Rumors of NOAA hoarding information? Unethical ties to Libya and swapping terrorists for the right to drill? The scope of BP's reach is a brutal fact that will continue to be an irritant to the world community.
Since the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon occurred, there have been 4 fundraisers in Washington D.C. held by BP. When do the fundraisers start for the families and businesses suffering along the Gulf coast? When do the fundraisers start for the people and non profit groups trying to preserve the delicate ecology there?
Outraged.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Priorities
A good friend of mine posted a quote by Margaret Meade on Facebook a few days ago, and it has been resonating with me since, "A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." I must confess that upon my return to the Midwest, I've been a bit shell shocked by the lack of concern expressed by people in general about the disaster unfolding in the GOM. Ok, so we are thousands of miles from the actual disaster, and I get the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality to a degree. What I don't understand is that when I try to talk to people about it, I get a general sense of defeat. Is it true that most Americans feel they don't have a voice in what happens in our government and with companies like BP? Have we succumbed to indifference instead of fighting for what is right?
And surprise, surprise, the news today was that BP was a bit "overly optimistic" about the time frame for stopping the leak. The fed ended up slowing the operation, and Kent Wells, BP Senior VP, agreed that delaying the tests and ultimately the capping of the well was the prudent thing to do. Thad Allen, National incident commander said, "This has been a substantial impact on our environment, this has been a substantial impact on the Gulf Coast, the people, the culture. What we didn't want to do is compound that problem by making an irreversible mistake." Heavens no, irreversible mistakes in the Gulf? And so we wait, and watch more pointless video of oil gushing into the GOM, and it makes us feel more helpless and angry (or at least me anyway).
And while our fellow American citizens in the South are faced with decimated lives, while we watch our economy slide further into the abyss with property values declining from Florida to Texas along the coastline, and while the planet is being systematically wiped out by this egregious gaffe, our friends at Shell and BP are making plans with our elected representatives and elected officials to begin a new venture that is in an even riskier and more dangerous environment. Even though the President has put the kibosh on deep offshore drilling in places like Virginia and Florida, it seems that the oil companies are going to march right ahead with their plans to start the process of drilling in the remote corners of the Arctic. If you haven't had a chance to read Tim Dickinson's article in the June issue of Rolling Stone, you can find it here.
Dickinson goes on to explain that although the Obama administration has every legal ability to STOP the planned drilling (and by the way my fellow readers, these procedures have never been tested, and they take place in some of the most volatile seas on earth), they are not doing it. Please, be part of the small group of thoughtful people that Margaret Meade described and contact your elected representatives and President Obama and tell them that we want risky deep offshore drilling stopped. You could even suggest that if they don't, you'll vote for someone who can make that happen.
What does it mean for us to live without these crazy, deep water drilling rigs? We all joke about riding our bikes more, driving less, flying less, living a more simple lifestyle, but it seems to me that we get what we deserve (including the government officials for whom we cast our votes). It's not like we have to completely stop driving cars, right? How about the Nissan LEAF, and Chevy VOLT? What about investing more in alternative energy sources and cleaner, more efficient forms of public transportation? We have been told that "Easy Oil" era is over. Sure we can get more from the Middle East, but that's not playing out so well for any of us, is it? I believe that this country can emerge from these crazy times a better, less oil dependent nation. We just have to know where our priorities are.
Last week, when I was on vacation, I was enjoying some live entertainment at The Hangout in Orange Beach, Alabama. The band was playing a cover of the popular song by Zach Brown, "Chicken Fried". It was at the end of my first day of seeing some pretty horrific scenes of oil stained beach, my first fish kill, and countless tar balls & oil coated garbage. I had just ordered some cajun style shrimp, was chatting up the bartender and soaking in the pleasure of being on vacation (and really enjoying the music, these kids were good!). As I listened to the music and felt the warm breeze tickling my sunburnt skin, the last verse of the song took on a new, somber, and almost macabre meaning. Eleven people lost their lives in this disaster, in this conspicuous display of consumption. This process which fuels our current lifestlye. Are these 11 not also heroes?
