The Hippies Are Back! And Not A Minute Too Soon!
I bumped into this “smile on wheels” today while in Encinitas.
The Kindness Bus Tour
Apparently Bob Votruba and his dog, Bogart, are dedicated to spreading one million random acts of kindness all over the nation. Ya gotta love it!
Check them out at http://www.onemillionactsofkindness.com/.
“If sand waves were sound waves. What song would be in the air now?”
Suzanne Vega
Cardiff Beach 3
Cardiff Beach 4
Cardiff Beach 5
Cardiff Beach 7
Cardiff Beach 8
Cardiff Beach 9
Panhandling…Begging or Working?
I pulled into La Jolla Village yesterday. For those of you who have not been here, La Jolla is one of the wealthiest communities in America. A place where the recession/ depression seems to be more a rumor or slight inconvenience then an every day reality.
At the 5 way intersection by the entrance to the Mall were 6 panhandlers. The closest to me was a twenty something with a sign proclaiming that he was a “down on his luck” Vietnam Veteran in desperate need of money. Given his age, this was clearly untrue. I made the comment to my friend that someone that young could find some job that pays as much as standing on a corner. Is there no shame? My friend told me not to be so quick to judge and explained why I was wrong. “The young man in question does have a job. He makes his own hours and pays no taxes. Begging is it”.
In the new America begging represents the height of entrepreneurial spirit. The act of making something from nothing with minimal resources. Standing on the corner with nothing more then a sad look and a piece of cardboard is boring and tedious work. But, given the right person with the right facial expression, the right amount of dirt and the right sign, on the right corner, someone can make as much as $50 or $60 an hour during peak traffic times.
The truthfulness of the sign is irrelevant. It is advertising, plain and simple. It is designed to illicit sympathy and spur the “customer” into giving. My friend also pointed out that it really isn’t “Money For Nothing”. The panhandler is providing a service. Everyone that hands over a dollar feels better and is saying to themselves, “There, but for the grace of God, am I”.
Still, if all of this is true and begging is just a new type of business, we quickly noticed that the “advertising” signs being used are poorly crafted and hugely antiquated for such an affluent community. After all, advertising has rules. Your message should be three to five words, maximum, finish by asking for the sale and, most importantly, know your demographic.
Wendi & I have decided they need our help.
Am desperate for an IPhone4..... God Bless
OMG the price of Jimmy Choo... Be Kind
Premium Cable Went Up... Again! Please Help $
Pilate bill is past due...Please Help Now
The Spring Line is in...Please Give
Spent a great day hiking Torrey Pines State Reserve. This is a terrific park. Crowded in the summer but pretty much perfect this time of year. Lots of trails. Easy hikes. Great for the kids. It’s sad to think that there is very little undeveloped Southern California’s coastline left, but there is this. So check it out.
Mission Beach Warning
Mission Beach at Sunset
Beach
I’m pretty sure that I’m in the heart of the exercise universe.
Southern California is a place where everyone seems to be moving. Constantly. They’re running, jogging and marathon training, both with and without baby carriers. They’re biking, road, mountain, unicycle, tandem, recumbent, and cruisers, all with and without baby carriers. Walking, speed and regular, again with and without baby carriers. Trail hiking. Surfing, parasurfing, windsurfing, body surfing and boogie boarding. Skateboarding and skating, both regular and inline. There are pilate studios, yoga studios, fitness studios, spinning studios, health clubs and gyms. Swimming, pool and ocean. Wind gliders and, of course, driving. Millions of them are driving. All the time. Now technically driving isn’t exercise, but with the aggressiveness and anxiety level applied to it here it will certainly burn off a few calories.
As promised, our “Asymmetrical” portraits are done and we couldn’t be more thrilled! A huge thanks to Bart.
Wendi Peterson © Bart Nagel 2012
Bruce Peterson © Bart Nagel 2012
Check out more of Bart Nagel’s work at http://www.bartnagel.com/.
Our month in Southern California has begun.
Wendi & I are very familiar with the area.
In the early 80’s we explored coastal towns from Chula Vista to Oceanside
and were captivated by the laid back surfer hippie feel.
Well, those days are gone!
You could write a thesis on the sociological significance of the economic and cultural shift that has transformed Southern California in the last 30 years.
So, let’s just not go there.
Instead let’s listen close and see if we can still hear some Beach Music.
Beach Runner
The View
Redondo Beach Power Station
Show Dogs
The Poop Deck
Lifeguard Station1
It’s funny, the things that influence you. As a young boy the wallpaper in our living room was printed with 8 or 10 variations on a “Country Lane” theme. They were simple illustrations similar to what you might see on English plates. I spent hours imagining who might have walked down that path, lived in that cottage or sat on that secluded bench.
Cape Lookout, Oregon 2009
Southern France, 2007
St. Chinian, France 2007
Mt. Hood, Oregon 2009
Cape Disappointment SP, Ilwaco,Wa. 2005
After one of these trips I always end up with a variety of images that just don’t seem to fit into any group except Odds & Ends.
Battery Park, Charleston, SC
Worker – Market Street
The Vegetable Bin – East Bay Street
Marine Drive
Georgetown, South Carolina
BBQ Sign
Boiled Peanuts – MMMM Good!
The Big Nasty
The Hominy Grill can’t make “the Big Nasty” fast enough. The place is packed for lunch and dinner to get this fried chicken, homemade biscuit, cheddar cheese and sausage gravy concoction. There is a Cardiologist just two doors down the street.
Carolina woods near Fayatteville, NC
Carolina woods near Fayatteville, NC
Wendi’s dear friend, Sharon Valentine, has a lovely cabin in the middle of these woods near Fayetteville, North Carolina where she is restoring almost 6,000 acres of forest and wetlands.
Wendi – Aikens House
Exchange Building – Broad Street
Thanks for tuning in. Bruce