Tuco and the Man (Stan)

... the great character actor 'Eli Wallach' passed away earlier this past week as we're sure everyone knows - many great memorable roles in many great films...

... but around here, we gotta' consider his role of 'Tuco' in the 'Good, the Bad and the Ugly' his "opus"...

... Brilliant!...

... good stuff... haven't seen it in a while - gonna' have to pull out the DVD...

... R.I.P. "Tuco"...

... Ha! - while searchin' the internet for the above photos to "pirate", came across the following image...

... reminded me... was settin' in a bar in 'Beatty, Nevada' (just east of 'Death Valley') a few years back, eating lunch and havin' a beer - was the only one there other than the bartender/owner (who just happened to be pretty attractive and "talkative" as well, so wasn't in any real hurry to leave) - just happened to be around "high noon", by the way (ha!) - hear the saloon doors (to my rear) open - probably after a half minute goes by and didn't hear the doors close or anyone walkin' in - looked around and viewed an image identical to the above photo... this big dude, easily 6'-5", "George Custer" beard and hair, and wearin' a big "10 gallon hat" starts strollin' in - looked like you could have taken' him and dropped 'em in the center ring in the 'WWF' - he "bellies up to the bar" and takes the stool directly to my right, starin' at me the whole time - about a minute goes by and he's still starin' and "ain't sayin' nuthin" - I'm thinkin' "Oh boy, heeeere we go" - finally look 'em in the eye and say "How ya' doin'? ..."That your black Ford out there with the California plates?" ..."Yep!" ..."Where ya' from in California? We don't like people from a few places in California around here!" ..."Not from California! That's a rental car. I'm from Pennsylvania!" ..."PENNSYLVANIA!!!!" I USED TO DRIVE EIGHTEEN WHEELER OVER-THE-ROAD!! USED TO GO THERE ALL THE TIME!! LOVE PENNSYLVANIA! WHERE YA' FROM IN PENNSYLVANIA??... suffice to say, I immediately made a new friend - turned out to be a pretty cool guy by-the-way - claimed to be hell throw'n tomahawks and shooting a 'bow and arrow' and had many six shooter 'Quick Draw' championships "notched on his gunbarrel" (this verified by the bartender when he "moseyed on over" to the mens room)... was ridin' a huge 'Harley Davidson' which he passed me on, doin' at least a hundred mph headin' south on Rt 95 toward 'Vegas' ... "10 gallon hat" waving goodbye in the air as he disappeared into the desert landscape...

... speakin' of tough guys... finally purchased my fishing license... ran into this guy while checkin' out conditions along the 'Yough' last Friday night... hadn't seen him in a while...

... master fly fisherman 'Stan Helinsky'... Stan's also a pro "fly-tier" - he tied for 'Orvis' for many years before retiring... second year into it, told him once that  he was my inspiration to try out fly fishing (after watching him for many years while paddling the 'Yough') ... next time I saw him he handed me a handful of some of his "basic's"... lookin' good, Stan - that photo's almost "one for the ladies" as well...

... 'Muddler Minnow'...

... 'Wooly Bugger'...

...'Adams Fly'...

...'Caddis Fly'...

... mainly fish the 'Yough' when I make it out, so stick to what works (for me), meaning 'Streamers' like the 'Wooly Bugger' and 'Muddler Minnow' and any type of small 'Bead-Head Nymph' (mainly for the "shiner" effect) if it's close to late morning or early afternoon...

... anyway, thanks Stan!...

SUP (Paddling Part 7) + More Muscle Girls

... finally able to get back out on the water the past few weeks, mainly via 'Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP)'... loads of fun and a great core workout as well, especially if you push yourself paddling for distance and use correct form ... would have to compare it to 'Nordic Skiing' when it comes to "venture on land"...