"I thank god for my life, And for the stars and stripes, May freedom forever fly, let it ring. Salute the ones who died, And the ones that gave their lives, so we don`t have to sacrifice, All the things we love" God Bless the 11 souls who died on the Deepwater Horizon and their families who have given the ultimate sacrifice.
Peace.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Images from Grand Isle
Good Luck with the sale of the house....
Creative Protest Signs at Grand Isle
Lots of military on Grand Isle
So many tracks, how will BP ever cover them?
Testing the water on Grand Isle
No Eating of Seafood either
Oil Sheen--Grand Isle State Park
Black on the rocks is Louisiana Sweet Crude
Grand Isle State Park--the orange boom goes on as far as the eye can see
Workers wait in line for paychecks on Friday eve at Grand Isle State ParkDauphin, Dolphins, & Grand Isle
On Wednesday, I completed the volunteer training with COAST (Coalition of Active Stakeholders Team). Essentially, COAST is comprised of Alabama Coastal Foundation, Mobile Baykeeper, the U.S. Coast Guard, BP, and the State of Alabama. The Volunteer Field Observer (VFOB) program is a brand new effort to coordinate and document the effects of the oil spill, the clean up process, and also record other pertinent ecological data. Thousands of fellow Americans have expressed a desire to help or volunteer in some way, and this is the first program of its kind. Hopefully, other states will use this format to allow the good people of this country to get involved and have a voice in how the clean up process is being conducted.
A dear friend of mine said recently, "Truth is the best disinfectant." Part of the reason I wanted to volunteer in the VFOB program with Mobile Baykeeper was because I wanted to see with my own eyes what is being done by BP, the local authorities, and the U.S. government to mitigate the damage. Selfishly, as an outsider to the area, I felt this would give me some direction as to where I might go to see the worst of it. I was not wrong, as having the local contacts and designated areas on which to report kept me from being on a wild goose chase, and also satisfied my urge to truly help. At this point, I'd like to make it perfectly clear that I was stopped on many occasions by BP and by local authorities from accessing public beach areas and even State Park areas. The images reported in your local paper are what BP has allowed to be published.
Local Accounts
During my stay, I tried to speak with as many local residents as I possibly could, from local business owners to commercial fisherman. A resident personal trainer (and avid surfer) told me that he was experiencing health issues (persistent sore throat and respiratory problems) and had not been in the water since May 15th. He told me that his friends who were fishermen warned him to stay out of the water.
A local fisherman informed me that the dispersant (Corexit) actually makes it more difficult for them to skim the oil out of the ocean because is makes the crude sink below the surface. Corexit breaks the oil up into those fun little tar balls and patties that are now entering Lake Pontchartrain (supporting the theory that had the oil been left alone, it would be easier to collect, and also would not have floated under the booms designed to keep the oil out). I wonder, does the POTUSA (President of the United States of America) ever watch YouTube or read blogs? Is anyone in charge listening to the soldiers on the front lines? On a side note, no toxicity studies have been conducted on Corexit (check out number 11 on the MSDS sheet). According to the EPA, BP has put more Corexit into the GOM than has ever before been used (one estimate puts it at 700,000 gallons). The (spineless & toothless) EPA warned BP back in May to cut back on this killer chemical, but BP esentially said, "sorry, we have a bad connection out here...can't hear you". You can read the communiques between BP and the EPA here. Most dispersants contain a chemical that can cause endocrine disruption, which can lead to fetal defects and can impair reproduction in both humans and aquatic life. One more time, can impair reproduction in humans and aquatic life. All of this makes me ask the question, "why wasn't this testing done a long time ago on these products?" Also important to note is that the current test data submitted by the chemical manufacturers does not include how the chemical reacts with Louisiana Sweet Crude. So, we still don't really have any data that can assure us Corexit is safe, and not causing harm to us or the ecosystem in the GOM. What is the truth? You can contact your representatives and President Obama and ask them to ramp up pressure on both the EPA and BP to cut back on Corexit until more is known. Do it for your love of Louisiana seafood if nothing else!
Dauphin Island
On Thursday, I took the car ferry from Fort Morgan to Dauphin Island, where I met up with Mary Myers, another volunteer for Mobile Baykeeper. Mary and I walked the beach in front of the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. The beach had recently been cleaned, and we were both relieved to see that the clean up crews had (for once) done what appeared to be a thorough job. We were disappointed to see the appearance of oil in a marshland leading from Dauphin Surf Club to the beach. Needless to say, encroachment into the wetlands is worse case scenario.
