November 27-30 Sayulito Mexico

I take notes during the day which are basically a reflection of what’s going on but they sometimes just reflect my thoughts either thinking back or forward.

Quite often they take old tires and paint them white and use them as a sign.

They also paint the bottom of their trees white - we think to keep the bugs away.

Did you know Mexican men don’t grow much facial hair.

Pemex is the only gas station down here but they know exactly how long I can travel on one tank of gas.

There are lots of Toyota’s, Nissan, and Honda’s. They also make a very small Chevy which I had yet to see in the United States. Oh surprise!

The animals are emaciated, but they all seem very mellow. Especially dogs.

Can you believe we got a ten year permit for our RV for $49.50?

There are a good number of abandoned cars here from the States with long expired license plates and thick, grimy, dust. We saw plates from 2002, 2005, etc.

Everywhere you look there is fancy iron work. They use it for safety on doors, gates, windows, flower boxes, fences, etc. It’s beautiful.

Bimbo is the name of a loaf of white bread at WalMart.....seriously!
They sell cactus in the WalMart too as a vegetable.

We saw about 10 brush fires in the past few days.

Did you know an expert climber is graded as a 5.15?

Saw my first red fire ants along with a 4“ black scorpion this week.

Rural, country folk here are dirt poor and make houses from concrete block which is quite often falling apart but there are a good many of those same homes which have a sattelite dish. Either bright red or cobalt blue.

When I stopped to let Sterling out on the side at the Tropic of Cancer, I randomly picked a spot which had a dead dog beside it exactly where Sterling had to put his feet. He was so spoked...it was quite a gory site.

I drank Hibiscus tree here. Delicious with just a little bit of sweet.

Lots of people flash you the Peace sign, especially children and Police.

My credit card was declined at a Pemex and I forgot my ATM number. Panic set in for a couple of days thinking I was down to $23 USD in a foreign country until I reached the bank and they said there was no trouble at all. It was the gas station in trouble not me for once! Thank heavens!

Our hitch-hiking friends Kevin and Dan have spent a night under the truck in a dirt field with lots of trash, a night in the truck, another night behind the truck on a concrete pad, two nights on the beach near the Grafitti House.

Glad I know what bed is mine every night.

Kevin has had insomnia and often gets up quite early. At the last Pemex he watched as a young girl got in one truck and then back out of it and into another truck right afterwards, doing her early morning rounds.

Much of Dan’s thoughts and experience has come from being in the Army so when he talks he's a reflection of a war time soldier. I loved picking his brain and he induldged me. He was a graphic artist in Germany for much of his 6 year hitch but then he also went to Afghanistan for 6 months before he was released. We all talked freely with one another about things having to do with war, our opinions, politics, etc. He told me about Jingle trucks which the US soldiers have nicknamed and are in effect decorated folk art trucks in Afghanistan. It’s been so thought provoking I wish I had taped it so I could listen to it again and again.

All three of these young men are for Ron Paul. Kevin and Dan are 28, Sterling is 23.

My son Emerson had his 22nd birthday this week. I sent him a card by email.

Drive, Drive, Drive - Had been on the Pan American Highway for a good part of the beginning which was Route 15, but we’ve now dropped down along the coast to Route 200 which goes in and out of small, tourist towns.

We have been in and out of the desert with Mountains faraway to far bigger thick, lush trees, coconut trees, giant palms.

Love this campground. There’s Paco and then there is the funny old man who owns the place. It has lots of International clientele, young, beautiful, clean cut adults many speaking Spanish, surfing, swimming, bouldering or just enjoying the incredible blue sky and endless sunshine without a cloud to be seen.

At night we fall asleep to the crashing waves on the shore while a cool breeze takes our dreams away. Worth every cent of the $20 per day it costs me to stay here.

Saw this bumper sticker today - Ever stop to think and forget to start again?...

November 25, 2011 - We found Kevin and Dan today hitch-hiking in Mexico.

11/25/2011

Started our day in the sunshine, lots of it. We got in Guaymus in which we finally got to see the Ocean as it’s a major shrimp port. Not much else there so we moved on and picked up two young American men hitch-hiking. One in particular had blazing blue eyes and reminds me of my son Emerson. His name was Dan Petty and has come off a 6 year hitch in the Army about a year ago. The other was named Kevin Mohler and together they were headed to Argentine Patagonia to follow their passions of rock climing the mountains there. Nice kids albeit wicked smelly shoes from the torrential rains last night. Good thing about Dan was that he had grown up in Venezula where his parents taught Spanish and English, so he spoke fluent Spanish which has turned out to be extremeley helpful.

