Gadget’s Airstream Chronicles

Well, I’ve gone and missed posts for a few days in a row!  What kind of blog is this?

It’s the blog of an extremely busy guy.  This is the place you come to find out what happens when your days off are as busy as your work days.  Honestly, doesn’t that happen to all of us though?  It’s also the blog of a sleep deprived fellow…..

I’ll start out with why I’m so tired today…..  A friend’s phone flaked out last night.  I’ve seen it happen before with my friend Tom’s phone.  Somewhere in the middle of the night this rogue technology decides to dial the last number called…..OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

That happened last night (not your phone this time Tom).  Another friend’s phone decided to call me over and over.  I woke up a little rattled, and extremely acidy!  2 a.m.  And I couldn’t get back to sleep.  It was that “shocked” wake up feeling.  I’m sure you’re all familiar with it.  At some point in your life something shocks you awake.

So, this morning I massively overslept.  I couldn’t fall back to sleep for at least an hour and a half.  I still feel a little rattled this morning.

I’ve gotta get ready for work now.  Shave, shower, shampoo, and the rest……  Better blog fast!

Other things going on……

Yesterday was a “day off”.  I put it in quotes because it was anything but a day off.  Clients first thing in the morning, a stop by the gallery in the afternoon, creating a new Quickbooks file late afternoon……  I think you get the idea.  Busy.

I need to grocery shop.

Days prior to my “day off” have been spent working and getting really tired.  I need a vacation you know.  Fortunately when I have time available I can just hook my house up and go somewhere.  I’m seriously thinking about a 4 day trip, turn the phone off, and maybe turn the internet off too!

Anybody interested in photos from the Grand Canyon?  Yeah, I need to go there soon.

Well, there’s the wrap.  I need to shave now!

Of course, we take cash too!

Yesterday I got quite a surprise. And it put a spring in my step for the day.

Oh, hooray, he’s got something to blog on. No random stuff today. Well, this excerpt is kind of random. Let’s hope he gets back to the content here…….

As I’ve mentioned recently, I’ve been doing a lot of photography for clients lately. I’ve got several shoots lined up for this week! Wow! All thanks to the shoots I’ve already done.

Well, yesterday the mother of one of my recent clients stopped by work to see me and say hi. She was also armed with a yellow envelope. She dropped it off at my desk and made her way out. Fortunately she was all smiles.

You’re always a little leery about yellow envelopes. You never know what could be in them…..

In the case of this envelope a card was enclosed. A big “Thank You” written on the front. She was more than a little impressed with the portraits I’d done for her son. Apparently he’s a hard one when it comes to pictures and smiles! Hmmm…..half the shots I got had him laughing. Of course I was saying terrible things to elicit those laughs. Hey, whatever it takes!

Personally I’ve never been big into photographing people, especially doing portraits. Climbing photos are a big yes with me, most other “people” photos have been a no. But I’ve been experimenting because I understand that people expect me to be ready to take a good photo of them.

Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Book talks about this phenomena. People see you with a big camera, a big zoom, and they automatically think, “This guy could shoot my wedding or portrait.” At some point you cave in and say yes to someone, and that’s when you learn the meaning of stress. Scott is dead on about this, and you’ve got to prep yourself.

My experimentation is far from over. But as you see in this post I’ve used many subjects. My good friend Tom, my neighbor Ed, and of course, a few horses. The horses don’t pose or stand where you want them, just like people I often shoot!

Seriously, I woke up a short while ago and I still want to be asleep.  So, not much to blog on as my mind is stuck in neutral, and the body feels as if it’s stuck in mud…..

This is me when I stay up too late.  Didn’t get in until 10:30 last night, then the whole dinner thing.  By the time I went to sleep it was close to midnight.  Here I am, up already and getting prepped for another long day……

My next day off is Tuesday.  I had some plans, but I’m looking at scrapping them all and just staying in for the day.  Maybe a little grocery shopping, some laundry…you know, the dull stuff.

Any suggestions on ways to unwind and feel truly relaxed are both welcome and appreciated.  You know, like how to power nap or something…….

