Hop in! Where you headed?

I aim this blog at Hitchhiking stories, obviously. However, you can take that in the 'poetic' sense, as we are 'snakes' in time and the asphalt rivers take us to many places, as well as 'places'..

scattered throughout are videos, music, and intermittent stories I have to tell.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Ron Bonlender; I'll miss him, his politics and his sub sandwiches

Yakima activist, former City Councilman Ron Bonlender dies at age 68

BY MARK MOREY 
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC 

Yakima activist, politician Ron Bonlender dies at age 68
SARA GETTYS/YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
Ron Bonlender


YAKIMA, Wash. — Ron Bonlender, pugnacious Democratic activist, former Yakima City Council member and downtown businessman, died Friday afternoon of an apparent heart attack. He was 68.
Bonlender was found at his home on North Seventh Street at about 3:30 p.m.
Friends said that Bonlender, who was not publicly known to have serious health problems, had worked at his downtown Sub Shop on Friday morning, but came home early because he did not feel well.
Former City Councilwoman Susan Whitman, speaking for the family, said relatives were not expected to immediately issue a statement. Funeral arrangements will likely be announced next week, Whitman said.
The sudden news shocked those in Democratic circles because Bonlender was practically synonymous with local Democratic politics. On Thursday night, he attended candidate forums and was himself running for a county freeholder position.
"Politics was everything to him. He was always taking on a new project," said Yakima County Auditor Corky Mattingly, who served on the county Democratic central committee when Bonlender was elected chairman of the party's 14th Legislative District almost a decade ago.
Mattingly, who noted that the two did not always see eye-to-eye, said Bonlender's election losses and political fights did not diminish his energy for civic engagement and public and community service. He recently hosted City Council candidates on his cable television show and once suggested local Democrats should have their own radio program.
"Nothing slowed Ron down," Mattingly said.
........read full article:    Ron Bonlender

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Heart: LOST AND FOUND

State DOT returns lost teddy bear to 6-year-old girl

BY PHIL FEROLITO 
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC 

State DOT returns lost teddy bear to 6-year-old girl
PHOTO COURTESY WASHINGTON DOT
Once thought lost, "Daddy Bear" was found on I-90 and returned to its owner by DOT workers.

YAKIMA, Wash. — For two days, 6-year-old Justice Wadsworth thought "Daddy Bear" was gone for good.
The white teddy bear was a gift from her father, Army Sgt. Claudio Wadsworth, who sent it to her just before he was deployed to Iraq when she was 2.
But on Tuesday, the bear was lost on Interstate 90 when her grandmother pulled over after Justice became car sick returning from Idaho. While the girl's father is now stationed in South Korea, the bear remains hugely important to her.
When they returned home, Justice's grandmother posted a cry for help on the state Department of Transportation's Facebook page.
Worried that people would begin searching the busy freeway, two DOT workers Terry Kukes and Harry Nelson, both of Cle Elum, looked themselves and found it in about an hour Wednesday.
"The bear must've fallen out right when they pulled over," Kukes said.
On their own time, both men made the roughly three-hour drive to the girl's Sedro-Woolley home.
"When we offered the bear to her, she took it and held it really tight and hugged it," said Kukes, a DOT maintenance superintendent. "She missed that little bear."
"It kind of tugs on your heart a little bit when you find out the significance of this bear to this little girl," he said.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

I'm so Happy (sting)

Seven weeks have passed now since she left me
She shows her face to ask me how I am
She says the kids are fine and that they miss me
Maybe I could come and baby-sit sometime
She says, "Are you O.K.? I was worried about you
Can you forgive me? I hope that you'll be happy."
I'm so happy that I can't stop crying
I'm so happy I'm laughing through my tears

I saw a friend of mine 
He said, "I was worried about you
I heard she had another man, 
I wondered how you felt about it?"
I'm so happy that I can't stop crying
I'm so happy I'm laughing though my tears
Saw my lawyer, Mr Good News
He got me joint custody and legal separation
I'm so happy that I can't stop crying
I'm laughing through my tears
I'm laughing through my tears

I took a walk alone last night
I looked up at the stars
To try and find an answer in my life
I chose a star for me
I chose a star for him
I chose two stars for my kids and one star for my wife
Something made me smile
Something seemed to ease the pain
Something about the universe and how it's all connected

