These petroglyphs are the most extensive in the Ojito Wilderness. This is just one of several panels which are scattered along the edge of a mesa in the southeast corner of the wilderness. I had seen photographs of them, and heard about them, but research into their whereabouts was sketchy. It’s like an unwritten rule that you have to work a little to find them. That’s as it should be. When I stepped onto the ledge where they are inscribed, I felt a sense of accomplishment; I didn’t exactly stumble upon them, but no one showed me the way.

The petroglyphs are estimated to be about one thousand years old. I try to imagine an artist from that time using his tools to etch these stories into the rock. The landscape was probably not much different than it is today, and as I stood there looking out across the land to the west, I felt a connection to him. Through his drawings, I caught a glimpse of a fellow man long departed from this world.

Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor 17–35 mm f2.8 zoom lens, circular polarizer, Bogen tripod.

Camera Settings: f 16, 1/20th sec., ISO 100

Processing: White balance, contrast, clarity, vibrance, and saturation adjustments in Adobe Lightroom, curves and RAW conversion in Photoshop.

Tribe Buys Back Land

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091227/ap_on_re_us/us_buying_back_america;_ylt=Ao6XzbxpqJ5QOfhutXY58olv24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTNiMWtyY21kBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMjI3L3VzX2J1eWluZ19iYWNrX2FtZXJpY2EEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM1BHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDaW5kaWFudHJpYmVz

Here is another image of the Egg Garden at the Bisti Badlands. There is something about being out in the middle of nowhere with no trails or signs to guide me–OK I did have a GPS and a topo map–that is very satisfying. Out of the nine designated badlands in the San Juan Basin, I have visited five: De–Na–Zin, Bisti, Lybrook, Ceja Pelon, and Ojitos. The next one on my list is Ah–Shi–Sle–Pah which is located between the Bisti/De–Na–Zin Wilderness and Chaco Canyon.

This photo shows more of the other–worldly rock formations in the Egg Garden. They look as though something just hatched, and may be feeding nearby.

Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor 17–35 mm f 2.8 zoom lens, circular polarizer, Bogen tripod.

Camera Settings: f22, 1⁄15th sec., ISO 100, RAW.

Processing: Contrast, clarity, vibrance, and saturation adjustments in Adobe Lightroom, curves adjustment, and RAW conversion in Photoshop.

This image was made in the Ojitos Wilderness, which is less than a one hour drive from my front door. It is an extraordinary place: hoodoos, petroglyphs, incredible vistas, and a forest of dwarf Ponderosa Pines at the lowest altitude they can be found…anywhere. There is also an abundance of piñon and juniper trees. I found this juniper just begging to be photographed on our last hike in Ojitos.

We had passed it on the way into what’s called The Hoodoo Pines hike, and i made a couple of exposures, but the light wasn’t right. On our way out, the sun was low, and the light much better, so I made one more exposure, and this is the result. Sometimes being patient and waiting for the light to change can reward you with a much stronger image.

Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor 17–35 mm f2.8 zoom lens, circular polarizer, Bogen tripod.

Camera Settings: f 16, 1/80th sec., ISO 400

Processing: Contrast, clarity, vibrance, and saturation adjustments in Adobe Lightroom, curves adjustment and RAW conversion in Photoshop.

This image was made on my way home from a trip to the Bisti Badlands. It is actually right on Hwy. 550. I was standing not thirty feet from the edge of the highway when I released the shutter. I had noticed this area several times in the past, and thought it would make a good photo; but, sometimes it’s hard to overcome the inertia of a vehicle moving along at 70 mph!

The large brown boulders at one time were the caprocks of hoodoos which have, over the ages, deteriorated to a point at which they could no longer hold the weight of the rocks. So, down they came. I know this because there are more hoodoos close by that are still intact with their caprocks balanced jauntily on top.

Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor 17–35 mm zoom lens, circular polarizer, Bogen tripod.

