My Blog

Passing moments

Ting-Tong — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:22:37 GMT

I woke up the other morning, here in Belize, to a wondrous sight and a beautiful smell. Along the fence line near my front porch, a small tree had bloomed overnight with these fragrant and fluffy flowers. The bees were loving them in their own small, busy way. I snapped a couple shots of the flowers (picture above) on my new Canon Powershot camera. I went for a walk later that day that gave me view of the hillside leading up to the place I am staying. The hillside was teeming with these freshly bloomed flowers, all snow white against the lush green of the Rain Forest. It was a spectacular display of nature running her course. The next day I noticed the bright white giving way to a pale, faded off-white. Now, today they are merely brown with the sweet scent as faded as the bright white. Ahhh, the implied metaphors of the passing moments of our lives giving way to the next. Yes, so stop and smell the flowers of your life today. Tomorrow they may not be gone, but they will have changed from today. Take them in with all your senses. Relish them in that moment. Do not be sad that they will fade away. But, be glad in that moment, that you were there in that moment of full glory and beauty, no matter how fleeting the moment.

Wanderlust

Ting-Tong — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:18:01 GMT

It has been quite some time since I last posted something here. I have been busy in spurts. I don't have my own computer to go to in the middle of the night. And, I have just been feeling introverted, sometimes depressed, and winter usually compounds these things for me. My father died earlier this year. Tanya told me she doesn't love me and never will. My job with Black Rock Solar, while very rewarding, only provides work intermittently. So, the Universe has sent me a gift, a reprieve from the Universal Gov'nah. I am going to BELIZE, all expenses paid, for 2 months. Plus, I get more than enough to pay my monthly bills that do not cease while I am away. HoooRaay! How did this happen? Well, someone who trusts me, respects me, and cares for me, needed someone to oversee some construction taking place on her 14 acres on a mountainside in Belize. She could not be there. She was worried. I called her in my depression. Wham-Bam within 36 hours it all just fell into place. So, this Friday I head to Arizona to meet the business partner. And the following Monday, I leave for Cancun for a day then a short bus ride to Belize. I'll have my own pick up truck while I'm there in the epicenter of what used to be the Mayan capital and its suburbs. There are 4 main ruins sites very nearby. And there is the main ruins of Tikal about 40 miles away in Guatemala. I plan to go to as many as possible. Since the last day of BM '03, when some info about the Mayan calender came to me, I have been very intrigued with the Maya. In fact, I am a 'Yellow Galactic Warrior' from the Mayan calender. Now, I am thrust to the heart of their civilization. This is exciting for me. If anyone has plans to be in Central America this winter, let me know. We can hook up for some adventure or just chill. I should have semi-regular or better web access while there. Well, I gotta tie up some loose ends and pack now.....

Life

Ting-Tong — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:09:38 GMT

As a lot of my friends and peers are considering or dealing with having children, I am playing with my grandchildren. Yep, that's right, I am a grandpa. I had my beautiful daughter Sarah, at age 16. She gave birth at 21. It has had its downsides being a father so young. I'm glad to accept an awesome upside. I am young enough, and healthy enough, to thoroughly enjoy and participate in the lives of my grandchildren. Last week I spent time with my grandsons, Justice, and his little brother, Micheal (we call him Mister, he's such a little man). I got to teach them how to hit a baseball. Justice was spending his last days as a five year old and Mister will be 3 in October. After getting Justice to hold the bat right and in the proper stance, it took some coaching to get him to keep his eye on the ball and get a full swing. Then, magically....wham!... he hit hit one right out of the backyard, over the fence and hit the neighbor's garage. I don't know who was more excited, him or me. Mister couldn't quite follow a pitch and get the bat around. So we took an old shoplight stand and made it into a perfectly sized T-ball stand. Whadda ya know, the little guy is a switch-hitter. We finally settled on his lefty stance. Man once that ball was setting still in front of him...look out. He couldn't get it out of the yard, but he could line drive it to the backyard outfield. In his excitement, and little understanding of the game, he would run willy-nilly all over the yard, and then fall down laughing. We went to the beach at Lake Michigan. We grilled hotdogs. We built sand castle empires. We buried each other in sand and made huge, funny body shapes. A firetruck from the Gary, IN Fire Department showed up. I walked the kids over to have a look. The firemen were great. they let us sit in driver's seat of the firetruck, and then they took the kids for an impromtu ride around the parking lot. All day long there were fighter jets, practicing for the weekend's airshow, speeding just a couple hundred feet above us; giving us our own little airshow. We rarely know where Life will take us. We can seldom plan for the best outcome. We never know what tomorrow will bring, or if there will be a tomorrow for sure. Days like these let us live thru all the others. Now, I'm headed back to the high desert. If you see me out there, and I ain't smiling, please remind me of these things we live for.