Grand Isle, Louisiana
I finally had to leave the Gulf Shores on Friday, and head for Louisiana. On Thursday night, I stopped at Mudbugs Pub & Club, where I had a few drinks with some locals. On a tip from a BP employee, I decided to drive to Grand Isle to see, as he put it, "the dead sea". The drive to Grand Isle is an interesting one. Damage of Katrina is still evident, along with many interesting signs posted by locals advertising their dislike for BP. When I pulled into a beach access area, the presence of military vehicles was a bit surprising to me. I walked up the dune and what I saw took my breath away. As far as the eye could see, the beach had been lined with orange plastic fencing, large "Tiger Boom", and sand berms that were clearly man-made. It looked like a war zone, or at the least something out of a science fiction movie. I scrambled over the boom to get a closer look at the oil stained beach. I could see oil sheen in the water everywhere. Pools of red sweet crude were present, along with multiple tar balls. A lone Osprey stood at the edge of the water, there were no shore birds present. Not one. I'm not a birding expert, but I saw shore birds every where in the Gulf Shores, even on the worst beaches. Before I knew it, an official from BP had pulled up behind me on his gator. "Ma'am, you need to come out of there now," he said. "Sure," I replied, "just lookin' around." "If you don't come out immediately, we'll have to take you to Decon," he stated. "Decon?" "Decontamination, it's run by the Alabama State Police, it'll take you four hours at the minimum. This is a 'hot zone', we are still cleaning it up, " he barked. "OK, hey, I don't want any trouble, just taking some photos, and I'm just curious what you all are doing here," I said in my nicest, conciliatory voice. "If you want, you can sign up for a BP guided tour at the Grand Isle community center," he told me. Unfortunately, it was already past 6 pm, and the community center was closed. From there, I drove to Grand Isle State Park, where I was able to see the clean up crews collecting their Friday paychecks. I walked out on the elevated boardwalk and looked up the deserted beach. A lone dolphin was swimming in the shallow water, the rainbow reflection of oil sheen shimmered around him as the sun began to slip into the western sky.
Peace.
A dear friend of mine said recently, "Truth is the best disinfectant." Part of the reason I wanted to volunteer in the VFOB program with Mobile Baykeeper was because I wanted to see with my own eyes what is being done by BP, the local authorities, and the U.S. government to mitigate the damage. Selfishly, as an outsider to the area, I felt this would give me some direction as to where I might go to see the worst of it. I was not wrong, as having the local contacts and designated areas on which to report kept me from being on a wild goose chase, and also satisfied my urge to truly help. At this point, I'd like to make it perfectly clear that I was stopped on many occasions by BP and by local authorities from accessing public beach areas and even State Park areas. The images reported in your local paper are what BP has allowed to be published.
Local Accounts
During my stay, I tried to speak with as many local residents as I possibly could, from local business owners to commercial fisherman. A resident personal trainer (and avid surfer) told me that he was experiencing health issues (persistent sore throat and respiratory problems) and had not been in the water since May 15th. He told me that his friends who were fishermen warned him to stay out of the water.
A local fisherman informed me that the dispersant (Corexit) actually makes it more difficult for them to skim the oil out of the ocean because is makes the crude sink below the surface. Corexit breaks the oil up into those fun little tar balls and patties that are now entering Lake Pontchartrain (supporting the theory that had the oil been left alone, it would be easier to collect, and also would not have floated under the booms designed to keep the oil out). I wonder, does the POTUSA (President of the United States of America) ever watch YouTube or read blogs? Is anyone in charge listening to the soldiers on the front lines? On a side note, no toxicity studies have been conducted on Corexit (check out number 11 on the MSDS sheet). According to the EPA, BP has put more Corexit into the GOM than has ever before been used (one estimate puts it at 700,000 gallons). The (spineless & toothless) EPA warned BP back in May to cut back on this killer chemical, but BP esentially said, "sorry, we have a bad connection out here...can't hear you". You can read the communiques between BP and the EPA here. Most dispersants contain a chemical that can cause endocrine disruption, which can lead to fetal defects and can impair reproduction in both humans and aquatic life. One more time, can impair reproduction in humans and aquatic life. All of this makes me ask the question, "why wasn't this testing done a long time ago on these products?" Also important to note is that the current test data submitted by the chemical manufacturers does not include how the chemical reacts with Louisiana Sweet Crude. So, we still don't really have any data that can assure us Corexit is safe, and not causing harm to us or the ecosystem in the GOM. What is the truth? You can contact your representatives and President Obama and ask them to ramp up pressure on both the EPA and BP to cut back on Corexit until more is known. Do it for your love of Louisiana seafood if nothing else!