Camera Settings: f 22, 1/4th sec, -0.33 EV, ISO 100.

Processing: Contrast, exposure, clarity, vibrance, and saturation adjustments in Lightroom, Curves adjustment in Photoshop

I made this image on my way to Pagosa Springs. We had three days of soaking in the springs, hiking, and other assorted activities planned, and I was getting into the spirit of the trip by meandering my way to our destination. I was driving up NM 537 which runs from US 550 up to US 64 near Dulce; it passes through the Jicarilla Apache reservation along the way, and is quite a relaxing drive–no traffic.

I was almost to the junction at Hwy 64 when this hillside caught my attention. The colors, and the erosion patterns in the clay are what really made it stand out. The side–lighting accentuated the mini–crevasses which had been carved into the hill by runoff, giving the whole scene this amazing visual texture.

Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor 17–35 mm zoom lens, circular polarizer, Bogen tripod

Camera Settings: f11, 1/100th sec., ISO 200

Processing: Contrast, clarity, vibrance, and saturation adjustments in Lightroom, curves adjustments in Photoshop

Had to post this. I spent all of yesterday watching this guy’s videos, so much classic stuff. Enjoy.

I wanted to share with you this pretty amazing tree I saw this weekend.  My friend Eric and I hiked the Dry River Canyon in the Badlands just East of Bend (an excellent, easy hike I would recommend).  The trail pretty much ends at a couple of Ponderosa Pines, which shouldn’t necessarily be growing there since it is doubtful the rainfall average is high enough for them.  Along the 2 mile path there are a few other Pondos but the path is mostly lined with sagebrush and Western Junipers.  But this one Pondo (about 80 ft tall) not only has to battle the climatological forces against him (yes it’s a boy tree) but also that he is growing upon a pile of basalt rock!  The trunk is being girdled by the rocks which limits the amount of nutrients getting to the roots.  The poor fella is already in serious decline and probably won’t last much more than a few more years before completely choking himself out and toppling .  The crown was about 60% dead and it had a pretty good lean going towards the South.  Despite all of this the tree was enduring.

It truly is amazing all that a tree can survive and still continue to grow in very inhospitable conditions.  It is a testament to tree’s strength but we should not take it for granted especially in the built environment.  Our job in an urban forest should be to foster the growth of the trees which surround us in our daily life.

Serna held the annual Pipe Contest over the weekend. I was only able to make it out Sunday and only got a few shots. Everyone was ripping! Sorry I didn’t get more. Anyways, big thanks to SSC/Badlands crew and everyone who pitched in to put on this super fun event.

Salba

Art Miranda

Mike Perez

Reulr

Johnny Abernathy

Julian Sholl

Bill Rennie

RESULTS
Saturday –
8-10y/o boys
1st Wheeler Alba
2nd Nathan Caples
3rd Nathan Rennie
4th Vincent Villareal
5th Nathan Parkin

girls
1st Ashley Espinoza
2nd Maya Espinoza
3rd Christina Parkin
4th Teris Alba
5th Karina Espinoza

11-13y/o boys
1st Tristan Rennie
2nd Logan Catt
3rd Greg (Monster) Webb
4th Rad Pinkard (AZPX)
5th Indy Alba
6th Brandon Lamb

14-16 y/o boys
1st Hayden Hanson
2nd Dylan Johnson
3rd Anthony Stanley
4th Joseph Ellison

17-19 y/o boys
1st Matt Felix
2nd Nick Jojola
3rd Kylan Waller
4th Alex Fitz
5th Brennen West
6th Cherokee Smith

Sunday –
Women
1st Ashley Espinoza
2nd Allison McGinnis

20-29y/o Men
1st Julian Scholl
2nd Michael Serna
3rd Johnny Abernathy
4th Danny Sandoval
5th Kevin Burke

30-39 y/o Men
1st Mike Perez
2nd Art Miranda
3rd Masa Shudo
4th Kris Krueger

40+ Men
1st Salba
2nd Bill Rennie
3rd Serna
4th Dave Ruel
5th(tie) Billy Rix
5th (tie) Todd McDonough

Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen as Holly and Kit in Malick’s masterwork Badlands (1973). Warren Oates as her father.

