Showing posts with label bear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bear. Show all posts

Great Books: "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values" by Robert Pirsig

https://www.amazon.com/Tao-Pooh-Benjamin-Hoff/dp/0140067477

The how of Pooh? The Tao of who? The Tao of Pooh!?! In which it is revealed that one of the world's great Taoist masters isn't Chinese--or a venerable philosopher--but is in fact none other than that effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear. A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh! While Eeyore frets, and Piglet hesitates, and Rabbit calculates, and Owl pontificates, Pooh just is.

And that's a clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoist



https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry/dp/0060589469/

One of the most important and influential books written in the past half-century, Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live . . . and a breathtaking meditation on how to live better. Here is the book that transformed a generation: an unforgettable narration of a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest, undertaken by a father and his young son. A story of love and fear -- of growth, discovery, and acceptance -- that becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions, this uniquely exhilarating modern classic is both touching and transcendent, resonant with the myriad confusions of existence . . . and the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward.




Great Books: "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse (History of The Buddha)... and... "The Celestine Prophecy" by James Redfield


https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Novel-Hermann-Hesse/dp/0553208845/

It is the story of the quest of Siddhartha, a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege and comfort to seek spiritual fulfillment and wisdom. On his journey, Siddhartha encounters wandering ascetics, Buddhist monks, and successful merchants, as well as a courtesan named Kamala and a simple ferryman who has attained enlightenment. Traveling among these people and experiencing life’s vital passages–love, work, friendship, and fatherhood–Siddhartha discovers that true knowledge is guided from within.

https://www.amazon.com/Celestine-Prophecy-Adventure-James-Redfield/dp/0446671002/ 

Pay Attention to Odd Coincidences... it's the Universe Trying to Send you a Message... 

In the rain forests of Peru, an ancient manuscript has been discovered. Within its pages are 9 key insights into life itself -- insights each human being is predicted to grasp sequentially; one insight, then another, as we move toward a completely spiritual culture on Earth. Drawing on ancient wisdom, it tells you how to make connections among the events happening in your life right now and lets you see what is going to happen to you in the years to come. The story it tells is a gripping one of adventure and discovery, but it is also a guidebook that has the power to crystallize your perceptions of why you are where you are in life and to direct your steps with a new energy and optimism as you head into tomorrow.



Great Book: "The Empty Mirror: Experiences in a Japanese Zen Monastery" by Janwillem van de Wetering, a Detective Fiction Writer of "Outsider in Amsterdam"

https://www.amazon.com/Empty-Mirror-Experiences-Japanese-Monastery/dp/0312207743/

Seen by many as a contemporary classic, Janwillem van de Wetering's small and admirable memoir records the experiences of a young Dutch student―later a widely celebrated mystery writer―who spent a year and a half as a novice monk in a Japanese Zen Buddhist monastery. 

It is the first book in a trilogy that continues with A Glimpse of Nothingness and Afterzen.

https://www.amazon.com/Outsider-Amsterdam-Cops-Janwillem-Wetering/dp/1616953004/

On a quiet street in downtown Amsterdam, a man is found hanging from the ceiling beam of his bedroom, upstairs from the new religious society he founded: a group that calls itself “Hindist” and supposedly mixes elements of various Eastern traditions. Detective-Adjutant Gripstra and Sergeant de Gier of the Amsterdam police are sent to investigate what looks like a simple suicide, but they are immediately suspicious of the circumstances.

This now-classic novel, first published in 1975, introduces Janwillem van de Wetering’s lovable Amsterdam cop duo of portly, wise Gripstra and handsome, contemplative de Gier. With its unvarnished depiction of the legacy of Dutch colonialism and the darker facets of Amsterdam’s free drug culture, this excellent procedural asks the question of whether a murder may ever be justly committed.





Tales of My Participation in the Sierra Club's Work Crew - Camping Trip. Two Months in the Sierra Nevada picking up trash in 1970...

My Parents Suggested that I Work for The Sierra Club during the Summer of my Sophomore Year in High School. Fortunately, The Sierra Club got Funding from the Federal Government to Clean up Trails near a Popular Dirt Bike area... and Those Dirt Bike People were Horribly Destructive of the Forest... Garbage Everywhere... I Guess they HAD NO CLUE about Ecology... 



We Got a Giant Dumpster and a Sign Explaining Who and What the "Action Clean Up" was and we Got to Work... We Were VERY LAZY... We were Volunteers... However, We DID Burn as Much Trash as we could find and then Backpacked the Remaining Burnt Garbage OUT... Years Later I Found Out That The Program Became MUCH more Organized and Serious and THE CAMPERS PAID THE SIERRA CLUB TO GO... 