The End is near....

Ting-Tong — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:03:35 GMT

I am sitting here listening to the radio while I study. In between the shouts for me to buy something, I hear..what is that...oh its music... Everytime I turn my ear to listen, I shudder. Every song is either a cover of and old song, a newly arranged old song (usually an originally upbeat song re-arranged to sound melancholy ...oh how contritely 'artistic'). If not that, its either a 'new' song that is nothing but a bunch of lines ripped off from other songs strung together, or an over sampled melody with rap lyrics on top. I won't even get into all the songs that are an old song with new lyrics put on top...ala Ice Ice Baby. Or the thinly vailed, rip off of bass lines and guitar riffs and leads. The music has died and its clones have taken over. Someday, in the far future, the Messiah of original music will rise up and save us, or at least our great, great, great.......grandchildren. Or maybe not. That undiscovered state-sized meteor is still hurling its way toward earth at 100,000 miles an hour. I wonder what kind of music the bees and roaches will have after the apocolypse. Sorry, I forgot, we're already killing all the bees. Its up to the roaches.

Art Car?

Ting-Tong — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:15:24 GMT

Maybe you need to see this in person to appreciate it, maybe not. I was walkin down the street on the way back from a boat ride in Bangkok, when I saw this parked on a narrow street along the canal. This is one of the many vehicles in Thailand that made me think, "Whoa, now that's a playa ride." I mean hey, ice cream trucks are cool, but a rollin coffee shop? All the body mods were done very cleanly. The hinged roof and folding side, and the slide out in the back (not visible in the pic) with bagels and toaster and stuff. The interior was nicely done in real wood and white leather. The eye-catching green paint job speaks for itself. The cute barista on the left was a good addition too. Off-camera was even a Thai hippie playin guitar. The folks there didn't speak much english so I really couldn't ask them about their ride. "Did you have something?", you ask. Hell yes. It was pretty hot in the day. I got a local favorite: Thai iced tea. Its a combination of hot black tea, some kinda sweet cream stuff, and a splash of milk....all mixed together and poured over ice. The black tea and the cream make an interesting orange-colored drink. MMmmm tastey. They served it up with a smile that made it twice as good. Off I went, with my drink, my smile, and a brain buzzin with ideas and sugar and caffine.

World Class Art

Ting-Tong — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:14:52 GMT

Since *tribe killed my last blog* with an unexpected 'login' screen, this is a condensed version of what I had written, which could be a good thing, but it still pissed me off.... While going thru my 1000+ photos from Thailand, I realized I had seen an amazing amount of awsome art; Architecture, sculpture, painting, textile, religious, and home grown - like vehicles, and the people themselves and their music. So, over the next few days I'm gonna do some posts relating to the art that I saw on my trip. This first installment is from The Queen's Gallery in Bangkok. There was an exhibit on its last day at the gallery. It was paintings on loan from private collectors in Thailand. All the paintings were from Thai artists in the last 50 or 60 years. The impetus was to have art derived from inspiration other than purely religious (Buddhist usually). There were many striking and beautiful works. The one pictured here was very impressive; and huge, about 5 feet tall by about 7 feet wide. There was alot of detail, and if you care to look at a better photo look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/visvadas/2260498744/sizes/l/in/set-72157603893628222/ and click on the 'original' link above the pic. Some of the details are small sketches at different points on the large painting, as well as shadows of other work underneath the final painting's background. It made me wonder if that was intentional or if it evolved that way. Although not a religious piece per ce, I felt it had religious undertones; with the robe, the necklace, and the ravens, perhaps even with the tattoos. I have to say the color quality is somewhat diminished from the original, but you can get the feel of it. I regret that I could not capture the artist's name. Much of the labeling at the exhibit was in Thai. There were many other high quality works as well, and in many different styles. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. I invite you, in the very near future, to go and visit your local art museum or gallery. I am quite sure you will find at least 1 piece that moves you. And, you will be so glad you went.