Holly practices her clarinet on a bench, waiting for her father. Her father pulls up. They go home. Holly goes upstairs. Her boyfriend Kit comes over. He and her father have words. Kit shoots Holly’s father.

Having come down the stairs, Holly goes to her father’s side.

Kit watches and lights a cigarette.

She knows her father is going to die and that Kit has shot him, and she is not really shocked or reproachful, per se. It’s difficult to judge whether Holly is an unthinking person or if she is a person who just floats — don’t be fooled by her voice-over narration; Malick plays with contrasts between what’s reported and what we actually observe — through her life, someone who expects nothing and accepts everything.

Either way her father’s death is not a surprise. But because she expects nothing, she isn’t sure what Kit will do next. She is only slightly afraid that he might do something to her. You can read that here.

What Kit does next is he goes to a service station to get a can of gasoline. There is a coin-operated game there, a voice-recorder. He punches through the glass of the game. This act of time-consuming vandalism when he is trying to quickly throw together a plan to conceal a crime is open to interpretation: Kit either makes his own fun, or he cannot brook the bourgeois notion that some witless rube, some fool who has wandered a million years afield from the purpose of man as a hunter, might pay to have his own voice recorded, then, by hearing it played back, feel delight worth the coin he paid. Or maybe Kit has different ideas of how to make a mark, and what ought be recorded. I don’t know. I’m not Kit, and I don’t know Malick and his mind. This is guesswork. Kit leaves with his gas.

He uses the gas to douse Holly’s house, with her father’s corpse still inside.

Holly watches. Darkness is all around her and she is only lit by the lights from within the house. She is getting ready to turn her back on that light, and go in to the dark completely. She’ll go with Kit now.

The fire that began in Holly’s bed is about to consume their entire house. It was a choice that started there and now she has no choice but to go forward with Kit.

Malick handles the destruction of Holly’s house and her father’s body by focusing on the doll and the dollhouse as they burn. This is important. The end of small-minded, cast-mold imitations of real life, the end of modeled and scaled efforts at simulated perfection, leaving innocence behind in ashes. What now, Holly?

I will tell you what now. They leave Fort Dupree, South Dakota, and embark on a several-state killing spree before being captured. Really disturbing, incredibly-acted, understated film, almost totally perfect, and very gorgeous from the compositional perspective. A mixed bag. You very much need to be in the right mood.

The film drew inspiration from the real story of mass killer Charles Starkweather and his teenaged accomplice, Caril Ann Fugate, who killed eleven people in Nebraska and Wyoming in January, 1958. Besides Malick’s Badlands, the pair of jerkwad murderers also inspired Natural Born Killers, the 1993 Tim Roth and Fairuza Balk TV mini-series Murders in the Heartland and, though I have never heard it confirmed, rather obviously and less seriously The Frighteners. Starkweather also pops up in works by Stephen King. That’s all I want to say about it. Go look it up if you want more.

I don’t feel like going in to all that partner-killer, famous-murder-spree, monstrous fucking shit right now. I will just say I have not grown into an adult who — nor an adult with the patience to tolerate another adult who — makes a huge to-do over killers. Exceedingly not. It’s why I didn’t even link you up with a wiki hook to that asshole Starkweather and his girl. So please don’t start in on me with factoids or comments about them, thinking we’re buddies-in-kink, if searching for killers because that’s how you get your kicks is how you found this post.

I’m not saying it’s not worth talking or thinking about — anyone with a stake in the success of society as a cooperative effort needs to worry and think and talk about people who break the rules, how they do it, why, and how we deal with it. But glorification and gory gushing on the intricacies of those transgressor’s little personal details? Making them celebrities while forgetting their victims’ names? Not interested.

