Medusa at Burning Man… Where Snakes, Art and Myth Join Forces

January 15, 2016 / Curt Mekemson / 21 Comments

The Medusa by Kevin Clark and the Rhino Redemption Camp was one of the most impressive sculptures at Burning Man 2105.

You are probably familiar with the myth of Medusa. She was one bad dude-ette. The story is told that Medusa, a beautiful woman, had sex with Poseidon (Neptune) in Athena’s temple— an event that seriously irritated the goddess, which was never a wise thing to do. Athena responded by giving Medusa a permanent bad hair day, turning her beautiful locks into a nest of squirming snakes. Even worse, she gave Medusa a look that transformed people into stone. Neither of these actions was conducive to encouraging normal human contact and Medusa developed a nasty attitude, using her newly acquired powers willy-nilly.

The Greek hero Perseus was tasked with chopping off Medusa’s head. The gods helped. He set off for battle armed with a sword from Zeus, a polished shield from Athena, winged slippers from Hermes, an invisibility cloak from Hades, and a sack from the Hesperides. The latter was to stuff Medusa’s head into. Three old sea goddesses with one eye and one tooth between them, the Graeae, told Perseus where to find Medusa when he stole their eye. By cleverly using Athena’s shield as a mirror, he approached the snake-haired woman and hacked his way to success. Afterwards, Perseus used his grisly trophy to do in enemies. He’d yank her head out of the sack and point it at them. Zap, you’re a rock.

Burners from Petaluma, California, creators of one of my all time favorite mutant vehicles, the Rhino Art Car, were responsible for bringing Medusa to Burning Man. Kevin Clark and his fellow members of the Rhino Redemption Camp, felt that Medusa with her mirror tie-in was a natural for the 2015 Burning Man Theme, Carnival of Mirrors. Burning Man honchos agreed and Clark went to work in his Petaluma workshop. He used a cast of the face of his friend and co-worker on the project, Michele Ramatici, as a model for Medusa’s face, and set about gathering 800 barrels for making 25 snakes. The snakes would reach as high as 27 feet into the sky; Medusa’s face, close to 15 feet.

The Rhino Art Car crosses the Playa in 2014.

3 Rhino Art Car camped out at Medusa Burning Man 2015

This is the Rhino Art Car in 2015 as it provides a temporary home for the crew that was working on Medusa.

4 Horn of Rhino Art Car at Burning Man 2015

A view of the Rhino’s horns. Also note its eye.

When I arrived on Sunday, the first day of Burning Man, work was still underway on the giant sculpture. Bits and pieces of snakes and snakeheads were still strewn all over the ground. (It isn’t unusual for large-scale art projects to be under construction the first few days of Burning Man.) I watched with fascination as a tall crane lifted snake sections into place. Even partially complete, the sculpture was impressive. It became more so as the week progressed.

A snake head up close… complete with wicked looking fangs. Eventually, it would connect with its body.

6 Medusa being built at Burning Man 2015

The ground, in fact, was still strewn with snake parts when I arrived at Burning Man 2015 on opening day.

7 Building Medusa at night Burning Man 2015

Work continued far into the night as the Rhino Redemption Camp worked to have Medusa’s snakes up and ready to strike.

8 Early Medusa with white face at Burning Man

Even partially finished, Medusa was impressive. Eventually, the white cover of Medusa’s face would come off.

9 Early building of Medusa at Burning Man 2015

But first, she had to grow a lot more snakes, as shown in the next two photos.

10 The snakes of medusa

11 Medusa close to being finished at Burning Man DG

My friend, Don Green, captured this photo of the almost completed Medusa. All that remained was to remove the white cover. I liked the contrast of the red umbrella.

A different kind of snake was found just above Medusa’s head: a King Cobra.

13 Night view of Medusa's face at Burning Man DG

Night provided a totally different perspective. (Photo by Don Green.)

15 Night view of Medusa's snakes at Burning Man 2015

The snakes were quite colorful.

16 Close up of Medusa's snakes at Burning Man

The ‘tongues’ were designed to shoot out flames. Unfortunately, I was never around to witness the phenomena.

17 Threatening Medusa snake at night, Burning Man

It wasn’t hard to imagine that this fellow thought of me as dinner.

Starting with ancient Greece and then moving on to Rome, the Renaissance and modern times, there must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of images of Medusa created. I even found a GQ magazine cover that featured Rihanna wearing Medusa hair. Regardless of all the art generated since the beginning, I believe that the ancient Greeks would have loved Kevin Clark’s version.

18 Medusa's face revealed at Burning Man

Medusa’s face unveiled was made of burnished steel, which created a perfect mirror.

Medusa, hiding out in her snake hair.

20 People admiring Medusa at Burning Man 2015

A final view as Burners check out the sculpture. Even a dragon fly had stopped by to visit.

The Temple of Promise at Burning Man 2015

January 13, 2016January 12, 2016 / Curt Mekemson / 25 Comments

The Temple of Promise at Burning Man 2012.

The Temple of Promise at Burning Man 2015: light, airy, and beautiful.

I had rolled out of bed at 5:30 and ridden my bike out onto the Playa to take photos of Burning Man’s 2015 Temple of Promise. It was truly beautiful and promised to be even more so at sunrise. There were lots of folks already there when I arrived (even mutant vehicles), but none of the hustle, bustle and noise that normally accompany Burner events. As the sun hit the spire, the people present spontaneously formed a large circle and silently held hands. No one said let’s hold hands; or let’s form a circle. It was unplanned, a response to the beauty of the moment, yes, but more, something transcendent, a reflection of how Burners feel about their temple.

A crowd had gathered at the Temple of Promise when I arrived as the sun climbed over the mountains. A dragon mutant vehicle is outlined by the early morning light.

A crowd had gathered at the Temple of Promise when I arrived as the sun climbed over the mountains. A dragon mutant vehicle, filled with Burners, is outlined by the early morning light.

Burners spontaneously joined hands as the first rays of the sun hit the Temple.

And continued to as the Temple was bathed in light.

And continued to hold hands as the Temple was bathed in light.

I use the word ‘their temple’ on purpose. The people responsible for building the temple each year— the architects, master builders, and volunteers who donate thousands of hours— and the people responsible for funding it (somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000), generously contribute their work of art to the people attending Burning Man, as part of the event’s unique gifting society. Every year, the temple is different, a unique creation, and every year I have attended, the temple has been something special, a thing of beauty. Here is a selection of the temples.

