Day 9 - Upland CA to Santa Maria, via the coast highway and Ojai

     There is one cool coffee shop in the town where my mother lives.  It's called Boomers and has great 50s decor and run by some local babyboomers I think I should have been in High School with but wasn't...

     That's where I started my day.  I did not want to go anywhere near Los Angeles so I took highway 214 through Pasadena then I was able to pick up the Ventura Freeway which brought me to highway 101 around Santa Barbara.  I wanted to check out the little town of Ojai so I drove the 30 miles inland and got out of the truck for a little walk.  Spendy little town with a Nigerian necklace of silver selling for 165 dollars.  (Absurd.  Fortunately I was just looking.)  There was also this really cool chair made from beads...beautiful to look at and photograph but I didn't even bother to ask the price.

    I walked up the sidewalk and a young man who said he was a journalism student took my picture then wanted to get my name.  I told him about the road trip and that I was from Eugene.  His face lit up as he pointed to himself saying "11th and Polk."  I responded "17th and Polk".   It was a high five moment on 'High Five Day' (according to my friend JJ). 
    On the way in to Ojai I noticed two things (other than the traffic)  There was a place called the "Blue Iguana Inn" and another called the Psychic Boutique.  There's an older movie starring Daryl Hanna as a stripper called 'Night at the Blue Iguana' and I wondered if it was filmed there.  Sandra Oh was also in that movie but more about her later.  Here's the picture....

    Way to spendy for me, I could tell just looking at it.  But across the street hidden in the bushes was a small house had obviously been there before all the rich people and the vineyards came in 20 years ago....

      This is "California" for shack.  I bet it cost more than 500 grand too. 
     I left Ojai for the Pacific Ocean dreaming of a walk in the water.  The road was curvy, mountainous; a nice place for a Sunday drive.  About 30 minutes later I was headed north on 101 the ocean waves rhythmically curling into white foaming tops then flattening as they broke on the shore.  Surfers and bikinis laid about the beach.  I spent 6 yrs in southern California during high school and the only thing I miss is walking in warm ocean water.  Years ago we used to go camping at El Capitan Beach on a whim.  (My father was the impulsive type).  Now my friend Colleen, who lives in Solvang, informs me that you need reservations 9 months in advance.  It also costs 10 dollars just to take a walk on the beach.  Thankfully I asked if they gave discounts to disabled veterans and I got in for free.

    I was so happy to be on the beach walking in the water that I took about a hundred photos.  I will just post the ones I really like...

    And then I took a little self portrait in the water just for kicks...

    The water was cold but the salty smell of the ocean and the song of the waves moved through my spirit like the teenager I once was.

     Gaud I miss the ocean...
    I spent a few hours combing the beach for shells and rocks then I got back in the truck and continued north through the one long continuous vineyard from Buelleton to Santa Maria.  By this time it was 8pm and I needed to stop for the night.  I figured Santa Maria would be cheaper than the other options but I didn't realize it would also be loud and obnoxious.  At about 11pm I went to the front desk and complained about the noise.  The woman, thankfully, put me in another room.  I watched Bill Maher hoping television would put me to sleep.  It worked, but 8 o'clock this morning the family next door hollered me awake.  So I am starting the day off grumpy.
    Tonight I am headed to my old friends' Jennifer and Bertina's house in Colma just south of San Fransisco.  I haven't seen them since the film festival last year.  It will be nice to catch up...  yona c. riel

Day Eight - Joshua Tree and the road to Victorville...

     First let me say thank you for following my road trip virtually.  It really makes a difference when I stay connected to the people in my life that I know and love.  That said, I am going get all floral on you today.  Joshua Tree had an amazing number of plants in bloom, which is what I had hoped for when I scheduled this trip.  There were so many deserted shacks on the way into town I couldn't possibly shoot them all so I decided against shooting any of them.  I started to wonder what happened, did they run out of water, go broke, what?  It was very depressing to see which is another reason I didn't take pictures of the shacks.

     Instead I focused on rock formations and blooming plants, a beautiful pursuit in the desert in the middle of April.

    Everywhere I looked there was amazing beauty.. especially if you like the contrast of the living among the seemingly dead.

    When I see cactus growing out of rocks I am amazed by the determination of the plant's will to live.

     It's a little hard to see (because photography flattens everything into two dimensions) but I am standing on huge rocks looking down upon Hidden Valley.  

      The next mini walk was to an old gold mine called the Queen Mill Mine.  Apparently a lot of gold came out of this place at one time.  All that remains are the filled in mine shafts, the remnants of a stone building and some old equipment.  Why someone drug that old bed frame in there who knows, but it made for a fun picture...

      Something about lives once lived....  legacies.... the thought of which strikes me with a mixture of awe and fear.  Are all artists like this?  After all it's legacies, our history and the works of art we did in our lifetimes that will remain after we are gone. 