Beth Yost definitely has a unique style of writing. If you’re looking for shallow, unobtrusive writing, you’re better off somewhere else. There’s no sugar-coating the truth on her blog.

Most of her blog captures the essence of road-trip America. This fall, she’s documented a tour in Alaska even though it’s not “how she rolls” and an adventure into the badlands.

Beth Yost writes an irreverant, inspiring blog

“In a world of Samatha Browns and Bridget Marquardts,” she says, “Crossing the Line represents the female adventurist that can pitch a tent, sleep in a car, ride the rail on a snowboard, and take down a shot of tequila without training wheels amongst new friends.”

Always inspiring and always genuine, Beth has captured the spirit of the confident woman traveler to a tee. I’ll be waiting to see what she writes next.

I hope you are too. Check her blog out ASAP at crossingtheline.us

English

Check out our most recent releases of Istmo Music and Itzamna Recordings on Beatport now!

Español

Busca ya en Beatport nuestro lanzamientos mas recientes de Istmo Music e Itzamna Recordings!

English

We’ve been very busy releasing the finest music from around the globe to fans of different genre contrasts, from trance to techno, to minimal techno.

Check out DJ Eco pres. Badlands – Garden State REMIXED, released on Istmo Music, with amazing remixes from Jorge Nava, Ben Nicky and James Kitcher who managed to complete this outstanding EP, full of hypnotic and euphoric synths, yet dirty and banging for those who love to ride on a trip with the finest trance sounds! Supported by the number 1 DJ in the world mr. Armin van Buuren!

Also we have a great techno and minimal techno compilation of 10 outstanding tracks on Itzamna Recordings, “Itzamna’s Techno Bombs Volume 1.” Castillo, Brian Knarfield and Revnoise, who will give you a blast of techno sounds in this upcoming Istmo Xtra Fest, are the ones in charge to give you this impeccable journey into a deep ocean of dark, surrounding techno sounds.

Get these releases now on Beatport!

Español

Hemos estado con las manos llenas lanzando la mejor música de al rededor del globo y en especial, en la region de nuestro Istmo, para los fans que de diferentes contrastes en generos, desde trance, techno hasta minimal techno.

Tenemos ya DJ Eco pres. Badlands – Garden State REMIXED, lanzado en Istmo Music, con remixes impresionantes de Jorge Nava y Ben Nicky con James Kitcher quienes se encargaron de completar este increible EP, llenándolo de synthes hipnóticos y eufóricos, manteniendo siempre ese toque fuerte y explosivo para aquellos que les gusta viajar con los mejores sonidos del trance! Este track ya recibio el apoyo del DJ número 1 del mundo, el señor Armin van Buuren!

También tenemos un buen compilation con 10 rolotas de techno y minimal techno en Itzamna Recordings llamdo “Itzamna’s Techno Bombs Volume 1“. Castillo, Brian Knarfield y Revnoise, (quien tirará una ráfaga de sonidos techno para este Istmo Xtra Fest a por venir), son los encargados de llevarte en un viaje profundo y oscuro de sonidos technosos. Chequealo ya!

Busca ya estos releases en Beatport!

La rabbia giovane (Badlands, 1973) di Terence Malick

Il Nebraska non è una terra facile da vivere, così come non lo sono in generale le periferie di questo pianeta.  E il destino dei suoi abitanti a volte sembra essere scritto nei propri cognomi, come accade a l protagonista Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen), il cui nome, come suggerisce il ragazzo stesso, sembra essere “carrozziere”.  In realtà il 25enne lavora come netturbino ma è scontento del suo lavoro e della vita che conduce in questa cittadina del Nebraska. Tutto questo fino a quando incontra la ragazza che le cambierà la vita: la giovanissima (appena 15 anni) Holly Sargis.

