The Good and the Bad

Posted on September 13, 2013September 13, 2013 by Dusty Roads

The ying and yang, alpha and omega, black and white….life and death.

Always a balance. When something bad happens something good needs to come along for balance. I’m not a philosopher but I know that many people much smarter than I am have spent many hours contemplating this very idea.

Why am I bringing this up? Because I am caught in a BAD/GOOD situation.

The Bad first because without that I wouldn’t have the good.

The Bad is that a very funny, gentle, kind man, a former marine who served his country, has passed away at the very young age of 30. I had the pleasure of meeting him. He was a celebrity of sorts as he was involved with the Gator Boys show on Animal Planet. On the show he went by the name of J-Mart and I saw him do his alligator wrestling show at Holiday Park . I even wrote a post about seeing the show and shared some of my photos.

I now know his name is John Martinez. From the comments and the emails I’ve receive as a result of my blog I know my impressions of him were right. The loss of such a gentle soul makes me very sad.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2013/09/gator_boys_alligator_wrestler_dies_john_carlos_martinez.php

Now the good, for me anyway. Because I wrote the post and because I included photos that were at least half way decent, I was contacted by the Broward New Times, Florida for permission to use my pictures. In return they linked to my blog. They even took some of my comments from the blog and used them in their obituary. That is wonderful promotion for my blog and for my pictures. What’s the saying… there’s no such thing as bad publicity? I get really excited that my blog got found and is , in a sense, being promoted by a publication like the Broward New Times, and then I remember that someone has died and I wonder if I should be so happy. 🙁

I also got an email from the Story Producer from Animal Planet. He too asked about using some photos. I don’t know what, if anything will come of that but it’s all so exciting until I remember why my photos are in such demand. And then I get sad again.

The whole set of photos taken at Holiday Park on that trip are on my pro website: www.dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com I moved them to the opening slideshow as a tribute to J-Mart.

As much as I love the attention my photos and blog are getting, I would gladly skip the excitement if J-Mart was still with us. For those who knew him as a friend, his family and to his fans, I am very, very sorry for your loss.

Give me an A!

Posted on September 12, 2013September 12, 2013 by Dusty Roads

A is for Alaska

Yes, I can cross that one off with an asterisk because I went on a cruise-tour. It was nice and most normal people would be happy with it but I wanted more. I’d like to return and spend a week, maybe in Anchorage, and do day trips. I’d like to go to Kenai for the bears and Fairbanks for the Northern Lights(opposite directions if you’ve never been in Alaska) . I’d like to do some more wildlife trips and whale watches and take a small boat tour up to the glaciers.

I might want to take another trip after that in an RV and drive the ALCAN highway. It’s supposed to be spectacular.

A is for Arizona

Yes, I can cross Arizona off the list, also with an asterisk. I’ve been to Sedona twice. It’s beautiful. I love the red rock country and the weather, not too hot, not too cold. I’d love to take pictures in all the classic places especially in the fall especially around Oak Creek Canyon and Slide Rock Park.

The Grand Canyon is breathtaking but I want to be there as the sun peaks over the rim and the colors begin to glow in the warm early morning light.

I haven’t seen the Saguaro National Park which is in southern Arizona, nor Monument Valley to the north. While I’m in the northern part I’d want to check out the slot canyons like Antelope Canyon.

Oh Arizona, I barely know thee!

A is for Arkansas

No I must confess I have not made it to this southern gem and I do mean gem. If I’m not mistaken Arkansas is home to Crater of Diamonds State Park. For a small fee I can dig for my own diamonds! I surely want to do that.

Arkansas is in the heart of the confederacy too. There are Battlefields and Military Parks. There are Nature Ways, Scenic Byways and one of the great natural wonders, Mammoth Spring! Oh and can’t forget the Presidential Library of Bill Clinton. And I haven’t even mentioned the Ozarks.

There are so many things I’d like to see in Arkansas I think it will end up with an asterisk too once I’ve made my first visit.

A is for Alabama

No, another southern state that awaits. Sweet home Alabama, I love that song. Alabama has centuries of history from the civil war to civil rights and Native American Culture thrown in for spice. There are Zoos, and if you’re into NASCAR, the Talladega Superspeedway. There are botanical gardens and outdoor trails. And once again, I am only scratching the surface.

So to sum up the letter A, there are 4 States in this group and I’m 1/2 way through, 2 down and 2 to go. All have plenty of great exploring. Do you live in any of these states? Have you visited any? What’s your “must see-must do” suggestion?

A Message from The Mayor

Posted on September 12, 2013September 12, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Stubbs Mayor Cat

I’m happy to report that I am now back home in Talkeetna, where I continue to mend. I must thank my brother from another mother, Morris The Cat, for helping to cover my medical expenses. All donations I’ve received that exceed my expenses will be donated to the Mat-Su Animal Shelter, to support fellow animals in need.
Unfortunately due to my strict recovery diet, I am unable to drink my usual catnip-laced water from my wine glass, but I do hope to be back in my normal routine in the near future. Thank you all for the cards, packages, donations, and Facebook love you’ve shown me during this difficult time. I do hope you will all consider moving to Talkeetna so that I can repay you with town-wide dance parties and mouse hunts, because let’s be real, there will be a party as soon as I’m back on my feet.
Love, Mayor Stubbs

911

Posted on September 11, 2013September 11, 2013 by Dusty Roads

How many States Have You Visited?

Posted on September 10, 2013September 10, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Here I am in a traveling “lull”. I’ve been so busy getting acclimated to my new job and my new schedule that vacations and travel haven’t been “TOM” (top of mind). Even now that I’m getting settled in I’m still figuring out the finances. There were bills that I didn’t have before that I now have to pay, bills that I did have that have gone away, bills that were “automatically deducted” that I now have to remember to pay and so on. Plus a big change is that there is no overtime with my new job. I’m earning pretty close to the same hourly rate but a lot of my “fun” money was what I earned by working “OT”.

So while I figure out what I can spend on travel and prepare for next year’s vacation I’ve been playing a little game with myself. There’s a survey/game that goes around Facebook every now and then. It lists all the states and you click on the ones you’ve been to and it gives you a “traveler’s rating” or some such thing. Of course most of the people I know are counting states their plane landed in even if they never got off the plane. I don’t think that’s really the intention but I could be wrong.

Back when I started traveling for fun I thought it might be nice to spend a week in every state. That means 50 weeks of vacation. Of course I would have to “double up” a few years because I doubt if I have 50 years left to take one week a year. I thought I’d like to sell my condo and buy an RV and travel the US that way but the downturn in Real Estate values put a damper on that plan, at least for now.

But I am not going to give up. I met a couple whose goal was to visit every National Park once they retired and they did it. Since there are about 388 National Parks in the U. S. it makes visiting each state sound like a measly goal.

So back to the little game I’ve been playing with myself…I’m trying to cross states off my list but I never seem to get very far before I get side tracked.