"Get away" trips.

[ousdahl]

I have carried around the Counter Assault bear spray cans for years. Never used them, but I always have one in the tent when camping. It spent most of the summer in my truck in the heat this summer without incident as well. Probably not the best idea. They come with a little holster that can be attached to the hip belt of your backpack so it is there at the ready while hiking also. I looked at the electric bear fence once, just seemed like a lot of trouble to set up.

Thanks japhy.

Trying to decide if pepper spray is really that much more effective than brass knuckles.

I weigh the perceived benefit of an electric fence around the tent against the perceived risk of stumbling out of the tent to take a leak and zapping myself.

You ever encounter a grizzly down in the San Juans? The department of wildlife says they ain’t none left down there, but the department of wildlife also says to click here on their website to report a grizzly sighting.

[japhy]

While the two may be equally effective, I like the idea of punching the bear in the nose 35 feet away rather than arm's length. Maybe that's just me be a wimp. But that's my preference. I'm getting too old for that kind of excitement. I have also read reports by park staff in Yellowstone saying they have stopped bison with the stuff as well. Your brass knuckles would help you there.

Never seen a grizzly. Supposed the last one shot in CO was back in late 50's in San Juans, up near Blue Lake maybe. We had more bear issues in town in Pagosa Springs than I ever have upper in San Juans or Weminuche. The bears in town are more accustomed to people and dogs so they don't run when they see you. We are seeing more issues with Mountain lions right now. Our tenants in Lakewood lost their cat to one. They come down from Green Mountain into our neighborhood at night looking for pets. A couple of months ago one was photographed a couple of blocks from Casa Bonita just off Colfax. Probably rode the light rail down there from Golden.

[jhawks99]

Casa Bonita. That place rocks.

[ousdahl]

^^^

try the mole!

[ousdahl]

In-state road trip so impromptu it almost went in the random thread!

Got in the truck this morning and just kinda started driving south. Road work in scummit county had 70 backed up for hours, so didn’t make good time, but did get a good chipotle burrito to mow on while the interstate was a parking lot.

Incredible number of “leaf peepers” out and about. Deservedly so, as the aspens are gorgeous right now. But the thing y’all need to remember is that just cuz the aspens are gorgeous right now it don’t mean traffic laws are suspended. Yes, this includes standing in, stopping, or otherwise obstructing the road, even if it means the perfect angle on a selfie. No, it still ain’t allowed just cuz y’all’s hazard blinkers are on.

Saw what I think was the Decker fire, burning near salida. Super windy, and the radio said red flag alert, fires not allowed, so I nixed National Park camping tonight. Instead I got a cheap motel in the little state college town, notorious for partying, that likes to call itself “wasted state.”

Pregaming in the motel then going downtown to see if they throw down on a Monday as hard as we did in Lawrence.

[Deleted User 266]

Looking forward to the same getaway trip I take almost every year.
L.A. for new year/s.
This year, Dead & Company, Rose Bowl, Lakers, Clippers, short road trip, all on the agenda.
I treat myself to good food, nice hotel, nice rental car, etc.
I have no problem doing it solo. It's my "mid life crisis" make myself feel good escape from the hell of a Chicago winter.
My other annual getaway is trying to attend the Final Four in April.

When I was dating Satan there were too many getaways to make a getaway a treat. It became the norm. Which our relationship was anything and everything but normal.
That's a story for another day.

I encourage everyone to take a "getaway" and re-charge their battery and I hope you truly enjoy and appreciate wherever it is you choose to go and whatever it is you choose to do.

[Deleted User 62]

Headed to the desert this month with 3 of my friends from the Dallas area, and a friend from HS/KU is meeting us there.

One of my friends is very unhappy in his marriage.
My KU buddy and his wife just split up.
My best friend just found out this summer that he has MS.

So glad we can get this guys trip out to Anza Borrego....rent some Razr's....tear the desert up....and some fun evenings in Palm Springs.

[japhy]

Looking forward to the same getaway trip I take almost every year.
L.A. for new year/s.

We went to LA in April, I hadn't been there in about 15 years. The Broad has installed some large scale Mark Bradford paintings that blew me away. Bradford is my new favorite painter, and a hometown guy. The LACMA had the largest Rauschenberg ever produced installed at the time of visit, it took up two large galleries and is something like 1.25 miles long. Only time it has ever been put up in it's entirety, but I think that one came down. The newly renovated Peterson Automotive Museum is worth walking around as well. I'm not a car museum fan but the building is cool to see. We have decided that LA will be on a rotation to visit more often.

[Deleted User 266]

japhy - Amazing that you mention Mark Bradford. I have met Bradford when he was in my office for an Art Institute "fundraiser". I'm a huge fan of him as a person and as an artist.
As I mentioned, when I go to LA I enjoy seeing/hearing live music, going to the Rose Bowl, and Lakers/Clippers games are always automatics - but I like to venture out and see/experience new things - so I thank you for the heads up and suggestions!
As far as museums, I really enjoy visiting the Getty on a nice day but I don't go there every time I'm in LA and I'm probably due for another visit.

