Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 5 / March 14, 2020 by Mark

With so much already closed down, we concentrated on “weird places” from Roadside America and Atlas Obscura for our final full day in “sunny” California.

A short hike in Griffith Park took us to Bronson Canyon and its cave. This has been used in films and TV shows for generations.

The Batmobile rocketing out of the Batcave (1966).

Then, it was off to Griffith Observatory, also a well-used location for TV and movies. The Observatory was closed, but the exterior and its (soggy) views were open.

Next, we went to the HQ of Funko (the oversized head character toys). It’s both a store and a major stop for photo ops. We only went there because it was open, but I’m glad we did.

Then, we headed into downtown.

The Angel Flight Funicular is the world’s shortest railway, running all of 100 feet up and down a hill.

This is LA’s City Hall, which appeared on screen quite a bit, including doubling for the Daily Planet in the 50’s George Reeves Adventures of Superman series.

Here’s a giant chair (we seem to collect these) in the Fashion District.

Time for lunch at Canter’s Deli!

The waitress thanked us for coming in—the place was almost empty, which is NOT normal.

Wo were planning to go to the Museum of Neon Art—but it was closed. So, after a stop at the hotel for a food coma nap, we drove over the Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Gardens for some famous final destinations.

Bea Benadaret played momma Kate Bradley on Petticoat Junction—and the voice of Betty Rubble.

Criswell predicted the future—and did the narration for Ed Wood’s epic “Plan 9 from Outer Space” (1959).

The final comic to join the Three Stooges.

One half of the legendary Laurel and Hardy duo, and master of the “slow burn”.

Well, we’re exhausted. Back to the hotel for packing and a quick snack. Tomorrow, we visit a queen and wing our way back to Ohio.

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 4 / March 13, 2020 by Mark

With attractions being closed left and right, we had to improvise today. We were also bundled up, since it’s practically nippy here.

First off was the Santa Monica Pier.

The famous amusement park is much smaller than it looks on TV and in films (and of course it was closed).

Last May, during the #BayouWeddingTour, we reached the start of Route 66. Now, we’ve made it to the end (or the beginning, depending on your direction).

We went out to the pier to go on a bus tour of Malibu’s celebrity homes. Despite some confusion up front (we were told to come back a bit later, then a bit later again, before they would check us in), the tour itself was a lot of fun. Due to either the weather or the virus, we were the only ones on the tour.

The homes on the coast are small but VERY expensive—starting at $10M, with a 50 year wait to get one. Stars buy them and then visit once in a while. Names like Barbra, Leo, J Lo, Cher, Ellen, and the Friends cast were mentioned. Bill Murray rents his out for $100K a month. Here’s just a few, shot thru rainy windows.

After that, we headed over to an LA institution—Pink’s Hot Dogs.

Chili cheese dogs, onion rings, and guac.

Next stop - the La Brea Tar Pits.
I expected this to be more touristy, but it’s actually a research site and a museum.

This is one of actual “tar pits” - it’s actually asphalt.

These are crates of fossil material that were filled back in 2008. The researchers have been carefully working through the crates since then.

The next stop was a piece of comedy history—a long set of stairs between two streets. A Laurel and Hardy comedy called “The Music Box” had the boys trying to deliver a piano to a home at the top of the steps (of course, it turned out they could have just driven it up the other way).

Well, this is ANOTHER fine mess you’ve gotten us into!

Then it was off to the Echo Park Time Travel Mart—a storefront/art installation that seems unstuck in time. Proceeds from actual products go to a local art collective.

Right down the street is a site used by a certain TV show involving a 3 hour tour…

Finally, we returned to the hotel with a small snack from a Farmer’s Market..

THat’ll do it for tonight. Tomorrow, we go to several miscellaneous sites for our final full day.

#beautifuldowntownburbank

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 3 / March 12, 2020 by Mark

Before we get into today, I did have a few more comments on Disneyland—

After a rainy arrival the day before, and matching weather today, our Disney day was practically perfect. It was as if Walt was defrosted and willed it into being.
The Disney app was surprisingly impressive. We could see line waits in real time throughput the park, avoiding a large hike to find out otherwise. Using mobile ordering, we walked up to restaurants, did a quick pickup, and sat down to enjoy.
I didn’t mention the Smuggler’s Run ride in Galaxy’s Edge. Very cool simulator where you control the Millennium Falcon! We were both pilots, and I put us into hyperspace.

So, onto Day 3.

After a later start, we made it out to the Paramount Studios tour.

