People I Met Along The Way

And then this fellow, Tony. I first met Tony through some friends back around 1967. Again, we were both in grade school. We have kept in touch over the decades and he has left Cambridge, MA, for Santa Barbara, CA. Still the same old fellow. In this pic he had swung by my motel and we were about to leave for dinner at Jocko's in Nipomo, a great steak joint.

B0001456 by West Phalia, on Flickr
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And here is dinner at Jocko's for Tony and me. That's half a 10z filet mignon, grilled to perfection over live red oak coals. That's how they do it in the Santa Maria region of California. The beans are pinquitos, delicious and peculiar to the region. The traditional Santa Maria BBQ is Tri-tips, pinquitos, tossed green salad and french bread. Jocko's is always a stop for me when I am in the area and since around '84. It's a cowboy joint with a lot of big pickups in the parking lot. Yes, it is a bit out of focus as it was closer that the M9 + CV 35mm f/1.4 Nokton II to focus. But the steak was great along with those fries, fried in suet. Let's hear it for beef fat!

 
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This is Sam and Carol. She was the Belle of Baton Rouge and he the Beau of Baton Rouge. They are a lovely couple, sneaking up on 60 years married. We got to know each other by owning Honda Insights, Generation 1. They are quirky little cars and a lot of fun and 60MPG is common. Sam has a bunch of them. This day they were in his red one with nearly 500,000 miles.

B0001922 by West Phalia, on Flickr​
 
This is "Snock", AKA Michael Hurley, the last of the great hobo folk singers. Now that Dave Van Ronk is gone Snock probably has the greatest folk song catalog in his head of any living American. He knows some great ones and is always a great show. This is him performing a small show in Sea View, WA.

DSC00638 by West Phalia, on Flickr​
 
boojum said:
And then this fellow, Tony. I first met Tony through some friends back around 1967. Again, we were both in grade school. We have kept in touch over the decades and he has left Cambridge, MA, for Santa Barbara, CA. Still the same old fellow. In this pic he had swung by my motel and we were about to leave for dinner at Jocko's in Nipomo, a great steak joint.

B0001456 by West Phalia, on Flickr
​
And here is dinner at Jocko's for Tony and me. That's half a 10z filet mignon, grilled to perfection over live red oak coals. That's how they do it in the Santa Maria region of California. The beans are pinquitos, delicious and peculiar to the region. The traditional Santa Maria BBQ is Tri-tips, pinquitos, tossed green salad and french bread. Jocko's is always a stop for me when I am in the area and since around '84. It's a cowboy joint with a lot of big pickups in the parking lot. Yes, it is a bit out of focus as it was closer that the M9 + CV 35mm f/1.4 Nokton II to focus. But the steak was great along with those fries, fried in suet. Let's hear it for beef fat!

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I hope I never get too old, or too cautious, to pack away a good steak!
Out on I-40, in the Southwest, there are billboards advertising a steak house in Amarillo, TX, with the offer of "Eat one 72 oz. steak, get one free (to be consumed on the premises)." I confess to having been tempted; a few extra Lipitor, and I'd be good to go. In America, and particularly in Texas, there's no such thing as "too much".
 
Retro-Grouch said:
I hope I never get too old, or too cautious, to pack away a good steak!
Out on I-40, in the Southwest, there are billboards advertising a steak house in Amarillo, TX, with the offer of "Eat one 72 oz. steak, get one free (to be consumed on the premises)." I confess to having been tempted; a few extra Lipitor, and I'd be good to go. In America, and particularly in Texas, there's no such thing as "too much".
Click to expand...

I ate there in '83. The manager was about the most flagrant racist that I ever met. He thought he was quite amusing. He was not. The steak was so-so.
 
boojum said:
I ate there in '83. The manager was about the most flagrant racist that I ever met. He thought he was quite amusing. He was not. The steak was so-so.
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Good to know! There's just something about Texas that seems to bring out the worst in some folks... No love lost between us Nuevo Mexicanos and that type of Texan.
 
Retro-Grouch said:
Good to know! There's just something about Texas that seems to bring out the worst in some folks... No love lost between us Nuevo Mexicanos and that type of Texan.
Click to expand...

There is an old joke about a young fellow mustering out of the Army at Fort Bliss and hitchhiking home to Arkansas. The Texan asks what he thought of Texas. The response, "Well, sir, about the only difference between Hell and Texas is that once and a while it rains in Texas." Texas and Arkansas have differences. ;o) And I cannot write off the entire state. There's nice folks there and New Braunfels has some great BBQ.
 
As there has been chat about food along with the faces, here are the two ladies who used to cook fish and chips at The Bowpicker here in Astoria. It had people driving down from Portland for the meal, 2+ hours. On the Disney Channel and other travel channels it was quite famous. Then it changed hands.


These women cook the best fish and chips in town by West Phalia, on Flickr

And The Bowpicker itself on a rainy day under new hands.

B0000311 by West Phalia, on Flickr

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Took this on 2000 and this guy is still my hero. This was at a lunch stop between Charlottesville and Bumpass, VA. Yes, Bumpass does exist and has a USPO to prove it. I had to go see it. The BBQ in this joint was pretty good. Bumpass, Virginia - Wikipedia The guy i the hat was a nice guy, soft-spoken and mellow. Very doubtful he was a stress carrier. LOL

Stress by West Phalia, on Flickr​
 
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I hope none of you have to witness a cruel blood sport like this, ever. I was living in Baja California Sur and heard of a saints day celebration, fiesta, in a remote village. My Dodge diesel 2500 4 X 4 with the off road suspension had a hard time getting there. It was right out of The Treasure of the Sierra Madres. And there were the cockfights. I had never seen one. I do not need to ever see one again. Here is a tame shot:


Cocks ready for release. by West Phalia, on Flickr
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This is Cory Richez and his "Suicide Awareness Bus". He and his wife travel the country raising awareness of armed forces veteran suicides. To learn more search for his name and you'll find him on Facebook and Instagram. I don't know much about it because he was just another person I met along the way!

G1000578.jpg
 
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Completely missed this thread for the past couple years, it is most excellent.

From 2012 to 2015 I would make the annual pilgrimage from Chicago to Sturgis SD on my Sportster for Bike Week. The first year with quite a bit of trepidation as the stereotype of Harley Bikers is really not my thing. I discovered that the majority of folks who attend the rally each year are not that way at all. Had a good time.

Tens of thousands of folks travel to Sturgis each year to be part of bike week.

Amanda is from Boise, Idaho. She comes to sell bottled water.

Amanda.jpg


Bartender Katie is from New Castle, Wyoming. She tends bar at the Knuckle saloon right in the center of town.

Katie.jpg


Even legendary Hell's Angel Sonny Barger used to come to Sturgis to greet fans and sign autographs.

SonnyB.jpg

Best,
-Tim
 
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