Back to the grindstone...kinda

Ting-Tong — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:39:22 GMT

Well, I am back in Reno, NV USA. I was gone for 65+ glorious days. After landing in SF on Thursday, and having a few drinks with the DPW at Benders, I jumped on the the diesel-powered 10-wheeled canine. 28 hours in Sf and I slept for 20 of them. Friday and Saturday are merely a blur. Sunday was my first day back with 'normal' hours. I got up at 4:30 am. At 10:30 I went to the sports book at the casino and watched the Daytona 500. Typical Sunday kinda stuff. Its Monday (late) morning now. I still feel kinda worn down, but I know I gotta keep movin. I got a hundred things to do. I was so ready to come home. Now i got to make my way the rest of the way home...hey I got 20 acres to call home now. I'll probably be there this weekend with another camper, and maybe some more building materials. I hope to have some of you all come out and see me this spring and summer. Well here I go... I got a truck and motorcycle that need some love after 2 months of sitting...... (and then only 98 more things...............)

Last Transmission from Bangkok

Ting-Tong — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:51:42 GMT

I was gonna post my last thoughts before leaving Thailand. My bus to the airport will leave in about 5 minutes. Gonna miss this place, this country. The people are fantastic. Enjoy the pic. I'll write all y'all when I get stateside.

Temples and Culture

Ting-Tong — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:16:52 GMT

Tomorrow is my last full day in Thailand. This morning I got up way before dawn. I had a simple mission: Drag my lazy ass out of bed and go see The Temple of Dawn...at Dawn. It was still dark as I made my way down the side streets of Bangkok towards the nearest pier. I met my previous tuk-tuk driver at the end of my street. I reached out to shake his outstretched hand. He did not want to shake my hand, instead he gave me a big hug and said, "Good Morning!". He asked where I was goin, and I told him my plans. He said he would take me. I politely declined and said I'd rather have the morning walk. He smiled big with a true understanding and warmth. He wished me well as I was on my way. It was already hot and humid in Bangkok. I stopped at the 7-11 and got an iced coffee and drank it as I walked. I arrived to a closed pier. So, I kept walking along the riverside sidewalk, with water at both sides, until I came to an open pier. Careful study of the signs and my map lead me on 3 different boats to my destination. The sun was barely up as I arrived. This centuries old temple was magnificient and majestic there on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. I had read up on its history the night before. I had a childlike sensation of excitement as I exited the boat. The utter vision of the detail and workmanship that went into what I was seeing was amazing. The place had been open only a few minutes. There were about 4 other tourists there. We had a good 3/4 hour to ourselves with the place, before it started to get an influx of of other tourists. I spent a full hour there. And, in my unintentional style, I made it to the next ferry out within 1 minute of its departure. There was a surreal sky as the sun was rising up thru the marine inversion layer of clouds. After a short walk, I arrived at Wat Pho. Another of the oldest temples in Bangkok. There, I saw a reclining Buddha that was 50 meters long. It was an awesome site. I heard a tour guide say that they built the temple around the Buddha. And that the project took 7 years to complete. It was crowded with tourists. I made my way thru and finished filling my camera with pictures. It was a good morning I thought, as I walked back to my room at the guesthouse. Well, I have emptied my camera to the internet. Now I will get some lunch at a streetside diner and make my way to The Queen's Gallery to see 2 exhibits that are both on their last day. and I'll see a 5 ton solid gold Buddha, and an artificial mountain that gives a good panoramic view of Bangkok. So, I'm off to fill my camera again.......