By the way, today’s photo is the non-HDR version of the flower from Route 66.  Still a pretty shot, and I thought I should share it with you!

As I’ve watched the sky the past few days I’ve become a little worried.  The clouds build in, the skies look amazing, and nothing happens……..  the storms seem to blow off.

Sure, last week I told you about some amazing storms.  Monsoon season is here.  But as I’ve been watching the past few days I can’t help but think it’s a weak monsoon season.  It really is!

Last year at this time I was outside Colorado Springs trying to get in with a government contracted company.  I missed the monsoons altogether.  But from the day I left Prescott to the day I returned all it did was rain.

Not so much this year.

I wondered last year about missing the monsoons.  Literally, the day I left Prescott it started pouring, and according to reports from friends it didn’t stop until the day I returned.  Inverse rainmaker here???

If I planned a short trip out of town for a day or two, think it would start raining?  Hmmmmmm……..?

So does my sporadic blogging.  Skipped another day, but with good reasons.

Things here have been beyond busy, but I think most people are pretty aware of that.  Between work, running to the gallery, and some new activities I seem to be away from the Airstream constantly.

Not one single climb this year!  Yeah, Andy & Brooke have asked about that…….

So, what’s getting added to the activity list?  More photography.  Something different for me though.  Portraits and custom prints.  Just the other night I had to do a set of “Senior Photos” for a client.  Let’s not forget the wedding the other day.  And tonight after work I’ve got to go do some product shots for another client.

Did I mention I spent most of the day yesterday with clients???  Not much of a day off!

Go figure, right at this moment I get a request for a larger IT project.  The project is only a temporary gig, and wouldn’t be worth going after it while balancing everything else.

I guess the positive to all of this is the photography is appreciated and in demand.  The negative is the blog isn’t always getting updated.  :)  Sorry about that all! 

Advertisers try to reach us in so many ways.  TV seems to be a favorite avenue…..too bad I don’t watch TV any longer.  Now I’m never sure what to buy as nobody has told me what I like.  So, I keep buying the same boring stuff! 

Another avenue for advertising is the classic billboard.  The other day I saw the small road signs from Burma Shave, and they got to me.  I can’t seem to find Burma Shave at my local Fry’s.  Ah well.

Along with the little signs I did see a large billboard or two.  One billboard outside of Seligman turned out to be 2!  Just had to look at the back side of a scrapped Airstream.

It’s always interesting to see an older Airstream out in a field on it’s own.  How did it get there?  Why was it left behind?  And the big question….Who will see this gem and decide to restore it?

In the case of the Airstream we saw on our Sunday drive we found out it was used for something different.  See, the trailer itself was used as a billboard as well.  I think it got replaced by the big billboard not long ago….

As you’ll see in the second photo, the Airstream in question has lots of signage on it!  Seligman Arizona, Route 66 Coffee.com, and TheSeligmanBuzz.com are all written along the side of the trailer.  Guess the Airstream was it for a while.  When the big billboard came along its job was done.

Honestly, here’s my two cents.  I like the Airstream as it is.  My final shot just shows you the rig itself, no slogans, and no big billboard towering over it.  I wonder if anyone will ever come along and restore this classic……It sure would be cool to see it parked in town.

One of my favorite movies is Pixar’s “Cars.” Gotta tell you, the movie has a cute story that works for all ages.

As I noted yesterday, I took a ride along Route 66 to see Seligman, and get reminded of the movie that I enjoyed so much.  I also got to see some “Cars” of my own.  See, along the way it seems folks have hung on to the older shells and older cars.

In town there were many older cars that would have passed through as they traveled 66.  Along our route we found older “classics” as well.  We also found a few wrecks that you couldn’t pass up!  Especially for an HDR photo!

I’ve been thinking now, Route 66 is a “must see”.  It’s something I’d like to travel along with the Airstream.  Of course, there’s that pesky cost of gasoline.  Plus that pesky job thing! 

If only gas prices were back at the level of the days when these pumps were in operation…..  ;)  Ah well, guess we can’t go back, just take a look back now and again!

If you get a chance, take a ride along 66 and take your own look back.