The Temples at Burning Man are unique and quite beautiful.

The Fire of Fires Temple at Burning Man 2009

One of the first Temples I saw at Burning Man.

The Temple of Hope at Burning Man 2006

The Temple of Whollyness at Burning Man 2013

The Temple of Flux at Burning Man 2010.

The Temple of Juno at Burning Man 2012. (Photo by Tom Lovering.)

The Temple of Grace at Burning Man 2014.

The significance of the Temple goes beyond its beauty, it becomes a refuge, a place to say goodbye to friends and loved ones (including pets) who have passed on, a place to ask for forgiveness and leave messages of forgiveness, and a place to celebrate and say thank you. Literally thousands of messages are left on the temple walls during the week. Photographs, perhaps a dog’s favorite chew toy, even someone’s ashes are left as remembrances.

Morris the Cat was born in 1998 and passed away on October 5, 2014 at the old age of 16. He was still loved and missed by the people he had considered his family.

Someone has memorialized a number of species that had become extinct.

The Earth Guardians of Burning Man have memorialized a number of species that had become extinct.

A garden of metal trees stood in the Temple’s patio and provided more opportunities for people to remember their loved ones.

Photographing the Temple at different times of the day and from different angles only added to its beauty.

The entrance leading into the Temple. (Photo by Don Green.)

I really liked this shot by Don that emphasized the entrance leading into the Temple and the contrasting mountains behind. (Photo by Don Green.)

Another morning shot from a different angle. I also like the drama provided by the clouds.

Another morning shot from a different angle. I also liked the drama provided by the clouds.

Morning sun catching the copper face of the temple provided the rich color here.

Inside the Temple at midday… shadows and light.

The Temple at night from a distance.

The front of the Temple at night.

Inside the Temple at night.

A black and white rendition of the Temple top for fun.

On Sunday evening the Temple burns. It is a solemn occasion. Tears run down cheeks, people whisper goodbyes, and friends hold each other tight as flames leap into the air, lighting the night and carrying memories of loved ones into the sky. But it is also a celebration of life, a letting go, and permission to move forward. I had planned to attend the 2015 ceremony along with my friends Tom Lovering and Don Green, but we had the wrong time and the temple burned quickly. Here are two photos from the Temple burn of 2012.

The temple of Juno from 2012 burns, shooting flames high into the sky.

A final shot. Soon the Temple will fall, helping to bring closure to the thousands of people who had left messages.

A Carnival of Mirrors… Burning Man’s 2015 Theme: Part II

January 10, 2016January 12, 2016 / Curt Mekemson / 23 Comments

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most ferocious beast of all? Cat dreams. I thought this carnival poster at Burning Man 2015 was particularly relevant to the theme.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most beautiful kitty of all? Or is that most ferocious? Cat dreams. This carnival poster at Burning Man 2015 made me smile. I thought it was perfect for the theme.

“From the looking glass to the selfie, people seek answers to the riddle of identity in their own reflections. Yet even the most perfect mirror shows only the persona, not the person.” Larry Harvey, cofounder of Burning Man

Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and make faces? Come on, confess, I know you have. We are drawn to our image like a moth to flames. Sometimes we like what we see, other times— maybe not so much. I remember checking a mirror once when I had started my solo bicycle journey around North America. It scared the heck out of me. It was my second day out and I’d ridden 65 miles. My sole preparation for the trip had been to increase my daily consumption of beer from one to two cans a night. Somehow, I had missed the message that you are supposed to ride your bike before starting off on a 10,000-mile journey.

I could barely get off the bike that night. My right leg refused to reach high enough to get over the crossbar. It had gone on strike. Laughing so hard I almost fell down, I stumbled into the office of a cheap motel and got a room for the night. My first priority was a shower, even before I hit the restaurant across the road and ordered beer, lots of it. After taking my clothes off, I made the mistake of glancing in the mirror. A great white whale was staring back at me. It was both my persona and person. “You damn fool,” I said to the whale, “what in the world do you think you are doing?” It didn’t have an answer. I declared the third day of my six-month trip a layover.

There were lots of mirrors at Burning Man, playing off the Carnival of Mirrors’ theme and doing what they do best— encouraging people to stare at themselves. It was pretty humorous, especially when Burners started posing. I looked at as many mirrors as anyone, but I avoided ballerina and butt shots, wisely so.

Of all the mirror at Burning Man 2015, this one seem to attract the most attention for both posing and photo ops.

Of all the mirrors at Burning Man 2015, this sculpture by Kirsten Berg seemed to attract the most attention for both posing and photo ops. The irreverent thought of this woman displaying her best assets flitted through my mind.

“Hmmm, I wonder what I look like upside down,” this woman seemed to be saying. Or maybe she was praying “I hope I don’t fall down and break my head.”

On the other hand…

I am on the left, leaning over on the handle bars of my bike and amusing myself taking photos of people posing.

I made it into all of the photos, a sort of photo bomb waiting to happen. I am on the left, leaning over on the handle bars of my bike and amusing myself taking photos of people posing. The vastness of the Black Rock Desert spreads out behind me. The guy on the right is dutifully taking photos of the woman pretzel.

I also found more carnival posters where my friend Tom stood in as a model. Close by was a Museum of Cultural Appropriation and Dead Things. The latter would have fit right in to a circus sideshow.

This carnival poster is a takeoff on P.T. Barnum's first major hoax in the sideshow business, the Feejee Mermaid who had the tail of a fish and the head of the monkey. You may recall it was Barnum who said "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

This carnival poster is a takeoff on P.T. Barnum’s first major hoax in the sideshow business, the Feejee Mermaid, who supposedly had the tail of a fish and the head of the monkey. You may recall it was Barnum who said “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”

While I am dealing with mermaids, this cigar chomping cutie represents the fact that tattoo covered people became a part of the sideshow business in the 1950s. Check out my blog on the Triangle Tattoo Museum in Fort Bragg, California if you haven’t already seen it.

As you might imagine, there are lots of tattoos on display at Burning Man. I was particularly impressed with this guy’s art.

My friend Tom Lovering, good naturedly posed with some of the sideshow art.

My friend Tom Lovering (known as Adios on the Playa), good-naturedly posed with some of the sideshow art. He was hoping for a little faith and charity.

Here, Tom checks out Eve’s apple (right?) afraid that she might offer him a bite.

I found Hammerhead at the Museum of Cultural Appropriation and Dead Things, where I also found Butthead, featured below.