The topography has flattened out significantly and the mountains are getting smaller, fewer and more far off. The trash has subsided some, but the guys selling stuff on the side of every speed bump has probably increased. They sell everything from mangos, to shrimp, candy and even one guy was selling parrots and another young women to the truckers.

The armed police hang around the toll booths although they’re quite friendly and quite often flash us a PEACE sign which of course is quickly returned by us. There is also military which ride around in trucks of two with armed men in the back, totally dressed in black including covered faces. Other then the black uniforms and the sandbags which are quite intimidating they actually remind me of our camouflage weekend warriors in the US Guard Services who are always ready but not always called upon.

So having Daniel with us has been God sent even if these kids don’t believe in God. Kevin keeps me laughing, he could be irritable if he wasn’t smart and funny. Kevin is an Aethist who was raised a Catholic. My son, Sterling is an Aethist who was rasied Congregational Protestant and Daniel was raised in a Protestant Church in Venuzala. You can only imagine the wonderful, charged, imaginative, political, religous, musical conversations we’ve been having as we travel down the road, which for the most part are dirty and somewhat boring.

The first night they slept behind the RV, which we parked behind a Pemex and the cops came after a couple of hours to wake us up and tell us it wasn’t safe for them to sleep outside, so one went under the van and the other went and got up on a shed roof and we all went back to sleep. Like WalMart at home, Pemex is the only gas station anywhere and everywhere in Mexico and boy do they come in handy. They all have clean bathrooms which is important down here and they don’t mind if you stay in their nearby lots.

Coke pretty much owns Mexico. Every taco stand has red plastic tables and chairs which coke labels on them, as well as advertising, billboards, etc. everywhere. Sterling finally tried one for 50 pesos (40 cents) because everyone said it was better because it was made with sugar vs. high fructose corn syrup but as far as I’m concerned it still was icky coke. ce le vie!

And so I end this day after Thanksgiving with a Spanish word of the day Vibradoes = not what you’re thinking, they are little speed bumps slightly worse then a back, washboard, country road in Spring but the come in about 9 strips that end in a wicked giant one which always comes before the sign telling you it’s there. Rattles your teeth right out of your head.

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November 24, 2011 - Thanksgiving in Mexico

We got in line to cross into Nogales Mexico at 11:00 which was a simple nothing procedure quite hyped up with very little hoopla. About 25 miles into Mexico is when you have to stop and show all your documentation, passports, licenses, etc. and get your tourist visa and your car entry permit. The whole process from beginning to getting on the open Pan American highway (Route 15) took 2 hours.

Interesting to note that a person coming into Mexico in a car has to pay $400 for their Visa and $400 for your car and when you leave you get about $350 back, however if you come in a Motor Home you have to pay $49.50 for a ten year permit and about $35.00 for each Visa. We were excited to have a motor home in this instance.

Also more interesting to note, we made it all the way from Woodstock New York where our license plate was stolen to Nogales, Mexico without any plates, no insurance because we live in a state that doesn’t require insurance and an outdated inspection sticker. Really makes you wonder why we spend so much money on these items each year. We did buy a 180 day (6 month) Visa and insurance which was around $170.00.

We drove about 1 hour into Mexico and couldn’t help ourselves but to stop at a Taco stand. There were lots of them, but just like in the US, you stop at the restaurants that have lots of local cars because you know it’s got to be the best and it was! Four tacos and a big plate of condiments and fresh vegetables. . . delicious, healthy and cheap. Less then $5.00 bought us all we could eat and a windshield wash to boot.

Funny things we’re noticing is these small religious huts which are about the size of an American dog house on the side of the road with crosses on them. At first we thought it was a spot where someone had died but then realized they were probably just a prayer station or almost like a mini church. Cars for the average person just must be out of reach. Coca-cola is a MAINSTAY of the diet down here, probably because there is no such thing as cold tap water....luke warm at best.