And just for fun..

We’ll let you finish…

What we had begun…….

?????………………………………

Today I’m starting out at the end rather than the beginning. This blog entry ends with Burma Shave. The catchy little rhyme above….yeah, that’s from Burma Shave.

So, what the heck is Burma Shave, why am I posting slogans from this mystery entity? Simple…..they got to me!

Speaking of an ominous “they” getting to someone…..have you been reading the financials? IndyMac has tanked. Gee, if you check the link I just put in you’ll see they denied difficulties only a few days ago…hmmm….maybe somebody mis-spoke! Sallie Mae, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac are all in difficulties too. Bailouts, bailouts, bailouts. Go figure they’re GSE’s (Government Sponsored Entities). Pay attention to Prudent Bear this week, and check Fleckenstein’s latest posts as well. Things are going to get interesting….

So, Burma Shave fortunately isn’t a large financial corporation on the verge of collapse. If it were a financial corporation it might actually survive what’s in the wind due only to it’s catchy slogans. Let’s face it, when is the last time you heard a cool slogan from a bank? You just don’t.

Back in the day Burma Shave was a “brushless shaving cream” manufacturer. Way back folks had to use those cute little brushes with soap to set up for shaving. I hate shaving now, back then I’d surely have a huge beard. As it turns out, Burma Shave was well known for it’s slogans, jingles, and other fun advertising. At one point in time they had more than 7,000 signs dotting the highways of America.

Today I got to see a few of those signs for myself. The intro to the blog came from 5 signs of theirs! The last series I saw today left off their name, and instead let me fill it in. Burma Shave Baby!

See, today Sadira and I took a ride along Route 66 to Seligman, AZ. I’d heard recently that some of the cool stuff from the movie “Cars” was based on Seligman. When you hear something like that you have to take a ride. You also have to bring the camera, get some amazing shots, and be prepared to blog about a great day!

We headed out really early this morning. An early trip on the heals of shooting a wedding yesterday, then popping by Sadira’s reunion for a little while. If you thought I was tired before……

By 9:00 a.m. we were outside of Seligman on Route 66, and that’s when we started seeing 4 - 5 signs in a row from Burma Shave. Sure, it’s not their original signs, but somebody decided to make new ones in honor of the cute company with catchy slogans. Every few miles we’d see another series. Heck, on the way home we stopped at 5 signs in a row just to photograph a series! It was fun!

After our initial Burma Shave baptism we reached Seligman. It was everything I expected it to be! A cute little stop along Route 66, now catering to tourists who want to relive a little of that “Americana” that we seem to have lost everywhere.

I saw no Malls along Route 66 today……just saying.

Pulling up in the town I could see a few features here and there that reminded me of “Cars”. Pretty cool. I’m sure the film makers pulled from many spots along 66, as well as locations from Monument Valley. Pool it all together and you’ve got yourself a great setting for a cute story about a forgotten part of America. Wow, now I want to watch the movie again!

We spent a short while in town, but then decided to move on toward Kingman. The town would be there, and we’d be back. Since most things weren’t really open yet why not go a little further just to see what you might find? Right?

So, that’s what we did.

Did we find anything else along the road of interest? You betcha! We also found a whole lot of nothing in between.

Except for the Grand Canyon Caverns. I have no idea what they are, but I think I want to go. I’ll be doing a Google search tonight and making plans afterward.

Our trip didn’t take us all the way to Kingman, but we came close. After searching for a bathroom for 45 minutes we found a great little “porta potty” at a gas station that had no public restrooms.

Fortunately the porta john was full to the rim, making the experience all the more memorable for me, and I’m sure unforgettable for Sadira!

As you’re reading I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, “I’m so glad he didn’t decide he needed an HDR shot of that little stop!”  Actually, I did take photos in the vicinity of that stop…..I’ll post those HDRs when I’m desperate for attention! 

Once “business” was out of the way we decided to make our way back to Seligman.  A little lunch at a local diner, stopping into the local shops, more photos….and more Burma Shave signs the whole way back!  Ah yes, wild and crazy stuff!