The park is full of Sunday fathers and melted ice cream
We try to do the best within the given time
A kid should be with his mother
Everybody knows that
What can a father do but baby-sit sometimes?
I saw that friend of mine, he said, 
"You look different somehow"
I said, "Everybody's got to leave the darkness sometime"
I'm so happy that I can't stop crying
I'm laughing through my tears
I'm laughing through my tears
I'm so happy that I can't stop crying
I'm laughing through my tears
I'm laughing through my tears 

Sunday, July 17, 2011


DayStar Dance Pow Wow
these guys are a couple Braves from the Yakima Group.
Their costumes were great, and face makeup on a few.
I'm not sure, but it felt like they were mimicking animal behavior.
I've been to this at least a couple times, once with my deceased best friend Jack Demson.
If I hadn't been so full on Gyro and eggs from Patty's Eggnest, I'd have bought
the Salmon Dinner for $12.
It happens every year here at Discovery Park, and parking is free and admission is only $5.00.





Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Steamboat Springs 1971?

So.
Somehow after my First Boulder, colorado solo adventure as a young 21 year old, I hitchhiked to Steamboat Springs. It could have been on my way back to the Northwest.

I met a couple local fellows who said, " Stay a few days, Dan!". So I did.
It was summer and hot. I figured there had to be an actual Spring around there someplace so I asked around. "Go up this road....it winds it's way to the hot springs," someone said. I had plaid short on, I think, which turned out to add to my feeling of being a protagonist in one of those 'lost in the desert' movie scenes.

I walked by some very interesting houses that looked like they'd be cool to live in, undoubtedly populated by cool musician types or gorgeous beauties with long chestnut hair who's families lived in places like Vermont, or Upstate new York. Perhaps 'drop-out' girls from Vassar? My imagination kept me busy as I slowly took my stroll up this unpaved country road. There were times I suspected someone was having fun with me when I began to doubt I was on the road to Springs of Steamboat Springs.

This really happened:  After I had climbed a fair bit on the rising road i was by now drenched in sweat and had tied my shirt around my waist. As I was in Colorado, I began to have 'mental-mirages' of a can of Coors Beer waiting for me somewhere, somehow.. Hot or cold, wouldn't it just be so nice to pour it down my throat..mmmm....    you won't believe what happened next.
I was rounding a bend in the road, like a switchback. There were still a few houses from time to time, some very old.. and there was one on the right side of the road by the curve, an abandoned old one room farmhouse which would have made great 'barn wood' decor in a steakhouse; old dark cedar i think.... the foundation looked surprisingly strong despite the lack of a door.
 Here it comes!
I caught a glint of something shiny on the dirt underneath the door entrance, under the foundation.
There, I kid you not, right next to a dead mouse, in the dry, dusty colorado dirt, was a very small, perhaps 8 ounce, can of warm-to-hot Coors 3.2 beer!!
You can not be imagining that I allowed the dead mouse to put me off. Yeah, I grabbed the beer and tried to find enough saliva to spit on the top of the can and spit, then wiped the top with my tee shirt, and enjoyed each cubic centimeter of that warm coors.


The rest of the story is that the beer gave me enough oomph and perhaps compromised judgement to make it to the Springs. I stripped as I saw no one around, and I don't think any cars had passed me at all on the way up, so I felt safe about it. Hot or not it felt soooo good on my sore muscles.... i was laying back enjoying this perfect spot when I heard some voices.... I think i'd left my clothes in a safe enough space, but some 'tourists' were parked above me looking around and chatting... "Crap!"... Oh well. They disappeared soon after and so did i after thoroughly enjoying the actual Springs of Steamboat Springs as only a vagabond could.

A Dog's Life!! AAawwwrgh

Sing us a Song You're the GEO-Man!!!

Bonnie, I thought you might like this one in particular...
cool site. Wonder if Billy Joel has seen this!!??  ;-)

http://anisotropicreflections.wordpress.com/

Sunday, June 12, 2011

About Frenchy

Richard French FRENCHY died a few days ago.
He'll be missed. He had a Z.Z. Top beard and used to fly gliders. He always waved "Hi".

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Awakening

 AWAKENING BEGINS
WHEN A MAN REALIZES
THAT HE IS GOING NOWHERE
AND DOES NOT KNOW 
WHERE TO GO.

