simon says vote for obama

surf's up

News of the compound. Check out absolutely gorgeous story on Pam and John in this month's Coastal Living magazine. Unfortunately the web version doesn't include the pictures. So buy it at your local newsstand now. We also made the Block Island Times with an award from Scenic Block Island.

how are these stories related?

A good week in the news. Here are some excerpts:

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- FBI agents arrested evangelist Tony Alamo at an Arizona motel Thursday, alleging that he took minors across state lines for sexual purposes. . . Federal agents and Arkansas state police had raided the headquarters of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries in tiny Fouke on Saturday and removed six girls ages 10 to 17.
A preacher? No fouking way! But 17 is old enough.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A West Virginia man accused of passing gas and fanning it toward a police officer no longer faces a battery charge.
Too bad you can't charge a battery with methane, like all those cows and dinosaurs probably caused so-called global warming.

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali pirates demanded a $35 million ransom on Saturday for a Ukrainian ship they had seized which was carrying 33 tanks and other military supplies to Kenya, a maritime official said.
Ukraine would be that country close to Russia which you can see from Alaska. Kenya would be where Obama's father is from, and Somali is, is, uh.


© Science/AAAS A swath of bedrock in northern Quebec may be the oldest known piece of the earth’s crust. Researchers report that this rock is 4.28 billion years old and formed when the Earth was less than 300 million years old.
Let's see, Quebec is part of Canada which borders on Alaska, and that means it took God 300 million years plus 4.28 billion years minus 3,000 to create the dinosaurs.

A doctor was chatting about the upcoming debates with an old rancher. The rancher said, "Well, ya know, Sarah Palin is a post turtle."
"What's a post turtle?" the doctor asked.
The old rancher said, "When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle." The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain. 'You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, she doesn't know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with."

foggy day

Oceanluna's latest, on another foggy day

and you thought the markets were troubled

We're having a sou'west-nor'easter. I think. The wind worried at the house all night. You know the waves are big when people park out front just to watch them. No ferries today.

a picture for ed

The latest addition to the honeymoon suite—no, not me, silly, the deco chest of drawers from Ed's uncle's house. What with DSL and a fire in the fireplace and a northeaster coming up, I may not be able to leave the boudoir. Where I have been dreaming and dreaming.
Last night I dreamt I was at a reunion where we were all trying not to talk about politics, because it made us so mad. Finally, one of us burst out, "I'm not going to say anything after this, but that fucking. . ."
So I will have to leave the boudoir (no TV) to watch the debate tomorrow night at a friend's house. Democrats only.

an entertainment

Okay, tell the truth. Which is better: Flash or no flash?
It was rather hastily cooked up, as I had just gotten back to the island. But there was food, there were friends and relations and plenty of booze.
So. Blurry like last night or sharp like this morning?

anniversaire

Two years ago today.
—Claudia's Surf City, Block Island, Rhode Island

land ho

First sight of home away from home. Now at 3105.

word

An older islander of my acquaintance who has had a very tough life said to me yesterday, "One thing I've learned in all these years: If you know that your mother and your father and your sisters love you, it's like a coat of armour—you can do anything."
Hmmm.
En route back to Block Island today.

second time around

This is the second of Miriam's weddings I've been to. The first one was to Josh, my dear friend from Life magazine who became a rabbi, had twins and died three years ago. Now she is married to Danny, a high school teacher. Josh's father, also a rabbi (top, at left), spoke. Bride and groom exchanged rings with each of their kids' birth stones—the twins and Danny's girl and boy with Cynthia (Sex and the City) Nixon— symbolic of their new family. The kids were all there, and they danced.

damn yankees

The sun is setting over Yankee stadium—that's the old one on the left. You can see both of them from Elaine's balcony, and here is the story she did about it on WNYC.

not black and white

Anybody need anything from Zabar's?

guests

On my way to New York City today with Lina and five hundred tons of her shit, which she plans to leave with me there until she goes to Brazil.

SAGITTARIUS

15-23 sept

The internal and personal turmoil you’ve been dealing with has taken its toll. Even if you had been trying to conduct a completely conventional family life, you would still be contending with the unusual tides, comings and goings that have invaded your space. Metaphorically speaking, that’s what you get for living on ocean front property.