The other thing which is quite prevalent are the greenhouses growing things hydroponically which are HUGE. Acres and acres of them, lined up like soldiers. We saw a couple of sites which probably had 1,000+ greenhouses on them. At some of the greenhouses you’d see 10+ guys waiting for a ride after work. There are lots of people hitchhiking

We kept on driving seeing signs for a “Hassle Free Zone”’ which we liked although we never did know what it meant but it made us feel good. The first major city we came to was Hermosilla which was a city of over 600,000 and home to a gigantic Ford Plant. People hunkered down in small concrete houses lined up right next to each other, many painted bright bold colors. We just expected to fly right through but as the sun was setting the rain started and we got lost.

No big deal except that a man was driving my RV and you know what they say about men and directions. Well once it got dark and the rain turned into torrential rain and the streets started flooding, I demanded Sterling stop so I could ask directions. Luckily, I found a young girl about 15 years old with a heavy beard who spoke a bit of English and got us turned back in the right direction.

Great, we thought, until the flooding got deeper and deeper. Sterl decides to go to the middle of the puddle vs. the edge and he guns it, rather then going slow, making a GIANT wake that came up over the hood of the truck and windshield, stopping us flat dead in the middle of an intersection. Slight panic set in but as they so often say about Mexico roads, there are no rules and the Angles appear when you’re in trouble. Sure enough, almost immediately, a guy pulled up beside us in a big truck and said he’d push us out of the way. He hit the back of the RV a couple of times getting us out of the depth of the flooding and our faithful Toyota Peace Mobil started right up again and we drove off. My atheist son started singing Halleluia and thanking patron saints of somewhere for getting us back on track.

We finally get back on the Pan American highway heading south at about 50 mph, when a man, dressed in a black trash bag rain suit appears on the medium strip and trys to step out in front of us with a white cane. Talk about panic! We swerved and we got the hell out of that City never to return!

Luckily, we drove another 50 miles until our nerves settled down and sleepiness started setting in. Our rig is leaking and the curtains bounced and ripped right off the walls but we made it through a harrowing day. Sterling asked I make his favorite dinner, macaroni and cheese with Kielbasa and the storm has passed. We parked out back of a seedy hotel in a dirt parking lot, both thankful for this gift of each other and one of the most grateful Thanksgivings ever. Sure beats working at the church, I think.

ZigZagExpress Visits Salt Lake City Utah - November 17

We came through the foothills of the Rockies and on into Utah yesterday. We were lucky enough to get a beautiful camping spot on the edge of a lake at the Jordenalle State Park. It was beautiful, we settled in early and watch the sun come down. Water, Elec, Wi-fi, Showers, Scenic, Quiet = Everything was right in our world and then a new day started.

November 17, 2011 - We were less then 50 miles from Salt Lake City when we woke. Salt Lake City has been on my bucket list for years. Kinda like Willie Nelson, but you don't seem to get the chance to often, but when you do, it's good to grab it. We woke up to a Ranger with a citation because when we checked in we didn't know if we wanted to stay so we didn't pay, but then when we found out how fabulous it was we felt honored to be US Citizens and to have this beautiful opportunity for a mere $20 that we were anxious to pay but the Ranger didn't know that.

We landed in Salt Lake City about noon after having our first serious disagreement on the trip. Not bad for 2 1/2 weeks but none-the-less, it set us both on edge. As we approached Temple Square, a day I had always dreamt would be an awe-inspiring lift to my life turned into a cyclone of negative swirling energy which dragged me down into a complete rut. Talk about bad Karma!

The Mormon Church is not open to the public. It is only open to members in good standing in the LDS group. Upon entering the visitor center, a modern building with Jesus paintings everywhere, I was uneasy reading the explianations on the walls of what Jesus and God could offer me. There seemed to be a serious disconnect in the fairy tale between birth, matrimony and children and the pre and post journey we all gone on. A major disconnect as in millions of years and much of the world's population which is not brought into the world within matrimony with a mother and father. There were Jesus movies playing and a dozen or more young Missionary girls who would greet everyone. Each had come for an 18 month "volunteer" brainwashing program from all different countries thereby making someone available which spoke most different languges, lucky I got one who spoke English. She told me the boys get to attend for 24 months - yeha!!!

