Wolfbane

I'm heading to a place where the only floor standing speakers are JBL L5s powered by an H. H. Scott 222C amplifier. Described by some as 'Black Coffin-Like Boxes'. Are my ears going to miss my Belles?

Au contraire. Never decline the benevolence of the mob. Case(s) in point: Paul Castellano (AKA Big Paulie): Sparks Steakhouse Jimmy Hoffa (AKA Dead): Rex Fox Steakhouse Arthur Flegenheimer (AKA Dutch Schultz): Palace Chop House and Tavern You may want to both keep your powder dry and avoid a hot shave at the barbershop too: Albert Anastasia (AKA The Mad Hatter): Barber Shop at the Park Sheraton Hotel

Order something: Some of these guys may have too much free time on their hands.

Two theory's on how the Mob disposed of Jimmy Hoffa: - He could be found smiling at you from (within) the front chrome bumper of your 1976 Pontiac. - The hard bit of gristle in your Ball Park Hot Dog is actually the last piece of wisdom (as in tooth) Jimmy could offer. Always decline lunch or dinner anytime the Mob is buying at the local Steak House.

Then you're not smoking good Cuban Cigars.

The movie Prime Cut was filmed in and around Calgary when I was a kid. Calgary was a center for beef processing plants with Alberta having massive herds of beef cattle. Its been 30 plus years since I last saw it but I believe the source of human DNA in sausage is explained by Lee Marvin's character in the movie if you decide to watch it. see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069121/

According to recent reports (PBS) your goldfish can in fact recognize the human's who look after them. My father had a pet cat as a child that knew when he would be coming home from school. This cat would actually walk down the street in the direction of dad's school to meet him on school days at the appointed time. His cue, I suspect, was seeing dad leave the house in the morning on school days. None of dad's eight other family members were accorded the same treatment. I suspect my dad was this cat's 'pet' for the more than 20 years the cat ended up living. Every dog we've owned has decided who belongs to him/her. The 'non-pet' family members were appreciated but not to the same degree with the last Bichon we owned who decided he belonged to my wife. The only time he liked me as well was when I was preparing dinner. I'd make gravy or a sauce or carve the roast/turkey/ham, etc. with the dog never leaving my side or taking his beady brown eyes off me.

His reasoning isn't bad, but I feel like the Romans would be a better choice, and maybe 1200 or so AD. Of course, pure speculation and alternative history. But the real loss was the Alexandrine library which was the equivalent of the web. The accumulated learning of all mankind. Most of the "dark ages" were spent simply relearning all of that. We'd have been WAY ahead of where we are had that library not been lost. Dave The library at Alexander being burned was much less a factor in the development of circumstances that resulted in the Dark Ages than was the combination of initially Christianity expanding into the Roman Europe, and subsequently, Rome's over-reliance on mercenaries to maintain their empire. The later coming of Islam put paid to what was left of the Ptolemaic Kingdom's Library in Alexander, as religion practiced by zealots results in the destruction of anything the zealots don't understand. China was ravaged by the Mongol invasion and subsequent take over. Napoleon said 'the boundaries of an empire is measured by the graves of it's soldiers'. Great empires like Egypt, China and Rome always decline, and always fall, when those same soldiers are no longer willing to fight to expand, maintain and hold on to what they've already acquired. Nothing fails like too much success.

If they come we may done for. Unless they die laughing after someone takes them 'to our leaders' and they see the cast of Klowns' actually running the place.

Rather unlikely that one can be educated beyond his intelligence. At least, not successfully so.

Looking for evidence of absence, or absence of evidence?

Lucas - the people who invented darkness. I restored a few british cars in my wasted youth. "Volkswagen, Das Auto!" They apparently think potential buyer's of their diesel engine equipped vehicles are Das Stoopid! I will take one of those diesel's, 40 + MPG, I think the EPA is Das Stoopid.......................There is not 1 american diesel that will get 40 mpg, and lets not even think about the 18 wheelers and trains, ships, etc...etc...etc...I would bet you take a measurement on that cars emissions without the software for the mileage it gets compared to any diesel here in the states and its negligible......................There problem is they had the audacity to buck the EPA.............so they must become the example There's a German made diesel that gets good mileage (actually better than VW's) and doesn't need to cheat. Made by BMW and available in their 328d. Costs more but retains it value better. It is Volkswagen who cheated both their customer's and the EPA.

You must not be acquainted with America dish water like Coors or Bud. I'd take a warm Brit beer any day over those two and their ilk.

Actually there's a third setting: dead!

Lucas - the people who invented darkness. I restored a few british cars in my wasted youth. "Volkswagen, Das Auto!" They apparently think potential buyer's of their diesel engine equipped vehicles are Das Stoopid!

I've got no interest in smoking the stuff. I just don't want to be driving on the highways there if and or when others have legally smoked in Washington State. I learned pretty quickly not to be on the road after sunset in New Mexico a few years back. It was not weed there that was an issue, it was grog.

We plan to take more time this year on the way south and will be driving west, then south, then east. It will be about the journey. The direct route I used to do to AZ in two long days, flashing past Monument Valley, Zion National Park, etc. at full speed (especially if the women were sleeping).

^^^^ Did you purchase two pairs from Bob or just not find them to your liking?^^^^

I quite like San Francisco, but not sure where we will start heading inland this time. We may head east through Reno this time (never seen Reno). Santa Barbara was really nice too but we just over-nighted there in 2006 before pushing on to San Simeon and then north.

i wholeheartedly agree…and mmmm, cheese Tillamook makes great aged Cheddar Cheese. We can't get it here in Canada due to protective laws for dairy farmers here (think big sugar). The only better cheese from the Pacific NW I've had is the canned cheeses made and sold by WSU. If we drive through Spokane this time I'm picking some of the canned stuff at the WSU Bookstore there.

I'm not a golfer. Probably the only northern guy that spends winter vacations in Arizona and does not golf. Trying to put a little white ball that you whack with a stick into a hole hundreds of yards away requires more patience then I currently possess. The scenery is usually better around the swimming pool so I'm not hurting while there,

I had taken 4 rolls of (36 exp) 35mm B&W film on the trip home including that very bridge. My professional film processor managed to ruin all four developing them. The only other time he ever screwed up was my eldest daughter's High School Grad. I used two different cameras that day, one 35mm and one larger format Rolleiflex. He ruined the 35mm roll but not the few shots I took that day with the Rollei. Lesson learned. This time I'm taking my digital camera only.

No, not 101, Hwy 1. There arenat least 40 bridges just like this one all down the Coast Hwy, I would not want to be on one when the next big one hits. In July 2006 it was just the wife and I in a 2 door sports car with no backseat, trunk space, glove box or cupholder's. I forgot to bring my radar detector and she kept saying 'you're going to get a ticket'. Managed to get one state patrol officer to wag his finger at me in California as he went by going the other way and another to flip on his flashing lights as he blew past me going south in southern Oregon. If he was actually after me at the time he did not pursue or stop me. So no tickets. This time I'm bringing my radar detector and a car with a trunk.

Yes Highway 1. Saw the Tillamook Plant a few years back when we spent a 2 week family vacation on Cannon Beach. Worth a re-visit for sure. I've been to Portland a number of times and a few times to Seattle. Wife loves the no state sales tax shopping in Portland.

We saw these in July 2006. Probably worth another visit. Worst thing we stopped for was Hearst Castle. I would describe it as a monument to himself. As Orson Welles said in Citizen Kane 'Rosebud'.