     The rock formations were another spectacular aspect of Joshua Tree.  The unusual one below brings to mind a Tom Waits song, "Whats He Doing in There?" mostly because the cave in the center of it looks large enough to live in....

         The next one captured my interest because of it's size.  Enormous rock formations remind me of lives that are much older and wiser than my own.  (Yes, I believe that rocks witness the life that happens around them and that those memories are stored in the textures and shapes of the rocks themselves.  I am an old Rockhound after all).  Again I am awed and made to feel small (in a good way)...

     I left Joshua Tree around 2 pm and decided I wanted to get to Victorville, California.  Leaving Joshua Tree I found 'Old Woman Springs Road' (highway 274) which went straight to Victorville.  And on it I found the most beautiful old shack of the trip (so far).

      I could tell it was really old not just because of the 'patina' on the wood but because the one inch cedar boards were actually one inch thick.  These days one inch cedar is really 3/4 of an inch or less. Of course I had to take a shot from inside.  You can just barely make out the fields of yellow flowers that covered the valley. 

 

    When I was 15, having gotten inspired by my 500 mile Arizona ride, I headed out alone on my bike along the back roads towards Victorville.  I had a girlfriend at the time that lived there and I was determined to get there.  I remember it was pretty hot outside.  I had no water, no helmet and no food.  Between where I started in Upland and Victorville there was El Cahon Pass with an elevation of 4000 feet and about 50 miles.  I did finally make it but I called my mom that night and told her I wouldn't be coming home.  I hadn't been to Victorville since I was very young and since this whole trip was revisiting my past I had to include it. 

     I went through Victorville without even stopping because en route I decided I was close enough to my mom's house for a quick visit.  She, being 85 and a woman of few visitors was happy to see me.  (I hadn't seen her since my head exploding incident in December of 2007).  We went out to dinner and hung out for awhile but she is very hard of hearing which made conversation difficult.  Also my oldest brother (whose 56 and who I do not get along with) still lives with my mother.  This morning before I left she asked me if I wanted the old dresser that I had as a child so her and I struggled it out of the house and into the back of my truck.  I hugged her 3 times (she's not the touchy-feely type) and then I came to Boomers cafe to update the blog.   It's the only interesting cafe in all of Upland.  Besides it's beautiful 50's decor it also has wifi...

 

   Today I am going to take the back roads and try to get to Ojai.  As always your comments are welcomed and encouraged...

Arcosant #2 - Day seven

     Just as I was stepping out of the cafe at Arcosanti yesterday a nice 40ish woman named Cabiria complimented me on my boots.  She was dressed in ragged jeans and tied a piece of cloth around her waist like a skirt.  On top she had on a well worn tank top.   I had just written to you on the blog that I had not made any connections here so when she commented about my boots I took the opportunity to talk with her for a bit.  Turns out that Cabiria was a San Fransisco transplant and had lived at Arcosanti for 4 years.  Also she worked in the bronze casting foundry (which explained her well worn look).  She, having seniority, had a great apartment that she pays $120 a month for.  I told her I was disappointed with my tour from yesterday so she offered to give me a one on one tour at the foundry.  Here's a picture...

     After she showed me how they compress the sand into the molds she offered to let me make designs on the bells.  Her favorite part of the job was that she could make any design she wanted.  I drew a few lines after watching her for a bit and realized that it took some experience to get it right.

    The most experienced people worked on the bigger bells, the least experienced people on the smaller bells.  This guy (didn't catch his name) had arrived here last June and was still considered relatively new.  That beautiful square box with the amazing hardware is what the molten bronze will be poured into.
     Cabiria had said at one point she was cynical after the four years and while we were working I asked her why.  "After being at Burning Man for many years", she said, 'I know if you really want to get things done and you have the people to do it, you can make it happen.  Paolo is such a prolific artist, we have an entire trailer full of his drawings, bronze sculptures and architectural models, that I don't think he cares whether it gets done or not".
    I said, "Yeah at 91 yrs old one probably accepts their limitations more so than us younger ones".
    Cabiria said she liked living in community and that Arcosanti is a good place to go when you need a change in your life, although she also mentioned there were some people there with a 'small-town attitude' and it occasionally felt like she was in junior high school.
    Meanwhile they were preparing for 'the pour'.  Here's a picture of the two that suited up to handle the crucible as is came out of the kiln.

    Bronze casting has some similarities with glass blowing in that they melt the bronze in a crucible.  Once it gets to the right temperature two people pick it up and sit it on the deck.

     Once everyone is ready for the pour the two who are suited up pick up the crucible and walk it over to the molds.  Here they are pouring into the first mold which has four bells in it....

    Below is a close up of the pour ... the molten bronze looks a like the golden paint color called Quinacridone Gold...