Bangkok Bound

Ting-Tong — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:49:48 GMT

Well, I spent my final night on the islands of the Adaman Sea. Memories, feelings, and photos to sort out later. This last island was the most primitive, with barely a trace of modernization. I even had a glass of Cashew wine and a fine conversation about the joys of traveling, with a fellow from Munich. I ate, drank, and smoked with Canadians, French, Spanish, Germans, Scandinavians, and Thai. We had laughs, as well as quiet, relaxing admiration for the pristine beauty around us. Several of us left on the same 7:30 AM longtail to the mainland. The boat ride back was sublime. No one talked much. Just last glances back to the islands and the sea, with occasional glimpses and smiles for each other. Well, now its on to Bangkok, where I am gonna find a SuperBowl Party at 5am Monday morning. Then I will have 9 days to explore Bangkok before boarding the 777 to SF via Tokyo. Well, The trains are full of locals traveling for Chinese New Year. So, in 1 hour, I am boarding a bus for the 9 hour journey.......

Visa Run

Ting-Tong — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:42:25 GMT

Nothin to do with credit or expending massive calories. I just went to Myanmar (formerly, but still known as, Burma) for the second time to renew my tourist visa for Thailand for another 30 days. Last time it was an arduous mini-van ride thru the mountains of northern Thailand (can you say "car sick without puking?). This time it was an adventure thru the streets of Ranong, on the western Thai peninsula, to the immigration office for a departure stamp, then a little further to the pier. That's where I finally got to ride in a longtail boat. It was a beautiful ride across the river delta to a small town on the Myanmar banks. They gave me a huge hassel over my older-version $10 bill that had a minor stain at the bottom edge. It wound up costin me $15 on Thai baht (500 Baht). You should have seen the immigration dude with bad teeth and sinister eyes telling me, "No Good...500 baht!" ...And 500 baht it was. I shopped for a battery charger to no avail, and that cost me 16 baht in change for the unsuccessful shopping "tour". Batteries are hidious to dispose of; I have been feelin really guilty for not replacing the charger that broke on my 2nd day here. The german dude on the boat with me was a back-hoe operator on 'holiday'. He gave me a Singha beer as we departed and laughed about the $10 bill issue. On the way back, the boat dude saw an injured fish and swung around to fetch it. after 15 minutes and a few tries he caught it. He said it would get him about 200 baht. That was also the fare that he charged each of us for the trip. well, now I am back in ranong, Thailand, with a fresh, new 30 day tourist visa stamp. I'll only need it for about16 more days though. Next stop...a few days on an island with very few modern convienences. So, prolly no blog until i get to Bangkok. Hope you all are well.

Please answer this post....

Ting-Tong — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:14:19 GMT

Ahh sunsets. Who doesn't love to watch the sunset? Don't tell me I don't want to know. But....what I do want to know is how long it takes the sun to set where you are at. start timing when the bottom of the sun's disk touches the horizon, and stop when the disk 1st disappears behind the horizon. let me know where you are and the date and how long it took. pics are always nice too. This pic is from Koh Phayam, Ranong, Thailand. Taken jan 24, '08. it took 3 minutes and 10 seconds. If you care to forward this to some far flung corners of the earth...PLEASE do. I would like to get as many as I can over the next ....however long. THANKS

