Breaking Bad, good food and aliens

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Ed Zirkle

I’m in Albuquerque, NM taking a tech break and then off to shoot a couple of interesting sites. For you Breaking Bad fans I scouted the Candy Lady shop at Old Town and am trying to find the ‘house’. Interviews to come? Oh and to add to the media crush on Breaking Bad, ran into a German film crew on their way to take the ‘tour’. Really wanted to interview them, but they are on a time crunch and then a flight back to LA.

While in Old Town got a bite to eat at High Noon restaurant and saloon – part of the building was built in 1785.  Another great meal and wonderful people running the restaurant. The owners daughter took some time out of a busy night to talk to me, will post the interview later.

Off to get some blue crystal meth candy.

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Meal – blue corn enchiladas – choice of beef barbacoa, spicy chicken, roasted vegetables or cheese add an egg $1

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Oct 18 – Moonscapes

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Ed Zirkle

“I suddenly realized that I knew the luminance of the moon—250 cd/ft2″  Ansel Adams  November 1, 1941

The moon has been spectacular lately. Very clean, clear sky and the moon in just the right spot, but then could it been in the wrong spot. Something about the laws of physics and gravity.

Tomorrow is a Hunter’s Moon and I’m hoping for just one more great evening sky. I should be in Albuquerque and will need to find somewhere away from the Sandia Mountain to the East.

Happy hunting.

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Above – off Interstate 40 before Williams, AZ

Below – Moon rise over Rt 66 near Seligman, AZ

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Oct 16 Hoover Dam

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Ed Zirkle

Went to the Hoover Dam, aka Boulder Dam, today. Even though Feds are shut down and the dam is run by the Bureau of Reclamation it was a busy place. Last couple of days I’ve had contact with Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Parks and another government ranger. Lots of people working for being shutdown.

Here are some images from today.

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The first 2 panos are from the dam area, the last is from Lake Mead. I had to ‘trespass’ to get the last image. The Lake Mead National Recreation Area is run by National Parks Rangers and the ‘parks’ are closed. :-]  The ranger was nice enough to give me a couple of minutes to get the shot across the lake as the sun set.

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Just an idea of size and scope of the dam.

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Setting sun provided some interesting images. Lots and lots of power lines in the area. The dam supplies power to Nevada, Arizona and California to include LA.

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So there are signs in the area warning of the possibility of mountain goats in the area, like the deer signs back east. And yes they are in the area.

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The last couple of days the moon rise has been very good.

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Soft light over Lake Mead as the rocks reflect over the water. Look closely at the bottom of the picture and see the boats. Gives an idea of the size of the lake in that area.

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Thank you USA Today

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Ed Zirkle

So I’m to a point where I have enough content to start posting. I’m about at the half way mark and have had some great experiences, time to share.

Big thumbs up to USA Today with a page one headline echoing what this project is about. Government shutdown, while not good, is part of this project now.

Time to get back on the road.

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Aug 29 – Wilson footballs and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Ed Zirkle

August 29th I visited the Wilson football manufacturing plant in Ada, OH.

I was lucky enough to have the plant manager give me a tour and education on how to make a football. They construct all the footballs for the NFL and most of the colleges. I’m looking forward to getting an OSU football.

Interesting note – while I was there they were making the NFL game balls for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Here is a trivia answer for you sports fans.  All authentic Wilson footballs have W’s stamped into the leather. Gotta look close, it’s really small.  See the leather photo and close-up.

Kinda cool to see something made and then used. More on Wilson and Aug 29th later.

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We all have a story.

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Ed Zirkle

You Me WE Us, we all have stories, lives and a voice to be heard.  We the people as a whole have a story and now in course of our timeline, 2013, we shall hear what we think and see who we are.

We The People is the preamble, a brief introductory statement of the Constitution’s fundamental purposes and guiding principles. And of all the words in the Constitution the one sentence that could be stated as best known in the English language is:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

So there will be a journey to discover what ‘we the people’ think about themselves in our current political, economic and social environment.  A journey across around and back thru 25 states asking people to be recorded via stills and video, to hear and see what we are and how we feel.

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