Of course, we concentrated a lot on Star Trek.

This is one of the Star Trek stages, heavily used in the 80’s and 90’s for TV and films. Shatner supposedly has an office across the street.

We rode a golf cart around the studio, with the guide getting in and out to give quick speeches (who got very wet).

Each stage lists the famous TV shows and movies made there. (You couldn’t take photos of the interiors).

If this parking lot seems sunken, it is. They can fill it with water to simulate oceans, ponds, etc. Note the large wall to the left, painted like the sky.

Can you guess one of Paramount’s recent franchises?

These are some of Paramount’s Best Picture Oscars—all but one are duplicates made for the studios, with the other (for The Godfather) the real McCoy.

We went across the street to Lucy’s El Adobe Cafe for some great Mexican food. This has been a hangout for musicians and celebrities for decades (no, we didn’t see one).

Then we sloshed over to the TCL Theater (you know, the one with the famous handprints in cement) for a tour.

The ornate wall murals were painted by Keye Luke (who went onto play the old master on the TV series Kung Fu in the 70’s).

I knew Ladies’ Rooms were fancy! Celebrities like Jane Russell and Marilyn Munroe primped and preened there.

This is the grand staircase you see when the stars go into the Dolby Theater (next the the TCL) for the Oscars. It’s also in a mall.

Back to the hotel for fine dining.

Well, that does it for tonight. Tomorrow, we’re going to Warner Bros stu—hold on, we’re getting an update.
Due to the Coronavirus, society is shutting down. That includes Warner Bros AND that game show where the pricing needs to be correct. As a result, we’re cutting things short on this trip.
Tomorrow, virus permitting, we’re going to the Sony Studio Tour and/or LaBrea Tarpits and/or The Hollywood Museum. Stay tuned!

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 2 / March 11, 2020 by Mark

Well, this was a LOOOONG but very enjoyable day.

In order to get to Disneyland before the gates opened (more on that in a moment), we left the hotel at 6:30a for a one hour trip. It actually worked out okay, since it was too early for most of the traffic (Mindy was nice enough to drive).

We arrived to find a MASSIVE parking deck, which I assume you can see from space. We parked in the “Pixel Pals” deck, then took an escalator to a tram to the gates. We managed to get through security and inside the park just in time at 8a to activate our “boarding pass”.

A Panorama shot just inside the front gates, from later in the day.

What is this, you ask? Well, there’s a brand new ride called Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and getting a boarding pass via your Disney app (which you can only do once you’re in the park) is the only way to get on that ride. You literally have a few minutes from gates opening in the park to getting that pass before they run out for the day. We and everyone else were frantically tapping on our phones, followed by screams as people got their passes. Amazingly, we got a pass too. We had to wait until 5p or so , but we got in.

Speaking of crowds—the Disneyland Crowd Calendar considered today to be “hey it’s alright”, one level from “ghost town”, but it seemed pretty busy to me. What Coronavirus?

Meanwhile, we saw Mary Poppins (who had her Julie Andrews impression down)…

Went to the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room (Mindy’s favorite)…

Went on Pirates of the Caribbean (which has now been fully Depp-ized)…

Saw Galaxy’s Edge…

Bought hats…

Went on a Submarine Voyage (now taken over by Finding Nemo, so just watch the movie at home through an aquarium for the same effect)…

Met my favorite Star Wars character…

and a bunch of other rides, all while eating ourselves silly.

The Rise of the Resistance was by far our favorite. Without giving too much away, there are multiple sections and rides within it, and you really feel like you’re in the movie.

Well, that’s plenty—we’re exhausted, getting back to the hotel 15 hours later. Check FB and IG for videos, or you can just wait for an upcoming FTPCB episode. Tomorrow—studio tour(s?)!

#beautifuldowntownburbank

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 1 / March 10, 2020 by Mark

Latitude 34.10, Longitude 118.23
North Hollywood, CA

We’ve made it to our hotel room after a day of flying from Columbus to Denver to Long Beach. If you’re wondering how the coronavirus has impacted air travel, it appears to be noticeable if not dramatic.

Here’s a shot from John Glenn Airport—but it was early.

We managed to get our own row on the plane, if only on the first leg of the trip. We’re re-formulating our seat picking strategy for the ride back.

Long Beach is a small airport—how small? Well, we left the plane going down outside stairs. I would have taken a shot of this, but Sunny California greeted us with a cloudburst.

The forecast shows some form of rain every day—let’s hope they are wrong.