Dauphin Island
On Thursday, I took the car ferry from Fort Morgan to Dauphin Island, where I met up with Mary Myers, another volunteer for Mobile Baykeeper. Mary and I walked the beach in front of the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. The beach had recently been cleaned, and we were both relieved to see that the clean up crews had (for once) done what appeared to be a thorough job. We were disappointed to see the appearance of oil in a marshland leading from Dauphin Surf Club to the beach. Needless to say, encroachment into the wetlands is worse case scenario.
Grand Isle, Louisiana
I finally had to leave the Gulf Shores on Friday, and head for Louisiana. On Thursday night, I stopped at Mudbugs Pub & Club, where I had a few drinks with some locals. On a tip from a BP employee, I decided to drive to Grand Isle to see, as he put it, "the dead sea". The drive to Grand Isle is an interesting one. Damage of Katrina is still evident, along with many interesting signs posted by locals advertising their dislike for BP. When I pulled into a beach access area, the presence of military vehicles was a bit surprising to me. I walked up the dune and what I saw took my breath away. As far as the eye could see, the beach had been lined with orange plastic fencing, large "Tiger Boom", and sand berms that were clearly man-made. It looked like a war zone, or at the least something out of a science fiction movie. I scrambled over the boom to get a closer look at the oil stained beach. I could see oil sheen in the water everywhere. Pools of red sweet crude were present, along with multiple tar balls. A lone Osprey stood at the edge of the water, there were no shore birds present. Not one. I'm not a birding expert, but I saw shore birds every where in the Gulf Shores, even on the worst beaches. Before I knew it, an official from BP had pulled up behind me on his gator. "Ma'am, you need to come out of there now," he said. "Sure," I replied, "just lookin' around." "If you don't come out immediately, we'll have to take you to Decon," he stated. "Decon?" "Decontamination, it's run by the Alabama State Police, it'll take you four hours at the minimum. This is a 'hot zone', we are still cleaning it up, " he barked. "OK, hey, I don't want any trouble, just taking some photos, and I'm just curious what you all are doing here," I said in my nicest, conciliatory voice. "If you want, you can sign up for a BP guided tour at the Grand Isle community center," he told me. Unfortunately, it was already past 6 pm, and the community center was closed. From there, I drove to Grand Isle State Park, where I was able to see the clean up crews collecting their Friday paychecks. I walked out on the elevated boardwalk and looked up the deserted beach. A lone dolphin was swimming in the shallow water, the rainbow reflection of oil sheen shimmered around him as the sun began to slip into the western sky.
Peace.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Gulf State Park Beach & Fort Morgan (AL)
Oil covered garbage, most of the brown oil, all the black spots are tar balls & patties.You can dig about 12inches in the sand here and uncover tar patties the size of a Large Pizza.
Tar balls buried in the sand. Lots of 'em.
Oil covered flotsam near Fort Morgan, AL
Gulf State Park Beach, facing South East.
Piles of electrical cable washed ashore, oil soaked.
"Crude, White, & Blue" Gulf State Park Beach
Tar balls buried in the sand. Lots of 'em.
Oil covered flotsam near Fort Morgan, AL
Gulf State Park Beach, facing South East.
Piles of electrical cable washed ashore, oil soaked.
"Crude, White, & Blue" Gulf State Park Beach
Ponies & Balloons
This video clip is from a speech given by Kindra Arnesen. Please watch it and pass it along to everyone you know. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99s1O6K1UvI Her comment about "Ponies & Ballons" is a sad reality.
