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Moving on, post con.
7 years ago
General
Smart people understand that there is no such thing as paranoia. It is just another mask for ignorance. The Truth, when you finally chase it down, is almost always far worse than your darkest visions and fears.
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
TFF has been over for a few weeks, and I must say it was a favorable con once again, DOPR and Karno are good traveling companions. I very much enjoyed the con although the only panel I wanted to attend was very limited for seating and I was not fast enough to access a chair. Thanks to sleep deprivation and a bad back I could not stay for the Furry Psychology panel. More's the pity. Our hotel off site was quiet and comfortable with a lovely woman who ran our complimentary breakfast room. There were even a few other furs there taking advantage of the far-cheaper accommodations.
I do enjoy the drive as much as the con. Getting on the road, a bunch of CDs and a few friends is good therapy. I love hitting a few choice shops between Fort Worth and the Dallas area where the con is held. It's all part of the road trip experience. On the way in, we stopped in Thurber Texas, the site of a large single smokestack towering over the area, the last remnants of an old coal business. I always look out for this landmark and this year, due to the two hours we gained heading East, the little restaurant was open. The Smokestack was a very cool restaurant. Good food, good decor and a satisfying cup of coffee to keep me going since I drove the whole way out. Coffee to me is medication, I only partake sparingly and not very often due to my horrendous insomnia. We pushed on after a good brekkie and stomped around the huge antique mall we love that resides in the old Frigidaire factory. We combed the place for roughly and hour then drove the short distance to Omaha's Surplus. An old-school army-navy store like those I grew up with rather than the modern types full of cheap Chinese nylon tactical gear. Rows and rows of old uniforms, equipment and historic bits to please our group. We hit both places again before the weekend was over.
Meeting up with some old friends is always good for the soul. I spent a few hours shooting the breeze with some buddies and managed to make some new ones.
On the advice of Bucky, we drove back a different route. Normal return trip is the 30 to the 20 to the 10. This time we took the 30 to the 180 and then across the more Northern route above the 30. We drove through small towns like Mineral Springs and a few remnants of others, enjoying the shades of green as we passed, albeit a bit slower than an Interstate mega-route. I am originally from Los Angeles, then Tucson for about 30 years, so the sight of rivers, streams, creeks and lakes full of water is a big deal to me. I really like Texas. Selling my house in Tucson would likely net me enough money to settle in a small town pretty well set, but I own land in Northern Arizona, so that may not happen. I really enjoyed the new sights and smells of the non-oilfield more rural section of Texas we passed through. Eventually we drove into New Mexico, past the Carlsbad Caverns that I have not seen since the 70's. I need to return there. Following that route takes you back into Texas, dumping you in the mountains above El Paso, then quickly back into New Mexico again and finally Arizona. Long drive. We arrived kind of tired and ragged out, about 0200. My dogs were very glad to see me, and I them.
I am thankful for the trip, the con, and the company of friends.
I do enjoy the drive as much as the con. Getting on the road, a bunch of CDs and a few friends is good therapy. I love hitting a few choice shops between Fort Worth and the Dallas area where the con is held. It's all part of the road trip experience. On the way in, we stopped in Thurber Texas, the site of a large single smokestack towering over the area, the last remnants of an old coal business. I always look out for this landmark and this year, due to the two hours we gained heading East, the little restaurant was open. The Smokestack was a very cool restaurant. Good food, good decor and a satisfying cup of coffee to keep me going since I drove the whole way out. Coffee to me is medication, I only partake sparingly and not very often due to my horrendous insomnia. We pushed on after a good brekkie and stomped around the huge antique mall we love that resides in the old Frigidaire factory. We combed the place for roughly and hour then drove the short distance to Omaha's Surplus. An old-school army-navy store like those I grew up with rather than the modern types full of cheap Chinese nylon tactical gear. Rows and rows of old uniforms, equipment and historic bits to please our group. We hit both places again before the weekend was over.
Meeting up with some old friends is always good for the soul. I spent a few hours shooting the breeze with some buddies and managed to make some new ones.
On the advice of Bucky, we drove back a different route. Normal return trip is the 30 to the 20 to the 10. This time we took the 30 to the 180 and then across the more Northern route above the 30. We drove through small towns like Mineral Springs and a few remnants of others, enjoying the shades of green as we passed, albeit a bit slower than an Interstate mega-route. I am originally from Los Angeles, then Tucson for about 30 years, so the sight of rivers, streams, creeks and lakes full of water is a big deal to me. I really like Texas. Selling my house in Tucson would likely net me enough money to settle in a small town pretty well set, but I own land in Northern Arizona, so that may not happen. I really enjoyed the new sights and smells of the non-oilfield more rural section of Texas we passed through. Eventually we drove into New Mexico, past the Carlsbad Caverns that I have not seen since the 70's. I need to return there. Following that route takes you back into Texas, dumping you in the mountains above El Paso, then quickly back into New Mexico again and finally Arizona. Long drive. We arrived kind of tired and ragged out, about 0200. My dogs were very glad to see me, and I them.
I am thankful for the trip, the con, and the company of friends.
Who are you and what have you done with the REAL Wolf!!!
My time is spent alone at the end of the day, pretty much alone, as I have started a business and it takes all out of me, so I am envious of you...
SO many people are moving here, TO Arizona, it saddens me to hear about people moving OUT of it, honestly. I, too, have land, here.
But I am glad you had fun, and your pups were happy to see you. I want to attend a con at some point in my life.
That sounds amazing man, let me know! I'll note you
Most of my local friends have moved out of state due to better job offers, cheaper living, etc.
But I'm kind of in a financial trap...and can't afford to move, because I can no longer work a normal job due to medical issues.
(Can't stand for more than a couple of hours at a time..And some days not for more than a half hour at a time.)
Ken is looking at northern Arizona as a place to retire to, and I may move with him.
The flagstaff area is what he is eyeing, with its large and relatively cheap houses in the pines once you get out of town.
I'm most likely going to apply for disability, after taking a long and hard look at how badly my physical condition has become after the heart condition.
At which point, California is far beyond too expensive for me to live in.
I also miss our old road trips...
-Badger-
we did have some good times going to cons together, didn't we?
The california move was good for me in a number of ways.
But all good things come to an end.
And then new good times come into being, that could not have happened unless the old times passed on.
-Badger-
Much like Northern CA but without (hopefully) too many Californians!
Keep us posted! :)
Road trips down to Gun Mecca, aka Tucson would depend on money.
But if this all happens, I intend this time to see more of my favorite state than I was able to when I first lived there.
-Badger-