Category Archives: Family

Swamp Tour! Gators!

West Pearl River, LA

Cypress trees

More Cypress Trees

My beautiful sister, Kate Maleckar

Tour Guide with his crawfish haul!

Sharp swamp grass

Hungry river monster!

Water’s rising. . .

Fish Camp

Another river house

Doesn’t look too good. . .

Seen better days

I couldn’t leave New Orleans and Louisiana without finally going on a swamp tour! It’s not that I’m that interested in the gators – although it was pretty interesting actually seeing these wild creatures in their habitat (although I’ll leave the wisdom of the guides feeding them marshmallows and hot dogs up to you).

We picked the Honey Island Swamp Tour as it’s only a half hour or so from New Orleans, in Slidell, very close to the border with Mississippi. In addition to the gators you’ll see pictures of here, we saw a lot of birds, including the majestic Great Blue Heron, as well as a bunch of slider turtles, dragonflies, and frogs. No Bigfoot, as I noticed they tout that on their site.

You can tuck couple of pillows under your head for generic viagra germany this purpose. How does the natural exercise work to cheap levitra 20mg enlarge the jugs. Often viewed as embarrassing, cheap viagra from india Peyronie’s disease can also be somewhat problematic. Include eggs, banana, raspberries, blueberries, fish, almonds, crabs, oysters, pumpkin seeds and levitra sale https://pdxcommercial.com/property/709-w-main-st-molalla-or/ wheat germ in your daily diet. As with all of these things, the people inside the tour boat were probably as interesting as the sights. Well, maybe not quite. As you can see, the swamp and river are beautiful and I’m happy to get the chance to experience it, if only for a little while and at a safe distance. Now, where did I put that marshmallow bag?

Rock ‘n’ Bowl – New Orleans

Geno Delafose and French Rockin Boogie

the Rock ‘n’ Bowl

Geno Delafose and French Rockin Boogie

Jim Arnold at Rock ‘n’ Bowl

More from the NOLA trip – on May 9, we went to the Rock ‘n’ Bowl, which is “a live music venue located on S. Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans. It is a unique venue that combines a bowling alley and a music club together in one place,” and, there is also food, a bar, and of course (as you will see) dancing.

The night Kate Maleckar (my sister) and I were there, the (nouveau) Zydeco band was Geno Delafose and the French Rockin Boogie. From his online bio: Geno Delafose (born February 6, 1972 in Eunice, Louisiana) is a zydeco accordionist and singer. He is one of the younger generations of the genre who has created the sound known as the nouveau zydeco. His sound is deeply rooted in traditional Creole music with strong influences from Cajun music and also country and western.
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Jazzfest 2013 photos and video

David Bear and Kate Maleckar (at Jazzfest 2013)

Maggie Koerner

Mudd

Miss Claudia’s Singalong (Jazzfest)

Dave Maleckar (far left) with Miss Claudia’s Singalong and kids

Beausoleil amid the mud

Jim and Kate shoes

Congo Stage

Bongos, anyone?

Happy Jazzfest patrons in the mud

Sitting: David Bear, Maggie Koerner and Kate Maleckar.

Friday, May 4 was a wet spring day in New Orleans, so there’s a lot of mud in these pictures and in the video. Despite the weather, the music was fantastic and Kate (Kate Maleckar, my sister) and I had a great time sloshing around.

Here’s a phone video of some of Beausoleil and Irma Thomas in the Gospel Tent.
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So, it’s been a year now.

since Alma died.

Alma Maleckar Bear

A relative said to me the other day that only now, after the passage of one year, is he really coming to grips with what a tragedy this was, and only now beginning to get his head around it.

I suppose that’s how I feel as well, still not really believing I’ll never see her smiling face or hear that deep throaty laugh at a family event or a welcome trip to New Orleans.

In my posts last year, I didn’t talk about cause of death, out of consideration for Alma’s husband and parents. Of course, if you’re reading this, you’re likely someone who knew my niece Alma and already knew then and knows now that she killed herself.

I was going to post something on the order of defining suicide as a selfish act, but then I found this.

I was mainly thinking of the effects of that act on our family, on David, and all Alma’s friends and colleagues down in NOLA, in Milwaukee, everywhere. How devastating it was and continues to be. How there is an almost indescribable sadness and sense of loss, an unending frustration about not being able to fix something, something permanently just out of grasp.

But then I do realize, who am I to judge someone, anyone who does this, whether it’s a stranger or a member of my own family?
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In the end, I’m not able to. All I can say is

we miss you.

Amtrak Pass #4: NOLA and Sunset Limited back to Los Angeles

The Tucson station from the train window.

I think this is Benson, AZ.