I am seeing this first hand here in the Gulf Shores area. Today, I visited the Fort Morgan area, extreme western tip of the peninsula, (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=map+of+fort+morgan+alabama&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Fort+Morgan,+AL&gl=us&ei=ww81TL3jCsL38AaBhdTJCw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB0Q8gEwAA),
and saw first hand that no clean up had been done. I asked some of the tourists on the beach, and they confirmed no clean up crews had been seen in 10 days.
I am seeing this first hand here in the Gulf Shores area. Today, I visited the Fort Morgan area, extreme western tip of the peninsula, (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=map+of+fort+morgan+alabama&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Fort+Morgan,+AL&gl=us&ei=ww81TL3jCsL38AaBhdTJCw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB0Q8gEwAA),
and saw first hand that no clean up had been done. I asked some of the tourists on the beach, and they confirmed no clean up crews had been seen in 10 days.
The clean up efforts in the Gulf Shores are being targeted towards the tourist areas, such as Orange Beach. Of course it is important to clean the highly traveled areas, but the debris and toxic waste are piling up on the beautiful shoreline of Alabama. The cleaning efforts are not enough and it is not happening fast enough. Workers sit in air conditioned vans for 45 minutes, and work for 15. Yes, it's hot, but there are areas that haven't been touched in weeks. More needs to be done, and BP needs to be held accountable. Do we really want these Pony & Balloon wranglers drilling in the Arctic?
Question for the Day
My new friend Dick McGill posed a great question last night, which is now my question for the day; what is the process of disposing of contaminated sand? Last night I walked along Gulf State Park beach, and viewed the night clean up crews loading bag after bag of contaminated sand. This gets loaded in a Waste Management dumpster truck and hauled to the landfill. More on this later. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-18/from-fluor-to-awning-maker-to-costner-bp-oil-cleanup-means-some-clean-up.html
Maybe this is why alot of the clean up takes place at night, http://www.al.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-132/127738770078480.xml&storylist=alabamanews.
Here's another link that's interesting, although there's a little attitude here. http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/06/18/bp-contractor-army/
Peace.
Maybe this is why alot of the clean up takes place at night, http://www.al.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-132/127738770078480.xml&storylist=alabamanews.
Here's another link that's interesting, although there's a little attitude here. http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/06/18/bp-contractor-army/
Peace.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Child's footprint in oiled sand...my feet were coated and sticky after a few minutes. And, there is now documentation that BP is covering up (not removing) this stuff with clean sand. 
Florida Point on Perdido Key
Oil splattered like paint
This stuff was pretty fresh
My shoes are in the middle of this picture for size perspective...wouldn't advise walking barefoot here
Identify these guys and win a prize. They are stuck in a tar ball
Wierd garbage and patties (name for a rock band?)July 6th, I'm starting to understand...
Today I met with Casi Callaway (Executive Director) and Tammy Herrington (Deputy Director) of Mobile Baykeeper http://www.mobilebaykeeper.org/The first topic of conversation was about the level of difficulty that exists in simply trying to volunteer. I told them my story about first signing up with The Audubon Society, then The Sierra Club, and finally with BP. Sadly, all these organizations stated that they would take my name and information, and call me if any help was needed. Needless to say, I've received no information whatsoever from any of them. The risks of volunteering for something like cleaning up toxic wastes are obvious. There are long term effects from being around the oil, not to mention the dispersants (like Corexit, which BP is using). I also understand that in order to rescue wildlife and animals specific training is required. The program I'm volunteering in, The Field Observer program was put together by Mobile Baykeeper to create an opportunity for volunteers to be the eyes and ears in the field. The volunteers monitor mapped sections of beach front and document findings with photos, video, and exact coordinates.
But the question remains, why would BP spurn the efforts and desire of thousands of American citizens to volunteer to clean up their mess? Could it be that they don't want us to know the truth? That they don't want us to see what corners they are cutting (like covering up oiled sand with clean sand, using phony crews, and any other varied schemes to save money)? I heard a great analogy today from Les Switzer, a fellow volunteer at Mobile Baykeeper; BP has murdered the Gulf, and now they are in charge of cleaning up the crime scene. Furthermore, they are in charge of the investigation!
