Finished reading The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed. It was repetitive and overly speculative, but very good over all, well worth reading. The Jefferson-Hemings saga is a fascinating story, this is well researched and documented.

Deming, NM to Fort Stockton, TX

Morning in Deming, New Mexico. Enjoyed an hour around the pool, reading, then checked out and continued east on Interstate 10.

Eherenberg, AZ to Deming, NM

Morning in Ehrenberg, Arizona, breakfast across the parking lot at The Cookery, a coffee-shop. It was mediocre food in a chain-restaurant setting, and we vowed not to do it again during the trip.

continuing east on Interstate 10, we stopped for gas at a TA Travel Center in Eloy, and again at a rest stop (exit 318) in Cochise County, at the southeast corner of the state. We crossed into New Mexico just before 6 PM, crossed the Continental Divide by 7:30, and stopped for the night in the Luna County town of Deming, at the Grand Motor Inn. Ate dinner at a local steak and ribs joint.

Leaving on a 4-Week Grand Road Trip

Had the Hybrid serviced in the morning. R & I finished packing and taking care of last minute business, and were able to pull out on our trip by 4 PM. I t was a bad time of day to leave, but we didn't hit traffic on the 118 or 210 until we hit Pasadena. From there it was slow going through to the 57 in San Dimas, and out the 10 through Pomona and Claremont. Traffic was behind us by the time we reached the wind mills in the Coachella Valley, at Sunset. We stopped in Indio for gas, and dinner at a fairly good mom and pop greasy spoon frequented by locals.

Back on the road, we listened to the Angel game (Jered Weaver pitching his first complete game!) and XM radio music of the 50s on our way east to Arizona. We crossed the Colorado River near midnight, and stopped to spend the first night of our journey at the Best Western Desert Oasis in Ehrenberg, Arizona. It occurred to us that we'd stayed at this same motel once before, on a trip to Sedona (12/26/2000). Not much to say about it - it's one of those two-story jobs with interior halls and elevators, but it's a perfect place for a quick overnight stop.

We're on our way!

Site of the Flying Saucer on Miracle Mile

Site of the Flying Saucer on Miracle Mile
Originally uploaded by Snap Man

I was in the old neighborhood on Sunday, and stopped to take a photo of the old Flying Saucer site, on the northeast corner of Wilshire and Cochran.

From the 50s into at least the 80s, the Flying Saucer restaurant was an institution on the Miracle Mile, at the northeast corner of Wilshire and Cochran - serving barbecue spare ribs, chicken, and burgers at reasonable prices. The spare ribs, with cole slaw and fries, were the preferred local takeout for my family when I was growing up, two blocks away - and as Andrea Graham (a fellow devotee) has noted, the place never changed, never remodeled. That cole slaw - tangy, no mayo - was the best I've ever had.

It was torn down in the 1990s, replaced by a Staples office supply store, which paid homage to the original site by maintaining the Flying Saucer motif (pictured here).

Photo August 5, 2007 (by klk).

My 60th Birthday party

My 60th Birthday party
Originally uploaded by Snap Man

I knew only that David and Kenlyn were coming over - but then the food and drinks started rolling out, and came a knock on the door: Darryl, Angela, and Kaitlin, with Liz, Gary, and Jeanne, saying "Surprise!" Now I knew what Darryl meant the other day when he said he and Angela had "plans" for the weekend! Robin proceeded to lay out a spread of chips, veggies, dips, clams, mussels, sardines, and fruit. Then grilled portobello mushrooms and salmon off the grill. Finally, cake, ice cream, and watermelon. Thank you sweetheart! I had a GREAT time!

The President's Oath

Andrew Sullivan has it right:

It needs to be stated again and again that the fundamental job of the president is not to protect the people of America, but to protect their constitution. This president has gotten things exactly the wrong way round. In a terror war, we have to acclimatize ourselves to the fact that many Americans may have to die as a consequence of a collective decision not to become a police state or a presidential protectorate. A free country that remains free in the face of terror will necessarily have many casualties. A police state would have fewer casualties. Given a choice between a loss of life and retaining constitutional liberties, what would you pick? And what would the first Americans have picked?

We've slid a long way, haven't we?

L. A. Times to put ads on the front page

More evidence of the sad decline of a once-excellent paper.

More bad news about our food supply

In The Dark Side of Soy, Mary Vance offers words of caution:

Soy is indigenous to Eastern Asia, where it was once considered toxic and used only as a cover crop. It was eventually fermented for better digestibility; it had long been known that soy caused extreme digestive distress if consumed raw or undercooked. Fermenting soy deactivates these harmful constituents and creates health-promoting probiotics, the good bacteria our bodies need to maintain digestive and overall wellness.

...Asian populations may have had success with soy because they are consuming primarily the fermented forms.

Soy is everywhere in our food supply, as the star in cereals and health-promoting foods or hidden discreetly in processed foods...

Agri-giant Monsanto obtained FDA approval to market GM soy in 1996, and by 2004, a staggering 85 percent of the US crop was genetically modified...

Soy's naturally occurring phytates block absorption of essential minerals such as zinc. This is most worrisome for vegans and vegetarians consuming soy as their main source of protein, and for women in menopause who may be further upping their soy intake through supplements. The highest risk population is infants...

Idyllwild

It seems like it hasn't changed since the last time I was here, in 1990 - still quaint, arty, and quiet - no chain stores or restaurants allowed. We stayed two nights in a one-bedroom "rustic cabin" that had a stone fireplace, kitchen, and wireless internet connection(!).