We went into the dome roofed auditorium which was donated by three women, one of which is Ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's mother, Marion. It was a very simple building, albeit grand in it's scope, it's round-nees, acoustics, and it showcased a magnificent organ. This is the building where the Mormom Tabernacle Choir practices. We went into another church, still in Temple Square, which is an open place of worship for all religions and it seemed to feature what I've always known as a Star of David. It was odd in that setting yet again a very beautiful church with typical gothic details and stained glass. Apparently it had been built by the "leftover" granite. There is absolutely no question these people believe in Jesus. They had the largest, most comprehensive, nativity scene we've ever seen, even if the manger looked like a cave.

The entire Temple Square is surrounded in massive stone walls, the Temple itself is built in magnificent granite, but there are no windows, let alone stained glass windows. There is a mini-doll house version of the interior of the Temple which can be viewed in the Visitor Center. Temple square is 35 acres in the heart of Salt Lake City and is surrounded with all things Morman as you would expect. Everything was attributed to Joseph Smith or Bringham Young. It all seemed way too exclusive for me. No room for for so many different groups of people. I have firmly come to the conclusion that no man from this group, weather it be John Huntsman or Mitt Romeny, can rule the world, as President of the United States of America if they come from such a small focused, primitive tribe. The World is so much larger now.

I walked back to the Peace Mobile emotionally exhausted, and took a two hour nap on the city streets. Sterling skateboarded to the nearest book store which of course had "The Book of Mormon" which had belonged to the President of the LDS church for $30,000. Sterling's father had set a World Record on selling this book at NH Book Auctions, back in the early 1990's selling it for more then $36,000. Guess inflation affects all things. Sterling then went to an antique shop around the corner which he raved about as being very high end early 20th century through the 1930's. The owner didn't want to let him in. It was a locked door sort of thing and Sterl was on a skateboard which he docked at the front door. After a few minutes, the fellow decided Sterling wasn't just a street punk once he started talking about the Jazz Posters and Maxfield Parrish prints.


Sterling woke me up and we re-discussed our plans for going to the Bonneville Salt Flats where we had hoped to camp. We decided to head south finally and went to start the RV only to find out it was dead as the black bear roadkill we had seen on the highway yesterday. After fighting with Triple AAA for over an hour, we finally got a nice guy to attach the cables to our battery and bam the Peace Mobile was good and ready to go - didn't even need a jump start. Our budget is $20 per day plus all the gas we need. Utah has been easy on that, we're on the outskirts of Salt Lake City tonite and gas is $3.03 per gallon. We've seen a high of $3.79 in the Rocky Mountains. We ended our day at Applebees and saw a family with 6 kids. I just looked at all those beautiful, matching faces and just felt sorry for them. So once again, it's WalMart parking lot for the night. We can't eat out and camp out on the same nights. I smoked my last joint tonight. Time to open the windows as we head for the border. Tomorrow is a new day.

Traveling through the Rockies - Colarado and Utah

We’ve been driving the past couple of days since leaving the Frisco/Breckenridge area. The first night we stayed in Steamboat Springs Colorado. When I came through 25 years ago on a similar trip I took with Aunt Sue, Steamboat was a small ski village. It now has a WalMart and McDonalds and just isn’t the same. We were disappointed by the build-up but coming through the Rocky Mountains when they are just dusted with snow is a magnificent sight. This is where they must have written “Oh Beautiful for spacious skies . . . .”

Some of the things we’ve noticed out here that are so different from home is that in the Rocky Mountain District of McDonalds they only give you one hash brown for $1.00 not two. Sterling is disappointed in this newest trend but on the flip side, Liquor is available every convenience store, drugstore, gas station, etc. Too bad neither of us drink Not just beer and wine either, but hard liquor. We also both weigh less in the Rockies which is good for me, not so for skinny son Sterling.

We played some scrabble and enjoyed another Chinese Buffet last night in Vernal Utah which is the border town coming out of Colorado. The entire area is full of large fiberglass dinosaur which I totally loved. I wish I could have one in Wolfeboro. They are so totally playful to say nothing about this being the foothills of the Dinosaur National , Park. They have a city ordinance which eliminates sleeping in WalMart parking lots in Vernal. We pushed on because of the cold. Our little gas heater is having trouble keeping us warm when it falls below 35 at night. One more good reason to move on.