I saw a Bear sleeping on a Jeep's hood at night... when I walked near the Bear jumped up and ran away... This happened in the Little Kern River Basin Near Bakersfield, California... That was the Big Thrill of the Summer... 

(~);-} and now for something completely different {-;(~)

I went to a Masonic Promotion Ceremony for My Boss. His name was Glenn MacLellan and he was the owner of the San Jose Art, Paint and Wallpaper Store. I worked there unloading trucks and putting merchandise on the shelves in the store. The ceremony was "Really Goofy" in my humble Opinion... Grown men wearing aprons and chanting in a candle lit room... Just Like George Washington Did... 

(~);-} and now for something completely different {-;(~)

My Cousin Gary Lea is a Mason also... They have a little village of wooden homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains on the San Lorenzo River. We went there when I was a child to someone's birthday party. The river enters the Pacific Ocean at The Boardwalk on Main Beach... Gary used hypnosis to quit smoking tobacco. He had a visual Mantra that he would remember whenever he wanted to smoke. It was the O'Neil's Surf Shop Logo... I used this trick myself... why not? Gary figured out how to quit and I can simply use his technique... 




Read More of my Autobiography at :
https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/03/growing-up-in-los-gatos-california-in.html


15 Photos with Captions of Humboldt Nation in Northern California - EPIC Redwood Trees - A Painted BUS! - The Rugged Coast... It's Like Visiting Here but Without Actually Flying in an Airplane! Virtual Travel...

Path thru the Forest at the Trinidad Rest Stop... Reminds Me Of the EWOK Village in Star Wars That was Filmed Nearby
Path thru the Forest at the Trinidad Rest Stop... Reminds Me Of the EWOK Village in Star Wars That was Filmed Nearby

A Wind Blown Tree on the Coast near McKinleyville
A Wind Blown Tree on the Coast near McKinleyville

A Rainbow Painted City Bus in Eureka
A Rainbow Painted City Bus in Eureka

The Carson Mansion  as Seen from the Docks at The Woodley Island Marina
The Carson Mansion
as Seen from the Docks at The Woodley Island Marina

Ferns in the Headwaters Redwood Forest
Ferns in the Headwaters Redwood Forest

A Large Green Plant in The Plaza of Arcata, CA
A Large Green Plant in The Plaza of Arcata, CA

Three Sailboats, a Kayak and the Humboldt County Library
Three Sailboats, a Kayak and the Humboldt County Library

Crystals in a Store Window on Arcata Plaza
Crystals in a Store Window on Arcata Plaza

The Beach at Luffenholtz looking at Trinidad Head
The Beach at Luffenholtz looking at Trinidad Head

The Restaurant at Moonstone Beach
The Restaurant at Moonstone Beach

A Chainsaw Bear at Elfin Glen Gift Shop on Highway 101
A Chainsaw Bear at Elfin Glen Gift Shop on Highway 101
Odd Mushroom Cloud from the Biomass Power Plant - NO WIND in Fairhaven
Odd Mushroom Cloud from the Biomass Power Plant
NO WIND in Fairhaven
Remote Beach near Luffenholtz - Trinidad  I Have No Idea How or IF You can Get there.
Remote Beach near Luffenholtz - Trinidad
I Have No Idea How or IF You can Get there.

Trinidad Pier at Night
Trinidad Pier at Night

The Old Fisherman Statue in Eureka and a LOT of Sky and Water
The Old Fisherman Statue in Eureka
and a LOT of Sky and Water

Closeup of the Octopus Mural in Old Town Eureka
Closeup of the Octopus Mural in Old Town Eureka
Mouse and Rainbow Spiralism Drawing Giraffe and Magic Glasses
Mouse and Rainbow Spiralism Drawing with Glitter
Giraffe and Magic Glasses

and... Photographs from Other Locations 
in "The State of Jefferson"

Ocean Sparkles in Brookings Oregon
Ocean Sparkles in Brookings Oregon

Driftwood Sculpture on the Beach in Crescent City, California
Driftwood Sculpture on the Beach in Crescent City, California

Mount Shasta with almost NO Snow during the Summer of 2014 Drought
Mount Shasta with almost NO Snow
during the Summer of 2014 Drought

Bear Hole in Upper Bidwell Park. Chico, Ca  Lava Rocks from Mount Lassen
Bear Hole in Upper Bidwell Park. Chico, CA
Lava Rocks from Mount Lassen
Bear Hole in Upper Bidwell Park. Chico, CA  Lava Rocks from Mount Lassen
Bear Hole in Upper Bidwell Park. Chico, CA
Lava Rocks from Mount Lassen

