Gold

I once looked upon a statue made of gold,
majesty of the hart's bold silhouette.
Gifted to us we spread the gild expanse
proved from the cairn to stand against the rot.

Melded with the past to hold to what is.
The stag stands still in pause between its breathing.
Frozen, surviving in the cold and buried night,
to lay here upon blue silk in hermetic case.

It Glows. Glows the butter metal glow. So we
feel the greed which makes men dive into the rock.
Sight of heaven, crumpled into matter and set to wait
for striving, sweating men. Glowing incorrupt.

The glowing in the metal's heart calls to us.
The Gods won't come to Earth because they fear
to quench their fire. Instead they built a bridge
of lumpen earth filled with tears from the sun.

Piled in nuggets wrested from the stream,
it dreams of Croesus' slaking avarice,
This ersatz deity, covenant stealer,
Builds its color on the temple door.

The amber brings down the heaven's fire to glow.
This earthen dust that drinks the burn of greed.
A deeper weight beyond the heft of balance
scales tipped to open the generous seed.

Stuart Andrew Marshall Tanner

Good-Bye Hunter

Pint-taste bitter the Vat 69 wrests a tear
from eyes grown dry with hopes of victory.
The heroes of my youth are fallen and I cannot
find the sacrificial move to save the day.

I am weary of surviving. The insignificance
of my passions mocks me in the shaving mirror.

The bats have won.

Stuart Andrew Marshall Tanner

Central Coast Meet-Up (Part Three)

So after I left the Avila Beach after saying good-bye to Gary I drove to Morro Rock to look around. I hadn't been there since a trip at nineteen with relatives. I enjoyed the foggy nature of the place. You could hardly see the towers of the power plant... The rock was invisible from the highway and although it wasn't cold, it was much cooler than Avila Beach.

I didn't stick around, I wasn't hungry for a meal at a restaurant and the shops were all tourist type places. I don't need more junk (or as my brother calls it, "Automatic Dust Collectors")

I then went back to San Luis Obispo and there I saw "The Madonna Inn" and I had to stop. It is sooooooo famous for its theme-park hotel rooms like the Tarzan Room and the famous lobby men's room which has the waterfall urinal. I had to see that urinal in person.

There it was in all its American Kitsch Splendor. I gave it a whirl... WATERFALL! So cute!

This sort of stuff proves that Americans are suffering from the second curse of mankind (getting what you want). Anyway, with bladder empty and a need for some relaxation I headed to Sharkey's house where I was just bedding down in my car for a mid-day kip when Sharkey came out. He and Janis had gotten there just before I did (I didn't expect them for awhile as we were supposed to meet at his house around 4 PM). So instead I went inside and sat on his futon sofa and stared at his artwork. Sharkey is great. Nice guy, good artist, excellent bartender. I kept him company while he got the Mojitos ready for the others and then enjoyed a really excellent drink from Sharkey's hand.

Everybody else showed up and we drank our wonderful drinks while Justine regaled us with her rendition of the "Avila Beach Dog Massacree" complete with a really funny impression of the redoubtable "Barney Fife Deputy Dawg" who had been so helpful in making sure that the world is safe for puppydogs everywhere.

Scott is usually the one on the web most of the time (I'm sure Justine has important things to do like raise two children and take care of Scott) but I really feel that any woman with her sense of humor needs to spend more time on the RadioParadise boards. She's a jewel!

How an ugly guy like Scott got a woman like that and then managed to produce two wonderful children is a mystery of nature... (jess keedin' Scott)

Once the afternoon cocktails were drunk, off we went in caravan string of cars to view the mural at the hospital which Sharkey worked on and finished the work of. Doctor Seagull appeared for a few minutes... just long enough to take over my body and force me to park in the doctor's parking zone. He's such a trouble-maker! At least this time I didn't wake up with Crisco all over my body.

The mural is beautiful! It is much prettier in person than the pictures on the web which Kris posted. It is truly beautiful (except for the rocks which look like potatoes) and I think Sharkey is a wonderful man to have labored so hard to complete it.

Abhijit took a group picture of us and then I split off from the group who was going downtown for the Farmer's Market. I was too tired for more, I needed to get into bed and I had a long drive back to Scummyvale, CA. For a story of what happened at the Farmer's Market (I understand the RGJ13 made an appearance) you'll have to talk to someone else.

I jumped in the car with a bag of granola and three liters of water and drove BACK UP the Cuesta Pass, into the headlands of the Salinas Valley and North on 101 to the Bay Area. Long drive. Left SLO about 5:45 PM and rolled into Sunnyvale about 9:30 PM... about four hours and some serious white-line fever.

I am currently recouperating from the fun. Lots of tuna sandwiches and sleep...

Yer Phaythful Correspondent!

