Three nights and four days with no TV, no cell phone or landline service and no internet connection might seem inconceivable to many.  It was one of the best Thanksgiving vacations I’ve had in ages! My sister-in-law, Jeannie Lohr (Moseley), purchased a new hunting cabin in the middle of the George Washington National Forest just outside Churchville, Virginia and invited me up for the holiday.    I heard the snow forecast and left on Tuesday arriving in time to sit down with her and my brother, Steve, for a hot chili-bean dinner.  Steve makes the best chili! The snow came as predicted and by Wednesday morning, 5-inches covered the landscape like a white Christmas blanket.  The trees were heavy with snow.  The power blinked on and off like a neon sign, continuously threatening us with even fewer modern conveniences. We all cooked and ate, ate and cooked.  The “cabin” turned out to be a good-sized house with all the amenities (if you don’t count TV).  A big rock fireplace with a fire that burned day and night camouflaged the cold outside.  We warmed our toes often, after what I consider one of the best parts of the affair -- Steve and I went grouse hunting. He hunted with a gun and I with a Canon EOS Rebel T3. We both brought home the game. The snow crunched under our feet and tickled our faces as we tramped each day through the National Forest, only yards from the house and the smell of the wood fire waiting our return. I “hunted” alone for several hours one day, exploring the rigid columns of tall soldiers hiding all but the bravest of our feathered friends.  Yes!  I had on blaze orange.   And yes.  There were hunters as thick as vultures on road kill. The icy roads cleared on Thanksgiving Day and we drove to Elkhorn Lake and to Braley Pond planning my next trip for some trout fishing and to paint a mural with a stream on their wall for the pet raccoon to paddle in. We need to name him.  What do you suggest? Steve and Jeannie aren’t accepting renters, short or long term, but if you have an urge to do some hunting and fishing, The Buckhorn Inn at 2487 Hankey Mountain Hwy. Rt.250, Churchville, Virginia looks like a great place to stay. Call innkeepers Garlan & Sylvia Yoder at (540) 337-8660.  I had dinner there many years ago and loved the place.            

Here’s a picture I took of my favorite piece of art in San Diego.  The young couple was kind enough to pose for me.  The sculpture they’re imitating is by J. Seward Johnson, the grandson of Johnson & Johnson fame.  He is a well-known contemporary artist specializing in “art for the public”, for people who feel intimidated by museums.  The original version, bronze, was temporarily exhibited during the 2005 anniversary of V-J Day (victory over Japan) in Times Square. This iconic twenty-five foot version is constructed in painted styrofoam and aluminum.   An original photograph of the real couple was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt shown on the cover of Life Magazine portraying an American sailor kissing a nurse, August, 1945. Life Magazine claimed copyright infringement. I couldn’t find any information whether there was legal action or not. In the short 5 days in San Diego, I managed to make a quick tour of Balboa Park on a complimentary press pass.  The famous San Diego Zoo is in the park, but time would not allow that visit.  I quickly went through the San Diego Museum of Art.  I was impressed with their permanent collection.  I need to go back and spend some time in the San Diego area!!!

“I’ve  been smiling since the day I was born!” Betty said to me on the waterfront in San Diego.  I saw her coming from a block away, that bright yellow sunflower and the yellow scarf around her jacket on a very bright morning in September.  How could anyone miss the big floppy straw hat laden with more flowers?  However, the smile was what caught my attention. Betty, as her Daddy insisted everyone call her, she explained to me, was pouring her motorized wheel chair through the throngs of bicyclers, runners, baby strollers and in-line skaters beside a mass of ships and boats of every description. As the 90 year-old Beatrice Joy got closer, I could see that she wanted to strike up a conversation. I was glad to accommodate her. She had a certain magnetism that could not be refused. She told me she was able to wheel around on the pier each day for at least an hour and how her mind was getting sharper because she was having a coffee each day on her stroll. I didn’t get the impression that she was one of the unfortunate homeless characters I encountered on my quasi photo shoot/distance walk for the day.  She was well cared for, clean and manicured.  She was thin, but not undernourished that I could see.  “The man at the coffee shop is so good to me.  He gives me a cup of coffee for free when my money is tight.”  Beatrice Joy allowed me to take another picture before she wheeled off singing and smiling (since the day she was born).

I only walked 4  1/2 miles today. But in my defense, it was straight up and straight down!