Butler 4

Look what I found dad in the middle of the Arizona Desert. It's that one plane you use to fly.

This is how my father and I used roll back in the day. Stripe shirts and classic Adidas sneakers. And trikes with ape hangers.

Whilst in Phoenix I saw my friend Dave. I asked him how his bike was doing. He said that it was in Utah and asked if I might like to ride it while I was there.

Absolutely. I put about 300 miles on some lovely Utah roads. It made my trip 300 times better then it would have been.

Don has a motorcycle so I swung by and picked him and his lady up and we drove the Alpine loop one night. Here is a picture of Don and being bikers in the Utah back country.

This post is best enjoyed while listening to the song below.



Fellow countrymen, friends, neighbors, villains, and heroes: I have excellent news!

I got a pair of black skates! Many of you might know or heard rumors of my former life spent on the Disco Rollerskating Championship Circuit (DRCC) as a disco roller skating champion. Disco Skating is a passion of mine.

This is how it happened. Yesterday for breakfast I ate a large popcorn accompanied with a large Cherry Coke while watching the new A-Team movie. Hopped up on corn, corn syrup, and cinema magic I started walking home after the movie and came across a flea market. In the corner I saw these skates. Could they be my size? Yes they could.

How much?

$30.

I've got $20 to buy those skates right now.

Can't do it.

Are you sure... I'll take them for $20 bucks right now.

They are brand new and they cost 90 bucks.

I start to walk away.

$25

I'll think about it maybe I'll come back later. (continue to walk away)

Okay... okay $20

Deal

What that proprietor of the flea market didn't know that I did was that I'm perfectly capable of life without those skates. I'm glad that he sold them to me though.

Here are the skates on and ready to go. They fit like a dream and like the man said they are almost brand new. They need to be broken in. I have more good news. There is a Central Park Dance Skater Association (link to their website).
They meet every Saturday and Sunday and skate like there is no tomorrow. I have often wanted to join in their fun, but until now it has not been possible. I'm looking forward to meeting new friends out in the park. I presume they will be very colorful friends. But this is also a call out for anyone in the city that has been wanting a friend to go skating with in central park–I'm that friend.

South of Phoenix are the ruins of Casa Grande. Over seven hundred years old, they stand weather beaten and sun baked in the Sonoran Desert. Casa Grande was given it's name by Spanish Explorers that thought that it was a "great house". At it's peak it was a four story, eleven room structure. Proving that even the indigenous people of the southwest were not beyond keeping up with the Jones.

My hope is that in the far off future the ruins will erode away and only the NPS roof will remain and people will come from all over to see this strange roof in the middle of the desert.

This NP site was the first of four stamps in my NP passport book on this trip. It also marked the first stamp ever in the Western Region.

Awww... you can't far into Memphis, Tennessee and not realize that you can drive by Graceland. Turns out that Graceland is not in that good of a Neighborhood. We did not go inside.
But we did take pictures at the front gate.
We also went to sight of MLK jr. assassination. The motel has been turned into a civil rights museum.
Those are not the original cars, but ones just like the original cars that were present when the shooting occurred.

Brittany and I left D.C. about 1pm. We drove through the beautiful verdant hills of Virginia and Tennessee. I took in as much green as possible knowing that vast arid desserts awaited us miles down the road. Brittany almost cried as we left her home of the last 4 years. However, I told her that I was quite possibly the best road trip companion that anyone could have, to prove it I said the right thing at the right time and adverted a maudlin crying session. The trip was off on the right step.

The right step does not excluded miss steps. Before even reaching the boarder of Virginia Brittany had violated the rules of the road and was promptly pulled over by the law. Upon reaching our rolled down window the lawman started to sing:

I've got a star on my car and one on my chest.
A gun on my hip with the right to arrest.
I'm the guy who's the boss on this highway,
so you better watch it if you're coming my way.
If you break the law you'll hear from me I know,
I'm just working for the state on the highway patrol.

Well… perhaps that didn't happen just like that, but that is the impression I got.

Needless to say… Brittany is way to adorable and cute to be have to be trifled with things such as "The Law" or "Moving Violations" or "Court Procedure". With a warning and a wink we were up on the road again. Barreling towards Nashville like we had direction and purpose in life.

We pulled in late about 10:30 central – 11:30 east coast. Our host and birthday boy were one in the same. Jeff R. had graciously offered us a place to stay and a party to attend. It was delightful to meet all of Jeff R.'s Nashville homies. They sure were entertaining. But as usual the conversation with Jeff R. was full of vim and vigor. Brittany had never met Jeff R. but had heard stories upon stories of him and was justifiably excited to meet him at last.

Jeff R. did not disappoint as he related to Brittany the difficulty that he had in Tennessee dating "The problem I have with the girls here is that I look into their faces and think to myself – you have a minotaur somewhere back in your family tree… They have a minotaur ancestor, it's way back there, but it's there".

That type of conversation along with one of Jeff R.'s friend freestyle rapping in the background made for a must uplifting and delightful evening.

Okay enough typing lets get to picturing. I took Brittany to one of my favorite stores in Nashville.
Hatch Show Print. And they have added a new item since I was there last.
Cats.
But do not worry… they fully advertise the new additions.
OH NASHVILLE and your Betty Boots – you are too cute!

I had a birthday.

It was a whale of a time.

(please note – candles on cake do not represent actual age)

Open Space...
Forgotten Ruins...
Mysterious Companion...
The Road

Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Turtles in residence at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden
More turtles
Central Park
This is how I feel on dates sometimes. Guess which one I am?
Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Brooklyn Botanical Garden
Sheep's Meadow, Central Park
Sheep's Meadow, Central Park

Foamhendge

This lovely waterfall just off the side of the road.
We pulled over for further exploration - this required us to jump a fence. As we were strangers in a strange land trespassing was of little concern.

Camera's were not the only device implemented to document this find.
Ben got in close and personal with his audio recording equipment to round out the experience.

Kristian and Reghan. And I couldn't be happier about it.

Have you ever wanted to visit the big city and stare intently into an international artist eyes for as long as you wanted? Forever becoming part of the performance? Well Marina Abramovic´is having a open invitation stare down at the MOMA for the next three months. Friends – this stare down is intense.

Yes that's right, from opening to closing the artist sits at a table and anyone is welcome to join her and stare into the cosmos of the her eyes. I personally had no desire to sit and be stared at for any amount of time by this lady. But it was fascinating and intriguing to watch others get gazed upon.
Upon entering the room, I sat down on the floor and watched. There was a electric reverent atmosphere around. People spoke hushed comments of curiosity and whispered questions excitedly to their friends. I watched a lady sit down with the artist right when I arrived and she remained there for the next hour and a half. I would duck into a gallery and when I came out she was still there. I went to the upper floors and would look over the balcony and she was still there. Finally, moments after I took this photo, she left the table. The participant's friends circled her and she relayed the experience to them with a look of exhaustion like she had just swam the English Channel. Apparently staring at someone for an extended period of time really takes it out of you.

So you want to be involved?

The rules are as follows:
1: Wait in line for your turn
2: When it is your turn sit down in the chair opposite of artist
3: Gaze at artist for as long as you want
4: When you no longer have desire to look at the artist get up and walk away

Straight forward performance art stuff really.

Good news for those of you that will not be able to make it to NYC in the next three months. The whole thing is broadcast live on the internet. Click here for the stare down.

I must state a warning. On the fifth floor there is a retrospective of the artist work. I'm sorry to say that there is nothing praiseworthy or of good report about it. Do not seek after these things. You have been warned.