Tra i due nascerà una storia d’amore silente e straziante, fatta di poche parole e ancor meno effusioni. E forse errato anche chiamarlo amore, perchè la ragazza ammira nel giovane soprattutto la somiglianza che ha con la star hollywoodiana James Dean. Ma se l’attore americano era divenuto celebre per la sua interpretazione di Rebel Without a Cause (Gioventù bruciata), i due ragazzi diventeranno protagonisti di una nuova storia che si potrebbe intitolare “Assassini senza motivo”.  In effetti, più che la passione, è la violenza gratuita che traspare negli atti dei due ragazzi, una freddezza spietata che porterà ad uccidere 11 persone, tra cui, per primo, il padre di Holly Sargis.

L’alienazione che Terrence Malick mostra è inquietante, nessuna giustificazione agli atti di violenza, nessun idillio per i due fidanzati, nessun senso di colpa per gli atti di brutalità che seminano nel loro percorso. Il loro, in effetti, è un viaggio nel nulla. Le frontiere in Nebraska sono inesistenti, così come lo sono i pionieri, sostituiti da fantocci nati per emulazione, marionette che sembrano muoversi all’interno di una pellicola senza regista, frutto di un montaggio casuale. Anche il rapporto uomo-natura è annullato. La natura non è ostile e non è amica, è solo un grosso nulla che icombe, che osserva l’uomo consumarsi nella sua disperazione. Forse può essere un riparo dalla legge ma alla fine dalla legge non si vuol scappare.

Il giovane Carruthers terrorizzò l’america assonnata del dopoguerra a suoni di pallottole, la destò dalla noia e dal torpore e regalò uno scenario brutale di sangue e violenza. Questo era il suo messaggio, questa la sua bruta e spietata fantasia. Il film di Malick è ispirato, in effetti, ad un storia veria, quella del giovane Charles Starkweather e Caril Ann che nell’inverno del 1957 seminarono il terrore negli Stati Uniti. La storia è così brutale che nemmeno a Quentin Tarantino sarebbe saltata in mente di scriverla, e infatti, il giovane sceneggiatore si limitò a registrarla riadattandola per la stesura di Natual Born Killer (1994). Anche il Boss ne rimase colpito fortemente e ne trasse una splendida canzone, Nebraska, che diede il titolo a uno degli album più belli della storia del rock.

Testo Nebraska di Bruce Springsteen

]]> http://nouvellepunk.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/splintering-la-rabbia-giovane-badlands-1973-di-terence-mallick/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:50:50 +0000 unpopularpress http://nouvellepunk.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/splintering-la-rabbia-giovane-badlands-1973-di-terence-mallick/

This week, through the magic of photography, I take you to Badlands National Park, in South Dakota.  Some think of western South Dakota as nothing more than home to the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, Wind and Jewel Caves, and Wall Drug.  (Note: Detect sarcasm when I say “nothing more.”)  In my opinion, a visit to this beautiful area of the country is not complete without exploring the Badlands, which are like nothing else I’ve ever seen.

For example, here is a view from the “Door” Trail:

No, that’s not the surface of the moon with some newfangled atmosphere created by NASA.  It’s the Badlands.  It’s actually a trail, although I can understand if you’re squinting at it and asking, “But how do you know where to walk?”  I can answer that for you.  There are these teeny little flags.  You look for them, like you would look for cairns.  They are difficult to spot.  I learned the hard way that you never want to leave one without finding the next, because there are gaps and chasms (not too deep, but deep enough that you’d have trouble getting up out of them without assistance or being a spider-person) between these crags, and it’s sort of like solving a maze.  On more than one occasion, I ended up at a dead end and had to pick my way back to the last flag and try again.

The slightly longer, more varied trail is the “Notch” trail, and I photographed one particularly interesting spot:

Yes, I’m terrified of heights.  Yes, I climbed that ladder.

See?

Happy Friday, everyone!

© Her Side of the Mountain, 2009.