Leaving Vernal this morning, about 10 miles out was a great little shop that I totally loved! I’ve been in this business for 26+ years and I don’t find many shops that really excite me much anymore, but Gypsy Mama was totally cool. Loved the bright colors, the creativity of the women who owned this shop, loved the funkster junk, and even loved the ultra-rich Carmel-corn she sold at $4.00 per bag. This was the first shop I’ve been in that motivated me enough to take the check book out. I bought 4 things to bring home to my shop and would have bought FAR more if I wasn’t heading south and west. I’m sure there will be other buying opportunities.

We’re about 90 miles from Salt Lake City and the scenery is beautiful. Gonna rest my fingers so my eyes can soak in the snow capped mountain peaks and the amber waves of grain.

November 12-14 Colorado

We’ve had a number of banner days. We hit the jackpot with an invitation to a friends house in Frisco Colorado.  We didn’t know much about it other then it was a place with electricity, showers, laundry and a reason to perch for a couple of days.

We landed in Denver and as is drawn by a Musical God the first street we went down had a fabulous brightly colored mural dedicated to the Grateful Dead of which we had just listened to for the past several days.  It was remarkable!  Sterling went right to town taking a video which we’ll post as soon on FB, You-tube and our blog and website.

Our first day in Denver was one of exploration just checking out the general area, the layout of the city, the architecture, walking down the 16th Street Mall which is a tony, shopping district. 
We walked and walked into the sunset and then drove out about 10 miles to our favorite WalMart and McDonalds.  This one had several patroling security guards in cars which was unsettling but we were safe, did some wi-fi work and heading back in to the Denver Art Museum.

When we arrived it was 11:30 and a Gospel Band was playing very loudly right outside the Capital Building and there we found the biggest free food giveaway either of us had ever seen.  There were probably 250 volunteers and an incredible line of thousands waiting for hours to get a free turkey supper.  It was mind blowing.

We went across the street to the Denver Art Museum where I had been 30 years ago when I took a similar trip with Auntie Sue.  Sterling and I spent 5 hours there pouring over the exhibits both in their permenant collection and in their current exhibits.  I was a bit disappointed with the Modern section as I feel Modern is coming on so strong and their representation was more modest then I like to see in a museum.  I started to take one picture per floor of the most incredible thing I saw.  We started at the seventh floor and worked our way down.  By the time we got to the Indian section I found myself taking picture of almost every exhibit.  They were all my favorites.  The color and the beadwork and the paint and the decorations just excite me so, I love them.

When we came out the food line was still going although the band had switched.  We went and grabbed the RV from the parking lot and went over to the Occupy Denver site which was just around the corner.  We figured that many of the people in the food line were displaced from the Occupy Denver group - it was all such an odd blur of humanity from the very higest of art to the most primitve human needs.  Such a stark contrast this country of ours.

We left Denver and headed west about 75 miles to our friends house.  Johnny May and Lisa Buenorosa have a new home in Frisco, Colorado.  I’ve known Johnny for 27 years and he’s now 36 so it was great to see the man he has become and meet his new mate.  We arrived late Saturday night and pretty much moved in on them until Monday morning. They didn’t tell us  Lisa and Johnny were the ultimate host and hostess, feeding us, allowing us to use all their facilities, entertaining us by bringing us out to a small Victorian Village called Leadville and just all around indulging us by showing us all sorts of cool houses, antique shops, a saloon, an American made polartec clothing company and the best part showing us the best Rocky Mountain Scenery in the middle of a snow-storm.  Oh what fun it was but that white stuff was enough to move us on.

I’ll be posting lots of photos and video shorts over the next couple of days.  Keep on watching as we work our way to Salt Lake City this week.  Staying in Steamboat Springs tonite, November 14, 2011.  For now we continue to search for Peace!  Dragonfly Cathy and Son Sterling. 

Blogger: Classic Antiques ~ Americana ~ Obsessive Folk Art - Publish Status

November 9 and10, 2011 - Iowa / Illinois / Colorado

Well we’re finally out of the cornfields tonite. Now we’re seeing cattle and big, huge, mega ranches. Much of our destinations are chosen by the RV campsites we can find. We’ve found 3 State Parks, last night was a paid RV Park and we’ve also stayed at 3 or 4 WalMarts. Guess lots of people don’t know that WalMarts allow RV’s to set up in their parking lots. It creates an extra layer of security apparently that works well for them and is good for the public.