Okay, I admit this is a little outrageous, and has no place in a decent blog like mine (grin), but it is exactly the kind of thing you would have found in the old carnival sideshows.

Okay, I admit this is a little outrageous, and has no place in a tame blog like mine (LOL), but it is exactly the kind of thing you would have found in the old carnival sideshows.

As you might expect at a circus or carnival, there were also entertainers galore, jesters, and clowns. I’ve always thought of Burning Man as a three-ring circus and Burning Man 2015 was hardly more so than any other year. The Center Camp Cafe and Black Rock City are constantly filled with people performing circus acts, Barnum and Bailey would have loved to feature mutant vehicles in their circus parades, and the entrance to the media tent at Burning Man 2015 would have made a great entry to a fun house (or political campaign?).

There is a great deal of talent at Burning Man and the Center Camp Cafe is always filled with people performing, as much for themselves as others.

I will have a whole blog, or maybe two or three, on mutant vehicles at Burning Man, but I thought this jester fit in here.

The perfect clown. Check out his eyes. (Photo by Don Green.)

My last photo for this essay. I loved the media tent, appropriately labeled the media circus. I almost expected to see the ‘The Donald’ or some other prominent politician hanging out there. The teeth drew back to provide a door.

NEXT BLOG: Where to go is the question? I think I will take you out to the Temple, one of the most beautiful ever at Burning Man.

Burning Man Themes… Reflecting the Mind of Larry Harvey

January 7, 2016 / Curt Mekemson / 39 Comments

One of four gateways to the 2015 Burning Man Carnival. William Blake’s poem “Tiger, tiger, burning bright, In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” was printed around the edge.

Larry Harvey created the first theme for Burning Man in 1995, ten years after he had co-founded the event. Ever since, he and his crew have been churning out a new topic every year. I picture him sitting somewhere in San Francisco, puffing away on his ever-present cigarette, and waiting for inspiration to strike. Finally, the proverbial light bulb flashes. Why don’t we make this year The Nebulous Entity, or Caravansary, or Beyond Belief? It would be interesting to track Harvey’s thought process.

The first theme was Good and Evil. Undoubtedly, there were costumed angels and devils wandering all over the Playa and Black Rock City. There still are. I recall one year when every other woman seemed to have sprouted wings. Maybe there was a sale on. I ran into a bit of good and evil myself at 2015’s Burning Man. I spun a wheel of fortune and was told, “you will soon discover if you are the good twin or the evil one.” Did I really want to know? Later I found a graphic sideshow poster of how it might look.

A wheel of fortune at Burning Man suggested I would soon find out whether I was a good or evil twin.

Carnival or sideshow art has been used for over a century to pull people into sideshows where all sorts of unusual sights were promised.

I must say, being evil looks a bit more interesting. Carnival or sideshow art has been used for over a century to pull people into sideshows where all sorts of unusual sights are promised.Vintage original art is now worth thousands of dollars to collectors.

Burning Man invites individuals, groups and artists to participate in and interpret its annual theme through their costumes, camps and creative works. Here’s a complete list of themes since 1995:

2016 — Da Vinci’s Workshop

2015 — Carnival of Mirrors

2014 — Caravansary

2013 — Cargo Cult

2012 — Fertility 2.0

2011 — Rites of Passage

2010 — Metropolis – The Life Of Cities

2009 — Evolution – A Tangled Bank

2008 — American Dream

2007 — The Green Man

2006 — Hope & Fear

2005 — Psyche

2004 — Vault of Heaven

2003 — Beyond Belief

2002 — The Floating World

2001 — The Seven Ages

2000 — The Body

1999 — The Wheel of Time

1998 — The Nebulous Entity

1997 — Mysteria

1996 — The Inferno

1995 — Good and Evil

The 2015 theme was built around the concept of carnivals and mirrors. A city of tents grew up around the Man featuring carnival posters, mirrors and games of chance. Four large gateways invited Burners in to where hucksters pushed their games of chance, or just strangeness. I checked my image in each of the mirrors but skipped the ring toss where the posts took on a definite phallic look. I stopped to watch a show where a talented acrobat displayed her skills, and I helped pull ropes that made a giant skeleton dance.

A devilish gateway into Burning Man 2015.

A devilish gateway into then Burning Man Carnival. Note: I arrived early at Burning Man this year before the crowds gathered. Many of the Carnival attractions and other installations throughout Black Rock City were still being set up.

I found this humorous guy hanging out inside.Nice tongue.

Taking a page from Dante's Inferno, this gateway switched the words from

Taking a page from Dante’s Inferno, this circus elephant gateway switched the words from “Abandon all Hope” to “Abandon all Despair.”

The fourth gate into the carnival was this nerdy looking young woman.

A stage in the carnival featured ongoing shows such as this flexible acrobat.

A large skeleton puppet had ropes that Burners could use to make the skeleton dance. Carnival poster art surrounded the Man and what Burning Man called its Fun House.

Following are three sideshow posters that I found particularly amusing including this tattooed cat.

Following are three sideshow posters that I found particularly amusing including this two-headed tattooed cat.

Ancient Aliens…

And a Playa Chicken.

My friend Don Green took this photo of the Fun House entrance. I will be featuring many of Don’s photos throughout this series.

Don seems a little worried about the doctor that was prepared to operate on him in one of the carnivals side tents.

I was taken with the detail in this painting that welcomed Burners into the Fun House. (See Don’s photo of the entrance above.)

A closeup of the face.

And even more detail featuring a gypsy woman.

And even closer shot featuring a gypsy woman with her incredible detail.

Various mirrors welcomed Burners inside the Fun House. I took this photo of Squirrels on my T-shirt. The caption was "Birdseed, what birdseed?"

Various mirrors welcomed Burners inside the Fun House. I took this fractured mirror selfie of my see-no-evil, speak-no-evil, hear-no-evil squirrels T-shirt. The backward caption is “Birdseed, what birdseed?”

A final shot for today, this one looking up at the Man from inside the Fun House.

The 2016 Theme, “Da Vinci’s Workshop,” is designed to draw a parallel between Medieval Florence and Burning Man in terms of art, technical innovation, and patronage. (No one has ever accused Larry Harvey of being shy, modest, or lacking in ambition when it comes to promoting Burning Man, but seeing Black Rock City as the equivalent to Florence, and as “the epicenter of a new renaissance,” is something of a leap.)

