Concerning Road notes...
The following road notes have been delayed due to my internet service.
Note: I’ve been informed that the last newsletter was “a lot to read”,
therefore I shall now edit more appropriately...I’ve also been told
that any loneliness I might experience is good for getting to “know
one’s self”...to that I say who asked ya!
 Week 2: As I sit outside to write this in
the serenity of the deserts of Carefree, Az, I reflect on yet another
week that neither started nor ended well...after dealing with the
police of Oro Valley (classic god cop, bad cop routine, except the bad
cop played dumb cop too) on the last day of the show, (contrary to my
last newsletter, they didn’t think two infractions were better than
one) I spent a few days in the Catalina State park in an attempt to
catch up...I didn’t...although the campsite hosts did give me a free
night in the park if I agreed to fill out a survey about the park and
their efforts (I agreed, but still haven’t filled it out).
While there, I also met a fellow Western photographer (named Jeff
West... 4theride.com) at a G.D. Starbucks of all places (he was there
for the coffee, I was there for the internet, I promise)...anyway, a
genuinely nice and helpful guy who offered me just about anything I
wanted as far as showers (I’ll explain later), printers, faxes, you
name it...he’s also looking to go gypsy as he calls it (l still prefer
desperado) as soon as his house sells.
.
My next stop was to be my old neighborhood to clear out my storage
unit...It was completely uneventful with one huge exception, as I drove
to an area just below my old street where I knew I could park this
thing, all of the dogs awoke from a dead sleep as they inhaled the air
of home...their eyes brightened, their tales wagged and all “Chief”
could imagine (or so I imagined) was endless hours of “ball” again.
It wasn’t a pleasant moment...I somehow felt as though I had failed
them. Worse yet, when it didn’t come to be, I think they felt it as
well...not long after that Diesel decided to add insult to injury when
he unearthed a den of baby jack rabbits...
 one of which he injured in the digging
process...there was no hope for it, so I then had to dispatch of it as
it looked me in the eye...might as well clear out that special place in
hell for me right now.
The next day after loading everything from the locker into the cargo
area, I had now rendered any visions of a “gallery” in that space
futile...I am now a veritable vagabond, I thought...at least until I
can organize (my greatest failing in life, although my friend Wendy may
tell it differently) and rid myself of yet more stuff I couldn’t bear
to rid myself of the first time around.
 Random thoughts:
I think I have a serial killer camped nearby...lots of drilling,
picking and digging after dark + he looked the type practiced fly
casting in a park without an inch of water for 50 miles...
The dogs (my biggest worries to date) seem happier tonight...in fact
they go into the trailer before I do...could be that herd of deer they
spotted on our walk and couldn’t wait to get to sleep so they could
actually catch them in their dreams...
I gave the dogs bones this morning in a sandy dirty area (not where i
am tonight) ...they all had a hard time eating them and kept shaking
them to get the rocks and sand off.
 I did the same thing tonight and Chief’s
and Willow’s behavior was the same as well...however, Diesel the coyote
mix immediately took his bone over to an area of boulders which were
sand & gravel free...they were still shaking as he was
finished...damn coyotes..
Hard to concentrate tonight, just heard on the radio...
Marines in Hadifah have now mounted personal video cameras on their
helmets to prove they were shot upon before they shot back..
we live in a sick country.
Another of our guys was attacked in an ambush by two charging Al
Queda...he killed the first but had to go on trial for wounding the
second whom he shot twice in the femur...the U.S. Army said it was too
coincidental that he shot him twice in the femur and he must have done
it when he took him prisoner... he was acquitted, but...and I think i
have it bad...enough for now.
It’s a new night in Carefree and the serial killer is
not happy...he’s been stomping around and cursing, then asked me if he
could buy a wick for his lantern?
A wick? If he is indeed a serial killer, he’s one lost
in time...which might also explain the pick and shovel...if nothing
else, my lack of a wick may have prevented the disposing of yet more
evidence at least for this evening....where’s a cop when you need one?
For weeks I had been fighting my doctor to get me an x-ray of my hip
which has been causing me some significant problems for about a year (I
walk like a former bull rider now which I’m not)...first he sent me to
a neurologist (which struck me as strange) who found an unknown
problem, but he said had nothing to do with my hip problem (I am
continuously amazed at how frequently MD’s are out of touch).
Anyway, this isn’t my first experience with bad doctors( I had the big
“C” when I was twenty-seven and ran into a few) ...anyway, the doc
finally gave in and the x-ray prognosis was all bad...apparently a
result of my trying to stay healthy and running 25-40 miles a week in
the 80s & 90s in what was then Nike’s state of the art shoe...
Unfortunately it is now recognized as bad technology hence my
deteriorating hip...I guess I’ll have to settle now for a state of the
art artificial hip somewhere down the line..
After a dreadful show in Miami, Az (“Boomtown Spree” wishful thinking
if there ever was some)I am now parked alongside the highway just
outside of Superior, AZ...nice view, nice hiking trails for the
dogs...lots of color coordinated locals getting their “workout”...I am
fighting the urge to tell them to make sure they have the right
shoes...oh well, they’ll find the right hip for them if they don’t.
But I digress...I’ve decided I’ve had had enough of my gallery being a
cargo area and decided it was time to organize (there’s that word
again) a bit...but a bit was as far as I got today before a fellow
carny/artist couple pulled over to ask me if they could help...in my
opinion they were just casing my house....I sent them on their way as I
don’t accept help very well...another matter for another time.
After a few more hours, it was clear there is more organizing ahead,
but today...I needed to move on....my vehicles are still not licensed
and I’m sure the local highway patrol will be inquiring soon...nothing
I can’t explain, but I’m just tired of doing it.
I don’t feel like I’m accomplishing much these days (least of all
photography) probably because that which I am, is completely
uninteresting to me and amounts to housework which I thought I left
behind...somethings never change. Oh well, I am learning a few things
however...
First...there seems to be an odd downdraft in my truck when the trailer
is attached...just lost two of my best shirts to the I-10 highway gods
from my duffel bag...damn...
Second...I'm finally overcoming the urge to tell people who look at the
size of my trailer and assume that I am a man of great wealth...that it
is all I own and that that isn’t even true...it’s the bank’s.
Third...America is a confusing place and isn’t what it once was (this
has given me a new idea which I will reveal later). I have been allowed
to park/camp in some of the most crowded visible public places with
nary a look...I have been run out of some of the most remote,
unoccupied and secluded land (not private property) as though I was a
“suspicious package”.....
Fourth...Public servants are a thing of the past...whether they be town
officials, local law enforcement, or the “big lady” from Parks &
Recreation...they apparently have all been incorporated into the
Department of Homeland Security and given one job responsibility which
is to be difficult and say NO!
Lastly...I have been on the road for going on 3 weeks and I am now on
more people’s “S” list than when I left....geez.
Until next time....be well and as always, please excuse any typos (and
you know who you are) and most importantly, "Save a Horse, Ride a
Mustang."
Jim
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