Tomorrow Morphs into Today

Ting-Tong — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:37:53 GMT

As nearly an hour of twilight gives way to the night, I feel compelled to pen my thoughts. I have been staring out the window of my southbound train for nearly an hour now. I see a star on the western horizon. I think it might be Venus, or maybe Saturn, due to its position and time of appearance. The sun sets quickly here; around 3 minutes. Fifty-five minutes ago I left Chiang Mai Station, on an express train to Bangkok. I feel a strong connection to the city in the mountains that I just left. It makes me sad to leave. Chiang Mai is such a beautiful city. It has several centuries of history. "Chiang Mai" actually translates to "New City". There is a well balanced, eclectic mix of old and new, and East and West. It is full of temples and schools. It used to be the capital of Lanna, a kingdom of its own that later joined the kingdom of Thailand. Something I can barely put into words is the feeling, the energy, the flavor of just being there. The people are friendly, and the food abundant and tasty. There was even a top notch burger joint; appropriately named, "Mike's". I will miss this place and the sensations it gave me. I intend to return. Consumed by the thought that I would be leaving indefinately, I scratched my plans to arrive at the train station an hour or more early. Instead, I strolled through a street market until the last minute. Then I commandered a songthaew (pick-up truck taxi) and bargained for 50 baht (about$1.50) to take me to the station. After an unexpected stop for fuel, the driver dropped me there with about 25 minutes before departure. I made it quickly to my car and set down my too many bags. Then I went down the platform with a spring in my step to snap a couple shots of of the sign that is pictured here this blog posting. According to my solar powered watch, that I had purchased just a couple hours before, I still had 17 minutes left. I hustled my way over to the side street where the vendors were. I wanted sticky-rice (yum), and some fruit. No sticky-rice, but i did get some sliced pinapple, cantalope, and papaya (I think). I scurried back to the platform with a plan I had conjured on my way out. Newspaper, 2 cans of Chang beer, and 3 deep fried somethings (they turned out to be pretty tastey!). Wow, I had a whole 8 minutes left. I walked as fast as I could without running. I passed the stewardess for my car. As I passed my entry door to my car, she gave me a motherly 'where are you going?' look. Hell, I still had almost 5 whole minutes left. Three passenger cars, 1 cargo car, and 1 personelle car later, I was at the engine; number 4516. I snapped pics from every direction I could. I even got one of the engineer managing a smile for me, for being so enthusiastic I guess. I trotted back to my car. The train was pulling away just as I stepped on. The sun soon began to set, with the 1st quarter moon against the backdrop of a darker sky on the opposite horizon, as I said my last good-bye to Chiang Mai.

Day Tripper

Ting-Tong — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 06:55:22 GMT

Well its been a while. I have covered alot of ground. I am in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I recently went on a day trip to some sights north of the city. We took a tuk-tuk....a 3-wheeled motorcycle taxi.... to an orchid farm, a monkey show, an eco-village, and the Queen's Botanical Garedens. The pic in this post is from the latter. After a long time uploading pics, I am ready to go fill my camera again. this time I am going to see a small few of the 300 temples in the city. I will take some time soon, and blog some more with better detail and maybe some personal thoughts. In the meantime you can view some day trip pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/visvadas/sets/72157603739238780/ and here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/visvadas/sets/72157603738986102/ Enjoy!

Just a Bungalow....

Ting-Tong — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 05:59:06 GMT

Everywhere you go. just wanted to show you all the view walking up to my $15 a night pad. A brief rain is kissing the ocean just on the other side of the bungalow, where the beach is being caressed by the waves. Moving on up the road to an even cheaper one that has a better view. I am 15 hours ahead of US west coast and 12 hours ahead of the east coast. anybody any closer to the west side of the international date line? Happy New year!

Moving on

Ting-Tong — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:51:59 GMT

Sitting in an internet cafe making plans for traveling elsewhere in Thailand. I'll be going over to the otherside of the Gulf of Thailand to another island. I am going to dump a bunch of pics and take more. I'll upload them and post them up soon. In case I don't get back online soon, I want to wish you all a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR. Gotta go pack up and move on out... more taxis more ferries more busses and a train ride too!

No Pic, Just a wish...

Ting-Tong — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 05:30:32 GMT

Hello tribe mates! Today is Christmas, and my birthday. All my gifts are wrapped in lovely skin covering beautiful hearts, topped with smling faces. Thank you all for being here in my reality with me. I wish you all the happiest of days and deep felt joys. Thank you for you gift of friendship to me. Much love to you and all you touch, see, and feel.