Still, the art being inspired by Burning Man is very impressive. And the 2016 Man being “surrounded by a public square, a piazza lined with workshops, each representing a guild…” with the guilds being “self-invented and devoted to the interactive manufacture of whatever participating artists and inventors can imagine, ” sounds like fun.

NEXT BLOG: We will travel into Black Rock City and out into the Playa to explore other ways the 2015 theme of Carnival and Mirrors was represented.

On the Road to Burning Man… Along with 70,000 Other People

January 3, 2016January 4, 2016 / Curt Mekemson / 31 Comments

Just a 30 foot robot boy walking his robot dog at Burning Man 2015. The boy holds a flower in his right hand that he raises up to his nose and 'smell.' The endless creativity at Burning Man has brought me back to event time and again over the years.

Just a 30 foot robot boy walking his robot dog at Burning Man 2015. The boy holds a flower in his right hand that he raises up to his nose and ‘smells.’ The endless creativity at Burning Man has brought me back to event time and again over the years.

I’ve been making the trek out to Black Rock City since 2004 and blogging about the experience for the past five years. Today marks the beginning of my series on the 2015 Burning Man event (along with more general stories). I’ve waited until now because January and February are the primary months when people will make their decisions about going in 2106 and begin to scramble for tickets.

Newbies, or Virgins as they are known on the Playa, are now scrambling around for every scrap of information they can find. Veteran Burners are thinking fondly of past years, or rambling on about the good old days— back when the Man was young and wild, back before he became an international icon and media darling, and back before Silicon Valley giants, Hollywood Stars, and other one-percenters started landing on the Black Rock Desert in their private planes.

If you’ve read my past blogs on Burning Man, you know that I am a big fan of the event, particularly of the art and creativity it generates. But I don’t make the decision to go lightly. Getting there can be expensive and cleaning up afterwards is always a chore. I can live with these challenges, however; they come with the territory. It’s obtaining a ticket that drives me wacko. BMO, the Burning Man Organization, has yet to figure out a way to make the experience painless or even fair. The challenge is that there are a lot more people who want to go than the 70,000 Bureau of Land Management limit.

I blogged last year about my Kafkaesque experience in trying to get tickets. I only ended up going because of the persistence of my friends Tom Lovering and Don Green. Tom found two tickets and a vehicle pass that weren’t outrageously priced (scalped) on Craig’s List the day before the event. Don made an hour trip from his home in Lafayette California to South San Francisco with a thousand dollars cash in his pocket to meet a guy he had never met at a Starbuck’s he had never been to— at midnight.

I had one day to get ready. Food for eight days had to be purchased, 40 gallons of water loaded, the van and bike prepped, baby wipes packed, and a load of gear ranging from goggles to costumes gathered up from numerous places around the house. Because Peggy had just returned from touring Cotswolds in England, she opted out of Burning Man. It was all about me. I scrambled.

Late-morning on Saturday found me waving goodbye to my best buddy. I was on the road to Burning Man! People come from all over the world to attend the event. Some travel thousands of miles. My trip is a mere 300, a short journey of around six hours. From Medford, I cut across the Cascade Mountains to Klamath Falls and then travelled southeast to Alturas in the remote northeast corner of California, cowboy country. I then crossed the Warner Mountains to the town of Cedarville, a small enclave that sits on the edge of the vast and lonely Nevada desert of the Great Basin. It is the final jumping off point for most Burners travelling to Burning Man from the Northwest US and western Canada.

Businesses along the route to Burning Man have learned that Burners are are a potential source of income. Pappy Gander's Restaurant in the small town of Merrill has a Burners welcome sign.

Businesses along the route to Burning Man have learned that Burners are a potential source of income. Pappy Gander’s Restaurant in the small town of Merrill, Oregon has a Burners Welcome sign.

I stopped for lunch and was amused to find this 'duck decoy' painting.

I stopped for lunch at Pappy’s and was amused to find this ‘duck decoy’ painting. BTW, that’s a mallard holding the shotgun.

I opted to spend the night at Cedarville, as I usually do. I prefer arriving at Burning Man during the day. Plus I like Cedarville. The folks in the small town welcome Burners with open arms. (We’re an important part of their local economy. A gas station owner once told me he obtains 50% of his annual income during Burning Man week.) An even better reason for staying was the Modoc County District Fair was underway, and I love county fairs. I parked Quivera (our van) next to the small town park where I planned to spend the night. I asked some folks coming out of a local church if the local sheriff would hassle me. “Hopefully he has better things to do with his time,” a man told me. “If he does bother you, just drive around the corner,” his wife added.

I quickly walked the two blocks to the fair entrance where I paid three bucks to get in. It would be hard to imagine a better use of my money. A three-person band was playing Pistol Packing Mama and other country-western classics in a free outdoor concert. I sat down on a wooden bench and listened. Pigs, goats and sheep greeted me at the animal barns. I wandered around looking at kids’ art, prized vegetables and other treasures that fill county fairs. I even said hi to Smokey the Bear before I returned to Quivera. I went to sleep to the sound of stock cars roaring around in the Annual Mud Race. It would prepare me for the nightly noise of Burning Man.

A horse came galloping across a pasture to greet me as I walked to the fair and gave me the eye. If I understand horse language correctly, it asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have a carrot in your pocket, would you?”

I sat under this attractive cover as I listened to Pistol Packing Momma. The barren looking mountain in the background is part of the Warner Range.

Goats have always been one of my top reasons for visiting county fairs. This fellow was very curious about my camera. Shortly afterwards he tries to nibble on my shirt.

Goats have always been one of my top reasons for visiting county fairs. This fellow was very curious about my camera. Shortly afterwards he tried to nibble on my shirt.

Pigs are also a major reason I visit fairs. I like to arrive when they are eating but missed this time. Still, their curly tails more than justified my visit. You might say they were hamming it up.

I often skip the sheep barn, but how could I resist taking a photo of them all dressed up? They were ready for a fashion runway.

You usually have to go to an Elementary School to find great art like this. I’m serious.

And how about these prize onions? A local farmer probably grew these in her backyard garden.

And finally a challenge. Less you have any doubt that this is horse and cowboy/cowgirl country, how many horses can you find in this collage?

I was up early to make the 80-mile drive across the desert to Gerlach, which is just ten miles from the entrance to Burning Man. Tom had said he and Don should arrive around 8 from Reno. I think they made it by 11. I hung out and watched thousands of Burners pass through town. It took us a couple of hours to make it the last few miles. I was sort of reminded me of being stuck in a LA freeway traffic jam. Almost.