Before dinner in the Dining Car.

I think this is Benson, AZ. . .

instagrammed photo of El Paso station

Another view of Alpine, with the Holland Hotel.

Alpine, Texas, from the train

Somewhere in Texas, no doubt!

The Alamo in DT San Antonio.

On the platform in Houston, TX

Houston DT from train

Cooter’s!

I liked the weatherbeaten look of this cottage

Shot of fountain with St. Charles streetcar in the bg

Corner of Dominican and Fern in NOLA

Real Nawlins Food.

Roof symmetry.

This made me laugh. Didn’t eat there.

Before an afternoon nap. Angel Heart, without the violence?

Audubon Park fountain.

I love the drama of the Spanish moss.

relocated slave quarters on the Laura Plantation

Another view. The guide said this house was abandoned after the Civil War.

Slaveowner’s retirement house, in ruins

Video, as well. Scroll down.

My final visit on this month-long trip with the train was to see my sister Kate and brother-in-law Dave Maleckar in New Orleans. It was a pretty quiet week – didn’t do too much, as I’ve been in NOLA a number of times and have pretty much maxed out the usual tourist sites – with the exception of seeing a plantation, which we did do.

The Laura Plantation is out on the River Road and a very interesting example of a Creole business plantation. An excellent tour, heavy on the history of Louisiana including the part before the USA got the Louisiana purchase, finally explaining to me what Creole really means. Highly recommended if you go down there and want to see one of the old places.

Other than that, just hung out and did a lot of walking around my sister’s neighborhood of Uptown (see photos, video) and visited with them. It’s been a very hard year for all, hard to believe it’s already 8 months since their daughter’s death (Alma Maleckar Bear). It was great to see them, as well as Alma’s husband David Bear. I took the Sunset Limited home to L.A.

And now, for the pros and cons of the train pass and Amtrak travel:

PROS

economical way to go: my 30-day pass cost $649.
Very relaxed way to travel – there’s no TSA. You don’t have to disrobe at the train station and there’s no groping. They actually do have food on the train (though you buy it, and it’s not cheap). There’s no traffic jams getting to an Amtrak station.
On time departures: every train I took left on time.
Clean and well-stocked restrooms: No train restroom I was in ever ran out of TP, soap, or towels, so unlike, for instance, the horrid and bitter end of a cross country flight where the restrooms resemble the final night of a decadent county fair.
Diversity: Face to face with your fellow man, any race, any age, any size and disposition. For a writer this is like filling up a dry well.
Helpful phone reservations: I had great experiences talking to actual booking agents on Amtrak, and it was speedy.
You see fascinating parts of cities and the countryside you would never see if you were driving (and, if you were driving, you should have your eyes on the road anyway!)

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Amtrak Pass #3: New York and the Crescent Train to New Orleans

The view outside during a big downpour.

Dakota, 72nd and CPW

I liked the look of this store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

View of Manhattan from East River Ferry docks in Brooklyn

Williamsburg Bridge and view of the new WTC building being built (on right)

Another view of New York from Brooklyn

fooling around in the hotel room!

with my friend Neil Greenberg in New York

Waiting for the New Orleans train

Scared straight, I don’t want to be here.

View rolling into Philly station

Birmingham from the train.

I loved the look of this abandoned train car

Interesting building with “roots”

Had a great time in New York seeing friends (including Neil Greenberg, see photo!) and my aunt, though was only there for a couple of days which is too short.

The Amtrak Crescent goes from New York to New Orleans in about 30 hours. Major stops included Philadelphia, Wilmington, Washington, Charlottesville, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans – plus a ton of smaller cities. Talk to me sometime about kids on trains, though! Earplugs, a great invention! I will say, though, this train was on time and had the best climate-controlled environment so far on my 30-day pass (read: it was not freezing on this train. Yay!)
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Enjoy the pix and the video – which includes clips from D.C. which include the Washington Monument, Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham (which those of you who know the “Ghost Hunters” shows will recognize) and pulling into Birmingham station itself. I liked that there was a truck parked there labeled “Dixie.” Indeed, I’ve arrived in Dixie. I’ll be here in New Orleans till Friday – more pix and videos coming.

Amtrak Pass #2: Milwaukee to Cleveland, also Hudson River Line

Shopping for pierogis! mmm.

The Cleveland Westside Market

Dan and Billy Hess

Saturday Cleveland Westside Market

Say “Urban Herb” 3 times really fast.

Ice cream for Brendan, Sophia, Julia, Billy and Dan!

My brother-in-law Dan Hess and sister Julia Arnold-Hess

Billy, Brendan and Sophia Hess

waiting for train to NY

Billy Hess, Jim Arnold, Sophia and Brendan Hess at Mitchell’s Ice Cream in Cleveland.