Last night was the Holiday RV Park and we loved it. Showers, laundry, wi-fi, vintage metal swings and lawn tables painted in bright colors all made for 2 happy campers. Back on the road this morning, $35.00 lighter we stopped to get gas at Sinclair. Sterling didn’t realize Sinclair Oil and Sinclair Lane in South Wolfeboro, NH were one in the same at one time. He liked the dinosaur.

So after we got yet another tank of gas, we were sucked in to the Gift Shop disguised as a free museum. But surprisingly it was a lot of bang for our buck. I loved the giant Buffalo Bill Cody statue and the story at his feet. Again, the LeClaire Iowa connection rears it’s head. Apparently, he is the king out here. Everyone wants to lay claim to him, and this town of North Platte, Nebraska was no different claiming it as his “home town”. LeClaire was his birthplace, and I suspect there will be shrines to him in Denver too as the place he peed or died or something.

Anyway, back to the free Buffalo Bill Cody Museum. Son Sterling and I enjoyed looking at the honest to goodness antique artifacts and fortunately for me they weren’t for sale because they truly were impressive. All sorts of taxidermy, cowboy chaps, Indian dress, 1950‘s kitch Buffalo Bill BB guns, and so much more. The real deal which was nice after all those crappy antique malls we’ve had to endure.

The most amazing part here was the hand carved and painted miniature circus made by Ernie and Virginia Palmquist. Made up of a whopping 20,000 hand carved pieces, all painstakingly hand painted this miniature reproduction circus of the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show is simply astounding. It took more then 12 years for this couple to make it and then they toured throughout the US in the 1960‘s and 1970‘s finally making Fort Cody it’s permanent home. Check out the picture montage we put together on YouTube - it was very cool and a nice start to our day.

More gas, more miles today. Seems like we’re filling up often but we only have a 15 gallon tank and a short fuse for sitting too long so it’s ok. Between changing time zones and day-light savings we both are fighting to be the passenger so we can catch some extra zzzz’s. I won today. Sterling drove after we had a little mishap. Not sure if I hit a orange cone or if my holding tank nozzle got caught on something or what but BANG, the holding tank was gone and at 60 miles per hour it cleaned out quite nicely and we got to see a orange cone in flight.

Sterl got me out of the rolling hills of Iowa and the flat flat flat lands of Nebraska and right on into Colorado this afternoon. He found another Sterling on the map, this one in Colorado so our afternoon was spent in this town which was fun. Our first stop was a really terrific Antique Shop by the name of Eastmans. It was an old warehouse with tons of space all on one level. It was huge and filled with good quality Victorian era and newer antiques. Loads of Oak, glass, an extraordinary number of small decorative items. The dealer definitely loved the period from the 1860‘s through the 1920‘s and had a wicked extensive inventory all clean, priced and for the most part pretty reasonable prices. I pointed out 3 or 4 things I would have bought, if I was in a buying mode but am starting to wonder if it might be worth it to be a picker out here where people don’t know me. Might be a good competitive edge. It’s refreshing to be myself and enjoy Son Sterling.

The draw in the Town of Sterling was a carver by the name of Bradford Rhea. They bill this town as the City of Living Trees and Sculptures. They have raised up their local son and embraced his work. The two sculptures we saw were the Skygazers which was located in a beautiful Town Park with a Veterans Memorial and a nice walking path with benchs and play areas. The Skygazers was a bronze of his original Tree Sculpture of 5 giraffes looking towards the heavens. It was beautiful so we sought out another of his works at the Welcome Center and found one called Metamorphosis which was also interesting, albeit a reproduction. Reading his marketing brochure and map the local prison prints for him, I found it wonderful that the Department of State commissioned a staff for President Clinton to present to Pope John Paul II in 1993. I wonder if that guarantees him a place in carvers heaven. It sure should.

We’re finding Colorado hospitable tonite. Cheap Chinese Buffet and free hook ups in a state park right at the road side in Fort Morgan. Everything is beautiful but it smells like, what else, manure. My allergies cleared up just in time for this evenings smells. Can you just imagine when we’re able to transfer smell over the internet?

The next few days we’ll be slowing down in Denver and then heading out into the Colorado mountains to see a friend and spend a few days while we wait for our new license plates.