Redwood Chainsaw Carving of a Mermaid and Crab Pots in Crescent City
Redwood Chainsaw Carving of a Mermaid
and Crab Pots in Crescent City

~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~
and now an advertisement for my Art Store
~~~~~~ (~);-} ~~~~~~

JUST SAY KNOW COFFEE CUP For Sale!
Satire of the Slogan printed on a Psychedelic Background. YOU MAY CHANGE THE WORDS OR REMOVE THEM IF YOU WANT TO. There are Two Layers of Letters - a White Layer that outlines the Black Layer on Top.

There is a Great Place to Swim in Upper Bidwell Park in Chico, California. The Lava from Mount Lassen Flowed down there and Crystallized into Black Rocks.

I swam thru the Lava Tubes... They are Now Closed because a Student Drowned... But in 1973, they were safe... Lava Rocks cool and harden Outside first and the inside Lava keeps on flowing... creating a Lave Tube... and there is one underwater in Chico. 

There is a Giant WPA Pool at the Legendary One Mile Recreation Area on Chico Creek. It's Open All Night... Most Parks, like Oak Meadow, are Closed at Night. What were they thinking? I remember Butte Creek was a Blast to go Tubing on. A Wild Ride in the Spring with Snow Melt. There is a Big Tubing Event on the Sacramento River as well, but I never went. 

Just for Your Information... There is a Great Swimming Hole on the Big Sur River just Upstream of The Pfeiffer Campground... and a Hot Spring twelve (12) miles in at Sykes Camp. I have very few regrets in life but, Once someone invited me to go to the Esalon Hot Springs because it was free of charge after Midnight... and I declined... OOPS! You can see it in the Movie "Celebration at Big Sur" with Joni Mitchell, CSN and Joan Baez... That's an Epic movie as Joni Plays the Piano and sings her brand new song "Woodstock." When I left Los Gatos in 1973 I went to Chico State and then returned in the Late 1990s... 

Bear Hole in Chico, California - Upper Bidwell Park

My Favorite Place to Swim is Upper Bidwell Park near Chico, California. The Lava from Mount Lassen flowed down there and crystallized into large black rocks.

In the Summer the Rocks absorb sunshine and become too hot to sit on unless you splash some water on them from the Creek. The Place called Bear Hole (Diversion Dam) is the Best of the Easily Driven to Spots. However It Does take some crawling over the rocks to get in. Last time I was there, at AGE 62 it was more than I could do so I went swimming at Alligator Hole Instead. That one has a gentle beach to wade into the water. I saw a Duck and a string of Ducklings there. That Gave Me an Emotional Feeling of Being One With the Universe... Sunny Day, Trees, Lava Rocks, Ducks and ME... All One... 

Bear Hole, Chico Creek California - gvan42
Bear Hole, Chico Creek California

Another EPIC Swimming Place is the One Mile Recreation area. During the Depression of the 1930s the WPA built a Giant pool there out of concrete. They Built a Dam Across the Chico Creek and the pool is Very Very Long and Wide... One thing that is wonderful is the Park is open 24 hours a day. Swimming at Night is Special. 

One Mile Swimming Pool Chico Creek California
One Mile Swimming Pool Chico Creek California


Butte Creek is wonderful for Tubing. It's a Wild Ride in the Spring with Snow Melt. 

I lived in Chico in 1973 and 1974 and then again for about 5 years in the late 1990s early 2000s... 

Link to Everything I've Written about Chico: https://gvan42.blogspot.com/search?q=Chico

"A Spiral of Deadheads." OOBE... (FICTION: NOT ONE WORD IS TRUE) We didn't really do this... Is it Possible to write a Story that Induces a Trance? Here is My Attempt...

Imagine that you are floating in a tub of warm water... every muscle in your body is completely relaxed...

your mind drifts and contentment blooms like a time lapse film of a rose... blossoming...

you leave your body and rise up to the ceiling... look back and see it resting there... 

with a cup of tea in it's hand... ahh... mint... 

as you observe your body, your mind seeps thru the ceiling... and you see the world... 

there is a forest... it is for... rest... 

On the shore of a lake a spiral of deadheads dance around a fire... 

the flickering light appears to be perfectly synchronized to the rhythm of the drums... 

alas...the reversal of entropy is merely an illusion...

a dancer reaches into the shadows and lifts a five gallon can of gasoline...

it is tightly sealed... he places it on the fire... and they all move back...

it will take time for the gas to expand enough to burst the can... 

Meanwhile, a slender woman with strawberry blond hair raises a conch shell to her lips and draws a deep breath. 

She blows a long note signaling the beginning of a new era of mankind... 

Everything is dripping with meaning... Significance saturates every leaf of every tree ... 

then a tiny hole appears in the gas can and a cone of fire reaches for the sky... 

you contemplate metallurgy, welding and strength of materials... 