Samiyam

The Central Coast Meet-Up (part two)

I checked into the motel around 2 PM and took a shower and meditated and then watched the news on TV. I called ScottFromWyoming's friends who were hosting the evening and I got Catherine on the phone. She was a really pleasant woman who gave good directions to her new home and I climbed BACK UP over the Cuesta Pass to Atascadero and their home.

I first met Gary (OlderThanDirt) in front and we greeted. Funny to meet somebody you know for the first time! Really nice man. Big hug.

Then in to meet the crew. Children everywhere! Jon and Catherine had two or three of their own (nobody slowed down enough for me to count effectively) It was wonderfully homey there and the house was beautiful. Lotsa hugs around and I was really pleased to see Boosie looking so healthy. New faces I knew were Janis (SittingInLimbo) and Dave (David_Price) and of course our hosts. Sharkey, SFW, JFW (looking lovely as always), Abhijit (Pilate) and Gary. Then, of course, Scott's kids Augusta (could any child be cuter?) and Charlie (a real champ! the kid has the look of one of those thinking bruisers who grow up to be quarterbacks) and of course, Chester! (more on Chester later!).

We were joined by friends of Scott's from Cal-Poly days Blank (I am unable to remember his name... I keep wanting to say Roger and I know that is not right!) and Dionne. Nice people and Blank was about as tall as my cousins in Kansas... (I always said it was the corn that did it but now I'm not so sure) and one of the nicest men I've ever met.

We barbequed some nice brisket and drank some really excellent home-made wine which Catherine's relative made. Also a couple of bottles of the Tobin James Zinfandel which was excellent and some Rolling-Rock Beer (Pre-AB) and some Acme Pale Ale (samiyam brought that) and generally whooped it up a bit. Great conversation and really interesting people.

All too soon it was time to go... Waves and hugs all around and samiyam checked himself to see if he could walk a straight line (are you kidding me? I cannot walk a straight line if I'm sober!) and if I generally felt sober (yes... I had ceased to drink a bit before and at my weight, I'm a great absorber of alcohol) and then I drove DOWN the Cuesta Pass again and back to my motel room.

I stayed at the Travelodge because I couldn't get reservations at the Best Westerns in town. The Travelodge was minimal comfort. I would say that I would stay there in a pinch, but not a first choice. The bed was kinda lumpy and the amenities were minimal and there wasn't a "breakfast" of any worth. (they put out bad coffee and packaged pastries for the guests - neither things on my diet) but I didn't care really. I just wanted to sleep at that point and a soft horizontal surface presented itself and I lay down and zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Woke up at about 3 AM with red wine stomach... kinda sour. I took a Rolaids and went back to sleep. Got up around 8 AM, packed and checked out and went to Avila Beach/San Luis Bay Harbor. Nice snug little bay just south of SLO. I took a walk around the SLBay Harbor pier and really enjoyed the look and smell of a working pier. The place is in kinda rough shape but it looks like there's work being done on the place. The icehouse looked like it was getting use and there were about a dozen or so fishing boats at anchor. The smell of boiling crab lead me to a shack on the Pier where I ordered fish and chips and had my "breakfast" The fish was perfect. Fresh and lean and cooked in a light breading in hot, fresh oil which didn't stick to the food. The fries were real potatoes cut and fried. (for you who worry about my diet, A) it was a vacation B) I only ate half the fries).

I then went to Avila beach where I was supposed to meet the FromWyomings (Scott and Justine) and whomever showed but I got there about an hour early and sat myself down to meditate and watch the scenery... Gary showed up soon and we had a wonderful conversation. He's a really interesting man who's had a very full life (so far). Unfortunately we didn't meet up with the FromWyomings. We were at the wrong place and finally by 1 PM we had absorbed too much sun and it was time to go. I remembered the sunscreen too late (had some in the car) so my face felt a bit tight the rest of the day.

I understand that it was a good thing that we didn't meet up with Scott et al because they were rousted by the local Barney Fife Deputy Dawg for "felony animal abuse"... Oh how I would have made a nuisance of myself if I'd been there! Apparently Chester got well and properly beat up by Jon and Catherine's dog at their house (where the FromWyomings stayed) so they couldn't leave him there for the day. They took him with them first to Morro Bay and then to Avila. He was out and got in the water and swam a bit and they were keeping a good eye on him.

At Avila Beach there are no dogs allowed on the beach so Scott was keeping an eye on him from Front street by the seawall while Justin had the kids on the beach. During this period, Scott put the dog in the car so he could get "shaved ice" cones for the kids and in the time it took to get them and give them to the kids and get back to the car a sherrif's deputy had rolled up (soon followed by animal control) and was about to break into Scott's car to retreive what Barney claimed was an abused and overheated dog. He claimed that somebody had called in that there was a dog "in distress" in a car and that he was certain that Chester had been abandoned in an overheated car.

