Recently I was invited to a semi-private destination. Here are some photos.

Those are some old keys. Here are some old instruments, exposed to the rain:

The parking meter is frozen…

Which is good, since leaded gas is defunct.

How ’bout alternative transportation?

The Go ‘Round.

Sadly, to get from point “A” to point “B” one must go from point “A” to point “A” and then walk half way ’round. This serves to hamper the wide scale adoption of the go ’round as a means of popular mass transport.

I like ghost signs. Ghost signs are images painted long ago on old brick buildings. Ghost signs are the billboards of yore. They get their name from the fact that very old and faint ones can only be seen after a rain.

Here are some I shot this last week:

The sign above is on Washington St. in Seattle. It’s a ghost sign painted over an older ghost sign.

They frequently advertise products that no longer exist. Actually, they are better when they do this. Here is one a few blocks away from the last advertising soda fountains.

Here is a giant can, long predating Andy Warhol.

Today is National Waffle Day. If you have not done so already, begin waffling.

Waffle day courtesy of the lobbying efforts of the consortium of Waffle manufacturers.

For more information about Waffles visit the Wikipedia page.

[Lovely image from http://shorpy.com (image)]

And that tricky, tricky metaphysics. This video is provided for everyone who asks, “What is metaphysics?”

The Guardian.uk:

To Palmieri, the English language is uniquely suitable for verbal humour. “It’s very idiomatic, it contains a lot of polysemantic or homophonic words,” he tells me (in his second language!), “which you can play with a lot. The same things that make English difficult to learn are what make it good for comedy.”

[photo: Robert Haag]

Bears and octopuses, the problem and the solution.

A video about a job search. http://davidraffin.com

A video about Classical music and flag planting.

Tonight at Traditions in Olympia, the Dutch play the blues.

http://unitedbymusic.org

John Callahan, macabre cartoonist who resided in Portland, OR, has died.

Callahan became a quadriplegic in 1972- at the age of 21 - due to a car crash. He drew with one hand steadying the other. He was 59 at the time of his death.

His website may be found here.

Olympia cartoonist Terrence Nowicki explains the Tea Party.

From the Terrence Nowicki site This is Historic Times.

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Exit through the gift shop: a Banksy film is playing at the Capitol Theater.

“The widespread speculation that “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is a hoax only adds to its fascination.” - Roger Ebert

The gala opening of Balsie Birdwell in Olympia, WA (with snake charming).

video by http://BlissfulRemembrances.com

Video features a lovely cameo of Nietzsche.

The Worst Magician in the World

I steam the potato. It does not steam me.

I rarely cry. However, once I dropped a hat and as a result of that action I cried like a little girl.

Sadly, to this day, there are some who point at me and say, “He cries at the drop of a hat.”

I went to a picnic. Much food. Not as many bears as I’d hoped. Too many park rangers.

There are polar bears and there are bipolar bears. I know it’s politically incorrect, but I can’t stand bipolar bears.

I can’t bear it.
You never know how a bipolar bear is going to behave.
Sometimes they act like they’ve been in a beehive when they haven’t. Oftentimes they mope for days.

Often they pretend to be either cinnamon bears or honey bears. Do not be deceived.

Did you know bears rarely run into octopuses and vice versa?
(It would also be permissible to say octopodes, but not to a bear. When they are confused they often become angry.)

“The Hawaiian creation myth relates that the present cosmos is only the last of a series, having arisen in stages from the wreck of the previous universe. In this account, the octopus is the lone survivor of the previous, alien universe.”

- Wikipedia

Our friend and fellow alumnus discovers a Giant Orange. Seems to be the precursor to a children’s book, I say.