A note from Pete (hint: it's a goodbye)

Tehachapi Pete and a lady friend about 30 years ago in formal dress

Old Tehachapi is old and tired,
so like the old handyman, he went and retired;
but before he goes, he'll take time to say,
thanks for stoppin' by, have a nice day.

It's been a long hard road,
and he's under the strain of the too heavy load,
he's just got so old, he can't do it no more,
so, please show old Tehachapi to your door.

Say goodbye, you can drop him a line,
right in that comment box, you don't need to sign,
he'll enjoy the read, he's fond of you all,
and, well, he ain't got no number that you can call.

He'll put away the old '48 Ford,
find a good chair, and try not to get bored,
he'll remember you often, up there in his mind,
thanks to you all. You've been mighty kind!

This is post number 682, you can still keep in touch by going to http://www.larrysramble.blogspot.com/ but I'm guess you already know that.  Tehachapi has been around since 1982 (not online), he's had a great run.  I "invented" Pete for my daughter back then, she wanted some letters.  Now, she's going to be a "Grandma" herself.  I've enjoyed my being a "cyber hobo" and the "trips" helped satisfy my wanderlust.
Thanks for stopping by day by day.  Larry

Organized scratches on paper

Who's that peeking at us.

  Organized scratching with a pencil yields some amazing results.  The photo above really looks like some peeking through a piece of paper.  A good artist can draw a very realistic pictures, they look like photographs.  I am not one of them, my drawing skills are lacking.
  We know a man that used to live near us in Medford who could draw like this, he used the cheapest ballpoint pen he could find, his drawing of people and places were very, very good.
  I thought I'd just point out some of the fine work a pencil in the right hand can do.  Enjoy.

Photo, or not?  It's not!



An eagle takes a look at you.



No mistakes here either.

NOTICE: Tune in tomorrow for an important announcement.

The scratch of graphite on paper

Colored pencils

  When I was a little boy my mother would give me a pencil and some paper to keep my busy (or busier than I already was), crayons were in short supply during WWII.  Pencils, or crayons if you're French) have been around for centuries.  Remember the storekeeper in a western movie, touch the pencil to the tongue than write on the bill?  When you started school and were learning to write, you used a pencil.  Pencils come in handy, for example it you're trying to stop a table from the wobbles you could put a part of a pencil under one leg.  Or you could draw, or doodle, with a pencil for fun.  Next time you're in the area of an office supply store, like Staples or Office Depot, look in the pencil section for just a part of what they offer, then check the drawing/drafting/art aisle and see even more.
  I use colored pencils that are for watercolors, it works just like one of those coloring books children have that they can brush water on to color a page.  They are very handy for adding lines, or I'll show you a complete piece done with pencils.
  Buy some different kinds and try them out!

A set of pencils for art work, these are for drawing, not water.

This "painting" was done in pencils for watercolor, by me last year.
A 1929 Ford Tudor

Click to enlarge.  More pencil art, letters of the alphabet a carved in the tips
of the lead in each pencil.  Don't say "darn, my pencil broke" with these.

A "short" ride

Two Smart cars

  Gas prices going up makes some people think of ways to save fuel, don't drive as much, things like that.  Some people buy smaller cars and some people buy even smaller cars- minis.
  Most of the minis are for two people, some only for one, and safety may be an issue, I wouldn't want to be in an accident with one of these.  For driving around town, if you live in town, maybe these aren't so bad.

A "fold up" driver, in the Netherlands.

A 1954 Mivalino, built from a motor scooter in Italy.

These are "fold up people" for sure, even in the camper.

It still is (eating is for the birds)

Nuts! This is for squirrels

  Feeders in the backyard, feeders on the porch!
everyday we carry, feeders like a torch,
from small to large, no shape is too extreme;
all of those feeders aren't always what they seem.

windows stickers, groups on poles,
feeding birds soothes our souls.
some feed squirrels, most for the bird,
and joyful "thank yous" can be heard.

you can make one from a jar...

..and a bottle goes quite far.

or, you can feed a lot

Eating is for the birds...

Birds in the hand, the feeder is hidden (it's red).

...at least that's what I say,
feeding birds is fun, every single day,
why not give it a try, there's not to much to lose;
maybe just a dish, and half a dozen screws.

Or, you could but a new one, fill and hand it up,
remember - it should be big enough to hold a half a cup;
then sit back and watch the birds that come and go;
because when you're feeding birds, you're getting quite a show!

Be an angel feed the birds

An "apple" a day!

Here's a beak that holds more than a belly can.
Old Navy poster in the mess hall:
Eat all you take
don't be a Pelican
it's beak can hold more,
that it's belly can

Home is for the birds

Simple but nice

  Birds don't really need a "home" but they do like a place to nest.  Sure, most bird nest in trees, some on the ground, and a few on "floating islands".  But, some birds like to build their nest in houses (just for them) group homes (purple martins) in barns (swallows) or in little bird houses furnished by humans.  We still have a couple of bird houses that I've painted, but, those aren't meant to be outdoors their just decorative.
  Houses of birds for bird actual use are usually wooden, other stuff works too, the holes have a diameter that will be specific for a species (maybe more than one).  A house for a bluebird is about two inches, but other birds like small holes - you just have to look it up, or already know.  Houses for purple martins are built in groups (kind of condos) because they're very social, some are very large.


Some may like a rustic home



A single home (holes too big)

Purple Martins might like a "Victorian" home.