We stopped at a Puerto Rican restaurant on the way called Mofongos for our first meal of the trip. I had a dish involving plantains, pork rinds, and pork shoulder, while Mindy had the chicken stew.

After checking in at the hotel, we had a little time left in the day, so we went over to the Television Academy—specifically the “Hall of Fame” gallery in front.

It was SO WET in Los Angeles today--HOW WET WAS IT???

The mostly-forgotten inventor of television as a technology. He was crushed by RCA and their attorneys.

OK, that’s plenty for one day. Tomorrow, we’re off to see the Mouse.
#beautifuldowntownburbank

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 0 / March 9, 2020 by Mark

It’s time for another trip. Last year was not the best—we spent a lot of time helping out on family medical issues including my father-in-law’s death, and we never really took a vacation just for us.

In January, Mindy sprang the idea of a California trip, specifically the Los Angeles area. The centerpiece of the trip is seeing my favorite game show in person (you know, the one involving correct pricing), as well as Disneyland, studio tours, and general Hollywood tourism.

Looming over all of this is the Coronavirus. After consulting with my doctor (who said don’t change your life, and enjoy the trip), we’re going forward, making sure we’re taking the precautions we’ve been hearing over the last month. At this point, it looks like attractions will not be as crowded—a big plus for us. I’ve been doing a lot of research, and I suspect we will be very busy.

Tomorrow, we’re flying to Long Beach via Denver, then off to our hotel in #BeautifulDowntownBurbank. More to come.

Atlanta to the Coast - Addendum / November 8, 2019 by Mark

One place we didn’t make it to on the trip was Ashville, OH. We had planned to stop there, but the site would have been closed by the time we arrived.

I had read about the world’s oldest working traffic light several years ago, and our tour took us very close to it. It wasn’t until Mindy did some research that we determined it was only 25 minutes from our house!

So, we just completed a quick trip down to check it out, at Ohio’s Small Town Museum in Ashville. The manager took us on a guided tour of the place, and had a lot of interesting info. Here’s the traffic light in question. It was originally installed in 1932, and was taken down for maintenance in the 80’s. Unfortunately, the state wouldn’t let them put it back in operation, since the colorblind couldn’t use it.

More interesting exhibits there…

A flag from around the time Ohio became the 17tth state.

Roy Rogers worked in the town at the local cannery. He got fired for always singing on the job…

A local theater (in the same spot as the museum), which died with the talkies.

All in all, a worthwhile jaunt to see the light and the other exhibits. That’s all, folks!

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 8 / October 29, 2019 by Mark

Our last day began with a trip through the misty mountains (which took longer than planned due to a GPS set to “no tolls”)…

…before making it to Charleston, WV and Mexican food at Plaza Maya.

This was just down the street from our fourth state house of the trip, and by far the largest. It’s a U-shaped building with the senate and house of delegates at each end. So I’m guessing employees get their 10K steps in without a problem.

Next to the prerequisite veterans’ statues is one celebrating women vets. Mindy noted that the names of those responsible for getting it in place were all men…

The rotunda is under reconstruction, so we couldn’t see a lot inside.

Our final stop on the road trip was a strange mini-museum dedicated to Big Boy restaurants. Apparently, one of the original drive-ins was located here. Now it’s in a parking lot.

Then we pointed the car toward home.

The whole trip ran just over 2000 miles over 8 days, and we are happy to be home. I’ll be posting a video covering the whole trip next week under the “From the Pop Culture Bunker” banner on SFPPN. Thanks for following us!

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 7 / October 28, 2019 by Mark

Our penultimate tour day began with a cameo by RBG.

Then we were off to our third state house of the trip, and by far our smallest one. The Raleigh capitol is roughly the size of many county courthouses.

We did have a bit of excitement there—someone was filming a production onsite. we saw extras standing in place, waiting to walk through the background.

Across the street was the North Carolina Museum of History—compact but well laid out (and free). It included 2 exhibits tailor-made for us: quilts and classic toys.

On the road to Roanoke, we came upon Shangri-La, a tiny town built in the front yard of it’s creator (who passed away decades ago).

A quick lunch at Gina’s Family Restaurant - a burger and a fish sammich.

We made it to the Roanoke hotel, took a nap, then went down into town. We started with a NY slice.

Did you know Roanoke has a hipster district?

We had read about a giant star up on a mountain, so we drove up a spooky road to find it.

We finished things up with a post-star snack at Blue Cow Ice Cream.

That will do it for today. I just spent 90 minutes getting these loaded up (thanks slow hotel internet!) Tomorrow, a final statehouse, and then home.