      Cabiria and the other guy are patting the sand down because the bronze is bubbling up which indicates repairs will have to made on the bells later.
     Cabiria said it took her a while to figure out how to position herself so that she could lift the molten crucible.  As you can see it is quite heavy and it takes some skill to pour it just right.  Once the bronze is poured they wait until the molds cool and then remove the bells....

     Pictured below is a few of the the poured bronze bells cooling in the sand molds...

  

        And here's a picture of the bells when they come out of the molds...

         After the burrs have been polished off the bells they patina them with muratic acid...

    I got to take one kind of artzy shot in a storage area for the bells.  The red of the structure made a great contrast for the greenish-blue patina of the bells...

    Fortunate for me Cabiria invited me back to stay at her place and do a night time fire with a few beers and stories thrown in.   I am looking forward to that and it gives me a great excuse to go visit again.

    I left Arcosanti about 11 am and headed towards Joshua Tree (the town not the park).  On the way I did happen to find 'The Rice Shoe Tree Monument' out in the middle of nowhere on Highway 62.

     For some unknown reason when college kids came back from Lake Havasu during spring break they started hanging shoes on what was once an old Tamaskus Tree.  In 2003 someone arsoned the tree so the shoes now hang along a wire fence.  Also, all along the railway tracks people stop to make monuments for themselves using the multicolored basalt rocks.  The ones that stand out the most used the black rocks then the white as a contrast.  For several miles there was 'rock graffiti' like what you see below along side the railroad tracks...

   As a parting shot, here's my favorite image of the day... I love both the subject matter and the composition of the shot... It's the infamous Sunset Motel weathered to an almost unrecognizable mass of metal.  The giant cactus and the endless span of blue sky (a rare sight in Oregon these days) frames the scene.

   I made it to Joshua Tree that night about 8pm, dirt tired from the long days drive.  As always your comments are welcome either here on the blog or on Facebook.  Today I am headed into Joshua Tree National Forest and tomorrow I will post whatever it is that I find there.  As always thanks for reading... Yona C. Riel

Arcosanti! an urban labratory....Day six

     They call it an urban laboratory because Paolo Soleri, the Italian born architect that visioned this place into being believes the entire structure of the way we live, cities and suburbs, dependence on cars, is killing both us and the earth.  Sounds familiar now but this guy studied with Frank LLoyd Wright and birthed the term arcology.  And this was back in the 1940's.  By the 1960's his hand cast bronze bells had become famous enough to generate enough money to start building his vision,  a self-sufficient community for 5000 people where living, employment and community all intermingle with each other.  I don't know what the largest number of people who have lived here is but there are only about 60 full-time residents now.  Being that Paolo just turned 91 my guess is he won't actually see his vision completely manifest before he dies.  But a good start has been made.

     This is what the apartments look like.  Multilevel, mixed use structures are intermixed with the bronze casting operation and the music amphitheater.

    Everything is south facing so that when the sun is low (and to the south) in the winter the heat and light are captured.  In the summer there are large curved structures that help to keep living areas cool.  There is also a swimming pool.
     Every summer lots of young people from all over come to volunteer and work so as to learn about arcology and Arcosanti.  Each year they continue to build the urban experiment out here in the desert.  Is Paolo Soleri a genius way before his time?  Or is he a nutcase with a failed experiment on his hands?  My guess he is probably a bit of both and has somehow at the age of 91 accepted Arcosanti for what it is.
    From what I understand he lives in Scottsdale Arizona full time and comes out every Thursday to give lectures to interested persons.  Also in the outdoor theater pictured above they have concerts when the weather gets better.

   
        They cast clay bells in this area.  I believe this is an earlier structure done with the red sand brought in from Sedona.

        The rooms are a lot noisier than I thought they would be.  Apparently all this concrete magnifies sound.  So I am not sure that I will stay another night because the two people next door were drinking a lot and I could hear every word they said.. even after I went over and told them.  Worst part is I forgot my earplugs.  I am sure if one is a permanent part of the community it might be a little different, but for the people, like myself,  who come and go it's a bit of a problem.
     The room was small and efficient.  Concrete ceiling and floors.   I shared a bathroom with one other person next door (of whom I never saw).   Here's a little self-portrait I did in the mirror...

    And here is the view from my when I turn around and look out the door...

     There is also lots of random art.  First a shot of the bells, which accounts for 90% of their income...
     Beautifully patina-ed in muriatic acid or liver of sulphur the price tags ranged from $60 to $1000.  However they also silt cast bells using clay and these are in the 60 - 100 dollar price range.

    If you take a walk on the visitor's trail you can see this sculpture in between the arches.  I am not sure but my guess is it was a earlier piece of Paolo Soleri's.