After a long ride with pretty views we made it back to town.  Several stores were visited, and somehow I didn’t buy a thing.  I was tempted though, really tempted.  There was a shirt there that reminded me of Rich Luhr’s Hawaiian shirts, so I dodged that bullet quickly!  Sadira thought it was cool…..hmmmm…..

Being tourists for the day left us each extra hungry, so we stopped by a diner that advertised “Dead Chicken”.  They of course served more than just dead chicken (I’m allergic to chicken now), and we each found something that worked well.  In my case, a greasy hot dog.  Oh, and yes, I’m paying the price for eating it now!  But it was good!

With lunch finished up the Versa was pointed back toward Prescott (and another series of Burma Shave signs).  Monsoonal clouds continued to form as we headed home, and they made for really cool skies to photograph as we made our way back.  The first photo of this post shows you exactly what I mean.  So does the second…..  you get the idea!

Of course, what would a trip along Route 66 be without an Airstream popping up somewhere?  It wouldn’t be a good trip at all!  Fortunately, right on the edge of town an old Airstream sits below a bill board.  The poor trailer, it looks like it’s been alone for a while.  TLC is needed!  Plus one side of it has been revamped as a “bill board” as well.  Somebody needs to restore the thing…..quick!

Well, that’s the wrap for today.  I’m spent, and I’m going to nap now.  7 p.m. meeting tonight, and I need some rest.  I need another one of those days off where I do nothing………

And yes, all shots in this entry are HDR….with one exclusion.  The first photo is not HDR.  Shocking but true.

Apologies for so much HDR in one entry, but it was necessary.  We’re talking about Route 66.  It’s an extra cool stretch of road that deserves a unique twist.  Hyper real photos, colors pushed to the edge (the shot of the diner), etc., fit well with what I imagined the road would be like!

Oh, and if you like these shots…..wait until you see the good ones! 

Ah, two days in a row free!  Often people would wonder what to do with themselves.  Not me!  I’m booked solid for the weekend!

Today I’ve got a wedding to shoot for a friend.  Should be interesting.  The wedding is planned to be outside at 5 p.m.  My mind keeps floating back to the words, “Oh no!”

See, it’s monsoon season here.  And it has kicked off with a bang!  Huge clouds building, giant downpours, lightening, winds, the works.  The other day while I was stuck in Phoenix the town of Prescott saw hail, lightening, power outages, and cool weather.

So, I’m slightly worried about outdoor photos for the wedding.  Heck, I’m wondering if we’ll be outside at all.  But I’m prepared for any contingency!  Just hope the happy couple is too!

Bags have been rechecked this morning.  Portrait lens, wide angle, 28-135mm, big zoom, flash, batteries for the flash, extra camera batteries, and a big set of 2 & 4 Gig memory cards.  Yup, think I’m set!

Oh, and for all of those wondering, no HDR’s of the couple.  :)  HDR doesn’t work everywhere, that’s for sure!

Well, off to prep for the day.  Somebody needs a haircut!

Wow, 2 days away from the blog.  I didn’t mean for that to happen, but it does happen.

Yesterday I had another meeting in Phoenix.  Left Prescott at 7 a.m. and I didn’t return until 9:30 p.m.  Was the meeting that long?  Absolutely not!

Instead the reason for the long day was simple.  Arizona has only one real way from Phoenix to Prescott, and that’s Route 17.  Unfortunately a truck turned over on 17 at 2:30 in the afternoon, and it was not cleared until 8:00 p.m.  That’s a long time to clear a wreck for sure.

If you remember, last year when I found Prescott I’d traveled north on 89.  We considered that option, but as it works out the road to 89 is closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays right now due to construction (a specific section).  I’m not kidding.

So, during monsoonal downpours I sat in Black Canyon City along with a co-worker.  It was a hoot!  That’s sarcasm….thought I should point that out.

Ah, I did finally make it home last night.  A little starved as the folks running the meeting chose to provide pizza for lunch, no alternates.  Gotta bring lunches with me to these things……of course I was tempted, but didn’t want to make a scene getting super sick.