GEORGES IVANOVICH GURDJIEFF

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Tom Jobim

Composição: Tom Jobim
So close your eyes
For that's a lovely way to be
Aware of things your heart alone was meant to see
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together
You can't deny
Don 't try to fight the rising sea
Don't fight the moon, the stars above and don't fight me
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together
When I saw you first the time was half past three
When your eyes met mine it was eternity
By now we know
The wave is on its way to be
Just catch the wave don't be afraid of loving me
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together

..considerations..

HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR FACULTIES 
The Buddha was talking with Uttara, a young pupil of the bhramin Parasariya:
-Uttara, does Parasariya teach you how to develop your faculties?
-Yes, Master Gotama, he does teach us how to develop our faculties
-How does he do this?
-We are taught not to see material forms with the eye nor to hear sounds with the
ear. That is how to develop the faculties.
-But in that case, Uttara, the blind and the deaf must be in total development of their
faculties, for the blind does not see and the deaf does not hear.
Uttara was silent.
-Well, Uttara, Parasariya teaches you one way and here we teach a different way.
Let me tell you what we teach. When a monk sees a form with the eye, usually a
feeling of liking and disliking come into being. The monk then understand that
liking or disliking has arisen but that either one is not inevitable but is conditioned
and dependent on causes. So he heads for a state in which there is equanimity
and finds that in so doing the liking and disliking has vanished and he sees things
as they are. That is how he develop his faculties. That is what we teach.


From "Majjhima Nikaya" of the Buddha

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Inga Wiehl's new book -- HEARTSTRINGS

Please buy this book by finding it in my aStore to the right of this blog column. I have many other good books for sale there as well. Thanks.


Inga taught at Yakima Valley Commuity College where she and my mother became quite good friends. Through her husband, Richard's, efforts I was allowed to avoid having my head blown off in the Vietnam war.


I just went to a reading in Yakima by author Inga Wiehl from her new book, "HEARTSTRINGS: A TALE OF DANISH LOYALTY, RESISTANCE, AND HOMECOMING" which she tells the packed, standing room only, audience of attentive listeners she'd truthfully begun working on before her first publication, "When Professional Women Retire", written with Ellie Heffernan.  


I look forward to reading this book. From the excerpts Inga chose to read this is my impression: Using letters from the time period between relatives, she takes the reader back to WWI Denmark and invites him/her into the hearts and minds of people -especially her grandmother - who had difficult decisions to make because of the war. Decisons both personal and national. 
Inga's use of the senses brings one into the personally sacred moments that lure your conviction that you are there. 
Despite what may sound like a superficial attempt to compare for the sake of their shared heritage, I have to say I felt an echo of Dag Hammarskjold's "MARKINGS", which book, to me, has the nearly anthropomorphic ability to induce my mind into a zen-like silence. All I know is I want to 'hear' more of it.






PLEASE CHECK OUT INGA'S FACEBOOK PAGE AS WELL TO LEARN ABOUT HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS WELL AS HER DAUGHTER, LIS'S.
...not to forget about her son, Christopher wiehl, who is a successful television actor.

Again, Please buy this book by exploring my store which is accessible to the right of these words you are now reading....
note: while i'm trying to make sure it's on this list please refer to this url to explore my store. Inga's book is here.

Inga on facebook

Friday, January 7, 2011

Ruby's Arms (Tom Waits)

I will leave behind all of my clothes,
I wore when i was with you,
all I need's my railroad boots
and my leather jacket
as i say goodbye to Ruby's arms
although my heart is breaking,
i will steal away out through your
blinds, for soon you will be waking.

The morning light has washed your face
and everything is turning blue now,
hold on to your pillow case
there's nothing i can do now,
as i say goodbye to Ruby's arms,
you'll find another soldier,
and i swear to god by christmastime,
there'll be someone else to hold you.

The only thing i'm taking is
the scarf off of your clothesline,
i'll hurry past your chest of drawers
and your broken wind chimes,
as i say goodbye
i'll say goodbye,
say goodbye to Ruby's arms.

I will feel my way down the darkened hall,
and out into the morning,
the hobos at the freightyards
have kept their fires burning,
so jesus christ this goddamn rain,
will someone put me on a train,
i'll never kiss your lips again
or break your heart,
as i say goodbye
i'll say goodbye,
say goodbye to Ruby's arms.