I also had the pleasure of meeting Antonia Juhasz today http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonia_Juhasz. She is working with PBS (Europe) to make a documentary on the disaster, and she interviewed the team at Mobile Baykeeper plus Les & I in regards to volunteerism, what the organization is doing, and more. I want to be just like her when I grow up. It seems that I'll be talking to some guys at CBS News New York tomorrow as well! More on that later...we'll see if network television is ready for some Ellen action.
One of the most appalling issues to me is the lack of communication between the hired guns brought in by BP to do the cleanup and the residents of Alabama. The clean up crews are sub-contracted by BP, they all sign a waiver stating that they will not "talk" to anyone about what they are doing. This is apparently taken quite seriously. When I approached some workers yesterday, I was cut off by a guy in a white Toyota hybrid (nice touch BP). The man didn't even get out of the car, he just wagged his index finger at me and shook his head, "no". What is there to hide?
However, I am on vacation, and there have been a few random fun notes. Today, as I was walking on the beach at Perdido Pass, a policeman approached me and informed me that they were closing a portion of the beach, and I should turn around and go out the way I came in. "Oil cleanup?" I asked. "Bomb clean up, " he said. Turns out a WWII style mine/bomb washed up in the storms last night. The thing weighs 500 lbs, and looks like that crazy mine from the Gilligan's Island episode (anyone remember that?). I was able to scoot around to the other side and get a picture with my zoom, but it's not much good. Other random sightings today; D.J's Diner--Home of the Deep Fried Burger (sounds like a destination for Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives) and the Spear Hunting Museum (which I understand is not for the faint of heart).
Before I sign off for the day, I'd like to shamelessly say that if you are feeling compelled to do something to help the good folks here in Alabama battle the onslaught of oil, BP's maddening incompetence, etc., there is no better group of hard working people than Casi and her team at Mobile Baykeeper. Please research their website and consider a donation or even a donation of supplies. Also, please don't forget about contacting your representatives and letting them know that what BP is doing is unacceptable and probably even criminal. You can even go crazy and write to the president, for that matter http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml. Together, we can make a difference by putting the pressure where it belongs. Last but not least, consider a trip down here for vacation. Yeah, the ocean is closed, but the beaches are still nice (closer to the hotels) and everyone has a pool. You can still have a day at the spa, a drink at the Hangout http://www.thehangoutal.com/cms/, and soak up the sun.
Peace.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Orange Beach, Alabama
The drive from Memphis to Orange Beach 
was pretty uneventful. I tried to see the birthplace of Elvis in Tupelo, but it was closed today. Stopped at a sweet roadside stand and picked up some amazing peaches and tomatoes. It's interesting to see how much further along all the crops are here compared to the Midwest.I by-passed the "His & Hers Super Party World" (although I must admit I was curious), as well as a place advertising Alabama's "Biggest Flea Market". I rolled through the towns of Shuquolok, Wahalak, and Scooba , and was very thankful for FM 91.1, WMSV (http://www.wmsv.msstate.edu/), which got me almost all the way to Meridian, AL.
I don't have much to report today, except that due to the holiday, I'm not actually starting my volunteer work until tomorrow. I did trek all about the western (and southern) end of Gulf State Park and didn't see anything but some minor sheen washing up on the shore. I talked to another man and his son visiting from Daphne, AL, and he had also heard that there was a chance of the slick hitting the beach today. All the state parks are letting everyone in for free at the moment (usually costs $5 to park at Site 4, and $2 to park if you want to walk out on the big pier). There were hardly any people anywhere. Traffic heading north was very heavy, and I confess at one point I thought, "man, am I driving the wrong way?"
The parking lots of most of the public beaches here have been turned into staging areas for the "hired help". These are companies that have been hired (I am guessing by BP) to be on standby. The staging areas are full of John Deere tractors, porta potties, lights, giant vacuum hoses, and a myriad of other supplies. I promise to report more on this later, some of the workers are here at my hotel (Fairfield Inn & Suites on Orange Beach). The company is out of North Carolina.
For now, the beach I saw looked pristine, the Pelicans, Bonaparte's Gulls, and Osprey, looked healthy and hungry, and the ocean seemed masked in normalcy. The oil booms lurking off shore and the hired guns standing around doing nothing were the only immediate indicators that something wicked this way comes.
