.
- Edward Coke

Fort George

After Culloden & Clava Cairns we took a wee trip out to Fort George, a magnificent 18th century structure sitting on the Moray Firth.

The fortress lies low in the terrain.


Closer up you get a feel for the depth and thickness of the defenses.


A bronze model of the fort.


A glimpse of the numerous dolphins playing out in the firth.


Not exactly a redcoat...

Clava Cairns

I've already posted about our trip to Culloden battlefield, but we also stopped in at Clava Cairns to take pictures and make eejits of ourselves amongst the thousands of years old graves.

Siri at Culloden. I have no idea why it looks like she's wearing a pirate's eye patch.


Siri playing troll.


Out inthe open.


Close up.


A hat amongst the rocks.


A very elegant pose if I may say so.


Lovely shoes.


On the way back we spotted a couple of colored sheep. I have no earthly clue as to why they were colored, nor who did it, but maybe rural kids are more bored and/or creative than I'd hitherto given them credit for.

Inverness

We arrived in Inverness in much the same weather as we'd had at Urquhart Castle, and Siri of course insisted that we take a walk. She's from Bergen, where it rains all the time and so the water probably has about as much effect on her as it has on a goose (no further comparisons intended). Blasted females!

All pics here.

Siri, nice and dry, getting ready to wet her intestines on the Devil's brew.


People were actually fishing in the middle of the river. We stopped a guy who'd just gotten out of the water and of course Siri insisted on striking up a long conversation while I was quietly dying from exposure beside her.


I have no idea what went on here; possibly the birds, crazed from lack of fish, have taken to eating small humans.


The river has some nice parts.


I was shivering and bitching the whole way.


Caught in temporary insanity, doing my own version of "Singing in the Rain".

Scotland - Urquhart Castle

The next group of Sanyo pics are from Urquhart Castle, on the shores of Loch Ness. Due to my aforementioned membership in Historic Scotland, I got us in for free. It's a nice old ruin, but the weather was awful and I didn't really have much in the way of footwear, as my proper shoes were still wet from yesterday's trip up to Glen Nevis, where I had to cross an ice cold stream. So bear in mind that these photos are taken in pouring rain, while wearing sandals.

All pics here.

The castle in rain and fog, as a Scottish castle should be.


The shitter. Ah knows how to finds 'em.


This poor girl was hired (probably for pennies) to play the bagpipes every now and then. She'd take up position a bit away from prying eyes (and ears) and blow away bravely until out of breath (or until the blasted Scottish weather became too much).


Dr. Siri shielding from the wind as best she can.

Delayed pics from Scotland

So... it seems that a good portion of the pics I took in Scotland this summer were taken with my old pocket size Sanyo camera. I got a surprise when I came back to Norway and my PC told me that there were no files on my memory card. It has therefore been gathering dust on a shelf, until this morning, when I installed software for my shiny, new Nikon 3100. This software also managed to open my old Sanyo card, and voila... more pics from Scotland!

This first batch is from a place called Treasures of the Earth, just outside Ft William. I've visited their shop earlier, but this time Siri insisted we peek inside the museum as well. All pics here.

The stone in the middle looks like a heap of pizza cheese.


There was some petrified wood there too.


And of course a couple of poorly made flying dinosaurs.

Quote of the Day

Women might be able to fake orgasms, but men can fake whole relationships.
- Jimmy Shubert

Quote of the Day

When the wine is in, the wit is out.

- Thomas Becon

Quote of the Day

Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing. It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given such a comfortable front stall as spectator.

- Goethe

Quote of the Day

Nothing is as terrible to see as ignorance in action.

- Goethe

Quote of the Day

Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing; a confusion of the real with the ideal never goes unpunished.
- Goethe

Quote of the Day

One man's word is no man's word; we should quietly hear both sides.
- Goethe

Quote of the Day

Death is Nature's expert advice to get plenty of Life.
- Goethe

Quote of the Day

I call architecture frozen music.
- Goethe

Quote of the Day

One ought, every day, to hear a song, read a fine poem, and, if possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

- Goethe

Quote of the Day

To think that the ruler of the universe will run to my assistance and bend the laws of nature for me is the height of arrogance.
- Dan Barker

Quote of the Day

Every nation ridicules other nations - and all are right.

- Arthur Schopenhauer

Quote of the Day

It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.

- Krishnamurti

Quote of the Day

Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards -- the things we live by and teach our children -- are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.

- Walt Disney

Quote of the Day

Time: That which man is always trying to kill, but which ends in killing him.
- Herbert Spencer