Chester was fine. Granted, if a dog is left in a car too long he will die a horrible death. But Chester was fine. The five to ten minutes were not enough to hurt him. When Scott pulled him out of the car, he took two or three laps at a bowl of water and went and lay down. He wasn't panting. Barney claimed otherwise and wanted to confiscate Chester and arrest SFW for "felony animal endangerment" but the animal control officer (who had probably been called by the deputy) said that because A) The animal did not appear to be in any distress and B) The officer had neglected to put a thermometer inside the car to verify the temperature inside the car (an animal left in a car an half-hour can be roasting in 145 degree (fahrenheit) car, but only 10 minutes, it wouldn't be more than 105 or so...) Therefore, the deputy could not refute with any authority Scott's assertation that the dog had not been neglected. They were let go (with a warning not to be seen driving overheated dogs around in these here parts any time soon!). I'm proud of Scott for not getting arrested. I've been up in officer's faces too many times to count and have suffered the consequences a few times. Policemen seem to lack a balancing sense of humor sometimes.

Then I went to The Madonna Inn to see the urinal...

(More Soon)

My Trip to San Luis Obispo - Journal Entry

Well, the first thing I have to say is that being sick and unemployed means that I can go to meet-ups like this without having to schedule a vacation. Life is full of trade-offs.

I woke up and brushed and fed the cat (extra in her dish) cleaned the cat-box and then fed the Cavvy (Guinea Pig) and made sure there was enough water for both. I then set up two box fans in the windows (one blowing in from the sitting room and one blowing out from the bedroom) to keep the pets from getting too hot. I then packed quickly (I'm a 30 minute packer - which means that I believe that if I pack just before I'm going on a vacation I don't obsess about it and I seem to get most everything necessary anyway (in this case everything) and what I forget can be purchased where I'm going) and jumped in the car.

I left Scummyvale at 9:30 and hit 101 South. I made good time and passed Salinas by 10:45 and then into the Salinas Valley and that long ride to Paso Robles. It got a little exciting when some idjit in a RV decided that both southbound lanes were for him. Yikes!

I hit the down-grade of Cuesta Summit around 12:30 and carromed down the mountain into SLO. I find it fascinating that you go from 1500 feet elevation to the 250 feet that San Luis Obispo resides at within a distance of three miles or so. It's quite a hill. There are three lanes going each way for the grade and the trucks are in the right lanes trying to either make the hill or come down the hill without killing the drivers. It is a mighty slow trip for them. In the middle lane are the guys like me who either have a car which doesn't go fast well or have more sense than to go fast on this monster hill. The left lanes is for the heart donors and speed-racers. I rolled into SLO at 12:40.

Check in at the motel was 2 so I had some time to kill and maybe decompress. I needed food and so I went in search. Cruising through the fascinating downtown I came across a place called Mo's Bar BQ which looked to be just up my alley (independent restaurants are always a great adventure) so I parked and went in. Great 'Q'!! I was on vacation so I decided to splurge a bit and ordered the "Combo Plate" which gave me a selection of meats. The first was chicken (really good but not "fantastic") I got a leg so I don't know how moist the breast would have been but the leg was almost falling off the bone and the hickory smoke had gotten well into the meat. Well cooked BBQ is a joy. The next meat was pulled pork butt which was too moist. It should have been drier but all-in-all quite good. The next was some pork ribs and here I pause to say a silent pray of benediction upon the man who taught Mo how to do "Q". The ribs were the 6th best I'd had in the USA and the 2nd best I'd had in California (The Best is in Hayward, CA... it's called "Carmen and Family" and is run by the family of a Creole Lady who developed the sauce). Really wonderful food. They also had Rolling Rock (pre-Anheiser-Busch-shutdown) and I ordered two (and water!) because I was dehydrated from the drive.

After lunch I needed a nice place to digest and I dragged my 27-acre body down to the mission and looked at all the pretty people while I sat in the shade and ruminated. San Luis Osbispo is probably the nicest town I've been in for quite awhile and I could live there easily. The combination of local agriculture, college-town ambiance (Let's hear it for the Cal-Poly Mustangs!!) and tourist attraction makes it really friendly and filled with wonderful young people. A man could grow old there and still stay young.

(more later)

I'll Be Here -- A Villanelle

I'll be here when you need me, I promise that.
This is a statement solemn, you can trust it.
My door is always open and I'm available for a chat.

Though we were never lovers we are close for all of that,
I have loved you in a way that will not quit.
You suit the way my thinking works just like a well-worn hat.

You're made of the improbable, a modern Cheshire Cat
You can't be bent by others, not a bit.
You tongue comes out to razz the world, you act just like a brat.

When all the days of this life have gathered skirts and sat,
Then the tally of our dealings will permit,
A tale told of the telling blows we struck in our combat.

Yet I could cherish every word that you have ever "spat"
At me in anger, baffled, too timid to admit,
That you care for what I do, and what my actions have begat.

So here in our strange friendship, like players standing pat,
We wait for rival gents to fold and quit.
And find what confidence we need with what we can laugh at
As hostile time tries robbing us of the leavings in the vat.


Stuart Andrew Marshall Tanner