[zsn]

Headed to the desert this month with 3 of my friends from the Dallas area, and a friend from HS/KU is meeting us there.

One of my friends is very unhappy in his marriage.
My KU buddy and his wife just split up.
My best friend just found out this summer that he has MS.

So glad we can get this guys trip out to Anza Borrego....rent some Razr's....tear the desert up....and some fun evenings in Palm Springs.

"Downtown" Palm Springs is a fun place to hang out, and this is the perfect time of year to go there (make sure you bring a light jacket because the temps drop in a hurry after sunset). There are many bars which serve many local brews and have live bands, especially Thu-Sat. I think it's every Thu evening when they close down the main drag and have street vendors. Great food and great atmosphere. Unfortunately, some bars tend to become meat-markets later in the evening (a turn off for us long-time-married-fogies) - maybe a bug or a feature depending on your point of view!

Definitely check out Joshua Tree NP - make sure you carry plenty of water. It's a bit far from Anza Borrego to Palm Springs. Are you doing this as two separate portions of your trip? BTW, there are these gigantic metal sculptures all around near Anza Borrego. They are really cool and surreal!

[japhy]

japhy - Amazing that you mention Mark Bradford. I have met Bradford when he was in my office for an Art Institute "fundraiser". I'm a huge fan of him as a person and as an artist.

Everything I have read makes him seem as real as his work. I am envious. My other favorite artist is up there in Chicago. I got to meet Nick Cave a couple of years and worked with him on a project here in KC. His project here in KC almost brought me to tears when I walked in to see it for the first time. Nick is a friend of a friend and showed up for our Saturday morning coffee club one weekend. I asked my friend's husband "where's Sean?", Jim says, "he had to go to KCI and pick up Nick". No idea what that meant until Nick Cave walked in the door and said "hi, I'm Nick, nice to meet you". All I could do was look at him and stammer, "yes, yes....you are Nick.". A humble guy and the thought and care that goes into his work is incredible. About a week later I got a call from Sean saying, "Nick needs a structural engineer to work on a project in KC which is going to be in a vacant Catholic church. You want to work with him?" My only question was, "will there be blasphemy involved?" Sean, "of course there will be blasphemy involved, it's a Catholic church!". Me, "fuck yeah, count me in!". Some moneyed Catholics tried to thwart the effort when they got an inkling of what was going down. They went around us and tried to convince the City the building was dangerous. I called Sean and asked, "can he do this in another venue like they are suggesting or does he feel this location is crucial to what he is doing". The response was, "Nick really likes the feel of this building and it has to be in there". Me, "all righty then, let me call down to Codes Admin and start writing some letters, those bastards aren't going to fuck this up." Later I took my mom to the church and she said, "you know this is where you went to church when you were little, this was our church". Made me even happier to put the screws to the bastards. We are planning to visit EXPO Chicago next year and have a standing invite to visit FACILITY, his gallery studio on Milwaukee Street while we are up there. Our friends stayed at his home above the studio last week during EXPO and we saw photos of his art collection and studio. This is going to be the art fanboy trip of a lifetime for me.

[Geezer]

Get a room.

[Deleted User 266]

japhy - Amazing that you mention Mark Bradford. I have met Bradford when he was in my office for an Art Institute "fundraiser". I'm a huge fan of him as a person and as an artist.

Everything I have read makes him seem as real as his work. I am envious. My other favorite artist is up there in Chicago. I got to meet Nick Cave a couple of years and worked with him on a project here in KC. His project here in KC almost brought me to tears when I walked in to see it for the first time. Nick is a friend of a friend and showed up for our Saturday morning coffee club one weekend. I asked my friend's husband "where's Sean?", Jim says, "he had to go to KCI and pick up Nick". No idea what that meant until Nick Cave walked in the door and said "hi, I'm Nick, nice to meet you". All I could do was look at him and stammer, "yes, yes....you are Nick.". A humble guy and the thought and care that goes into his work is incredible. About a week later I got a call from Sean saying, "Nick needs a structural engineer to work on a project in KC which is going to be in a vacant Catholic church. You want to work with him?" My only question was, "will there be blasphemy involved?" Sean, "of course there will be blasphemy involved, it's a Catholic church!". Me, "fuck yeah, count me in!". Some moneyed Catholics tried to thwart the effort when they got an inkling of what was going down. They went around us and tried to convince the City the building was dangerous. I called Sean and asked, "can he do this in another venue like they are suggesting or does he feel this location is crucial to what he is doing". The response was, "Nick really likes the feel of this building and it has to be in there". Me, "all righty then, let me call down to Codes Admin and start writing some letters, those bastards aren't going to fuck this up." Later I took my mom to the church and she said, "you know this is where you went to church when you were little, this was our church". Made me even happier to put the screws to the bastards. We are planning to visit EXPO Chicago next year and have a standing invite to visit FACILITY, his gallery studio on Milwaukee Street while we are up there. Our friends stayed at his home above the studio last week during EXPO and we saw photos of his art collection and studio. This is going to be the art fanboy trip of a lifetime for me.