Bruce Springsteen a participé le 18 novembre 2009 à un concert de charité au profit de l’association Autism Speaks au Carnegie Hall de New York.

Voici la setlist (source Badlands).

1. No Surrender
2. If I Should Fall Behind
3. Working On The Highway
4. Thunder Road

Brilliant. Time to talk about our Ten lists once more, so settle in for the long haul and try and keep up. Much discussion ensues as Sam tries to extol the virtues of Ingmar Bergman, praise the magical realism of Billy Liar and attempt to make sense of All About Lily Chou-Chou. John continues the theme, causing slight, though understandable, consternation with his uncensored views on Raging Bull and confessions of multiple tears during Schindler’s List. Tom rounds the night off in business-like fashion with praise for The 400 Blows, controversial dislike for the second half of Stalker and man-crushed love for Le Samourai.

Download The Movie Overdose Episode 40.5

Remember to email us, sugarplums!

I was excited to watch Badlands (Terrence Malick 1973) this week partly because I love Carrie (Brian DePalma 1976) and I had never seen Sissy Spacek in any other films. She was great in this movie too. I also enjoyed the slow pace and the “magic hour” scenes. Both characteristics make the film look beautiful. I could really follow and enjoy the interactions Spacek and Sheen when they were in the woods because of the calmness of the scenes. The mystery combined with the reality Kit and Holly lived in front of the screen was so interesting and entertaining. Their relationship is almost mystified in such moments. They look at each other and you, as the viewer can’t tell whether or not they are truly in love or not. I thought their relationship and the life they carried was both scary and fun. I thought at times their interactions and relation ship in general was special. But, there was a sense of something more strangely to every aspect of this film: the relationship, the individual characters, the goal, the overall meaning conveyed several tropes related to the period of Renaissance Hollywood cinema.

First, Holly and Kit, the couple running from the law, are troubled introspective protagonists. Spacek played a very naive girl named Holly in this movie. She narrated the film in a way that seemed sincere but only touched the surface of what the runaway criminals true intentions were throughout their journey to the badlands of Montana. Holly’s naive personality is mainly revealed in this narration. She was almost unreliable because she seemed to fall for Kit to quickly and listen to everything. Sometimes, I didn’t trust her judgment. She explains that Kit her and thinks she’s mature. But she proves otherwise when she has sex and says that she was glad it was over because she thought she was going to die. That seems like such a random thing to say. In reality, Holly takes no action and isn’t even affected by her experience at the end of the film. Holly’s narration also helps revise the crime genre.

Kit seems like a James Dean misfit at the beginning of the film but becomes more and more disturbed once on the road with Holly. He takes situations over board and acts irrationally by solving every simple encounter by pulling out his gun. He also begins to talk to himself.  He gets confused with what he is doing. After he kills a friend of his he puts drags his body into a shed to “keep him out of the sun.” There is obviously no need for that. He killed him so, why should he care about his body. That is what’s off about Kit. He still acts friendly as if he doesn’t realize the severity of what he is doing.

At the end of this film, Holly should have seemed a bit more remorseful for the evil deeds she allowed. (She never tries to stop Kit.) She does at one point realize that she doesn’t want to go on living with a murderer. But, she what she really dislikes is living on the run without a good meal or without a sane person on carry on a conversation with. Malick possibly decided to omit the kind of characters that question their evil deeds from this movie to “screw with genre” and to demythologize the crime drama. Kit and Holly don’t have common goals. They want to be together kind of and Kit doesn’t really care where they are going or what they are going to do once they get away from the law. Other crime films show us the criminal’s intentions and some sort of determination to create a life for him or herself where they will be free from persecution from the police. But in Badlands, Kit murders people that did not interfere with his getaway. He just wants to be bad at some points not to get rich but just for the sake of being bad. He makes up unreasonable excuses for killing certain people. For instance, Kit lock up two people and then shoots at them trough a crack in the door. What was the point in that? The point is that we don’t know a criminals true intention. It is easy for filmmakers to create the story of a criminal that just wants a big break or truly does want to live a good life. Basically there is always a moral to the story. Either the main character is reformed or she or he dies because they just won’t. In this film, neither happens. Kit just doesn’t seem to care and neither does Holly at one point. They don’t want to keep going towards Montana. They loose momentum and forget what they once felt or maybe they just realize that their entire adventure was a spur of the moment type thing. It was pretty drastic but they seem so casual about it!