then the gas can resigns itself to fate and the plasma finds oxygen... 

the spiral of deadheads emit a massive yeah! and you drift on...

your body transmogrifies itself into a bear and goes fishing in a creek...

your paw slaps a salmon onto the bank and you eat the fish... somehow, you have never understood the world so well... 

alas, the oneness is merely an illusion... and tomorrow it's back to reality... deep sigh... 

but for one shimmering moment, bliss... it does exist, the door has been opened... at least once... 

but... shuts again... Plato's "The Cave" is so very personal... We all go back inside to watch the Shadows on the Wall... 

Knowing... WHAT? Cooperation is better than Competition? Gaia is Real and I'm the Brother of a Tree? Cat? Spider? Rock? Ocean?

We are a Beautiful Family... Life... and NON life... Do We MATTER? What IS Matter? Waveform or Particle?

or Both at the same time... Food for Thought... and you drift on...


Music Video: "Big Medicine Song" Written and Sung by Greg Vanderlaan

 https://youtu.be/u7uD_aWmymg

Written at an Amerindian Christian Tent Revival Meeting we attended. The lyrics simply appeared in my mind full formed while playing the Father Drum.

Awaken the giant within...(E,G#/BE, G/BE, E)
Awaken the giant within...(E,G#/BE, G/BE, E)

Went down to the river (E,G,D,D*,D)
Went down to the sea (A,A*,A)
Drank deep of the water of life (E,G,D,D*,D)
and set my soul free,my soul free (A,A*,A,E,E)

Ya Way is the mountain (E,G,D,D*,D)
the ocean and the sea (A,A*,A)
may the four winds of the ancients (E,G,D,D*,D)
become one with thee,one with thee (A,A*,A,E,E)

Ya-way,your way (E,G,D)
lead on mighty spirit (A,A*)
Ya-way your way (E,G,D)
fill me with light (A,A*)
Ya-way, your way (E,G,D)
the path is calling (A,A*)
Ya-way, your way (E,G,D)
Rainbow warriors to the fight (A,A*)
Ya-way use me (E,G,D)
make me a healer (A,A*)
Ya-way, use me (E,G,D)
Big medicine is yours (A,A*)
Ya-way, use me (E,G,D)
flowing waves of compassion (A,A*)
Ya-way, use me (E,G,D)
My hands are your tools... (A,A*)

The spirit of the buffalo (E,G,D,D*,D)
the spirit of the bear (A,A*,A)
teach us to live in balance (E,G,D,D*,D)
mother eARTh we will share, we'll share (A,A*,A,E,E)

Trump's ethanol move delivers gift to corn country... More "Corn Squeezins" for your Car's Gas Tank... Not to be consumed by Humans!

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/08/trump-ethanol-corn-831493 Ethanol, the active ingrediant in Whiskey, beer and wine is promoted by government subsidy as an alternative to OIL Based Gasoline... Well, the BEAR Drank it and proceeded to do the Bear Dance as he was GOD'S OWN Drunk! - Jimmy Buffet.

HEADLINE: "President Donald Trump has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to expand sales of corn ethanol, a senior White House official said on Monday, delivering a gift to farm state Republicans a month before the midterm elections."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-set-lift-restrictions-ethanol-gasoline-n918011
HEADLINE: Trump set to lift restrictions on ethanol in gasoline...
President Donald Trump is expected to announce he is lifting a federal ban on summer sales of high-ethanol blends during a trip to Iowa on Tuesday.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDIrJkNE4Jk

Well, like to explain to you all before,
I ain't no drinkin' man
I tried it once and it got me highly irregular
And I swore I'd never do it again
I promised my brother in-law that I'd go up watch his still
While he went in to town to vote
It was right up on the mountain
where the map said it would be
Friends let me tell you one thing,
though it wasn't no ordinary still
It stood up on that mountainside
like a hugh golden opal

God's yeller moon shinin' on the cool clear evenin'
God's little lanterns twinklin' on and off in the heavens
Like I explain'd to you once before I ain't no drinkin' man
But temptation got the best of me
And I took a slash
That yella whiskey runnin' down my throat
like honey dew vine water

And I took another slash,
Took another'n an another'n an another'n
For you knew I'd downed one whole jug of that shit
and commenced to gettin' hot flashes
Goose pimples was runnin' up and down my body
And a feelin' came over me
like somethin' I'd never experienced before
It was like, like I was in love
In love for the first time, with anything that moved
Animate, inanimate it didn't matter
It's like there's a great neon sign flashin' on an' off
in my brain sayin' "Jimmy Buffett there's a great day a comin'"
`Cause I was drunk
I wasn't knee crawlin', slip slidin', Reggie Youngin'
Commode huggin' drunk

I was God's own drunk and a fearless man
And that's when I first saw the bear
He was a Kodiak lookin' fella `bout nineteen feet tall
He rambled up over the hill
expectin' me to do one of two things,
Flip or fly, I didn't do either one
It hung him up

He started sniffin' around my body tryin' to smell fear
But he ain't gonna smell no fear `cause
I'm God's own drunk and a fearless man
It hung him up
