Quote of the Day - Otto von Bismarck

The current budget battles bring to mind the following great quote by Otto von Bismarck:

"Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made."

That the United States continues to go about its business seemingly unaffected by all the incompetence and inefficiency that is going on  is perhaps best explained by another great quote by Otto von Bismarck: 


"There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America."

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Monsoonal Sunset - July 2011

This evening while out taking a 5.8 mile walk I captured the following images of one of the more beautiful sunsets I've seen thus far this year. These images were all taken from on Mustang Springs Road in the countryside outside of northwest Paso Robles, CA.I had hoped for some atmospheric fireworks this evening and might have seen a flash of lightning well beyond Black Mountain but that was once and that was all. In addition to these clouds was a noticeable increase in humidity today but there were no rain showers unfortunately.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Random Musings of a Ramblin' Fool XXXII

It's been a few days since a last posted here and a bit longer since I last posted a Random Musings column. I'm feeling a bit sleepy as midnight approaches but I feel compelled to get you all caught up as if anybody out there cared enough to read this but I amuse myself thus. I feel bad I have posted here so infrequently this month but I have been very busy being gainfully employed as well as enjoying some "staycations" house-sitting for friends. Next month I intend to get into a daily routine of blogging here starting tonight.

How 'Bout Dis Odd Weather?

Despite this being a "No-Nino" situation (ENSO Neutral Conditions) unlike last Summer when we found ourselves in a rapidly devolving El Nino into La Nina condition which led to unusually mild Summertime conditions we find ourselves currently experiencing a rather similar Summer weather pattern with consistently mild temperatures and lighter than usual fire activity across the state. Things are about to warm up for inland California but merely to more seasonable conditions from the ongoing below-average temperatures. California's 2011 Fire Season has thus far been mild not surprisingly but there is plenty of time left for that to heat up. The California Mid-State Fair ended tonight. The local joke around here is that it is always hot during the fair but for the second straight year the fair weather was fair weather.

K&K Earthwerks Store

I have started to revamp my Ebay store after being unable to get motivated to work on it since parting ways with my former business partner and now ex-girlfriend. As with this blog my Ebay store was a collaborative effort with her. In the aftermath of the breakup I found it difficult to be involved with either endeavor as they were in my heart and mind so inextricably linked to our relationship from which I was still recovering. Even after I was over it I did not yet feel the sense of sole ownership I do now. Last week I ended some items I no longer have or that I no longer wish to waste my time on Ebay selling now that I have some sales space in an art gallery in Atascadero that will open in August 2011. I will soon be adding many new minerals to my Ebay store as well as some old geology books and aerial photo survey series and even some rare computer items.

Cuesta College Fall Semester 2011

I have to make a confession. I have not yet signed up for classes at Cuesta College with classes starting in about two weeks. In other words, I need to get cracking. I talked to my history teacher Dennis Judd last week and he told me there are still plenty of availabilities in his classes which came as a welcome relief to me given that my top priority is getting into his U.S History class this coming semester along with a math and English course as well as a Spanish class. This all comes with a caveat: this plan is subject to change!

I'm a Gross Polluter! 

I have applied to have the state buy back my old truck (1994 Chevy S-10 pickup with over 400,000 miles) which is now officially a gross polluter. I stand to gain $1,500 if they approve my petition. I am currently awaiting word from above. If the money comes in it will immediately disappear into the hands of various entities awaiting a piece of my pie, ergo, The Gas Company, Verizon Wireless, A.T.&T., Mini-U-Storage, Cuesta College, Farmers Insurance, DMV, etc.

44th Annual OMS Gem Show a.k.a. Nipomo Rock Show

This coming Thursday I will be helping my friend Dave Richter of Rocks & Relics to set up his both for the Orcutt Mineral Society's 44th annual gem and mineral show known locally as "the Nipomo rock show". I will then help him dismantle his booth and load up his stock late on Sunday. I invite you all to visit the show to be held this coming Friday through Sunday at the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Nipomo on South Thompson Avenue. 

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VJ Day Celebration Home Movie

Somebody sent this to me via forwarded email and most such emails are fairly useless but this one turned out to be a gem. I find this short home movie to be remarkably sentimental and haunting and beautiful. The period in American history right when the war ended into the few years following before the Cold War (World War Three in my book) intensified and cast a dark shadow across the cultural and political landscape has long fascinated me.


VJ Day, Honolulu Hawaii, August 14, 1945 from Richard Sullivan on Vimeo.

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Quote of the Day - Orwell & Bismarck

For my second installment of Quote of the Day I offer two wonderfully insightful and apropos quotes that are extraordinarily applicable to the current state of affairs in the American Empire.

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

~ George Orwell 

"The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood." 

~ Otto von Bismarck

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Picture of the Day - Carlton Hotel

Atascadero artist Ryan Adams with "Carlton Hotel"

Today I dropped by my friend Ryan Adam's new studio on Morro Road in Atascadero, CA, which is being prepared for a grand opening soon. I was there to pick up a new painting by him "Carlton Hotel" that my other friend Dave recently purchased. Ryan graciously agreed to pose next to his latest completed creation. In his gallery I saw more cool creations in the midst of the creative process.


Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes

Dashboard View of Great Tohoku EQ & Tsunami

I recently became aware of this dashboard camera video capturing the Great Tohoku Earthquake and resulting tsunami on March 11, 2011. I have been unable to determine in which town these images were captured.




This video is a remarkable visual record of how a megathrust earthquake appears near the epicenter in terms of the intensity and how objects shake and people react. The soon arriving tsunami is remarkably captured from the perspective of how it appeared at street-level from within an automobile caught up in the tsunami itself.

Check out two other postings I did regarding this and showing more tsunami videos:

Top 10 Most Dramatic Tohoku Tsunami Videos

Two More Great Tohoku Tsunami Videos

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Jim Green Trail Photo Study #1

I recently took an evening walk on the Jim Green Trail in Atascadero and captured these images.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved)

Picture of the Day - Randy's Donuts

Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, CA, yesterday morning. 

On my way to the Emergency! reunion yesterday we stopped for gas across the street from famous Randy's Donuts.

Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved)

"51 in Quarters"

Today I had the privilege of attending the "51 in Quarters" Emergency! TV series reunion at Los Angeles County Fire Department Station #127 in Carson, CA. This event was hosted by the Los Angeles County Fire Museum located in Bellflower, CA. This event served multiple functions. It was a fundraiser for the museum and the first public reunion for the fans and two cast-members as well as with the original Squad 51 and both Engine 51's used in the series, to wit, both the older open-cab engine as well as the newer closed-cab engine). The closed-cab engine which was the more famous of the two was only just finished being fully restored within days of this event. In attendance was series leading man Randolph Mantooth who played the character of. paramedic Johnny Gage and Mike Stoker  who was a real firefighter with LACoFD but who had a Screen Actor's Guild card and appeared as himself. A series of speeches was made early on during the assembly by various local pubahs most of which were not particularly memorable. However, Randolph Mantooth and LACoFD Chief Daryl Osby gave superb and memorable and weighty speeches well worth listening to which I hope show up on Youtube at some point. It is worth noting that Chief Osby is the first LACoFD chief who came up through the paramedic program as well as being the first black chief. I stood in line with my companions and got a couple of their memorabilia items autographed by both Mantooth and Stoker. Mantooth was the more outgoing and effusive of the two but both were friendly and affable even after many hours of signing autographs and shaking people's hands and having to small-talk with perfect strangers.

223rd Street in Carson was partially shut down for this assembly.

Westward view on 223rd Street.

Eastward view on 223rd Street.

Station #127 from the middle 223rd Street in Carson, CA.

Looking west from in front of the station.

R.A. Cinader was the true creator of and driving force behind the show.

Two LACoFD firefighters dressed in the uniform of the time period of the show.

Classic ambulance model from the 1950's through 1960's.

Fully restored LACoFD Rescue 11.

The original close-cabbed "Engine 51"

LACoFD Explorers mill around behind older Engine #51.

Back view of the station which oft-appeared in the TV show.

Hundreds of fans waited for hours to purchase memorabilia and get autographs.

Quintessential Southern California backdrop... date palms.

Interior of the station's recreation room.

Kitchen area that was oft the center of social interaction in the TV show.

Fire department patches rim the margins of the old wall map oft-seen in the TV series.

Squad #51 was restored about a decade ago.

Newer Engine #51 fully-restored to its original glory.

LACoFD Engine #127 from Station #127 which was Station #51 in the TV show.

LACoFD Ladder #127 parked on 223rd Street to make room for the event.

Static display of various LACoFD apparatus across the street from Station #127.

LACoFD Mobile Air/Light Unit #115

LACoFD hybrid crew bus.

LACoFD Urban Search & Rescue Squad #103

LACoFD Urban Search & Rescue #103

LACoFD Engine #10 (Carson)

LACoFD Hazardous Materials Squad #105

LACoFD Hazardous Materials Squad #105

LACoFD Heavy Rescue #103

Close-up of seal on Heavy Rescue #103

Close-up of Heavy Rescue #103.

LACoFD Mobile Incident Command Post #2

LACoFD Command #2

Interior of LACoFD Mobile Command Post

Live image of outside from tower cam on top of vehicle.

The men

LACoFD's OES Engine #8134

Air Squad #11 approaching the scene of the assembly.

Air Squad #11 became another part of the static display of apparatus.

A genuine medical aid occurred at the static apparatus display.

An ambulance was dispatched to the scene for a heat stroke.

Squad #36 was also dispatched to the scene.

As the hours passed the line never seemed to shorten.

The crowd milling around greatly thinned by mid-afternoon.

For most of the day the station garage was packed with people.

By the afternoon the crowd thinned even while the line did not.

An endless procession of people posed by the primary movie props.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).