Progressive blogic was the brainchild of Molly and I nearly two years ago. Without her thoughtful contributions it has never quite been the same for me. As a result, I have been putting my emphasis into panethos.

Thank you to everyone who has followed and supported progressive blogic in these 22 months. Your feedback and support have been very heartwarming.

All the best,

Rick

Sutter Buttes – Source: sacredland.org

A minimum of 2,000 foot elevation was required for consideration. Some of these listed below are part of larger mountain ranges. Enjoy!

• Cascade Range (California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia)
• Blue Ridge (North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania)
• Grand Tetons (Wyoming)
• Big Horn Mountains (Wyoming)
• Sutter Buttes (North Central California near Yuba City- known as the world’s smallest mountain range)
• Black Hills (Western USA and Canada)
• Canadian Rockies (Alberta and British Columbia)
• Sierra Nevada (California and Nevada)
• Wrangell Mountains (Alaska)
• Sierra Madre Oriental (Mexico)
• Appalachian Mountains (USA Eastern States)
• Pacific Coast Ranges (California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia)
• Great Smoky (Tennessee and North Carolina)
• Adirondacks (New York)
• White (New Hampshire)
• Ozarks (Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma)

• BRA (Barrieras, Brazil)
• EGO (Belgorod, Russia)
• BEG (Belgrade, Serbia)
• BOG (Bogota, Colombia) – don’t get bogged down there.
• CIA (Rome, Italy – Ciampino) – got cha!
• CUM (Cumana, Venuzuela) – please wash your mouth out with soap.
• CUZ (Cuzco, Peru) – cuz I said so
• DAD (Da Nang, Vietnam)
• DOG (Dongola, Sudan)
• DUM (Dumai, Indonesia) – hey, I didn’t name it.
• DUD (Dunedin, New Zealand) – must be really exciting there.
• FUK (Fukuaka, Japan) – careful
• IZO (Izumo, Japan) – should call the lounge the Izone. If you aren’t from the USA, you may not get the joke.
• MAD (Madrid, Spain) – don’t get mad, get even.
• PEE (Perm, Russia) – wonder if they are pissed about the code they were assigned?
• PEX (Pechore, Russia) – flex those pex.
• POT (Port Antonio, Jamaica) – pure Karma that this code should go to an airport in Jamaica – LOL
• SIN (Singapore- Changi) – sort of surprised they accepted this code.
• STD (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) – be careful what you catch here – make sure it is just a flight.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

While on vacation, I caught a delightful movie on HBO that I did not recall ever seeing advertised for showings in the theater.  The film is entitled The Art of Getting By and stars Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Emma Roberts (niece of Julia Roberts), Alicia Silverstone, Rita Wilson, and Blair Underwood.

The movie is about a gifted art student (Freddie Highmore) more or less coasting his way through high school until graduation approaches and he may not receive a diploma. This storyline intertwines with his budding relationship with Emma Roberts’ character. It is very well done and I enjoyed the movie. Also, the soundtrack is simply superb for this film with terrific alternative and indie rock tunes artfully blended into the score.

Hence the question, why no release in theaters? Best I could determine by reading between the lines on IMDb is some of the critics were not particularly kind to the film when it was release at the Sundance Film Festival. They praise Mr. Highmore’s and Ms. Robert’s performances, but otherwise were rather tepid.

As a result the film went directly HBO and similar outlets. Granted, I discovered the film there, but I think it would have been even a more impressive movie in a theater. Sadly, the critics’ response to the film and Fox Searchlight’s response to the criticism narrowed the public’s choices versus broadening it.  Once again…money talks.

Is The Art of Getting By perfect? Of course not. Is it deserving of a general release – absolutely. I think a lot of people would like it, warts and all. If you, get a chance, check it out on HBO or rent the film – it is certainly well worth the  time and cost.

• BET (Bethel, AK) – Seems this should have been the one for Las Vegas or Reno.
• BFL (Bakersfield, CA) – I am “baffled” why this is so funny.
• BUF (Buffalo, NY) – Hopefully, you do not have to arrive in the buff.
• BUR (Burbank,, CA) – This code would be good for someplace cold.
• FAT (Fresno, CA) – I realize this stands for Fresno Air Terminal, but talk about bad public relations.
• GGG (Longview, TX) – You’d get better internet service if it was 4Gs.
• IRK (Kirksville, MO) – I would be “irked” too if I had to fly there.
• KOA ( Kona, HA) – Who want to fly into a campground?
• LAX (Los Angeles, CA) – I hope this does not signify their attention to details. It also sounds like the abbreviation for Laxative International Airport.
• MOB (Mobile, AL) – self-explanatory.
• PIE (St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL) – I have no idea why it is PIE.
• PUB (Pueblo, CO) – Now this is my kind of airport! Beer for everyone.
• ROW (Roswell, NM) – I hope we don’t have to – flap maybe, but not row.
• RUT (Rutland, VT) – No one wants to be in one, particularly in an airplane.
• SUX (Sioux City, IA) – If I were the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce or Tourism Bureau, I would ask for a new code designation and fast!
• UTO (Utopia Creek, AK) – Who wants to hear anything remotely close to “uh-oh” or “ut-oh” when flying?