I think have mentioned this on here before. I feel it's worth watching the 60 Minutes piece on/with Bradford.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/artist-ma ... 019-05-12/

I know of Nick Cave. Very cool that you got to meet and work with him! Thanks for sharing the story.
This spring/summer Virgil Abloh was a big deal in this (Chicago) city. An exhibit at the MCA, his clothes in the window of Neiman Marcus on Michigan Ave., his collaboration with Nike and the NikeLab on Michigan Avenue selling his stuff that is/was exclusive to Chicago. I saw him a few times walking around and he was like a rock star to those who knew him and recognized him.
I took my 86 year old mother to see his exhibit at the MCA and I was impressed she actually attempted to understand him and his work. I have a couple of his shirts but don't have a pair of his shoes - yet. Soon.

Please let me know when you will be going to EXPO Chicago next year and I will say a hello to you. I promise it will be briefer than my posts.


Geezer - You wish you could get a room with me and fat short bald ugly self!

[japhy]

We will grab a beer next time I am in Chicago. Don't mind Geezer, he is just auditioning for the crabby old white guy position we have open in the empire in Colorado. If he wears a MAGA hat and brings his wife, he's got a shot.

[zsn]

I was not familiar with the two artists you mention, although I vaguely recall the 60 Minutes piece. Somehow, I find it extremely difficult to appreciate abstract art and it isn't for lack of trying. About a month ago we spent a whole day at the Museo del Prado in Madrid (originally planned about 4 hours) and then walked over to the Reina Sofia. At the latter we could barely appreciate anything beyond Picasso's Guernica and a couple of Dali's works. After seeing works by Velasquez, Vermeer, Rubens, Caravaggio, Titian and their contemporaries it's really hard to understand and appreciate "modern" art. There is something about the way that Rembrandt's Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem or Caravaggio's St. Jerome or David and Goliath touches your soul!!

To be clear, I am not passing judgement on any artistic style - just vocalizing my preference.

[Deleted User 266]

zsn - Thanks for sharing your feelings. I am very jealous that you visited the del Prado and Reina Sofia! In my hopefully not too far off retired life I hope to visit both.
We actually have a Thomas Struth photograph in my office that he took in the Museo del Prado.
See below.
I could tell you literally 100s of what I feel are interesting stories about people who view art and their reactions. As I always say, to each their own.
I have seen a woman actually cry tears of joy and appreciation looking at a Cindy Sherman photograph and I have seen/heard a woman say, "What's so special about that" while looking at "the" Seurat at the Art Institute in Chicago.
The "advisor" who my cousin uses once said to me when I asked him what is the meaning behind a Christian Marclay (somewhat obscure photographer) photograph- "what do you think it means"?
I told him and his response was, "PERFECT"! "Go with it". "Whatever it means to you is right".
In response to those who often look at modern art and/or photography and often say, "I can/could that" he says, "Maybe - but you didn't and you haven't".
I try to explain to people that a lot of art appreciation is based on who it is that produced the art as much as it is what it is.
I will spare people my extended opinion regarding the manipulation of the art market because frankly I think it's a scam but that's a topic for another time.
I think I have mentioned on the .net that we have an amazing photography collection in our office. We have people come from all over the world to view it. As much as I enjoy giving the tours and sharing my knowledge, I get the most enjoyment out of observing people's reactions and hearing their opinions.
There is a lot more modern art that I have observed that I don't particularly care for than what I appreciate but when I find that needle in a haystack - it blows me away.

This is the Struth I was referring to.....

[zsn]

Living in Northern California, I could replace "art" and "photographs" with "wine" and your sentiments would be just as accurate - probably the same in music - down to market manipulation. I completely agree that enjoyment of something is just as dependent on the consumer of said work than the work itself.

It's very interesting that you post the photo of Las Meninas. Unlike the Mona Lisa which is quite underwhelming (for all of its hype, but a great painting on its own right; there are several spectacular paintings just in the same room), this Velasquez is worth EVERY bit of hype. I felt that it is best viewed from across the room (it is BIG). The details are incredible, right down to the dog on the bottom right (hidden in the photo). It's really interesting to see these young people looking at their phones while the docent is doing her presentation!!

One final "get off my lawn" sentiment though (I'm getting old, and I am entitled to it ^@$%@): it annoys me to no end when I see people trying to take photos of the painting with their phones. First of all the perspective and lighting is going to be all wrong. There is no way you are going to frame it and look at it frequently, if ever. You are just annoying the rest of the people who are enjoying looking at the painting by getting in their way. Finally, if you like a painting that much go to the store and plunk down the $10-25 and buy a print, or a little extra and buy the museum guide/collection book

[ousdahl]

soooo


so clothing optional resorts LOL

[jhawks99]

Depends

[Geezer]

Gutter was taking a picture of the butt of the chick in jeans and accidently got the painting in the picture.