He looked right in my eyes, and my eyes
was a lot redder than his was
It hung him up

So I approached him, I said "Mr. Bear, I love
every hair on your twenty-seven acre body
I know you got a lot of friends over there
on the other side of the hill
There's ole' rare bear, tall bear, Freddy bear, Kelly bear
Really bear, smelly the bear, smokey the bear,
pokey the bear
I want you to go back over there tonight
And tell them I'm feelin' right
You tell them I love each and everyone of them
like a brother and a sister

But if they give me any trouble tonight
I'm gonna run every God damn one of them off the hill"
He took two steps backwards and didn't know what to think
Neither did I but bein' charitable and cautious
Well hell I approached him again
I said "Mr. Bear, You know in the eyes of the Lord
we're both beasts when it comes right down to it

So I want you to be my buddy, Buddy bear"
So I took ole' buddy bear by his island size paw
and I led him over to the still
He's a sniffin' around that thing cause
he's smellin' somethin' good
I gave him one of them jugs of honey dew vine water
He downed it up right
Looked like one of them damn bears in the circus

Sippin' sasparilly in the moonlight
I gave him another'n an another'n an another'n
For I knew it he downed eight of them
and commenced to doin' the bear dance
Two snips, a snort, a fly turn, and a grunt
It was so simple like the jitter bug
It plum evaded me

We worked ourselves into a tumultuous uproar
And I was awful tired and went over to the hillside
and I laid down and went to sleep
Slept for four hours and dreampt me some tremulous dreams
When I woke up, there was God's yeller moon
shinin' on the clear cool evenin'

God's little lanterns twinklin' on and off
in the heavens
My buddy the bear was a missin'
Want to know something else friends and neighbors
So was that still

Chainsawed Bears in Humboldt County... In a grocery store on Highway 36 along the Van Duzen River. On the Avenue of the Giants, Highway 101

Benefit for the Fortuna High School Track Team - Raffle
Bear in the same grocery store... 
Traveling North on Highway 101 from San Francisco, Take a right Hand Turn on Highway 36... This rarely used road runs from The Coastal Region over The Mountains to Red Bluff in the Central Valley.

On the Avenue of the Giants Highway 101 Near Eureka
The Elfin Glen Gift Shop on Highway 101

Trump administration wants to weaken the Endangered Species Act... Republicans Feel That Corporate Profit is more important than Animals...

How to comment on the Proposed Destruction of the Endangered Species Act. Help prevent the destruction of our environment...



https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/7/20/17594908/endangered-species-act-trump-proposal-change-weaken

The Endangered Species Act, or ESA, is the key piece of US legislation protecting wildlife. Since its passage in 1973, it’s been credited with helping the rebound of the bald eagle, the grizzly bear, the humpback whale, and many other species living throughout the US and in its waterways.

The strict regulations put in place by the act are often frustrating (and costly) roadblocks for industry like mining, and oil and gas drilling and for developers looking to build in areas where protected species live.


"Please make no changes at all to the Endangered Species Act. It is currently working great. Proposed changed by the Trump Administration seek to harm animals in order to increase Corporate Profits."

https://www.doi.gov/contact-us
use the link above to contact the Department of Interior


https://www.fws.gov/duspit/contactus.htm 
use the link above to contact the Fish and Wildlife Service

https://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/regulation-revisions.html 

The proposed rules will publish in the Federal Register on July 25, 2018, and will provide detailed information on how the public can submit written comments and information concerning these provisions.


Comments for each notice must be received within 60 days, by September 24, 2018. All comments will be posted on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means any personal information provided through the process will be posted.

While working at The County of Humboldt in the Welfare Office, we had a christmas party at the Bear River Casino's party room.

 We all sat at 8 person tables and I sat next to Connie Beck. She would later become the head of the entire agency. We chatted pleasantly during dinner. It was something to see that while at work she was evil, but at the party she was normal. There was a disc jockey that played classic rock songs and we danced. Victoria and I slow danced to some ballad... We almost never danced because Victoria was in constant pain and dancing made her hurt more. We had fun. On the way to the dance She dried her hair using the cars heater vent. I got lost and we arrived late... when we got there they were serving dinner so we just got in line. Later I realized that we were all supposed to get in line one table at a time but since we did not know the rules, we got to get served early. A co-worker of mine was wearing a very short party dress. She had pretty legs. VERY pretty.