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 6 / October 27, 2019 by Mark

An abbreviated post today, as we spent most of the day visiting with friends and family in NC.

After breakfast with an old college friend and his wife, we drove into Raleigh and hit a couple “big things”. First, we dropped by the Daily Planet…

…and then “Big Acorn”, which is “dropped” every New Year’s Eve in Raleigh to celebrate ala Times Square.

The rest of the day was spent with our niece and her family—a lot of fun! Thanks, guys.

Back to the regular schedule tomorrow—another statehouse, then onto Virginia.

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 5 / October 26, 2019 by Mark

After a night in a very comfortable room (thanks hotel points!), we kicked things off at the Edgar Allen Poe branch library at Sullivan's Island. Built originally as a military bunker with 2 feet thick walls and iron doors. Poe was stationed there, hence the name. Inside, a regular library.

This goes under the category of—what the???

One of many bridges we crossed today—there’s a lot of islands here.

Our first major stop—the Charleston Tea Company. It’s the only place in the US where tea is grown and processed (they make tea for Bigelow and Sam’s Club, among others). Here’s shots of the processing center. It takes less than 24 hours from field to tea bags.

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 4 / October 25, 2019 by Mark

After a surprisingly comfortable night (if you walk out of your room and you’re outside, its a MOTEL, not a HOTEL)…

…we went down the street to fulfill one of our road trip rules. We visited an obscure museum—in this case, the Vidalia Onion Museum.

On the way to Savannah, we stopped to pick up our mail.

Savannah. Home to Spanish Moss and a LOT of bars. If you’ve ever gone on a cruise, you would recognize a port of call—five stores endlessly repeated. Despite that, it was pretty.

Lunch was held at the British Tea Company—meat pies! A Cornish pasty and chicken curry, plus a very thick shortbread.

The afternoon had a Gothic theme. First, the Bonaventure Cemetery, which was the site of the book and film “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. It’s very creepy.

Second, the ruins of the Sheldon Church, which was burned down in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

Finally, we made it to Charleston. We’re still on the outskirts (it took a couple attempts to find the hotel—Charleston must have an issue with signage). While waiting for a Baptist convention to check in, we went across the street for dinner—shrimp po-boy and an omelette.

OK, that’ll do it for today. Onto Charleston and NC!

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 3 / October 24, 2019 by Mark

LAT 32.1 LON 82.2
Vidalia, GA

A shorter day, so we’re still in Georgia. We started in Atlanta and our second state capitol of the trip. It’s quite a beautiful building, although less grand than Kentucky. It’s also more of a hassle to visit, even after waiting until later in the morning to attack the freeways.

Legally, every state capitol must come with a two-headed calf.

Then, we headed across town to Ponce City Market, a massive facility with a hipster uber-food court, apartments, and shops.

Mindy read about this chicken place, so we tried it—a long wait but fantastic food!

This is a Chicken Pot Hand Pie (and biscuits).

After a stop at Pearson’s Farms for pecans, we made it to the onion capital of Georgia. We’ll check out the museum tomorrow. Meanwhile, just a few minutes away is Santa Claus, a (very) small town built in 1941 to get people to come to a pecan farm in the area.

That’s plenty for one day. Off to Savannah and Charleston tomorrow.

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 2 / October 23, 2019 by Mark

LAT 33.5 LON 84.29
Marietta, GA

A little later than planned as we were out carousing with our niece Maggie (aka walking around a town square then eating tacos).

Today started out at the Museum of Appalachia, a combination old-timey town, petting zoo, and museum of oddities. The latter, involving 250K objects, was collected by one guy.

…pigs and peacocks (that natural combination).

Some of the oddities were very odd indeed.

I thought my friend Cat would appreciate this.

This is a perpetual motion machine, built in the 1800’s. The inventor insisted on removing a few parts so others couldn’t steal his idea. Unfortunately, he left it that way, and no one can figure out how to fix it.

Here’s a creepy metal coffin—the plate above goes over the face hole.

Here’s a lovely piece of early 20th century racism.

This guy’s history is far more interesting than the mini-mill he built.

If you’ve ever seen those concrete crosses, here’s where they came from.

They moved this cabin from the spot where Mark Twain was apparently conceived (but never lived).

This is the cabin used in the old Daniel Boone TV series (Daniel Boone was a maaan…yes, a biiiig maaan…)

Then, we moved through Knoxville, and the fabulous Sunsphere. This was home to a World’s Fair, and made famous on The Simpsons for storing wigs.