Peace.
Images from Memphis
"Locally Owned" I've seen this several times. Doesn't matter, not using BP on principle
Memphis' finest...
Faces of Memphis
Temporary guard tower, one at each end of Beale Street for Independence Day... Sunday, July 4, 2010
July 4th, 2010--Independence Day
The Fourth of July is a mid-summer metric that carries vivid memories for everyone. I can't resist sharing a few nuggets from my golden childhood; fishing with my Grandfather on Lake Bloomington in Central Illinois, the annual trip into town to watch the fireworks at Chenoa High School football field, and of course the legendary food produced by my aunts & Grandmother (splendid jell-o salads, big fresh tomatoes and corn on the cob, crazy ice cream deserts, and more). Actually, where we ended the day determined if we were going to go into town and watch the fireworks display, or stay at the lake and see the whiz-bangs they had. Both were dismally matched.
This year, I plan to watch the fireworks from the rooftop of my hotel, The Residence Inn in Memphis, TN. Vanderbilt, the valet, has informed me this is the absolute best place to see them in town. I reckon he is right, as the hotel overlooks the Mississippi River. From my room I can see the mighty river churning and rolling south and carrying much needed fresh water to the Gulf of Mexico. My trip started this morning at 9:00 a.m. If you've ever driven 55 south, you know there isn't much to report until St. Louis (except for the awesome place off Exit 37-- http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/9949). I also got a vacation bonus in St. Louis, as I got to see part of an air show going on all around the downtown area by the Gateway to the Midwest, the St. Louis Arch. It was pretty crazy to see a big old Steerman plane bearing down on my vehicle while crossing the Big Muddy. I tried to snap a few pics while I was driving, but that was a near disaster. Once outside and south of St. Louis, the terrain gave way to rolling hills, lush with every hue of green. Then the crazy sedimentary rock formations start, with colorful layers of limestone and minerals; I am definitely not in Illinois anymore.
I rolled past places with curious names like, Herculeneum, Festus, and Cape Girardeau, finally driving past Hayti (and out of the Boot Heel of Missouri) into Tennessee. Memphis came up fast after that, and I was checked into my hotel by 4:30.
Chauntay, the hotel clerk, informed me that if I hurried, I could still make it to Graceland. As I was driving into Memphis I realized that I only have a few hours to make the most of my stay. I made a short list; 1. Graceland 2. Beale Street 3. Fireworks 4. Don't get shot (http://www.morganquitno.com/cit05pop.htm) I mean, they are number 13, gulp. Anyway, I drove like madwoman to get to the other side of the city to see the King's digs. They close the tours at 5 pm, even on the 4th of July, and I missed it by 5 minutes. I can't think of anything more patriotic than going to Graceland on Independence Day. Ah well, I have an early start tomorrow anyway.
Tomorrow, I plan leave by 7 a.m. to get to Mobile, Alabama by 1 p.m. I hope to meet with Tammy Herrington (Deputy Director, Mobile Baykeepers) tomorrow to figure out what I'll be doing for the week. The hurricane is causing some issues, so I'm simply keeping an open mind -- not to be confused with openly keeping a simple mind. At any rate, I feel a bit like a kid going on an awesome field trip. What will I learn? What will I see? What is the truth?
I've been pondering Independence Day, and what the modern definition of 'independence' means for Americans. We associate independence with freedom, but freedom from what? In the 21st Century will that come to mean independence from fossil fuels? Learning new ways to decrease our total impact on our precious resources? What about independent news resources in this country? Are we getting the truth? The definition of independence is no doubt deeply personal for everyone. This trip for me is an exploration of the meaning of independence. What does it mean for you?
My friend, Linda, can't read this now. But those of you who knew her understand that she was/is an inspiration to me. An inspiration not only in character, but in her writing, her humor, and her sense of adventure. She will be sorely missed.
So, I'm going to wrap up now, but I'm headed out with my new camera, a Canon Power Shot SX 210. Small world, but an artist I know in Duluth, MN, sold me this camera just a couple weeks ago. Even cooler, is his (Tony's) art & photography, which you can see at http://www.tonyferguson.net/, and at http://www.fergyphoto.com/.
Peace.
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