Most of the people at work were women. It was very pleasant to be surrounded by women during 8 hours a day. I especially liked our mental health clinician, Jeannie Patterson. She was a good person to talk to when my Father was dying. Some times I had difficulty doing my job because I enjoyed chatting with my co-workers. We DID have to discuss work in order to complete our tasks but I often just wanted to stay with them and enjoy their presence. I miss the social aspect of my job but the contact with clients was unpleasant. They were often scary people who were in desperate situations and what help we offered was usually not enough. They were looking for help RIGHT NOW and we took a month to complete their cases and grant benefits. Very often clients got lost and did not show up to collect their benefits. The underlying flaw with the whole system is that homeless people often cannot plan for an event that happens in the future. That's a symptom of what their problems are. Being able to pay attention to time and space is beyond them. That's one of the reasons they need help.

After I retired, the place imploded. I was able to complete my own client's cases and help others as well. The remaining eligibility workers found it impossible to complete their cases on time. That meant that they had angry clients demanding payment that they could not provide. So, the county built a glass wall between the waiting room and the employees. That way the clients could scream without frightening the workers. Then two of the workers quit. They simply could not tolerate the increased anger from the clients. We had four intake workers. That left one experienced person and the new people hired to replace us. I told the people in management that our process was inefficient and took too long to grant benefits but they ignored my advice... and then they experienced the inefficiency themself. Right in their face. Instead of correcting the problems, they built a glass wall.

Government work had a lot of bizarre events. For Example: We were required to keep the thermostat at 72 degrees no matter what the employees wanted. So, we opened the windows to let in cool air half the year and ran little space heaters the other half. Very expensive way to run an office... OSHA required strict obediance to the 72  degree rule. They installed a clear plastic housing to prevent employees from changing the temperature. Some employees figured out that they could use a fingernail file to push the temperature control. That way we could have pleasant temperature without anyone to blame when the inspectors came around. Everyone was good with that. The inspectors could point to the plastic housing that "prevented" employees fiddling with the controls and that fact "got them off the hook" with their bosses.

We had a lot of meetings. I spent my time doodling on paper with a pen. My drawings showed extreme caffiene use. Then after I retired I developed an entire artform based on doodling on pages from the newspaper, maps and stock market reports. I photographed these illustrations and posted them on my blog. I used the subject of the newspaper articles as subject for my drawings. I especially enjoyed drawing on pages "left blank intentionally". That would be a good name for a techno-pop band... Another good name is "Lads Gone Native". That refers to the legend of Tarzan, an Englishman who went to Africa and married a Native woman. Strangely, in the movies, Jane is white... not very likely... I believe that Lord Greystoke met a Black Woman and decided to never visit England again. 

My boss played keyboards for a band called "Monster Women" that had three dyke looking ladies and him. They played "Glam Rock"... I saw them play at a "SpamFest" at our local baseball field. It was a fund raiser for the local schools and a lady from the office invited me on Facebook... They served many different types of Spam dishes... all horrible... I took a hike in the woods behind the baseball fields as there are redwood forests for miles there in the Cutten section of Eureka. Thankfully, kids on motorcycles have created trails that go all over the woods. These are the same woods that came up to our apartment. I loved sitting out in the forest smoking cigarettes while it was raining. A redwood tree absorbs the first day of a rainstorm before the leaves start dripping. In the winter, there are many days that are not really raining but not really dry. Sort of a fog... Those days it is dry on the forest floor. I buried two cats out there in the woods behind our home.

Read more of my autobiography at: http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/03/growing-up-in-los-gatos-california-in.html





Bear Tales: Our family loved to go camping in the woods... and so, we met bears. Walk away backwards slowly and let them eat your Lunch.

