The Ladder

Birds on Lookout 14

4 Anglos and a smoking Cantonese

We made a day of Chinatown (via the long, lost route) and had quite a bit of fun. My Mother (who is almost 85) was told she was in China, she accepted it… and enjoyed the moment. We had some wonderful Filipino food from one of my favorite restaurants, Asian Noodle…yummy. This place is Family owned and Family run and all the recipes, well they’re Family too. We dined on Calamari with a wonderful vinegar based clear colored dipping sauce, shrimp prepared in creamy coconut milk served on a platter of bok choy, spinach, sweet potato, peppers and thin, crisp string beans…then there was the sizzling sirloin (no, I didn’t), the vegetable fried rice (oh man) and last, but not least…homemade coconut ice cream with fried bananas….

I have a few more shots, but this one in particular…well it just cracked me up. There was a gentleman that we intruded upon, taking positions on a bench. He seemed not to mind in the slightest and kept happily puffing away.When I was done shooting, I smiled at him, he made a gesture…and I assured him that he’d made it into the photo. I posterised and desaturated it because it felt right for the moment.

Pueblo Cows

Recently I was very fortunate to be able to visit Acoma Pueblo in the beautiful State of New Mexico. But at this moment I am preparing to take a a few family members to visit China Town and Alvera Street in Downtown Los Angeles…to see the sites, make a few purchases…and EAT! So, this is only a photo of the road that leads the way…

Acoma still awaits showing. In the meantime, so you’re not left in darkness…Acoma Pueblo, a 70 acre village, happens to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the USA. I figure a few more days waiting won’t hurt. There are fewer than 50 Acoma Indians living on the mesa top year-round and though quite camera shy, I was lucky enough to meet 10 of them… Apparently their cows are shy too because they all tried to pry themselves into this cement drainage tube when they saw me coming. 😉

Turning back time

Printing Elves

Straight Raw shots out of my camera…party on! Feel free to comment people but I will not be making you skinnier or cuter or younger than you are…blame it on your Mother. You can click on any one photo to see it bigger…for the old folks…and the vain.

Christmas Views

Winter Orchard

I’m your Huckleberry…

Tombstone: Too Tough to Die

When you hear the name Tombstone, it makes you think of gunfights on dusty streets and the romance of the Old West with characters like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. Tombstone itself was formed around an area called Goose Flats, after a prospector named Ed Schieffelin, discovered a wealth of silver in 1877. He was warned of only finding his “tombstone” while searching for his treasure.

Tombstone is legendary for many things but none more so than the most famous shootout in the History of the American West…the Gunfight at the O.K.Corral. The gunfight itself happened at about 3pm, Wednesday, October 26th, 1881 in a vacant lot behind the corral in Tombstone. About 30 shots were fired in about 30 seconds. The gunfighters, Wyatt Earp, Morgan Earp, Virgil Earp and Doc Holiday fought Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury, Billy Clairborne, Ike Clanton and Billy Clanton. Ike Clanton and Billy Clairborne (who later claimed he had been unarmed though reports credit him with shooting one of more times) ran away from the fight, unharmed. Both McLaurys and Billy Clanton were killed and Morgan Earp, Virgil Earp and Doc Holiday were wounded.

Of all these infamous Cowboys of the West, Doc Holiday has always held the most interest for me personally. Wyatt Earp was quoted once saying “He was a dentist whom necessity had made a gambler; a gentleman whom disease had made a vagabond; a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit…” Famous Gambling legend Bat Masterson (one of my favorite tv shows as a kid) was quoted as saying “Doc had but three redeeming traits. One was his courage; He was afraid of nothing on Earth. The second was the one commendable principle in his code of life, sterling loyalty to friends. The third was his affection for Wyatt Earp”.

Doc stood about 6 feet tall and despite all movies, he was a fair haired, platinum blond, built long and lean. Doc’s weapon of choice in his early days was an 1851 Colt Navy revolver given to him by his Uncle. Later in his western career, he carried a nickel-plated .41 caliber Colt Thunder or the .38 caliber Colt Lightening, both double action pistols. He never chose to use a shotgun but was handed one by Virgil Earp during the famous battle, which after firing one shot, threw down the gun in disgust and jerked the nickel-plated Colt, his favorite weapon.

Doc is known to all of us (who’ve watched the most recent Tombstone movie) as a bit of a wise guy with sayings like “I’ll be your Huckleberry” and also making reference to the term “Daisy”. Eye and ear witnesses present at this shooting say that when confronted by Frank McLaury at the gunfight, Doc’s reply to McLaury’s challenge “I’ve got you now!” was “Blaze away! You’re a daisy if you have”! Back then the slang “Daisy” referred to “the best in it’s class” or condensed to “the best”. His celebrated line “I’m your Huckleberry” was also a slang term meaning “I’m just the man you’re looking for”!

It was my privilege to walk down the same streets once walked by these legends and get to see this famous old town. The old courthouse is completely intact, along with the gallows in the courtyard. Allen street is still dusty, lined with buildings from the past, including the spot where the O.K. Corral stood. I looked very much the part as I walked it sporting my new black “Wyatt” hat while holding onto my newly minted “Tombstone Sheriff” badge. Sadly, my mystique wore off quickly when it blew off my head in a strong wind (or was pushed off by an old ghost) and I had to chase it damn near that whole street. I’m sure this “City Slicker” made the “Townies” days. 😉