Once you leave Cedarville and a couple of other even much smaller towns, this is the kind of country you see on the way to Burning Man.

For 50 weeks out of the year, Gerlach is a quiet town with about as much action as you see in this photo.

For one week out of the year, however, its streets are packed with Burners and thousands of vehicles pass through the town.

For one week out of the year, however, its streets are packed with Burners and thousands of vehicles of all types, sizes and shapes pass through the town. As the sign notes, Gerlach is the last chance to pick up any vital supplies, such as beer or water.

A large Bazaar (for Gerlach) is placed on the edge of town to supply almost anything a Burner might need, including…

Fine used bikes ideal for traveling across the dusty playa…

And the latest in Playa wear.

So let's say you reduce the number of RVs and bikes, put down pavement, and eliminate the dust storm, couldn't this resemble a traffic jam on an LA freeway.

So let’s say you reduce the number of RVs and bikes, put down pavement, and eliminate the dust storm, couldn’t this resemble a traffic jam on a LA freeway?

And then the dust storm hits. You can barely see the car in front of you. Can you imagine what might happen on that same LA freeway? In an hour or so we might even make the last three miles into Black Rock City.

NEXT BLOG: We arrive in Burning Man and I introduce the 2015 theme: A Carnival of Mirrors. Welcome to the circus.

Happy New Year to Our Friends in the Blogging World!

January 1, 2016December 31, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 47 Comments

Fireworks from Burning Man to welcome in the New Year.

Fireworks from Burning Man 2015 to welcome in the New Year.This is a side view of the Man just before he burns.

It’s that time of year when our lives are balanced on the edge of looking back and forward. I don’t do New Year’s resolutions so much as I look backward to see where I have been and forward to see where I am going. The two are obviously closely connected. Normally we continue down the same path; it is a deep rut we have created. But occasionally something knocks us off the beaten track, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Doors close; doors open. I try to live a life of no regrets, or at least as few as possible— life is precious. When I die, I want the last words on my lips to be, “Wow! What a trip,” not “Damn, I wish I would have…”

As bloggers, our lives are more open than most. We share the journeys we are on, both inward and outward— and you have shared much with me in 2015. I’ve been privileged to help raise goats in Virginia, romp with Milo in Australia, worry about a lost cat in England, and wander back in time to World War II. I’ve travelled to the world’s capitals and the remote corners of Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, North America, Australia and New Zealand with both old and new blogging friends. (Over a year qualifies as “old” in the blogging world.)

You’ve allowed me to see the world through your eyes in Nigeria, Knoxville, Southeast Texas, northern Oregon, and ever so many other places. I’ve stood beside you as you have fought Ebola in West Africa, hiked in Patagonia, travelled down the Nile by boat, snorkeled in Iceland and built houses in Nepal. Many of you are superb writers; you’ve shared your poetry and stories and causes as well as your adventures. And many of you are excellent photographers, sharing your life in pictures as well as words.

Thank you.

In return, I’ve taken you backpacking into the Grand Canyon, shared the craziness and beauty of Burning Man, and invited you into my home in southern Oregon. Peggy took you along on her exploration of the Cotswold in England, and I took you up the North Coast of California where we explored subjects ranging from the Grateful Dead to the world of tattooing. I suspect you recall my confrontations with the Nike Missile north of San Francisco. Iggy the Iguana wandered into our living room and onto my blog in Puerto Vallarta. And there were many more adventures. It was all fun for me. I was particularly excited and pleased to share the publishing of my book, The Bush Devil Ate Sam, about my experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia.

Of the many visitors to our home I blog about is the deer herd that lives in our backyard and has become quite fond of apples.

We travelled from the Bell Tower in Sedona...

We travelled from the beautiful red rock country of Sedona…

To this bower of trees at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Peggy took you on a trip to England that included Gloucester Cathedral hallway that was hues in Harry Potter.

Peggy took you on a trip to England that included a Gloucester Cathedral hallway that was used in Harry Potter.

While I took you to the Potter School in Bodega, CA that was used in Alfred Hitchcock’s film, The Birds.

Senor Iggy the iguana came to visit us when we were in Puerto Vallarta.

Altogether, according to WordPress, my posts had 94,000 views from 170 countries in 2015— not monumental in the world of blogging, but definitely enough to please this wanderer.

Here’s what’s on tap for 2016:

In January and February I will be blogging about Burning Man 2015 with added thoughts on Burning Man 2016
At the end of February, Peggy and I will be travelling to Alaska to see the kick-off of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, and the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks, both of which I will blog about.
From mid-March through May, Peggy and I will make a 10,000-mile road trip around the US and Eastern Canada, retracing the route of my 1989 solo, six-month bicycle trek. I’ll be blogging about both the bike trip and the road trip as we travel.
From mid-July to mid-August I will be doing a 250-mile backpack trek from Kennedy Meadows to Mt. Whitney in the Sierra Nevada Mountains following the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail. While I am out, I will be running blogs on past outdoor/wilderness treks. When I get back, I will do a series on the actual Trek. (I’ve done the trip several times, but at 73? Hmmm. Guess we’ll see.)
Late August should see us back at Burning Man. After that, who knows?

Here’s wishing each of you a happy and healthy New Year.

Curt and Peggy

NEXT BLOG: We will head off to Burning Man 2015 as promised.

Where Two Tattoo Artists and a Sword Swallower Came Together… Triangle Tattoo and Museum in Fort Bragg CA

December 27, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 29 Comments

I was met at the top of the stairs by the charming Madam Chinchilla who was tattooed from neck to feet.

I was met at the top of the stairs by the charming Madam Chinchilla of Triangle Tattoo and Museum who was tattooed from neck to feet.

I have always been a wanderer, happy to be on the road, excited to see new things. I still am. But blogging has changed my perspective. I think more about what will make a good story, and what photos I should take to illustrate the story. I do more research. Sometimes I think, “Damn! This resembles work.” Posts have to be written, photos processed, deadlines met. The thought passes quickly, however. Blogging has made my travels more meaningful and interesting. On occasion, it has even led me down paths I might never have taken. Today’s blog is a good example.

I was taking advantage of Starbucks’ free Wi-Fi in Fort Bragg, California to check in on my WordPress blog when a promotion came up listing “things to do in Fort Bragg.” I expected options like ‘visit Mendocino,’ or ‘go for a walk on the coast,’ etc. Much to my surprise and bemusement, number one on the list was a tour of the Triangle Tattoo and Museum at 356 N Main Street. It caught my attention. I had never been in a tattoo parlor, much less a tattoo museum. The thought of someone scratching an animal, flower, skull, naked woman, snake, dragon, Mother, or even Popeye the Sailor Man on me sends my skin scooting away in hasty retreat. I am a wimp when it comes to such things. Even a trip to the dentist seems like more fun.