Arrived in Cleveland on the Lake Shore Limited early morning last Saturday, July 14 – there was an hour delay because of a vehicle “stuck on the tracks.” This wasn’t mentioned to us or announced until after we were once again underway – which I find really irritating. Yes, there were some passengers sleeping – but probably an equal number wide awake and wondering what the hell was going on.

I did get to sleep a bit once we got to Dan and (my sister) Julia’s home. Later, Dan and I went to the Cleveland Westside Market with their five-year-old, Billy Hess. Dan bought tons of stuff, including pierogis and sweets and fresh peanut butter, which I have now with me on the train!
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The next day I met Ed Kimble from L.A. at the Moca Coffee place on Clifton Boulevard and we went browsing at some of the gay places in Cleveland – which, I believe, are in Lakewood, Ohio. After that, I went bike riding to the ice cream store with the Hess kids. Later, Dan and Julia and I went to dinner at Zocalo, which is on the East 4th Street strip of restaurants and bars in DT Cleveland.

Monday afternoon we went to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where we took in the planetarium show and some exhibits. Finally, Dan made the exhausted crew his pierogis for dinner!

It was a wonderful visit in Cleveland. Now I’m in NYC seeing friends and family till Friday. Stay tuned for more!

Milwaukee Views

2239 Terrace Avenue, Milwaukee, where we lived in the 70s-80s. It’s for sale.

Quadracci from the Lake Michigan side

rumble under the highway

He had Frank Sinatra blaring from inside, so I stopped on my bike.

Some of Milwaukee downtown skyline and eastside buildings

What used to be the First Wisconsin Building, the tallest blg in the state, where I worked when I was in college.

Another view of the Quadracci

Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Center

Hard to believe my ten days here in Milwaukee visiting family is just about over, in fact, will be over at about 5 p.m. when I get on the Chicago train. Later this evening I’ll transfer to the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited which gets to Cleveland around 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Egad!

What’s in this post: pix of the Santiago Calatrava Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Center (the exterior) which now defines Milwaukee’s lakefront area. Also, took some video of the harbor from the Oak Leaf Trail (the bikepath) as well as near the Water Tower at North Avenue, where an old house of ours is for sale on Terrace Avenue. Sorry for the wind distortion on the Milwaukee Harbor clip. Also, I meant to say that the Hoan Bridge needs to be fixed or replaced, not the South Side of town!

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These are beautiful summer days full of sunshine. It’s what I’m used to in California, but very unusual for Wisconsin which is now suffering from “severe drought.” I hope it rains soon!

Summerfest 2012

Birthdays!

Birthdays – my dad and brother, July 7 2012

Birthdays!

Summerfest, Briggs & Stratton stage under the freeway

Summerfest

Laura and Dick Arnold

Dick and Laura Arnold

The blogger! Jim Arnold

Miller Stage, Summerfest

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Hanging with the Spitster (of Spitty Speaks!)

Spitty, of Spitty Speaks fame.

First, let me say that I don’t think this kitty has a white streak across his brow (or whatever you call that area on a cat). I think it must be a sunbeam.

I don’t normally blog about cats but there’s always the exception to the rule, and Spitty is certainly an exception to many rules.

He is the first cat to link his cat blog (Spitty Speaks) to mine, and for that I am so so grateful. Spitty is also the pet of my cousin, Mary Cerutti, who I suspect has some say in his blog posts, though one can never be too sure about such things.

Spitty started his life as a feral park cat up in San Francisco – from the freezing cold wilds of Golden Gate Park to the warmth, peace and quiet of an apartment nearby: one lucky feline indeed.

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Not to let that sweet exterior fool you, however. Spitty retains much of his wild heritage – untrustful, cautious, suspicious and lurking all describe this pet at various times I’ve observed him.

Of course, he’s not overly fond of me. I’ve stayed with my cousin numerous times on visits to San Francisco and it’s only been the last year or so where he’s made an appearance at all. So, of course I was shocked when I learned he had blogged about me and referred to me as “The Introodur.” Ha!

I also have been led to understand that he patiently sits there and watches me in the dark while I sleep on the airbed. Just waiting . . . but waiting for what? I’m not an infant, so I’m not sure he wants to suck the life breath right out of me, but I don’t entirely trust Spitty, I have to say.

Maybe writing about the cat will help our fractured relationship. Then again, maybe it’s just one more quiver in Spitty’s arsenal, about to be shot back at me when I least suspect it. For now, shall we have an understanding?

Please see the link to Spitty Speaks in the roll to the right of this post.