Come antiquing with us at www.zigzagexpress.com for lots of photos and links to You Tube Videos.

Zig Zag Express visits Brass Armidillo Antique Mall in Omaha, NB

Well we started our day again at free Wi-fi at McDonalds and was waited on by a women who had just returned to work after an 11 week sabatus for a hip-replacement. She was 80 years old and still working. Was it choice or necesity?

We got on the road today about 11:00 after researching and ordering our replacement license plates from the NH State website.
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We’re trying hard to put Route 80 through Iowa and Nebraska behind us. We have entered the land of giant wind turbines, tons of them dotting the countryside. Iowa seems to be quite proud of their energy stance, not only with windmills but also with ethanol and electric car docking stations. We stop every couple of hours to fill up the gas tank, get a bite to eat and entertain ourselves. Gas is running around $3.25 out here, occasionally lower for ethanol.

One such stop that sucked us in was an authentic Dutch Windmill in Elk Horn Iowa . The tour was $2.00 each and so worth it. Here’s a link if you want to check it out. http://www.danishwindmill.com/. I’m trying to concentrate on things that are undeveloped so much so I won’t go on about it.

We toddled on down Highway 80 towards Omaha and all of a sudden I remembered a conversation I had with Eric Moriarty when he was the head of the antiques department at eBay.
He mentioned that in the mid-west there is a retail chain of antique malls called the Brass Armidillo and for some reason it dawned on me we hadn’t stopped at any antique places yet so we veered off the higway and visited my first Brass Armidillo Shop.

There we found acres of people’s junk storage. There was very little that was homey, edgy, one of a kind, historical, important or really anything but it was “collectible”. Even that word is spelled differently out here. It is spelled collectable but that aside, it’s mass produced stuff people no longer want but can’t let go of, so they put it here in this second hand store. I’m beginning to see why people are so impressed to go antiquing in New England. It’s a look, a feeling, an atmosphere, history, nostalgia, just something different about New England.

Slept in a State Parks the last two nights. Thank you Iowa. We’re on our way through Nebraska today.

Google Maps

November 3, 2011 - New York

Our day started out once again at McDonald’s. They have free wi-fi, free re-fills, a clean bathroom and they’re warm. We still haven’t found a generator in this land of the Northeast which just had 3 million people out of electricity so we indulged in Breakfast out. Sitting beside Sterling this morning as he loaded video’s to You Tube, I noticed a picture on the wall which was an old menu board with 1970‘s prices. Since this trip is in many ways all about Nostalgia, I told Sterling about McDonald’s in our family.

I grew up in Melrose, MA in the 1960‘s. My family summered on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro NH and on Friday nights we’d stop at the McDonalds near Pease AFB, in Newington, NH. My Dad would feed our family of 6 on $5.00 and get change. Cup of tea and 2 hash browns was $3.48. here in Kingston, NY this morning. Gas was $3.79 per gallon.

Kingston, NY is a fairly large city which has grown up in the center of an otherwise rural area. This region of NY is known as the Catskills. It was the birthplace of FDR and where his Presidential Library is located. As you drive through Ulster County the countryside is dotted with beautiful, antique, stone homes built by the Dutch who settled the Hudson River Valley during the early to mid18th century.

Set among the bucolic countryside and stone houses we drove down a back country, tree lined, winding road not far from Woodtock New York coming upon Kat O’Sullivan’s house which is situated on 16 acres and sticks out like a bright red, sore thumb among her neighbors who live in their monochromatic stone houses. Kat’s house is exuberant, fresh, exciting and exudes all her creative passion which just can’t be held back. Like the bright gem encrusted star necklace she wears around her neck, she is a brightly shining star.

When you you pull in, the yard, her two, fully decorated, art car, school buses sit. The larger of the two she lived in during her Dead Head period and then when she was in college in Santa Cruz, studying Anthropology. The smaller of the two buses is a shorter version she parks right outside the front door to her house. Her front door is painted bright green with faux oversize grains which are almost Flinstone like. The ceiling is painted in a round rainbow design.