... some older shots from five years ago... first experienced SUP's while visiting 'Huntington' and 'Malibu' beaches along the 'Southern California' coast back then... hard to believe it's been that long "already"... however, ya' don't need an ocean (preferred) or surf (preferred) ta' do it... the boards have gotten pretty popular since then - even make 'em now for running whitewater (ww) rapids (have one - an inflatable) - but we'll stick with 'paddlecraft' such as 'C-Boats' (modern term for ww canoe) and kayaks for that - wearin' helmets and all types of hard plastic "guards" to protect shins, elbows, wrists etc.. on a hot sumer day "don't sound like fun" - just give us a pair of 'boardshorts' and water (and a few PBR's) - besides, we have a suspicion that in all the "radical" ww photos you see on line and in print, in 99% of 'em the rider was "in the drink" a split second or two after the photo was snapped... maybe not...

... these photos are all from along the local 'river' - most were posted earlier on the website... that's 'muscle girl Sarah' and a 'Surftech Laird 12.1' molded foam board - fabricated mainly for the surf, but they do well in SWPA rivers and lakes...

... this is a pretty good spot with many more like it... definitely secluded - and ya' frequently see tons of wildlife including deer, black bear, otters, beavers, snakes (all kinds) and turtles along with herons, ospreys, kingfishers, bald eagles and countless other bird species... could go on... good trout fishing as well...

... the scale of the landscape...

... lots of green...

... not a cleaner river anywhere when the waters runnin' clear...

... "ditto" - and gettin' in a few laps...

... "chillin' out"...

... another day - on the 'lake'...

... great paddling here as well, with the west flank of 'Chestnut Ridge'...

 

... and rolling countryside as backdrop to over a hundred acres of paddling ...

... some pretty cool reflective late afternoon light on the water here... the 'Z-Man'...

... have really gotten in to this lake paddling - must be gettin' old - and that's OK... couldn't describe it any better than as follows...

"... distance is relative... you learn that in time... eight and a half miles can be covered in minutes with a car on an expressway, but what does one see? What he gains in time he loses in benefit to his body and his mind... I can notice things. A bubble on the water, an arctic tern's breast tinged with the blue reflection of the lake. The landscape is not just a monotonous blur on either side. The stroke of a paddle moves you forward about eleven feet. Sometimes I get lost in the rhythm of the paddling. I even count the strokes it takes to get to a point of land. The play of muscles in one's arms and shoulders, and the feel of palm against warn wood, are preferable to glancing at a speedometer..."

- Dick Proennecke

- One Man's Wilderness - An Alaskan Odyssey

by Sam Keith from the journals and 

photographs of Richard Proenneke

... thanks to Sarah for providing us some action shots...

... speaking of which - she sent us a few shots from a 'photo-shoot' she did a few months back...

... courtesy of 'Sky Sight Photography' (http://www.skysightphotography.com/) located in Greensburg, PA... very good work...

... can't beat 'black and white' photography - with some nice visual depth perception here...

... some more good B&W lighting... looks like she's been training the 'abs'... personally, now'days I would have to stand behind that chain link fence to achieve a similar effect...

(internet photo)

... like these guys...

... thanks for sharing the photos... by the way... all shot "on location" over at the 'Virtus Institute' (http://virtus-institute.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/thevirtusinstitute), Greensburg, PA...

... who don't seem to have a shortage of 'muscle girls' over there...

... one of Sarah's buddies, Alyssa Loughran (https://www.facebook.com/Alyssaloughranfitness)... competition...

... and training...

... we're once again guilty of blatant photo theft - so if any of the stuff suddenly disappears, that is why - upper photo property of Alyssa and  'MyContestPix.com' - bottom photo property of Alyssa and 'Jeff Zoet Visuals' (http://www.jeffzoet.com/), who does a lot of projects with Alyssa - very good with the graphic imaging...

... forgot to mention... when not training, she's usually out savin' the plant ('Zoet Visuals' again)... good to know - got her on speed-dial on the "bat-phone" in case 'OOD' or 'Commander Osage' attempt another raid on the woodpile...

... note: this 'Blog' tends to get a lot of "traffic", so if we can help out with "exposure" of any athletes, artists etc.. we will... in the words of NYU Film Professor 'Thierry Pathe - "... in this business you can be the best in world at what you do, but if no one knows, it does ya' no good..."... was a reiterating topic with him...

In the Garden of Eden

... short 'Fathers Day' tribute here... gone but not forgotten...

