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Hello Hairy People,
In spite of the US government shut-down, 2 weeks ago 4 of us got together and hiked through some National Parkland trails in order to get to the Golden Gate Bridge. Apologies that I didn't have enough time to post the rest of these pics 2 weeks ago; but hey, work gets in the way of fun stuff sometimes!
Anyway, here is a shot of Larry leading the way, with Bill & Mark ("Hairball") following behind...
Rumor has it that Scott (AKA "Absalom") had offered to loan Larry his knee-length ponytail for this local longhair meet-up; but then when the full impact of that generous offer became more clear to him what a huge sacrifice for Scott that would be, Scott then decided that Larry would just have to hike with his own hair on his head after all.
In any case, enjoy these pics from a couple of weeks ago!
- Ken
That is a great picture of you guys and I love the background with the Golden Gate .
I should definitely visit San Francisco soon :)
Thanks, Dave! And I also hope someday to visit your beautiful country as well -- in fact, I'm a big fan of Argentine Tango (even though I have taken only a very few classes in that particular dance myself); so all the more reason for me to want to visit your country someday!
They say that Northern California and your neighboring country of Chile have a very similar climate -- at least in the middle of Chile it's similar to California, in that the climate is often described as "Mediterranean" (warm, dry summers with mild, wet winters). California has a cold ocean current that comes down from Alaska, similar to your South American Humboldt Current that comes up from Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica.
I think you'd like San Francisco. We get a lot of visitors from all over the world who come here, often commenting on how the SF Bay Area feels more "European" than other parts of the USA. The mix of people is also nice here. Just in my workplace alone, I have co-workers who come from the following countries (besides native-born Americans): Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Uraguay, Korea, Ghana, Kenya, England, and India, to name just a few!!
- Ken
Yes, it sounds like San Francisco is a very cosmopolitan city -which I love- and I love the liberal atmosphere as well.
I have been to the USA in February but due to the lack of time I havent been able to visit SF. I have been to NYC and LA.
I must say that while I loved NYC, for some reason I felt more comfortable in the west coast.
Regarding Tango, I love it as well but can't dance it.
This is probably my favorite tango piece :
This version was played during Maxima Zorreguieta and Prince William of Orange wedding ( ex-Prince of Netherlands, now King of Netherlands along with Argentinean Maxima Zorreguieta - who is now the first latin american woman to become the Queen of an European country )
WOW, I just listened to that piece of Tango music, just incredible -- in fact, I believe I saw a couple of Tango dancers dance to that music on YouTube several months ago.... if I can find it again, I'll post the link, although it sometimes takes me a long time to find things again (especially considering I was watching it on my boss's computer at work!).
Thanks again for the reply!!
- Ken
After Larry had taken this pic of Mark, Bill, and myself, some tourists hiking from the opposite direction on the bridge stopped and asked us an odd question: "Are you guys friends with that longhaired hero named Scott?"
"Do you mean the Scott that is also known as Absalom?", we asked.
"Yes, the guy with the amazingly long segmented ponytail that tossed his hair over the bridge today to save that drowning youth!"
When we tried to explain to these tourists that the Scott we knew had hair ONLY to his knees, and that it would be impossible for Scott's hair to reach 220 feet below the bridge to dangle into the water to save a drowning surfer and drag him to safety, the tourists simply said that maybe we hadn't seen our friend Scott in a long long time -- and that maybe Scott had indeed grown his hair this long by now....
"Just watch the evening News!" the tourists said, "Scott is a hero because of his long long hair, you'll see, you'll hear all about it on tonight's News!"
I did watch the news that night; but no, no sign whatsoever about that story...
Just chalk it up to another one of those far-fetched fables like Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, or Northern California's famous "Bigfoot", or Scotland's Loch Ness Monster, or the North Pole's "Abominable Snowman" -- Scott and his ponytail are legend now; but unfortunately, we didn't see him with our own eyes that day!
Beware of these 3 characters asking you to send your hard-earned $$ to them instead of to me. I AM THE OWNER of the GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE! Although these 3 men are sometimes my "partners-in-crime", any big fat checks you'd like to send in the mail should go directly to me and to me alone -- don't be fooled by their happy smiles and flowing manes. You've heard of Internet scams, right? Well, only me and me alone will send you a tiny piece of paper with my own Urban Cowboy handwriting on it, letting you know you've purchased an authentic piece of the Golden Gate Bridge. Mark Hairball himself scraped off a piece of rust from the bridge's railing on this particular day, and I then promptly let him know that this rust particle belonged to me, was worth a mint, and that I intended to sell it for mega-bucks...
Please make out all big fat checks to:
Ken Gourley, AKA "Longhaired Urban Cowboy"
San Francisco, California
USA
Planet Earth
Cash will also gladly be accepted; but just make sure you find out my correct ZIP code!
Ken I don't think you saw my post further down. I said I would only be interested in purchasing this bridge if it includes the 3 handsome guys in the pic. My apologies, but just has to be that way! Will include extra $$$ if necessary!