Moving on to lunch at City Cafe Diner—a really good sammich, and a piece of cake that got devoured before we took a pic (so here it is in the dessert case).

I believe the cake is dense enough that light cannot escape it.

We later came upon an atomic-powered mouse that was terrorizing an exterminating company.

Moving on to an impressive rock garden behind a church, with lilliputian buildings made out of pebbles, shells, and cement.

Finally, we made it to Marietta, GA. Home our niece and Big Chicken (she’s not a big chicken, it’s just an attraction at a KFC—forget it).

She also took us to the Marietta Square, and a huge food market. We had some yummy tacos, and they had margaritas (I was the designated driver).

After some playtime with Maggie’s dog Ripley, it was time to return to the hotel and collapse.

Tomorrow, Atlanta, pecans, onions, and St. Nick’s southern HQ.

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 1 / October 22, 2019 by Mark

LAT 36.9 LON 84.5
Clinton, TN

It’s time for another road trip—down to the Southeast to see relatives, friends, and more wacky attractions. We’re driving a loop to Atlanta, Charleston, Raleigh, Williamsburg, Roanoke, and back home.

Today, we toured the first of several state capitals in Frankfort, KY. It was quite ornate both inside and out. However, it rather overshadowed the small town (population 27,000) it inhabits.

Then, we stopped at the Parkette Drive-In for lunch, consisting of a “shrimp box”, a pork tenderloin sammich, and chili cheese fries.

Suddenly, there was a monster attack!

Actually, a mascot for a fireworks store (that burned down).

After checking in at the hotel, we drove over to Norris Dam, the first of the Tennessee Valley Authority projects.

Tomorrow, more attractions, Atlanta, and our recently married niece.

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 12 (Finale) / May 11, 2019 by Mark

Reporting from home…

The final day of most trips is uneventful, and this one was no exception. We went over familiar roads we’ve traveled dozens of times—so there’s little to report.

We were home for several hours before I remembered I needed to dash off a blog entry. Here’s the final picture…

So, just over 3,000 miles and 62 hours of driving this trip, covering 12 states. It was a lot of fun, but we’re glad we’re back home.

Hopefully, there will be a little less of a delay before my next blog entry.

#BayouWeddingTour

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 11 / May 10, 2019 by Mark

Reporting from Indianapolis, IN. We’re only a few hours from home, but we have found that if we make a final long dash we end up exhausted. So, here we are.

Today was Big Things Day, featuring the world’s largest <fill in the blank>.

Here’s the world’s SECOND largest rocking chair—why second? More in a minute.

Here’s a giant ice cream cone at an elementary school in Affton, MO for some reason.

Here’s the world’s largest chess piece, outside the Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis.

But the main event was Carey, IL—the world’s headquarters for the world’s largest objects.

So here’s the world’s largest rocking chair. It eclipsed the previous #1, so that’s considered the largest chair on Route 66.

Here’s the world’s largest see-saw (under construction).

The world’s largest FUNCTIONING wind chime.

The world’s largest mail box. You can even drop off actual mail inside.

The world’s largest (non-wearable) wooden shoes.

Why is this all in one small Illinois town? Because there’s a workshop that churns out massive working versions of various objects. I assume Batman villains frequent this place.

Meanwhile, at the closed giant objects factory, the Penguin is completing a purchase!

Well, we crashed early at the hotel. It’s been a long trip (but a lot of fun), and the final day is tomorrow.

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 10 / May 9, 2019 by Mark

Reporting from Rolla, MO.

We’ve been in three states today, starting with Oklahoma, which offered us a cheery good morning.

There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow…

After some driving and possible wrong terms (we couldn’t get two GPS’s to agree), we found ourselves at the border of three states.

We then visited the Joplin Museum Complex, which is a strange assortment of random stuff that adds up to an interesting experience.

Joplin was founded on mining, so there’s a large exhibit on that.

Dennis Weaver was born here. Chief? (something for the MSTies out there)

There’s a miniature circus exhibit and the…

Plus cats wander around the museum freely. All for $2 a head (yours, not the cats).

By then, it was time to eat. Open faced beef sammich, taco salad, and homemade pie from Granny Shaffer.

We had already planned to stop in Carthage to see Marlin Perkins’ statue (he of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom) when I read 20 minutes earlier that Jim Fowler (the guy who wrestled the wildebeest while Marlin had Mai-Tai’s in his tent) died today at 87. RIP

We then reached a second…well you know. This one was in a parking lot.