The romance genre is demythologized as well. I expected Holly and Kit to stay together until the end. I thought Kit would tell Holly that he loved her and that he would never leave he. I thought Holly would do the same. That never happened! Their relationship was almost a fling or a short crush that was mistaken for love. Kit seems like he wasn’t Holy just to have a girlfriend to be wild with. Holly does admit to loving him at the beginning but suddenly stops. She just stops listening to him and just tags along. This romance is definitely not a tragedy or a fairy tale. It just is and then, isn’t.

In Badlands, Malick applies a sense of nostalgia of the 50’s by retelling the story of two young runaway convicts from that time. Kit is dressed up in a 50’s style. He wears a jean jacket, rolled up jeans, and a plain white t-shirt. When him and Holly take off he wants his cover-up name to be James. He really wants to be James Dean. He is really happy when the police officers that arrest him remark on how he looks just like James Dean. Kit also mumbles like Dean’s character from Rebel Without a Cause. It seems awesome when Kit and Holly are living in the woods as fugitives. They have a nice “Family Robison” house, sleep under the stars, and dance to cool music.

Many people have asked us what our part of South Dakota is like so here some pictures that were all taken within two hours of our house. We have also included some pictures from Devil’s Tower, one of our favorite places, and even though it is in Wyoming, it is about 90 minutes from our house.

So now sit back and enjoy our little world.

Devil's Tower

Devil's Tower

Climber on the Tower

Crazy Horse Monument under construction

Close up of head on Crazy Horse Monument

Spearfish Canyon Falls

Sunrise at Cedar Pass in the Badlands

Margie in the Badlands

Sylvan Lake at Custer State Park

Mount Rushmore

View of Lead from Terry Peak

Roadside barn near Spearfish

Buffalo on ranch near Deadwood

Sunrise from our street

So I spent Tuesday night at the latest Bruce Springsteen Concert in Cleveland at the Q Arena.  This concert was a late birthday gift I bought myself….I bought last July;)…..so I’ve been waiting for this concert for some time.  I get to Cleveland the morning of the concert and get my wrist band for the chance to get into the pit.  I had general admission tickets but venues provide an opportunity to get into the pit/closest to the stage without having to camp out…which I would have totally done.  How it works is at a preset time anybody with general admission tickets show up and get an orange band with a number on it.  They give these bands out for several hours…then 2 hours before the show they line everyone up numerically and a number is called.  This number is the beginning of the pit tickets.  These people get to go to the front of the stage (there is a certain amount of pit individuals) and the rest of the general admission ticket individuals enter behind these people and are cut off by a barricade.  When they pick the number the way it works is the predetermined amount of pit people will follow numerically behind the number called.  For example if there are 800 people with bands and they are letting 400 into the pit and the pull the number 500 the people who are in the pit are bands number 500 to 800 then the first 100 at the beginning of the line.  Well, I get my band I’m number 101….this means I either want one of three things to happen….either a super low number be called…or a super high number to be called…or my number to be called (I hate to say it but I’m not that lucky) BUT……..I was lucky enough for a super high number to be called…mean I ENDED UP IN THE PIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yes they pulled a number and it cut off at band 175…I had done it I was going to be close enough to Bruce and the E-Street Band that I could spit on them!!!!!!!! I was floored!  Both my Sister and I have tried on several occasions to get into the pit to no avail (but don’t get me wrong general admission tickets are great!)

