Step into my time machine… we are going back to the 70’s!!!

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We are going to talk about the 1970’s for a few days. There are two reasons for this. The first is that I recently did a post about how I used Spotify to download a bunch of classic rock and roll to listen to on the long drive through the desert to Arizona, where I am helping my daughter prepare for her wedding next week. One person expressed an interest in my song list… over 150 songs… more than twelve hours… of the music that defined my teenage years. So I am going to type that list up for you.

The second is that I have a birthday coming up in a day or two, which will mean I am… old. But driving through the California and Arizona mountains and deserts cranking up some awesome tunes made me feel young. It also reminded me why I am a musical dinosaur. Because there hasn’t been any better music written since the 70’s. Yes, there are a few good bands and some good songs, but on the whole, I will stand the music that defined my ge-ge-ge-generation up against any of it.

Now, I never know, when I set off on these post series jaunts, exactly how carried away the crack squirrels that live in my head are going to get, so bear with me. You will learn a lot about me, and a lot about a very interesting time in… ancient history… if you are young and somewhat mean-spirited.

Also, get off Itunes  or whatever you are on, and get Spotify. You pay a monthly fee, or a yearly fee, or something, and you don’t have to buy each song. Also, you can find any music on there, including live versions and remixed and remastered versions of most songs.

And if you can, read these in order… it will make a little more sense that way… maybe.

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Seriously… more pictures of yet another desert sunrise???

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Hey, don’t get snarky with me! I got up super early to take these. I also folded little maps of San Diego for the wedding gift bags, wrote my hilarious wedding toast for my daughter and future son-in-law, and did some other helpful stuff that wouldn’t be as much fun for you to look at as the pictures I took…

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And I also had to drive to a hill twenty minutes out into the desert to take these for you, all before the sun even came up.

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You’re welcome.

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But yeah, I am back in Scottsdale, Arizona again. Big sky country. Big cactus country.

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Land of the Saguaro.

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And I will try to go out for some desert walks, to see if I can find any blooming cactus flowers, or anything else that is more interesting than photos of me trimming menus on a paper cutter for my kids wedding… which is next weekend.

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I like that one, there is a lens flare in the middle that looks a little like a flower… unless that is a UFO?

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This is Saturday morning here. I am going back to San Diego on Monday… with a car loaded full of wedding stuff… so the kids can fly into San Diego for the wedding… in order to fly out afterwards on their honeymoon… because I am a good dad.

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Also, one person expressed an interest in my new Spotify song list of awesome 1970’s rock and roll classics that I downloaded just for this long car trip… so I will try to type that up soon, just so you can listen to some of them, and be forced to admit that music hasn’t gotten any better since the 70’s.

 

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Drivin’ through the desert…

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I forgot that there is a downside to getting up early enough to watch the sun rise over the desert on the road between San Diego and Arizona… you end up staring into the sun for the next two hours of the drive.

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I have done this trip often enough that I didn’t take that many pictures on the road.

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Most of you have seen the endless vistas, the cacti, the jagged mountains receding into the distance.

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I did, however, think that the sand dune portion was particularly nice in the early morning light.

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And the yellow wildflowers are blooming again.

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Uh… I will get some photos of those that aren’t zipping by at 80 miles an hour.

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I am toying with the idea of typing up my song list that I was listening to on the road.

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150 songs… give or take… that will make you jealous that you weren’t a teenager in the 1970’s. An awesome mix of rock and roll. Let me know if that sounds fun to you.

 

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Why yes, I did wake up at 3:00 AM so you could watch the sunrise over the desert…

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I mean, as long as I was driving from San Diego, California to Scottsdale, Arizona…

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I timed it so that I was at the top of the mountain range East of San Diego at 5:00… because I am thoughtful like that.

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Also, once again, please do not drive on dark, winding mountain roads and take photographs at the same time. I was a professional driver… (see my hilarious ‘Driving Miss Crazy’ series of posts)…

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Also, I don’t look through the view finder, I just use auto focus and shoot one-handed.

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When I need better pictures I pull over.

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Usually…

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Why yes, I did just drive through two states with big bags of white powder in my car…

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Those are the big jumbo Ziploc bags… full of sugar. I am now at my daughter’s house in Arizona… yes, Jessica, the one that is getting married next week. I had to bring her the gifts she left at our house after the wedding shower, and then take home a bunch of stuff for the wedding. I will be here a few days, and I will try, as usual, to have some interesting adventures to share.

My first adventure involved those bags of sugar… left over from the failed attempt to make jars of orange marmalade for all the wedding guests. We burnt the first big batch, and called it quits, but we had most of a ten-pound bag of sugar left over. I decided to bring it to Jessica, but the paper bag it was in ripped. I thought it would be funny to drive through the Border Patrol checkpoints with big bags of white powder on the seat beside me, just to see what they would do.

Now, back in my long-hair days, I would not have tried this, but now that I am old and clean-cut, I didn’t even get guns pulled on me or anything. I must admit, I find this anonymity a little boring.

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I’m going away… the final chapter…

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I’m going to Arizona… where the giant saguaro cacti grow. I have to pick up a bunch of stuff from my daughter Jessica’s place, for the wedding… which is now just over a week away. Don’t worry, I will stay in touch. I already have a funny story to tell.

Okay, I am outa here.

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I’m going away… part 6…

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Yes, I am packing up a few of my most important possessions, and taking a road trip. I even spent three days on Spotify, downloading some classic 1970’s rock and roll to listen to on the way… over 150 songs… that’s 12 and a half hours of music, people.

Where am I going? I will tell you… early tomorrow morning… as I get ready to leave.

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I’m going away… part 5…

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And I am almost ready to tell you where I am going…

Almost…

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I’m going away… part 4…

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Yup, I am going to reach inside my head, grab one of the crack squirrels that live in my cranium, and go for a ride… but don’t worry… I will bring my laptop and camera, so you will be kept in the loop.

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I’m going away… part 3…

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Okay, that would be a cool way to travel…

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