Kat O’Sullivan greeted us at the door with a warm welcome hug and invited us into her inner sanctum. It was such a privilege and a genuine treat going into her environment. The element of surprise just goes on and on. Every surface is covered with chachkas. Her front hall is decorated with framed bug and butterfly specimens. Her refrigerator pantry is plastered with Luis Miguel paintings of Jesus. Her kitchen counters are covered with $100 worth of pennies. The morning glories grow in through her kitchen window which overlooks a pond. Every corner is filled with stained glass and guest beds with brightly colored crazy quilts. Her personal space which is shared with her mate Mason is high energy but she is very calm. She smiles when she shares that Mason indulges her impulses to be creative. The wrought-iron head board turned upside down and painted bright red shines like a masthead on the front of her house.

She developed her aesthic sense while following the Grateful Dead in the early 1990‘s for the 5 years just before Jerry Garcia passed away. Someone had asked her to a concert when she was 14 and she was so turned on by what she saw she decided to triple up on her classes and graduated from high school at 15. The daughter of a Long Island lawyer, she is well heeled and quite articulate.

I found Kat to be wise and compassionate beyond her years. Her sense of community, morality and hard work is well developed. She is very thoughtful and understanding about Outsider Artists and does not consider herself to be one, explaining that Outsider Artists can’t control what they do and don’t care about the “outside machine". She admits to having bought into the system when she and Mason purchased their home 2 years ago and their hard work is very evident at every turn. She did go so far as to admit to being obsessive when she starts a project and that she can’t or won’t let it go until it’s finished.

But all of this aside the most amazing detail about Kat is the totally awesome folk art, sweater coats makes. The are wonderful creations of coats, mittens or scarves made from recycled sweaters. She makes between 30 and 40 coats each month and lists them for sale all at once on the website http://www.etsy.com Search Katwise to see all her new sweaters on November 7th.
Priced between $250 and $400, they sell out within 15 seconds after they’re listed. She also has her own website at http://www.katwise.com/ which is cool but doesn’t provide a place to buy.

I saw a quote someplace I really liked which fits Kat like a glove “I’m an artist, I’m hear to live out-loud!”

For more information on www.Katwise.com and don’t forget to watch the YouTube Video we’re posting.

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iGoogle

Day two under our belts, but it wasn't too fun or too easy. We realized by 4:30 am we desperately needed a heater and a generator so we spent the better part of the day looking at Lowes, Home Depot, Sears, Auto Zone, Etc. Etc. Etc. for a new tire, and a generator. We also needed a camera cord to download all the fabulous photos we were taking. We also needed a Verizon store to stop the FIOS account for $60 a month. When I signed up two years ago it was needed but now there is WI-FI just about everywhere.

I thought the women we were supposed to meet, Kat O'Sullivan of Katwise.com, lived in Woodstock, so we headed from Orange down to Woodstock, NY which was about 3 hours during which time Sterling passed out in the back of the RV because the heat finally came on. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny fall day and I enjoyed the boutiques, galleries, head shops, java stops and historical buildings. Great picture opportunities abound in Woodstock on a beautiful day.

Late in the afternoon we decided to skip Katwise and headed south to Kingston, NY which is a megatropolis in this area. Every store imagineable! It was actually kind of fun since we live in a rural area and don't get out often. I guess this will soon be the norm not the abnorm. Yeha!

For now I'm posting our photos on Facebook each day until I can figure out how to load them here. Keep tuned.

+Peace We lost our back plate today! :(

Dragonfly Cathy & Son Sterling

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Well our first day is behind us at last. We were so exited leaving Wolfeboro although we never made it until 2:00 so we didn't make it to our first stop until 5:30 but my friend Gary Moise of Orange Trading greeted us with a warm happy shop.

Orange Trading is located in a huge brick mill building right on the river in Orange, MA. It's a mill town with loads of brick buildings, men with long ponytails and Carharts and the liquor store opens at 5 am.

We forgot our space heater and we thought we had electricity from Gary but after he left we found out NOT! We froze! It was just 20 degrees and so we finally got up at 4:30 am and got on the road again.

We'll be posting lots of photos and a video of Gary Moise as soon as we can find some electricity again. The computer battery is only so good. Check with us again as we head to Woodstock, NY to see Katwise.com. who makes the most fabulous sweaters and is all about my passion - COLOR!

Although I'm no John Steinbeck and my Son Sterling isn't the French Poodle in "Charlie and Me" I can fully feel his sentiment "“We do not take a trip; a trip takes us” .

And so we're off for today.

Dragonfly Cathy & Son Sterling