We lived in Eureka on the edge of a forest that was about 5 miles to the next house. Many animals lived in those woods including bears, a fox, deer, raccoons and skunks. The only time I saw a bear was when I was standing in my kitchen looking out the window at the parking lot. The bear just walked slowly past and I was really glad to be indoors. That bear killed the neighbor's dog. I assume that the dog was annoying and barking at the bear... that's a mistake you don't do twice.

We enjoyed the deer so much that we bought a salt lick at the feed store. The deer really loved it as not only did it have salt but it also had seeds to eat. We put it in the meadow next door to the house and that's how we got to see the fox... In general, animals are afraid of humans but if you buy them Lunch... that's a different story.

Once a skunk came into the house thru the cat door and hid behind the record player cabinet. I took a roll of Christmas Wrapping paper and poked the skunk and it left without spraying. LUCKY!

We had three cats and they were free to go outdoors at will. I became especially fond of Shasta the cat. He was a disobedient large male cat. I am a disobedient large male human so we got along great. When it came time to go to the VET he and I would wrestle and when I won I put him in the cat carrier. It was not obvious that I would win the fight.

When he got really old he became blind and during the last week of his life he would walk forward until he hit a wall then turn right or left and walk forward until he hit another wall. He repeated this blind walk for hours... I had to clean my room so that there were not any corners because in a corner he became stuck... turning right or left did no good in a corner. So I walked around the house throwing away trash and straightening us the clothes on the floor etc FOR HOURS! It was as if Shasta the Cat was doing his "Forever walk" and I too was on the same wavelength... Sometimes he would lie down and not move and so I sat down and looked at him and I did not move. I was retired from work at this time so I had all the time in the world to meditate with my friend.

Eventually he walked into a storage room and hid under a pile of clothes and did not move. I assumed that he was dead but I wasn't so rude as to POKE him to find out for sure. A couple of days later he walked out of that room and continued his blind "Forever walk"... I figured that he had regained his health and so I went on a driving vacation to Chico. He died a couple of days later.

BUT, we had a very meaningful week together.

Shasta had a sister named Meadow that we got at work in Chico. Miss Vicki was working at United Healthcare as a Data Entry Operator and another employee had a litter. I was assigned the task of Naming the cats and I wanted to name them after the Native American Sacred Spring on Mount Shasta at Panther Meadow... Miss Vicki overruled the name Panther because one simply does not name a housecat - lion, panther, lynx, tiger - so they became Shasta and Meadow... Meadow is still alive.

I made a Youtube film of Shasta... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQUHWAVDTv0

A family of raccoons lived under our house. Evidently the bathtub leaked and it was a good source of drinking water. They really freaked out Miss Vicki as they made a scary scratching sound whenever someone would go into the bathroom.

Read more of my autobiography at: http://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/03/growing-up-in-los-gatos-california-in.html

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LINKS TO MY BEST BLOG POSTS!
*The Violet Overgrow - An Eco-Warrior's Journey by Gregory Vanderlaan - FICTION

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*Generate Electricity and Clean Drinking Water AT THE SAME TIME. A Solar Powered Desalinization Plant Would Convert Seawater into Energy, Pure H2O and NaCl.

*Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42 - UFO and Alien Hieroglyphics

*Tree Sitters Protest Lignite Coal Mine in Hambach Forest, Germany

*The Passage of Roe v Wade Led to Fewer Unwanted Babies Being Born... and 20 Years Later, Less Violent Crime... Because Unwanted Babies Grow Up to Become Violent Criminals...

*FREE COLORING BOOK: Print The Drawings and Color Using Felt Pens, Pencils or Potatoshop... American Indian

*HEADLINE: Deadline for "Real ID" for Air Travel Postponed AGAIN Until May 7, 2025... WONDERFUL!

*My Music Video: FREE ALL THE CANNABIS PRISONERS - A Mockery of Nancy Ray Gun... Jest Say KNOW

*Bubble UP! Economics. Raise the Minimum Wage, Social Security and LOWER Taxes on 99% of Americans. Actually Collect Taxes on the Top 1%... We The People Will Spend that Extra Money in Our Paychecks and it will BUBBLE UP! Throughout The Entire Economy...

*How to Escape the Cult of Trump: Deprogramming by Family Members of the MAGA MORON is Essential... If Someone you Know has been Brainwashed... RESCUE THEM!