Metaphorically? Hell!
I should move somewhere out in the middle of the country. Like Missouri.

staggered

I was pretty surprised to see this in my back yard. Does and fawns I've seen aplenty, but not their progenitor. My first thought was "omigawd," not "where's my gun." But then, of course, I thought of Lyme's disease and hollered, "Shoo."

lights on the water

The moon came up last night, and the sun this morning. Same as always, but better.

back to bidness

Let's clear up a few things here. I can understand the placement of Missouri foreclosure ads on this page, but eye surgery? And did you notice when I was talking about buying The Spotted Goose that there were placements from gogoosego.com and gooseoff.com! I would think those more appropriate for the seller's page.
Speaking of my redneck fantasies (did I mention that in the River's Edge cafe across the street from the Goose that a guy came in actually wearing spurs?), Sam sends this funny photo to delight me.
On a more serious note, another friend posted this personal ad. Any takers? I can put you in touch.
Hard to keep up with Azu's press like this site but too precious to wear is a great score.
That's it for now, folks, back to writing PR for yet another artist friend. This oughta be a paying job.
P.S. Jan suggests Mudflats, a political blog from, yes, Alaska.

fall on block island

The day before yesterday. Today is a tropical, misty, soft air day.

the last ride

This baby was old when John (center) used to sleep on it at Alan's (right), and older still when he slept on it (and Alan, too, postprandially) at my place in New York and then in Block Island. But, alas, at 40 years of age, the feathers had long gone flat and the velvet had lost its nap, and so we loaded the poor thing in the truck for one last trip to that place where everything goes in the end. It cost $24 (not including the gas) to throw away.

a new topic

Have I mentioned how deeply into tomatoes I have been this summer? These here are Brandywines bought very near the boat. But so far my faves have been some heirloom variety from Delaware that I can't remember the name of. Darn.

peace now

I'm moving in here today, having bombed the ants into Kingdom Come, just like we have done with certain other. . . OK, I'm going to stop arguing about politics with my near and dear now—somebody's gonna pry it from your cold, dead fingers one of these times, Al, but it won't be the President of the United States, whoever he may be—but I just want to say one thing.
Think, "Vietnam vet." What do you think of?
Right.
Do you really think that being a prisoner of war has no deleterious effects on the psyche?

john deere cake

For a guy who really thinks his tractor's sexy. I also couldn't resist the surf cake. Found near the Arkansas-Missouri border.
PS
Don't miss pic of the winner of the frog-jumping contest in today's Daily Quill (link at right).

dreams

Anybody else been having wierd/horrifying/hilarious dreams lately? I dreamt that I was taking care of an infant who could talk. At the end of a day of babysitting, I realized that I didn't know her name.
"What's your name, Baby?" I asked.
She said: "Fargo Berkowitz."

a very brief tour of woonsocket

what was in the cruiser

I gave the Cruiser a wash before I left West Plains, Mo. Some of what I had arrived with was gone.
To wit:
4 plastic cups
3 lbs of coffee
2 ripe tomatoes
and 1 philips sonic tooth brush
also
12 votive candles
8 Zabar's sponges
2 bottles olive oil (and two of a nice Beaujolais)
1 Mexican rug
place setting for one
1 bedside lamp
1 aerobed
1 sleeping bag
1 cooler
6 romance novels
2 mysteries
1 pocketknife
electronics (phone, camera, computer)
On the way back the load was increased by 3 fogger bug bombs (ah, property management), a case of Ozarka water, four rolls of Bounty, one can of Barkeeeper's Friend and other sundries.
I passed up Calm and Fairdealing, Mo., but when I reached St. Cloud, Mo., I thought: Wouldn't it be cool to change my last name and be Claude St. Cloud? And then I thought: That sounds like a transgendered hooker's name. However, If you think I should change my name anyway please vote below.
Now I am in Block Island battening down the hatches for a tropical storm named Hanna, meant to hit tonight. Like I said, property management.

bibiana vogues

Back in New York long enough for paying bills, retrieving phone messages and, of course, lunch with Ed and Bibiana. The waitress with attitude struck a few poses, and I asked her to do it again.
Coming up: More great Missouri pix, the latest on real estate purchases, the answers to what's in the Cruiser and some exciting new links.
But first, I gotta change locations again. Bye bye Bibiana!

more about buildings

So the big news is it looks like H and C are going to buy the better part of Greater Downtown Woonsocket. Which is why I have been awake since about 2 ayem. I am imagining they didn't sleep a wink.

back

best midwestern

Cruised into the Best Western in Mansfield, Ohio. Too tired to post anything but cute dog and kitty pix. That's pussy Willow, one of Dianne and Frank's three cats, in the box, and Denise's dog, whose name I forget (Rex? sorry) with his head in the horse trough.

leaving peace valley

In about half an hour I will bid adieu to all my friends in Missouri and head out. If all goes well with the Cruiser, I will be in New York City tomorrow.
Oh, for the open road!
P.S.
I am totally gobsmacked by the fact that, other than CBA, no one has expressed envy of this road trip. When did the romance leave your lives, peoples?

los dos bozos

Herewith a picture of the only two geese silly enough to squander golden eggs on a Spotted Goose just because they think it is cool. One of the geese (the gander) wishes to sell so he can marry; the other wants to wait to close so goslings can use golden nest egg. So the silly geese will not close on Goose until February.