Dinner...

Ting-Tong — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 07:41:14 GMT

I'll have a #2 please. With seafood. ...oh yeah..not spicy please. Ok. let me check to see if we have seafood today. It is caught and served fresh, so we don't have it everyday...... mmmmm..sweet and sour steamed vegetables sauteed with squid and fish parts..some identifiable, some not. Fresh coconut, mangos, and other fruit I cannot name, abound for pennies. At the local fishermans' village, Bang Bao, you can look into the tanks of water and select your meal while it still lives. Crab, shrimp, prawns, rock fish, other fish and shelled delights that undoubtedly taste better than they look. If you like, they will cook it there for no charge. Or, take it home and figure how to cook it yourself. I think a big pot of boiling water is a good start. Trip to Thailand: $1000 #2 w/ seafood: $2.50 Being at the top of the food chain: Priceless

A couple days ago...

Ting-Tong — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:39:48 GMT

While roaming the streets of Bangkok I saw several 'interesting' things..... deep fried grass hoppers and beetles. Lots of hookers. necklaces made from horns from mountain chickens. 7-11's 2 doors apart. Police on scooters. A big fat rat right in the street like a tourist. Cats and dogs EVERYwhere. Lots of signs trying to attract tourist into clubs... This one was already over but they still had the sign up... Hippie de' Bar was having a Hippie Party. It cracked me up. I had to take a picture and share it with y'all.

1st trip abroad

Ting-Tong — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 07:26:56 GMT

Well, after having my passport for almost 7 days, I hopped on a 777 jumbo jet for Thailand via Tokyo. From Gerlach to my final destination, on an island in southern Thailand, I spent over 40 hours in 2 trucks, 2 buses, 2 planes, 3 taxis, 1 ferry, three airports, and 1 hotel (for about 5 or six hours). In Tokyo airport they let me keep a six inch screw driver, but took my hand lotion and aftershave. Go figure.... The pic in this post is from the bus leaving Bangkok, overlooking the bustling city. About halfway through the bus ride we stopped for a few minutes to eat, etc. I got some sesame bars, a beer, some soda, and a big bottle of water. I noticed the driver was sitting eating a plate of food from the counter. So, I thought I'd grab something too. I looked over the several entrees, with no clue of what anything tasted like. I pointed to the one that was somewhat visually appealing. It cost the equivalent of about a dollar, and was a nice size portion. When i sat down to eat, one of the old ladies who prepared it came and sat down at my table. She just smiled real big and said something in Thai. I looked over the plate and realized it was fish sliced with bone in. So, I separated some and mixed it with a bite of rice and veggies. It was more spicy than my tastes, but I ate it and dug in for more, all the while being watched closely by the smiling woman. Two or 3 bites into it, it finally set in; not just my mouth, but my whole head was on FIRE. The tears started streaming out. The old lady began to chuckle and called to her accomplice at next table with the driver. They were both laughing and waving their hands in front of there mouths. I finished it, well most of it, laughing and crying. The one lady felt sorry for me eventually and brought me a banana to help cool my mouth. It actually kinda worked. So then we made it to the ferry. On the other side there was a ridiculous exchange between some passengers (the taxi is actually a pick-up with seating for about 12 and a roof over the back) and the taxi driver. It boiled down to them quibbling over about 20 Baht, which is about 60 cents. In the end a woman with a baby paid the 20 Baht difference for about 5 guys she didn't even know. So, all in all, it was kinda fun and really tiring. But the reward at the was worth it. I got to see Tanya. I have not seen her since early October. She is so beautiful to me.