         Lastly this is a sculpture along the dirt road that greets you when you get close to the main structures.  Oddly, for community, I didn't talk too much to anyone except a few of the workers.  No fast friends here, maybe because I have spent a lot of time on the computer.
     But there are all ages here ranging from 4yr olds to 70 yr olds.  Primarily I see 30-40 yr olds, alternative types, and I hear accents from all over the world as I sit typing in the cafe (the only place on the property where there is wifi).   If you ever get a chance to visit here I highly recommend it.  There is one room with two twin beds that has a kitchen in it and at this point it costs $65 a night.  It may also be a little quieter because it is on the end of the little row of rentals.  They serve a healthy and delicious all you can eat dinner every night and it only costs $9.  Last night it was string beans with a pesto sauce, roasted turkey and a salad made with mostly leafy veggies.
    Okay, after I get more caffeine I am off to more ghost towns and hope to land in Joshua tree tonight.  As always I love to hear your comments...

October (dios de los muertos) in March...

     First, I am sorry I haven't posted for the better part of 3 weeks.  I been busy READING for a change.  First I bought the new extended version of Rob Brezsny's book Pronoia.  Then last Saturday I was at the Barnes and Noble fundraiser for MECCA and the only copy of Michael DeMeng's new book was just begging me to buy it.  (Personally I think Michael put a spell on it but that's a whole other story).

And, on top of reading I have been working on a new piece.
     After going to Oaxaca for Dios de Los Muertos last year with Michael and a group of amazing people from all over the country my art (and my beliefs about death) will never be the same.
     In the Mexican culture (at least in Oaxaca) there are two days every year that our dearly beloved dead ones come back to party with the living.  On November 1st the babies and young children come back.  On November 2nd the adults return.  Having lived in San Fransisco for many years with it's large and politically active Hispanic community, I was already familiar with the Day of the Dead and longed to go to Mexico to experience a real Dios de Los Muertos.   Thus I already had a pretty good collection of Day of the Dead skeletons.

          I got this beautiful lady from a fellow who is from Oaxaca but now has a shop in Albany on Solano Blvd.  I pretty much knew when I bought her that for the first time I had no excuse not to go.  So I went.  (If you been reading my blog all along you already know all this....sorry for the repeat but bare with me...)

     That said, I am writing you today to give you a glimpse of what I been working on in the last few months.   It started with a single striking image I saw in Oaxaca.  A half alive and half dead Frida.

     This is not a very good reproduction of the image that has changed me in ways I may never be able to fully articulate.  Of course I love Frida (like everybody else).  She's practically a saint in Mexico. But what struck me was the portrayal of her as half dead and half alive.  Here in the rational northern portion of the Americas there just isn't a place for a reality like this.  In Mexico, magical realism and all it's various cousins are not only alive but thriving.  Frida can be physically dead but her soul lives on forever in the hearts of the Mexican people who love her.   I experienced this again and again while I was down there.
     Having had my own near death experience I knew I had to make a piece of myself, half dead or dying and the other half coming to life.  (Pretty much what has been going on since the brain injury).  I also wanted it to be 3 dimensional. 
     My friend Rogene who I met just a week before I went to Mexico (she was going too) has been working with paper clay making her paintings more 3 dimensional.  The moment I saw her work I knew that was the medium I wanted to try for my piece.
    I also wanted some of the other art in my Day of the Dead collection to influence this piece.  

     I love the floral painting on this vase I bought years ago at the Castro St. Fair.  I also love the flower bursting forth from the eye.

       The picture of this skull was shot through a window so it's not great.  I wanted it so bad but it was carved out of wood and hand painted and way out of my price range.  Alas I came home with a not so great picture of it.  I love all the monarch butterflies.  Is it all the bright colors used by the Mexican artisans that keeps their skulls looking so friendly?   That and all those big shiny white teeth?  It's as if dead people in Mexico are always laughing.
    For my piece I was pretty sure I wanted to use a huge cigar box I scored in Amsterdam.  Opened, it has a book like quality to it.  And that would mean one half would be for the skull and the other half for something else.  But what would be on the other side?   And are all those weird white flowers really necessary?

     It was probably the cover of Rob's book that had me thinking about anatomically correct hearts.  Or perhaps it was the aftermath of the Valentine's show and working with the Americanized version of hearts for what seemed like an eternity.
     Either way last Thursday, sick and tired of the rain, I drove 100 miles as drops the size of golf balls bounced off my windshield to get to my favorite bookstore, Powell's in Portland.  Once there I went to the anatomy section and took several pictures of anatomically correct hearts.  Here's what I got...

The piece is coming along slowly but surely and once I get it done you'll be the first to know...
 Thanks for reading my friends and your comments are always welcome.... and yes I am going back to Oaxaca again this year for Dios de Los Muertos.  And I may just stay a little longer to learn some Spanish.   Who knows..  Here's a few more hearts for you to ponder..