If ever there was a symbol of sailors and tattoos it was the spinach eating Popeye the Sailor Man, who yam what he yam. (Photo from Triangle Tattoo Museum.)

The walls of Triangle Tattoo in Fort Brag are covered with traditional tattoo art. I would have to be drunk, knocked out, and tied down to have a tattoo of a skull or Mother scratched on my body.

The walls of Triangle Tattoo in Fort Bragg are covered with traditional tattoo art. I would have to be drunk, knocked out, and tied down to have a tattoo of a snake, skull or Mother scratched on my body…

Or even a dragon with a scantily clad woman.

But I was hooked. I had to go. I packed away my laptop, pulled out my camera, and headed downtown. I didn’t have a clue what I was getting myself into, which often makes for the very best adventures. I was greeted by a wonderfully garish stairway and begin my climb upward, nervously.

The entrance to Triangle Tattoo pulls you in and up the stairs. I was fascinated about what I might see next.

Side show poster art at Triangle Tattoo in Fort Brag.

One thing I found was circus side-show poster art. Tattooed men and women were once prime circus attractions. (I believe this was done by Captain Don Leslie, the sword swallower.)

Madam Chinchilla was waiting for me at the top.

Whatever I was expecting, she wasn’t it— she is an absolutely delightful, attractive, and charming woman in her late 60s, tattooed from head to toe. Over the next hour she served as my tour guide. We started out at the business end of the parlor where Mr. G., her partner in the business since 1986, was busily tattooing his pharmacist. Next she took me into her studio and told me to take all of the pictures I wanted. The walls were covered with photos of her life and interests. There was even a picture of her mom, proudly displaying some fish she had caught.

Madam Chinchilla in her studio. A large elephant tusk, which she was quick to point out was not made of ivory, stood behind her. A strong Oriental theme is found throughout the room.

A close up of the tusk with an appropriate dragon.

A close up of the tusk with an appropriate fire-breathing dragon.

Madam Chinchilla’s exotic studio.

One of many photos I found of Mr. G. and Madam Chinchilla in her studio room.

Madam C’s mom proudly displays fish she caught as a young woman.

The museum reflected tattooing down through the ages and within various cultures. Masks reminded me of my time in West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I thought of Sam, the young man who worked for me, and the scarification/tattoos on his chest that represented marks made by the Bush Devil’s teeth, an experience reflected in my book title about my Peace Corps experience: The Bush Devil Ate Sam. Modern tattoo machines are much more sophisticated than whatever tool was used to carve Sam’s skin. The control of depth, speed, and force of the needle allowed by tattoo machines has turned tattooing into an art form.

The doorway to the Triangle Tattoo Museum. You are welcomed by native masks.

The doorway to the Triangle Tattoo Museum. You are welcomed by traditional native masks.

A close up of the masks.

12 African mask from Ivory Coast owned by Curtis Mekemson

I brought this African Medicine mask home with me when I returned from being a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa. Note the tattoo marks above and below the eyes.

The tattoo machines on the right are capable of producing sophisticated body art. Feathers are extra.

There is more to the museum than tattooing, however. Numerous photos and artifacts, such as boots and a sword, serve as a memorial to Captain Don Leslie, a world-renowned sword swallower and circus sideshow attraction. Madame Chinchilla and Mr. G had befriended Captain Don in 1986 when they had first started their tattoo business. It was a friendship that had grown and lasted up until the Captain passed away in 2007. His presence is still very much felt at Triangle Tattoo. In 2010, Madam Chinchilla published a biography on Leslie that she had co-written with Jan Hinson. I bought a copy, which I read that night and was immediately transported back in time to when the circus came to town.

Captain Don Leslie, sword swallower. Captain Don began his career by running away and joining a circus as a teenager. Both his sword swallowing and tattoos served as draws to circus side shows.(From a photo at Triangle Tattoo and museum.)

Captain Don’s first sword he ever swallowed and his boots hang on display at the Triangle Tattoo and Museum. Madam Chinchilla described how Captain Don would join Mr. G. and her for each Fourth of July Parade in Fort Bragg. Madam C. and Mr. G would drive their pink Cadillac. Captain Don would walk in front, with sword in hand and breathing fire. What a show it must have been.

Diagram of sword swallowing by Captain Don Leslie

Don’t do this at home. A graphic made by Captain Don displays the anatomy of a sword swallower. How do you swallow a sword? “Very carefully,” he notes. But the question remains…

Captain Don Leslie, sword swallower extraordinaire

How do you swallow several swords? Captain Don also mastered breathing flames, laying on a nail bed, and walking on glass. (Taken from a photo in Madam Chinchilla’s biography of Captain Don.)

Madam Chinchilla holds the book she wrote on Captain Don.

Inscription in the biography of Captain Don Leslie

Madam Chinchilla’s inscription to me in Captain Don’s book. I truly enjoyed the museum. If you get to Fort Bragg, it is definitely worth a stop. And the hospitality is great! Thanks Madam C.

As I was leaving the museum, Madam Chinchilla left me with two thoughts. One was that “the human body is a historical site for the inscription of culture and its history/herstory.” The other was about how popular tattooing has become— it is now mainstream. Judging from all of the tattoos I see around me, I have to agree, but I am still not going to offer my body up as a tattoo artist’s canvass.

NEXT BLOG: This blog completes my North Coast series but provides an excellent introduction to my Burning Man series. I am running it now to coincide with the time that Burners prepare to buy their 2016 tickets. The 2015 theme was Carnival and is the subject of my first blog. Captain Don would have loved it. In fact he would have quickly become a main attraction. Join me.

Wishing You Peace… And a Winter Wonderland

December 22, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 39 Comments

There is great beauty in the world. Snow adds another dimension. This is the road leading down to our house.

In troubled times, it is easy to forget that beauty surrounds us, and that there are people found throughout the world who are kind, generous, and tolerant. It is important to remember that the world’s great spiritual leaders— whether their wisdom came from Bethlehem, a cave near Mecca, a Bodhi Tree in India… or a mountain, desert, forest, palace, or city slum— simply wanted the best for their followers: peace, understanding, happiness, a future.