Tah-Dah

Ting-Tong — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:41:18 GMT

Well, its been a while. The old man pulled thru and is doin OK now. it was pretty scary there for a couple months. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. Since I left him in the care of my siblings, I have been busy. My latest project was helping install a solar array for a community hospital and another array for a rural school. It will save them thousands of dollars a year that can be put to other uses. And it will make a small dent in the carbon footprint. I have done a little clearing on the property. I have a camper and a small shed, and some building materials there now. I am taking my truck, another camper, an RV, and some lumber out this weekend. And in 12 days.....I will be in Thailand! Solar pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/visvadas/collections/72157603265587485/ and info www.blackrocksolar.org

My Pop

Ting-Tong — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 19:55:33 GMT

Hey y'all, My Pop is ill and in the hospital. I am flying out to Indianapolis see him on Saturday. If you have a moment could you please send him some positive healing energy. I love my Pop and I'd like to see him again. I do not want him to go, but I do not want him to go on living in pain. I don't have any more words now. Thanks, Insane

Nevada Landing

Ting-Tong — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:43:07 GMT

Well, I made it out to my 20 acres. I'll have to say I am quite satisfied with it. A town about the size of Gerlach is 7 miles away. 20 miles away is the town of Winnemucca. It holds about half of the County's 14,700 people. There is a river visible from the property. The river is about 1 mile away. The driveway is about 10 to 15 minutes from I-80. I have lots of ideas for the land. I went to the county offices and got lots of info from the super-friendly people there. I have lots of legal freedom to do a large variety of things. I am looking for people to join me there and experience some green living and building. I am not talking about denouncing all of modern society and living like a Neanderthal. I am talking about being wise, and being respectful to this planet. I am inviting craftsmen, experimenters, inventors, and artisans alike. A sort of NIMBY in the Boonies By the way...I need a good deal on a camper, container, semi-trailer, or the like. If ya got any leads let me know. I plan to winter there. Check out my other pics. Let me know when you are rollin in from the east. Peace

drivin, flyin, ridin

Ting-Tong — Tue, 22 May 2007 06:12:21 GMT

Wheeeeee.... Just wrapped up 15,000 miles of drivin for the Chinese drummers. It was an amazing, beautiful experience. i now have 28 friends on the otherside of the globe. it is quite remarkable that although we did not have a common spoken language, we laughed with each other every single day. It definately solidified my belief that we are all just people...thru and thru....period. Flew to Denver. now in Denver chill-axin under the graces of Fuego's circle. i just bought 20 acres of land outside of Winnemucca, NV. any y'all wanna come out let me know. there will be plenty of building goin on and a place for people to do some art, collect themselves or whatever. Let me kno what ya wanna do. i am sure we can prolly work somethin out. Gonna fly back to Cali and get my BMW and ride back to gerlach for the Friends of the Black Rock Rendezvous this weekend. then I'm ridin to my land about 100 miles away. damn I am excited.

Jigu! Thunder Drums of China

Ting-Tong — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 00:45:20 GMT

Well, its been one week on the road now. The trip down to Pomona was uneventful. Thanks to M for laying out her digs to me the night before I hit the road with the show. It is not a circus, as previously mentioned. It is a drummming troupe from China. Eight girls, about 15 to 19 years old, 18 boys about 15 to 25 years old. They know about 4 english words: OK, no problem, and Michael ( which they pronounce My-koo). I drive the truck full of drums and wardrobe. They work hard and are all very talented. They are all full of smiles. The show is alot of fun and they recieve standing ovations every night. Our first show was in Seattle, at U of W Meany Hall. I got to go to the DPW social at The 9lb Hammer. Cool bar! Thanks to Pope for hookin me up.. in more ways than 1. I'll post a pic over at the DPW tribe later. it was good to see everybody there...Fox, Show Off, SpaceBag, Lo-Dog, Zig-zag, Slick finger..... I liked seattle. Its a cool, good looking town. I'll be back. Next, we went up to Vancouver, British Columbia, U of V. great looking campus there. I had never been to Canada before. Lots of pine trees and open spaces too. Now I'm down in Bend, OR. getting ready for the show. I do a little stage work moving the drums around on stage between acts. I even got a little black chinese outfit. I've never been around theater before. Its kinda scary, but I'm getting used to it. I'll try to get a little video up loaded soon. Peace