So at this point I’ve been in  line for two hours they let us in and I am left of center stage positioned not against the stage  barriers but just a bit back in front of where Clarence “Big Man” will be.  Needless to say I’ve got a GREAT place.  So then I wait standing for another two hours.  By the end of the concert I will have stood for seven and a half hours (but it was totally worth every moment of it).

At this point all I’m not sure if this could get any better!  I’m at a Bruce concert; I’ve finally made it into the pit.  The only thing that would have made it really great is if my Mother and/or Sister could have been there.  I was a lone concert goer this time.  The concert begins…It is everything I could want.  Bruce and the Band are great (considering they did a huge…huge…show at Madison Square Garden’s a couple nights before) then third song it happens…..Hungry Heart begins (one of my favorite songs)….the crowd sings the first verse of the song (this traditionally happens anytime the song is sang at a Bruce concert) and I’m in heaven.  Bruce is crowd surfed from one end of the pit to the next and flipped backwards on stage (I tried to touch him but I was ill positioned).  Then begins the “Born to Run” album (as I have mentioned he played the entire 1975 album Thunder Road begins I hear the similar electricity from the crowd that I heard at the Pittsburgh concert in May.  The songs are amazing…then Jungleland starts….the lights dim and a disco ball cast orbs of light that slowly drift around the arena…it…is…epic!  I never in a million years would have guessed I would hear Jungleland in concert….it just keeps getting better.  Over the next hour I hear Pink Cadillac, Waitin On a Sunny Day, Red Headed Woman, and then Back in Your Arms.  It is amazing and slow!  From what I’ve read it was a concert highlight!  Then to end the set…I hear it Badlands (another one of my favorite songs).  This concert was practically a home run on songs I wanted to hear…there was one left….I coveted it I wanted to hear the ever elusive Rosalita!  The band takes a bow but doesn’t leave the stage….they start right into their encore!  He dedicated the first song to The Cleveland Food Bank then the next to “Cleveland Boys.”  Then Dancing in the Dark comes on…..it spectacular and I pray that he will drag me on stage to be the next Courtney Cox lol, but still no Rosalita.  Then he played Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” which I conclude will be a good trade of for Rosalita…then Higher and Higher is played it was an awesome song to end on! Then just when I think the concert is over…I hear it….the opening cords of ROSALITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!  I have died and gone to heave…the song is wild, and loud, and fast.  I’m singing at the top of my lungs…oh how I want to go to “that little place in southern California….down San Diego way!” 

The concert was epic and perfection reigned.  Not only was I at a Bruce concert, I managed to get into the pit and hear three songs that I have coveted to hear in a concert together (not to mention the rest of the spectacular set list)!

Now I can only imagine what the Buffalo show will be like.  Yes you heard it here first I have a ticket for the Buffalo show and not only is it Steven Van Zandt’s birthday but it is also the last date of the tour.  I believe the show will be spectacular and larger than life!!!!!!!!!  But my Cleveland show has been by far one of the best concerts I’ve ever…EVER…attended

November 10^th 2009, Cleveland OH, Quicken Loans Arena Set List:

Wrecking Ball (with Curt Ramm)

Prove It All Night

Hungry Heart

Working on a Dream

(Beginning of “Born to Run”)

Thunder Road

Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (with Curt Ramm)

Night

Backstreets

Born to Run

She’s the One

Meeting Across the River (with Curt Ramm)

Jungleland

(End of “Born to Run”)

Waitin’ on a Sunny Day

Raise Your Hand

Red Headed Woman

Pink Cadillac

Back in Your Arms

Radio Nowhere

Lonesome Day

The Rising

Badlands

*****Encore

No Surrender

Bobby Jean

American Land (with Curt Ramm)

Dancing in the Dark

Can’t Help Falling in Love

Higher and Higher (with Curt Ramm)

Rosalita (with Curt Ramm)