World’s Largest Wood Yo-Yo – 256 pounds

Now that my two-week vacation to the West Coast has concluded much faster than one would prefer, here are some samples of the highlights and lowlights.

BESTS

Best part of the trip – Time spent seeing and being with family.

Second best part of the trip – Messages from friends during and after the trip.

Best food – All the meals served at my Cousin Barb’s house.

Second best food – The Tuna Manhattan sandwiches at several locations.

Best hotels – Best Western in Salinas and Hampton Inn at the Sacramento Airport.

Best surprise –  The John Steinbeck Museum and home in Salinas, California.

Favorite city (Oregon) – Ashland

Favorite city (California) – tie between Santa Cruz and Grass Valley

Favorite big city – This is gonna surprise a lot of people – Sacramento, followed by San Francisco.

Best fast food – In-N-Out Burger in Sacramento and Salinas. These places are terrific!

Best sit down dining – Standing Stone Brewery in Ashland, Oregon.

Best beer – Tangerine Wheat from Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka, California.

Best place to take a stroll – Ashland, Oregon.

Best museums – tie John Steinbeck Museum in Salinas and the 1863 Chinese Temple in Oroville. Both are fabulous!

Beach place to have fun – Santa Cruz, California

Most unique museum – National Yo-Yo Museum in Chico.

Terrific “free” museums – Cable Car Museum in San Francisco and Wells Fargo Museum in Sacramento.

Most unique lodging – unit at Yosemite Ridge Lodge. It was quite cute.

Best beach – Santa Cruz, California.

Best National Park – Crater Lake, Oregon

Coolest old building – Ashland Springs Hotel in Ashland, Oregon.

Best tour – Alcatraz Island National Park – terrific audio tour given by past prisoners and guards.

Best freebie – Gift box of chocolate and raspberry cookies from Harry and David in Medford, Oregon.

Geekiest thing – Tie between visiting the Apple and Tesla headquarters in Silicon Valley.

Best airport – Sacramento International, Terminal B.

Most fun ride – tie between the super soaker at my cousin’s house and the cable cars in San Francisco.

Coolest view (literally and figuratively)- From the Marin headlands of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco.

Most scenic view (city) – Crescent City from US 101 in Redwoods National Park.

Most scenic view (nature) – All views of Crater Lake.

Best time for reflection – Star-gazing at my cousin’s home, including seeing at least a dozen shooting stars/meteors and the Milky Way.

Funniest sign - Highway sign along I-80/US 50 between Davis and Sacramento, which said:

• Sacramento 12 miles
• South Lake Tahoe 116 miles
• Ocean City, Maryland 3,073 miles

WORSTS

Worst part of the trip – Returning to an empty apartment.

Second worst part of the trip – Trying to see things in temperatures of 108-109F degrees.

Only bad hotel experience – Sheraton Hotel Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. You’d think for $250 per night they could make the elevators work correctly and not charge you for internet in you room.

Worst surprise – The lack of water at the waterfalls in Yosemite.

Worst city – Merced, California – ugh!

Worst meal – Lack of anything but snacks on the flights.

Worst directions – Limited number of state highway signs on city streets in California.

Worst delays - Multiple single-lane road closures along California 299.

Worst detour – Closure or the northern part of Lassen Volcanic National Park due to a prescribed fire getting out of control.

Biggest rip-off – 20 cents per gallon extra for using credit cards at some gas stations.

Wildest price variation – Gasoline prices ranged by as much as 30 cents per gallon at the same intersection.

Worst sprawl – Sadly in the Sierra Nevada foothills around Sonora and Angels Camp, California. Never expected big boxes out the wazoo in that area.

Areas that have experienced wildfires > 250 acres – Source: nasa.gov

While traveling through wildfire  country of Northern California and Southern Oregon, including being re-routed 80 miles because of a fire in Lassen Volcanic National Park, I had a thought. Instead of a hell-bent chaotic rush to build temporary wildfire breaks during a fire emergency, why not just construct permanent wildfire breaks to protect populated areas and other important features?

Current wildfire locations – Source: http://www.smokeybear.com/wildfire-map.asp

Considering wildfires are a natural event that are necessary for the healthy regeneration of Western forests, it seems to me that permanent wildfire breaks would allow precious resources to be used more efficiently and effectively.  Those areas outside the firebreaks would be allowed to burn as long as they do not jump the pre-constructed breaks.

Am I missing something with this suggestion? It seems being proactive would be much less costly than having to react to each outbreak of wildfires in remote areas that don’t pose a danger to populated areas.

Source: colonialrot.com

During our current two-week West Coast trip, I have noticed a number of things that are no longer (or rarely) found in hotel/motel rooms any longer. Certainly, other items have been added to make one’s stay more pleasant such as hair dryers, internet, and coffee makers.

Please feel free to send your additions to my list – I am sure I am forgetting some things.

• A telephone book
• A picture postcard of the hotel/motel
• Full-size writing paper with the logo/name of the hotel/motel
• Ashtray – no smoking, no ashtray. Good for health!
• Matchbooks – ditto
• A Bible – to me, this is a good thing as I think it is rather presumptuous in a diverse society to provide only the Holy book of one religion.
• A hotel/motel directory listing the locations – as the internet rules, so these have gone by the wayside.