*The Best Five Restaurants Near Eureka, California - Eat a Fish, Watch the Boats...

*Trump: "The Art of the Failed Deal" Book. Every Deal in that book LOST MONEY. That's why He declared Bankruptcy SO MANY TIMES. Will his Business Stupidity cause the ENTIRE COUNTRY to Go Bankrupt?

*Photographs of a Journey to the Headwaters Forest - Now a State Reserve... Near Eureka, CA - Plus The Story of How It Came To Be!

*Rainbow Gathering July 1-7, 2024 Will Be In CALIFORNIA... Exact Location To Be Revealed June 15th... and As Soon as I Know, I'll Post Driving Directions and Maps Here... What IS The Rainbow Gathering? For Me, It's Woodstock with Amateur Musicians and I'm in the Band... It's a Week Long Backpack Trip for Thousands of People...


*Add THIS to Your Bucket List: Swimming at Bear Hole in Upper Bidwell Park, Chico California. Crystallized Black Lava Rocks - Basalt from the Eruption of Mount Lassen.

*Numbers have Cultural Meanings... A list from Zero to Infinity and Beyond... For example: 007 Means James Bond. 420 Means Marijuana. 5150 means Insane... and... 420 + 5150 = REEFER MADNESS!

*"Conspiracy Theories" that are ACTUALLY TRUE. MKULTRA, Cointelpro, CIA-Contra-Cocaine, Donald Rumsfeld Selling Weapons to Saddam Hussein, UFOs are Real... Sometimes people dismiss Truth as "Just a Conspiracy Theory" because they Don't LIKE THE TRUTH.

1967: The Summer of Love... San Francisco, Hippies, Flower Power, Peace, The Diggers, Haight Ashbury, LSD and the Grateful Dead. It certainly has been a Long Strange Trip. Congratulations to all those of us who have survived... One thing is for certain...The culture of the United States was radically different After the 1960's...



*American History: "The Thunder Machine" was a Giant Sheet Metal Sculpture that you Got Inside and Played like a Drum. Made by Ron Boise and used at Ken Kesey's Acid Tests.

For Maximum Effect, Don't Read This Book. Write Your Own! --- "Lessons Learned" by Gregory Vanderlaan. A Lifetime of Trial, Error and Survival Yielded These Words of Wisdom...

My Biff Rose Trip: Driving To a Cabin in the Woods - down The Coast of California from Arcata thru Ft Bragg to Mendocino... An Excellent Adventure!

How To Remove Smoke from Indoor Air. Tape a Filter to a Box Fan. During Wildfire Season the Air Indoors is Bad to Breathe...


Pretty Soon the Filter Turns Brown
from Smoke, Pollen and Dust.

Who WAS Ram Dass? In the Sixties, He was a Psychedelics Researcher and Promoter at Harvard with Dr. Timothy Leary. (LSD, Magic Mushrooms and Peyote) Then He went to India Looking for Enlightenment and Met a Guru. Changed His Name and Published a Great Book... "Remember: Be Here Now" - It Has His Autobiography and then Many ART Drawings Explaining Eastern Religion. Real Name: Dr. Richard Alpert...


Who WAS Ram Dass? In the Sixties, He was a Psychedelics Researcher and Promoter at Harvard with Dr. Timothy Leary. (LSD, Magic Mushrooms and Peyote)


My Autobiography: Growing Up in Los Gatos, California in the 1960s by Gregory Vanderlaan - and Living in San Jose, Washington DC, Chico, Eureka and Orangevale, CA.

I Was Born in 1954. We lived Near the San Jose Airport until they Started Landing Jet Airplanes and We had to move... We went to Los Gatos in 1960. I lived there until graduation from Los Gatos High School in 1972... an Ideal Childhood... FYI: Los Gatos is about 50 miles South of San Francisco on the edge of the mountains between San Jose and Santa Cruz.

I Went to West Valley Jr. College, learned electronics drafting and got a job at System Industries in Santa Clara... I feel blessed that not only did I grow up in a great location but I also grew up at a great time. I missed the Vietnam War by ONE Year and Silicon Valley Was Hiring Like Crazy When I Needed a Job.
Peace Sign Pie Chart
History of the Vietnam War. 58,000 Americans Died for Nothing... Something They Don't Teach in School Now... "Too Controversial" -

During the 1950s Americans went into a Mad Panic about Communists taking over the world. We built thousands of Nuclear Missiles and Fallout Shelters. The US Congress had witch hunts (Joe McCarthy-HUAC) to expose "Commies" who worked in The Hollywood Movie business and blacklisted folksingers that were leading our young people astray with Labor Union Organizing songs.


During the height of this hysteria Vice President Richard Nixon went on Television and explained "The Domino Principle" while pointing to a map of Asia. His theory was...

READ MORE: https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-brief-history-of-vietnam-war-58000.html

Who Won the War? DOW CHEMICAL AND HUGHES AIRCRAFT. Selling Napalm, Agent Orange and Helicopters...

Military Death Chart USA

AMERICA'S BOGUS WARS - Since 1945, The US Military Has Never Defended The USA, Not Even Once.

Ever since Victory in Japan, All of Our Wars have been Marketing to Sell Weapons for the Military Industrial Complex.







Free Coloring Book Art by gvan42 - UFO and Alien Hieroglyphics