I have to believe, do believe, that if Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Moses and the world’s other great spiritual leaders of the past were here today, they would walk shoulder to shoulder together down earth’s highways urging the people of the world to work together to create a better world— not only for humankind, but for all life.

It’s a good thought to have during this season of hope, joy, and giving.

Speaking of “the beauty that surrounds us,” it snowed here last week. Peggy and I woke up and found our deck and trees coated with three inches of soft, white loveliness. We quickly decided to go for a walk in the woods. It was perfect for the season. I half expected to see an elf, or at least Frosty the Snowman (or maybe Big Foot wearing an ‘old silk hat’). The magical guys were all busy on holiday chores elsewhere, however. We happily shared our hike with the local deer herd, wild turkeys and an inquisitive grey squirrel instead.

Naturally I took my camera. Here are some photos from our ‘winter-wonderland’ walk. Think of them as our Christmas card to you. May you share a warm and happy holiday with your family and friends. We wish you peace.

Curt and Peggy

As we stepped out our back door, this young fellow was taking time out to smell the daisies. (That’s called artistic license. Actually he was checking the metal flowers to see if they were edible.)

Snow covered trees towered over our tool shed. There would be no yard work today!

I stopped to take a photo of a snow-covered branch and a flock of Canadian Geese flew into the photo. Serendipity. The specks on the photo were a reminder that it was still snowing.

Peggy took advantage of my distraction to pack up a snowball. And yes, she threw it at me! Had you been present, I can pretty much guarantee that she would have thrown one at you as well. We play a lot around here.

Snow makes the limbs on our White Oaks stand out.

Snow adds drama to White Oaks. A Ponderosa Pine stands to the left. The dark spot on the oak center right is mistletoe. Now, if I can just get Peggy to stand under it…

The limbs of this Douglas fir were bowing with the snow it had collected.

The limbs of this Douglas fir were bowed with the snow it had collected.

The straight tracks made by a wild turkey suggests it was on a mission. Normally turkeys wander about pecking at anything that resembles food. Snow is wonderful for recording animal tracks.

A female Black Tail deer stopped next to our upper fence to checks out. "You wouldn't happen to have an apple, would you?" she seems to be asking.

A female Black Tail deer stopped next to our upper fence to check us out. “You wouldn’t happen to have an apple, would you?” she seems to be asking.It was one of her twins that was sniffing at the metal flower.

Just past the road, our walk took us into Klamath National Forest that borders the back of out property.

Just past the road, our walk took us into Klamath National Forest. It borders the back of our property.

Peggy provided a splash of red in a sea of white.

Peggy provided a splash of red in a sea of green and white.

And I added a touch of blue. The OR on my hat stands for Outdoor Research, but I like to think of it as Oregon.

This oak was definitely a thing of beauty.

The snow added to the natural attractiveness of this twisted oak tree trunk.

Not to be outdone, a stalk of grass captured its own share of beauty.

A manzanita bush shows off its winter coat.

Its leaves peaked out through the snow.

Surprise! A madrone’s bark gleams with wetness created by melting snow.

Our walk takes us down to the Applegate River, which borders on the front of our property.

Our walk takes us down to the Applegate River. Ponderosa Pine on the left and Red Cedar on the right add color.

We return to our lower property following Upper Applegate Road.

And a final view of the forest giants that keep us company.

And have a final view of the forest giants that keep us company.

Mendocino, California… A North Coast Treasure

December 18, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 21 Comments

If you were a fan of Murder She Wrote, you might recognize this house. It’s where Jessica Fletcher lived in the imaginary town of Cabot Cove, Maine. It is actually found in Mendocino, California. Now you can stay there. It is the Blair House B&B.

Whenever I am near the small town of Mendocino, I make a point of visiting. It is one of my favorite communities on California’s beautiful and rugged North Coast. Its unique, almost quaint look, has made it a favorite among Hollywood movie directors looking for the ideal coastal location for their films. It has starred in several movies including East of Eden where it became California’s Monterey and The Summer of 42 where it was transformed into a New England town.

Its best-known role, however, was as the small Maine town of Cabot Cove where Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) lived and was forever solving crimes in the TV series Murder She Wrote. Nine episodes of the 12-year, 264 series were actually filmed on location and almost all of the episodes included shots of the town and surrounding areas.

This was Sheriff Mort Metzger’s home in Murder She Wrote. Now it serves as the Mendocino Visitor Center. The Pacific Ocean is in the background.

I drove south on Highway 1 to Mendocino from where I was staying in Fort Bragg for a few days on my North Coast trip in August. The region is filled with parks and lots of memories. One was particularly memorable. Peggy and I were camped in our van on a small river. It rained cats and dogs all night, or make that whales and elephant seals. I woke up and looked out our van window in the morning. A seagull was swimming by! Waves were lapping at our tires. We vacated the premises— quickly.

Dark and stormy nights have been particularly harsh on ships sailing up and down California, Oregon and Washington’s rocky coast, especially in the days before satellites and GPS. To counter the danger, a series of lighthouses and foghorns had been placed along the coast. In memory of the time our van Quivera almost became a shipwreck, I stopped off at Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park just north of Mendocino and walked the half-mile out to the lighthouse. It is still doing its duty but automation has long since put the lighthouse keeper out to pasture. His house has now become a museum and his assistant’s house has become a guest cottage that visitors can rent. I paid homage to the days of yore and drove on to Mendocino.

The Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. Those are fog horns pointed out to sea that you see on the front.

The automated, ever-rotating light on top of the lighthouse.

Where the lighthouse keeper once lived.

I took this photo on my walk out to the lighthouse.

The community started out as a logging town with a dog hole port in the 1850s, as so many North Coast towns did. Dog hole refers to the size of the port. If you’ve ever watched a dog turn around to fit into a bed it has scratched out in the dirt, you get the idea. Like the dog in his hole, the ship had just enough space to turn around. Given the additional challenge of steep cliffs, logs were loaded onto ships via a slide that reached down to the deck.

I found this photo of Mendocino’s historic log slide in the Visitor’s Center. The end could be lowered to load the logs onto a ship that would then take them to San Francisco. I am not sure I would want to be on the receiving end.

Mendocino was first named Meiggsville after Henry Meiggs, a San Francisco entrepreneur who had come west to make his fortune in the California Gold Rush. Anything with dollar signs attached had attracted his attention. Redwood lumber needed to build the rapidly growing San Francisco fit the description— as did an opportunity to defraud the city. Before the sheriff could catch up with him, however, Meiggs had skipped out to South America where he made a fortune building railroads and became the “virtual dictator of Peru” according to Wikipedia.

