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Steve P

Étude – Now we’re cookin’

Étude – Now we’re cookin’

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“I love it when a plan comes together”

John “Hannibal” Smith, leader of the A-team

I agree completely.

We were frankly amazed to see how much progress had been made since our last visit to the Nordic Tugs factory about a month ago. It shows what they can do when

Étude – Progress at last!

Étude – Progress at last!

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It’s been quite a while since I was able to show you any progress on Étude. The Nordic Tugs factory is not huge and can’t work on many boats at the same time. There are four steps:

1. Cast the hull, cabin and other pieces
2. Install everything

Boots n’ Saddles

Boots n’ Saddles

We took a day trip to Wikenberg, an historic Arizona town. Some say that the old town center is the main attraction. Perhaps so. But the major organized attraction is the local museum.

I planned to write a post about the museum as a whole. Then I realized that the

Good Job!

Good Job!

Still, it’s nice to know that they’re trying to protect us from the ducks. ????????????
Art and…

Art and…

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We visited an exhibit of South Asian art a few nights ago. It was interesting but I wasn’t moved to take any photos until I found a dark little room with three Buddha figures.

Bonus! While looking through my photos, I found a door in Roussillon, France. Whatever you

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Seattle had a rare dump of snow a few days ago. We walked up the hill this morning to see what some clever people had done to “improve” the well-known sculpture Black Sun by Isamu Noguchi. That inspired a short end-of-year post to share a few holiday themed photos.

Here’

A Trip to the Zoo

A Trip to the Zoo

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”Hey, let’s check out the Holiday lights at the zoo.”

”What if it rains?”, said no one in Phoenix ever.

There’s nothing special here, just a holiday light show at the zoo. Lots of cities have them, Seattle for example. The difference is being able to stroll the

Indian Schools

Indian Schools

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A look at the arrogant, misguided program to “improve” indigenous people by eradicating their culture.
The Ol’ Dixie Mine

The Ol’ Dixie Mine

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If you put your hand on a hot stove, then do it again, most folks would think you’re a slow learner. On the other hand, they say if you get tossed off of a horse, you should jump right back on.

Where does that leave hiking?

We decided to

Biosphere 2

Biosphere 2

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”Where is Biosphere 1?”, people ask. Unless you’re an astronaut or a billionaire, you’re probably standing on it. Yes, the Earth is the first and original biosphere known to humankind.

So, what’s Biosphere 2? It was an experiment conceived in the 1980s and executed in the early

Only One Mistake

Only One Mistake

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Let me begin by denying that we would ever plan to lunch at a bar frequented by real bikers. Our bar, in Cave Creek, AZ is favored by the more genteel kind of biker, the one who buys a new Harley, adds $15,000 of extra chrome, and never, ever
A Favorite Place

A Favorite Place

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The Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale is one of my favorite places. It’s immense. The upper floor is organized by continent. As you approach an exhibit, your headphones will automatically play a recording of the instrument or genre. No pushing of buttons, no scanning of codes. What to see
A Return to the Garden

A Return to the Garden

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I think “Return to the Garden” has a certain biblical tone, don’t you? Rest assured this is the last whiff of religion you’ll find in this post. Unless your theology involves cactus worship.

I believe I’ve posted photos from the Desert Botanical Garden once or twice before,

The Heard Museum – Paintings

The Heard Museum – Paintings

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I don’t have a lot to say about this exhibit other than I found it interesting. I think you can see how native culture is reflected in many of these works.

From a distance, this painting reminded me of the pointillist style seen in Australian Aboriginal art. On closer