There’s a rest stop on I-44 (aka Route 66) that has miniature versions of attractions on the way.

When we saw the “World’s Largest Gift Store”, you know we had to stop. Bonus—Lucy’s old car. Where’s Fred and Ethel?

Yet another attraction is the Uranus Fudge Factory. Let the puns begin!

So we wound up in Rolla, which houses Stonehenge—at least a miniature version.

No one knows who they were, or what they were doing.

OK, that’ll do it. Wi-fi is giving out. More tomorrow.

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 9 / May 8, 2019 by Mark

Reporting from Claremore, OK.

We started in Pauls Valley, and saw the daily Amtrak come through the rainy station.

But the real reason we were there was the Toy and Action Figure Museum. This guy has an ENORMOUS collection, organized by room and genre.

The only exception to the organized collection is the massive amount of random figures in the “bedroom”.

Later, we stopped in Norman, OK to add to our collection of TV stars in bronze. This time it was the late James Garner of Maverick and Rockford Files fame.

Then it was off to Oklahoma City for our third capitol building of the tour. We were very impressed with the Louisiana and Texas sites—Oklahoma, not so much. Parking was almost nonexistent, the building is under construction, and someone had the genius idea of inviting the local high school jazz orchestra to perform in a marbled rotunda. We were there for about 10 minutes.

Is this a state capital or a subway station?

Yep—Oklahoma sold NAMING RIGHTS to their state capitol!!!

Mindy did a search for “fried pies in OKC” and found this place. Just a small lunch…

We also tried to visit the OKC memorial, but again, parking not really an option. Oh, well—I didn’t want to be depressed anyway. We did see a giant toothbrush, though.

Moving on to Route 66 (where you can apparently get your kicks) and “Pops”, a convenience store/soda emporium.

Once we made it to Tulsa, we found the “East Meets West” tableau, showing old and new transportation in an impass.

OK, it took quite a while to transfer this all over hotel wifi, so more tomorrow.

#BayouWeddingTour

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 8 / May 7, 2019 by Mark

Reporting from Pauls Valley, OK (where the waving wheat, can sure smell sweet, when the wind comes right behind the rain…)

The day began back in Waco, TX—hence the waffle.

We drove into town, which boasts the the king and queen of cable home decoration, Chip and Joanna Gaines. It’s quite the empire.

Then it was off to the Dr. Pepper museum. There’s quite a history here of the various sodas (or pops, if you prefer).

We had lunch at an Asian food truck. Quite yummy. Our meal was only slightly impacted by a dive-bombing butterfly (don’t ask).

Waco certainly keeps it weird.

I noticed a billboard for “The American Domino Company”, so we stopped in. We left with a Number Domino 15 set.

Then it was off to Ft. Worth and the Water Gardens. They shot scenes for the film Logan’s Run here.

The next stop involved no photography—the US Mint. My mother will be happy to know I got in without a problem (she’ll know what that means).

A strange spot in suburban Denton, between two normal homes, is “The Chairy Orchard”. Is it an art installation? A neighborhood meeting spot? In any case, there’s a lot of places to sit.

Another un-photograph-able attraction was Magnetic Hill, in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma. It’s one of those places where gravity supposedly goes haywire. It’s just an optical illusion—it seems like your car rolls uphill—but it’s fun.

Well, that’s plenty for now—I’m worn out. More tomorrow.

#BayouWeddingTour

SFPPN

Ubi qualitas significationem non tenet, sed tempus vastatum valorem habet.

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 5 / March 14, 2020 by Mark

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 4 / March 13, 2020 by Mark

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 3 / March 12, 2020 by Mark

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 2 / March 11, 2020 by Mark

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 1 / March 10, 2020 by Mark

Beautiful Downtown Burbank - Day 0 / March 9, 2020 by Mark

Atlanta to the Coast - Addendum / November 8, 2019 by Mark

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 8 / October 29, 2019 by Mark

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 7 / October 28, 2019 by Mark

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 6 / October 27, 2019 by Mark

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 5 / October 26, 2019 by Mark

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 4 / October 25, 2019 by Mark

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 3 / October 24, 2019 by Mark

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 2 / October 23, 2019 by Mark

Atlanta to the Coast - Day 1 / October 22, 2019 by Mark

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 12 (Finale) / May 11, 2019 by Mark

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 11 / May 10, 2019 by Mark

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 10 / May 9, 2019 by Mark

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 9 / May 8, 2019 by Mark

Bayou Wedding Tour - Day 8 / May 7, 2019 by Mark

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