...  probably around 1968-69 - my sister (older) is havin' all her (girl)friends over for a "slumber party"... that's OK... and they're all amped to listen to this new album they just picked up, 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' by 'Iron Butterfly' - somethin' different - takes up the entire sales-side of the 'LP' vinyl - about 17 minutes long...

... around 10pm Friday night - the "slumber party" is goin' full bore - a one-inch thick door separates the gals from 'Dad' and us between rooms - "...In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida... da-da-dadadada-da-da-da..." blaring away... think we watched (but didn't hear) 'Batman' and 'The Wild Wild West' on TV up 'till now... "Jesus Christ!... don't that song ever end??!!" - he says (although - did notice 'em "toe-tappin" at the drum solo) ... they replay it for the fourth time... he wouldn't complain to the girls, though...

... 6am next morning (Saturday)... the two of us are goin' small game hunting (my first year)...  he's been up early as usual ... he's makin' us breakfast and packin' lunches... the whole time whistling "da-da-dadadada-da-da-da..."...

... the original 'Rifleman' (young punk in this photo) - that guy could shoot - and we're talkin' quickdraw shotgun - we're sure he was setting there that night thinkin' about all he and WWII brothers, friends, etc.. went thru so the gals could peacefully enjoy their 'slumber party'... no bitchin' from this guy (unless ya' really screw up)...

... the "Rifleman'...

... Brilliant!...

... here's a tune for all the true "Bad-Ass-Dads" this day...

... Brilliant!!...

... to this day, that is one "badass tune"!!...

... as well as a "Sunday Sermon" from "Father Carlin"...

... Brilliant!!!...
"... the big electron... it doesn't punish... it doesn't reward... it just is..."...

... speaking of which... was paddle-boarding over at the lake today... setting in the 'beachchair'  between laps... PBR wrist-length... secluded spot as usual... here comes a young guy with wife and young son - "hey, care if we fish here"... "go ahead!"... within' twenty minutes he's shouting over..."hey - you should see all the 'Bass' that are swimming all around your board!" - which was beached shallow water along the shorebank ... still say that the fish, big and small, are attracted to that large white bottom of the paddleboard ...

... hey man, it's 'Fathers Day'... don't worry... it'll all be gone tomorrow (until needed)...

... and that's OK...

Calico Tanks

... another cool hike out at 'Red Rock Canyon', Nevada... about a 2.5 mile "out and back"... around 580ft elevation gain...

... 'Calico Tanks' trailhead where it splits from the 'Sandstone Quarry' trail...

... an ancient 'Agave Roasting Pit' where the native people roasted agave plants and game such as 'Big Horn Sheep' and 'Desert Jack Rabbits'...

... a trail view of 'Turtlehead Peak'...

... lots of contrasting landform and color...

... large rock formations...

... 'Agave' plants...

... some nice color contrast between the red sandstone and green desert pines...

... lots of blooming desert wildflowers...

... think these may be called 'Apache Plume'... maybe not...

... some type of 'Purple Sage'?...

... 'Cholla Cactus'...

... with blooming lime-green cactus flowers...

... and more 'Cholla Cactus'...

... with blooming orange and red cactus flowers...

... largest of the 'Calico Tanks' - a large pond or pool in the rocks, or 'Tinaja' as they are known throughout the southwest... they were all dry this day... would like to see them when conditions are right (replenished by storms) as they are said to house a species of small shrimp (related to the popular 'Sea Monkeys'), whose eggs survive in the dust through years of drought, then sprouting and quickly mature when water arrives to breed and produce more eggs to again lay in wait through subsequent period of dust and drought for water to return... 

... some nice east facing views, from just beyond the 'tanks', of the 'Calico Hills'...

... and the 'Las Vegas Valley' - that's the city of 'Las Vegas' off in the distance...

... with the 'La Madre Mountains' to the north...

... had 'Desert Dog Koda, M.D. (Medical Dog)' along this day as well...

... heard that she recently had a few rear hip issues, but has since gotten better... good!... sure that she is now back to chasing lizards (seen here) and other desert varmints...

... one last stroll thru the 'tanks'...

... and return down the trail...