Ron's Log

Return to Barker Ranch - Death Valley

We returned to the Barker Ranch, the hideout where Charles Manson was arrested. We couldn't see any evidence in the vicinity of the digging and searching the Inyo County Sheriff did this past year. Don't know whether the suspected burial sites were further away, or the Sheriff did a good job restoring the terrain.

More Barker Ranch photos.

DHS Flower Report

Here is a report received today from Pat, the Desert Hot Springs flora inspector:

Your DHS readers might like to know about blooming wildflowers I found in Long Canyon today, Saturday. The canyon is not covered in masses of color. But with a little searching it was easy to find 16 types of flowers just starting to bloom. I found: bladder pod, brittlebush, brown-eyed primrose, burro bush, chia, creosote bush, desert canterbury bells, desert chicory, desert dandelion, desert trumpet, forget-me-not, Fremont pincushion, lupine, phacelia, sand verbena and Spanish needle. I also checked both sides of Mountain View Road between Dillon Road and 20th Avenue. Desert dandelion and chicory should provide lots of color there there is coming week. We don't have to drive to Anza Borrego or JoshuaTree to see flowers.

Ballarat - Almost Death Valley

We drove over to Panamint Valley and paid a brief visit to Ballarat, which we had completely skipped last year. Some people call Ballarat a "ghost town," but anyplace where you can buy a soda for $2 and bemoan the lack of any Charles Manson t-shirts to the proprietor is hardly a ghost town. A few photos:

More Ballarat photos.

Nothing Is Sacred

Coca Cola Light Plus Green Tea

Photo by hirosan.

In Brooklyn In March

Trevorbrklyn's Flickr photos.

Myrtle Windows Gallery presents: ordinary wonderful
A solo exhibition celebrating everyday beauty by Brooklyn-based artist Trevor Brown

CLINTON HILL, BROOKLYN, February 26, 2009 – From March 3rd to April 1st, three blocks of Myrtle Avenue will again play host to the Myrtle Windows Gallery, an open-air art gallery of ten storefront windows, with an exhibition of photographs by Brooklyn-based artist Trevor Brown. This exhibit, entitled ordinary wonderful, is sponsored by the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership (the Partnership) as part of their larger effort to bring art to public spaces on the retail corridor. The Partnership and artist Brown will celebrate this exhibit with a public reception on Friday, March 6th from 6pm-8pm at Karen's Body Beautiful at 436 Myrtle Avenue between Clinton and Waverly, after a guided tour beginning at 5:30pm.

The Myrtle Windows Gallery brings two-dimensional art traditionally limited to the private gallery to the public arena via the storefront window, where it is accessible to anyone walking down the street. This exhibition features the work of photographer Trevor Brown, whose work encourages all of us to take a moment to enjoy the beauty around us that we see every day, but too often take for granted. The Partnership issued an open call for participation in this exhibition, and selected Brown from a strong pool of local applicants because of the striking content and color in his work that brings a new light to familiar places. "From railroad tracks to garbage cans and window gates - you would never guess that the images in this show were all shot in Brooklyn. Even our local eateries with backyard gardens become magical places in the right light," says artist Brown, whose works will be offered for sale at price points considered quite affordable. Brown explains, "Community access to the arts has always been important to me as an artist. This is an opportunity that sounds like it is custom-made for me." Information on pricing is available inside participating stores. Un-mounted prints can also be ordered through the Partnership.

"Art on Myrtle enriches the daily experience of the visitor, shopper, and resident, and also highlights what makes this community special. We are thrilled to be able to create opportunities for local artists like Trevor Brown to show their work through this initiative," explains Meredith Phillips Almeida, the Partnership's Director of Community Development. Conceived as an innovative local economic development strategy with the dual purpose of increasing access to art and driving foot traffic to Myrtle Avenue, Myrtle Windows Gallery offers an added bonus for participating merchants – if a piece is sold, the store where it is displayed will receive a commission. Prior to the opening reception, Brown will lead at guided tour of the exhibit at 5:30pm on Friday, March 6th beginning at Karen's Body Beautiful at 436 Myrtle Avenue. Light refreshments will be served at the opening reception, which also takes place from 6-8pm at Karen's Body Beautiful and is free and open to the public. The pieces will be on display from March 3rd to April 1st in the following storefronts, all located within three blocks on Myrtle Avenue between Hall Street and Clinton Avenue:

• Anima (458 Myrtle)
• Five Spot Supper Club (459 Myrtle)
• Joseph Tyler Salon (456 Myrtle)
• Karen's Body Beautiful (436 Myrtle)
• Karrot Health Food (431 Myrtle)
• Miracles Unisex Barber Shop (473A Myrtle)
• Move with Grace Dance & Yoga Studio (469 Myrtle)
• Optimum Care Rehab (474 Myrtle)
• Thai 101 Restaurant (455A Myrtle)
• Three Stars Laundromat (439 Myrtle).

The Partnership's public art program is funded in part by a grant from the Lily Auchincloss Foundation and Myrtle's Business Improvement District.
Contact: Meredith Phillips, Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, 718-230-1689, meredith@myrtleavenue.org

Trevor Brown, trevor@trevorbrownonline.com, www.trevorbrownonline.com

Rattlesnake in Cahuilla Canyon

Seen and photographed yesterday by °Florian. We've had a few warm days, but not as many or so warm to bring out the snakes, I would have thought. Last week in Death Valley we saw a very active baby rattlesnake when the air temperature was only 55°.

DEA Gets On Board With Obama Policy On Medical Marijuana

In a press conference on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that henceforth federal law enforcement policy will match President Obama's policy: there will be no more DEA raids on medical marijuana dispensaries (coops or collectives). Also, the feds will drop their opposition to needle exchange programs.

Just In Time For Lent

The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.

Via one of my brothers.

If the crisp choreography and pizzazz of that gay version doesn't float your boat, here you can watch a poorly lighted version in front of an apparently humorless congregation of United Methodists.

Someone Has Found A Silver Lining

An L.A. Times story about "prison consultants," ex-cons who, for a fee, prepare white collar convicts for their first visit to the slammer. These consultants are expecting an upturn in business as the economy goes to hell and uncovers more Ponzi schemes and scams.

Lesson number 1 is that nobody in prison ever heard of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Stay with your own race. Don't use the phone of a person of another race. Don't play cards with people of another race." Maybe Lesson 1A is what to do if you're of mixed race.

It all makes sense in the United States, which has made itself the most imprisoned nation on earth.

Larry Levine, the focus of the article, said he made $100,000 from 40 clients last year. That's an average of $2.500 each. He doesn't deal with child molesters, but gives them this advice: "Pray. You're going to get beat up every day you're in there."

LADWP Discusses New Route For Green Path

A Press-Enterprise article with two big stories about Green Path North. First, the obvious one that they are considering another route (called "A3") that would run from Devers II (near Desert Hot Springs) to I-10, along I-10 to San Timoteo Canyon, and then to Loma Linda, Colton, Rialto and San Bernardino to Lytle Creek north of Fontana. [I wonder if anyone at the Press-Enterprise ever looks at their web articles to see how horrid their graphics turn out.] The route crosses a lot fewer private properties than the other I-10 route that would run lines all the way along the Ten to I-15. LADWP contacted Southern California Edison two weeks ago to re-open discussions for the I-10 route. They have not, however, contacted Union Pacific, whose right of way would be used as well. The Redlands Conservancy is concerned about environmental damage to San Timoteo Canyon.

The second big story is that we are finding out about this proposal now, even though it has not been publicly announced, and there is no detailed information or official maps yet, because the LADWP asked "desert stakeholders" to a private meeting on the subject in Los Angeles last week.

Yes, instead of trespassing and secretly planting survey markers, they are now asking for up-front input from April Sall, Joan Taylor, and (we assume) others unnamed. This is a great improvement from David Nahai's snotty remark last summer, "I didn't have to come out here, you know."