Meiggsville was renamed Mendocino after the cape it is located on and did quite well for the next hundred years selling lumber until the timber industry crashed and it became a backwater town with little money and fewer people. Artists discovered it in the 50s, as they often do when a place is both beautiful and inexpensive. Tourists weren’t far behind. Inexpensive no longer describes Mendocino, but the town has retained its beauty and still has a thriving art community.

I did what I always do in Mendocino: walked up and down the streets, hiked along the coast, bought my quota of books at the Gallery Bookstore, and scarfed down a delicious meal.

An hour or so can easily be spent wandering around the small town. The historic buildings have been well preserved, and repurposed. This is the Gallery Bookshop, one of the best found on the coast. I always go there first.

An hour or two can easily be spent wandering around the small town. The historic buildings have been well preserved, and repurposed. This is the Gallery Bookshop, one of the best found on the coast. I always go there first. The sign features a bookstore cat.

Shops feature everything from crafts to very good art. I found this cat in a shop next to the book store and was amused/impressed by the creative use of chicken wire.

Mendocino features a number of gorgeous, historic homes. Many have been turned into B&Bs.

This early home fits the description of “tiny homes” being built today. There was a sign next to it I found touching:” Watch out for the old dog.” Had I seen him/her, its photo would be next. (grin)

But I found this ‘old’ two car garage a decent substitute.

A number of water towers and even a windmill reflect the difficulty that original residents had in obtaining and keeping water. Their presence adds to the unique look of Mendocino.

Chinese were among the first inhabitants of Mendocino and this Chinese temple from the 1800s is one of the oldest. It was closed so I took this photo through the window.

The foggy, moist climate of the coast is great for growing things and attractive landscapes are found throughout the town.

And finally, the Mendocino Headlands form the backdrop for Mendocino. Any visit to the town should include a walk along the coast.

NEXT BLOG: It snowed here on Sunday providing an opportunity for Peggy and me to go on a winter-wonderland walk. Photos from the walk will provide our holiday card to the great folks who follow this blog from around the world.

Alfred Hitchcock, The Birds, Bodega, and Ansel Adams… California’s North Coast

December 14, 2015December 12, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 44 Comments

1 Alfred Hitchcock mannequin in Bodega California

Alfred Hitchcock’s film, The Birds, is forever entwined in the history of the small town of Bodega, California where parts of it were filmed. A mannequin of Alfred Hitchcock welcomes people to the town. Got Birds?

I like birds. We feed a lot at our home nestled up against the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon. As I write this, I am looking out at our backyard bird feeder. It’s being stormed by Chickadees and Oregon Juncos. A couple of weeks ago it was sparrows. They attacked in mass, emptying the feeder in record time. Not only were they greedy, they were messy. As many sunflower seeds fell on the ground as went into their tummies. Scrub and Stellar Jays gobbled up the escapees, aided and abetted by a fat gray squirrel and two turkeys.

I look out on the bird feeder from my writing chair. It provides endless entertainment. You never know who might be hanging out. Deer often sleep under it. This morning they were up the hill. Earlier we had counted 1o bedded down on our road and the hillside.

Interest in the bird feed goes beyond birds as this gray squirrel demonstrates. It shimmied up the pole, which was quite humorous as he kept slipping down.

I caught this Acorn Woodpecker earlier in the year. I was impressed with his Linda Blair ability to swivel his head all the way around and give me the evil eye. He would have made a great extra for Hitchcock’s film.

I went out to replenish the feeder and was roundly scolded for interfering. By everyone. When I returned with more sunflower seeds, the sparrows decided they had waited long enough. They flew down from the Madrone tree and directly into the feeder, which I was still holding! Surprised and amused, I put the feeder down, rushed inside, and grabbed my camera. Peggy wasn’t home so it would have to be a selfie. Soon I had birds perched on my head, shoulders, hands, and even on the camera. Unfortunately, their fluttering and jumping around, made photography difficult, to say the least. Luckily, a few paused to eat.

With one hand holding the feeder and my other hand my camera, I worked to catch a photo of the busy sparrows.

The birds reminded me of my experience in August when I visited the small town of Bodega, which is just inland from the larger town of Bodega Bay on the north coast of California. Alfred Hitchcock had come here in 1961 to film his classic horror film, The Birds. It’s a story about our feathered friends getting nasty and attacking people. I had watched the film when it had come out in 1963 and visited the area a few years later. It was in the fall season and the local birds were gathering in large flocks. Normally, being mobbed by sea gulls doesn’t bother me, but…

Bodega has incorporated the movie into its history and people still visit the area from all over the world to see where it was filmed. Local grocer Michael Fahmie has turned his Bodega Country Store into something of a monument to the movie. A large billboard featuring Alfred Hitchcock is on the outside of the store while the inside is crammed full of memorabilia from the movie. A Hitchcock mannequin greets visitors. I said hi to Al and went inside. Afterwards, I hiked the short distance over to the movie’s most famous Bodega sites: the 150-year-old Potter School and the nearby St. Teresa Catholic Church. In the movie, kids had run screaming from the school for sanctuary in the church, with the birds in hot pursuit.

Hitchcock was always great at promoting his films. This was from the Bird's movie billboard outside of the Bodega Country Store.

Hitchcock was always great at promoting his films. This was from the movie billboard outside of the Bodega Country Store.

A number of film posters are found inside the Bodega Country Store. I've included this one featuring Tippi Hedren for my followers from France.

A number of film posters are found inside the Bodega Country Store. I’ve included this one featuring Tippi Hedren for my followers in France.

A film still from The Birds shows children running from the Potter School in terror.

A film still from The Birds shows children running in terror from the Potter School (on the right).

The Potter School as it looks now. Today it is a private residence.

10 Potter school and St. Teresa church in Bodega California

I’ve included this photo because it shows the location of St. Teresa’s Catholic Church in relationship to the Potter School.

St. Teresa’s was already famous when Alfred Hitchcock came to town. In 1953 Ansel Adams photographed it. He’s one of my all time heroes. I couldn’t resist getting my camera out. I am not a professional photographer. Mainly, I have fun. It was interesting for me to compare my efforts with those of Adam’s when I got home. The power of the Ansel Adams’ photograph is immediately apparent. It is easy to see why he is recognized as one of the world’s greatest photographers. Still, I was happy with my efforts.