Ted
LOL, thanks so much, Ted! Truth be told, however, I've now changed my mind and decided that since the government is shut-down, I'm going to sell Alcatraz Island instead (while all of the US politicians are still too busy either arguing or sleeping, this would be my golden opportunity to sell it under their noses)! The 3 handsome guys you referred to will then have to be in charge of the country; so unfortunately we won't be for sale then; but hey, Washington DC might be for sale... I'll keep you posted! [wink]
- Ken
Oh no, Ken I won't be interested in purchasing Washington DC. Not a very productive or lucrative investment! However, I would have no problem with the 3 handsome guys in charge though! Most likely an improvement there! Thanks for the offer, though!
Ted
No worries! I'll gladly buy your bridge. But I don't do cheques. I'll give you something far better. Cash!
Cash on delivery!
I live in the UK by the way. I hope that won't be a problem?
Damon
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OMG, I can't believe I forgot to mention an important tidbit of information, though: if you wish to move the GG Bridge to another location (to the UK, for example), you have to provide your own pick-up truck and moving crew. It's actually quite a heavy bridge; so you might want to look into a really BIG pick-up truck... Okay, okay -- I need to emphasize this fact a bit more: a really REALLY HUGE GINORMOUS PICK-UP TRUCK!!!!!!!
I want the cash first, though -- finding a big enough pick-up truck is gonna be your own problem (LOL)!!
- Ken
Haha!
Nah, that's not quite the same as "cash on delivery" is it? ;)
I'm a little naive but I wonder if I smell something just ever so slightly fishy here? And not just the fish in San Francisco Bay! :)
Damon
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Well he is actually delivering it. It's just being delivered to
San Francisco bay.
Speaking Of Bridges....................LOL
James, that is just too funny, I love it! But I can't believe the person who designed it didn't take the sun into consideration about this...
AMAZING!!
We don't know who the person is, So Maybe they did take the sun into consideration...And they went with a big..umm..well how do I say it? They went with a big Thumbs up.
Here we are, in EXACTLY the dead-center middle of the Golden Gat Bridge -- proof being that Larry's boots couldn't make up their mind whether to stand on the San Francisco County side of the bridge, or on the Marin County side...
Thank goodness Larry's boots had Larry standing inside of them, as he had no trouble telling his boots when he was ready to walk back home to San Francisco, instead of going further North to Sausalito!
Do any of you remember that corny song from the late '60s or early '70s that went something like this:
"Reach out and touch somebody's hand,
make this world a better place, if you can!"
Well, here's my version (I believe I can hear Bill even singing it in this photo!):
"reach up and touch Ken's Golden Gate Bridge,
send him a big fat check, if you can!"
OK, EVERYbody now!... (LOL)
Here's a nice shot of Larry, Bill, and Mark with a view of the Bay behind, taken in the late afternoon on our return hike down the hill from the bridge... In the distance on the water's horizon, as seen just to the right of the big Monterey Cypress tree trunk, is Alcatraz Island -- famous for being a death row prison for a brief time in America's history (mostly during the 1920's and '30s, as I recall). Sometimes affectionately referred to as, "Alcatraz University", it's my old Alma mater, something I'm very nostalgic about...
Hey, don't laugh -- me and my "classmates" will come after you for that $$ (whether or not you ever intended on buying that bridge from me - LOL)!!
My final pic of this series today will be this nice shot of Mark's Henna hair, as seen backlit by the sinking sun hovering in the Western sky....
"Happy trails to you, until we meet again..."
(OK, EVERYbody now, you know the words to this song - LOL!)
Hey Ken,
Be sure to let me know when you finally sell the GG Bridge and hopefully I can draw a commission since my lovely mug was in some of the brochures! LOL.It was cool using my hair to highlight the color choice for the bridge so a piece of history for you'all.Sure its true just check out the history books;) Seriously it was a gorgeous day to spend with you guys but do look forward to my next trip out west whatever that reason might be for.Cheers
Mârk
It was a great day for sure -- and also fun chatting with you and Bill and "Snakebait" (LOL) just a few minutes ago....
And if I ever do sell this bridge, I promise you I'll treat you to lunch!! (Unless the paycheck isn't quite fat enough; then it will have to be just a big Mac - LOL!)
- Ken
Hi Ken,
Great pics as always, Ken, it is cool that you all had such a grand time meeting each other, and one of these days, I hope to make it to the west coast and see your beautiful city with my own pair of eyes!
Thanks for sharing,
David
PS. Sorry for the late reply, just not on the computer much lately.
No worries, David, and it's probably all for the better whenever any of us spend less time rather than more time on computers. The happiest days of my life were probably late 1987 - approx. 1990, when I lived right across from the beach, intentionally didn't own a TV, and was prior to me owning a computer or even having a cell phone. I was out taking dance classes and/or just dancing (Swing, Salsa, Jitterbug, Country & Western, Tango, whatever I could sink my teeth into at the time) every evening. When I wasn't at my job during the day, I'd be out walking / hiking / running on the beach...
As much fun as computers are, nothing compares to just living real life, and living it to the fullest -- that's my philosophy about it anyway.
It would be a joy and privilege to meet you in-person someday, and as Mark will verify, I'm a great SF Bay Area tour guide (and a real cheap one, because I'm free - LOL!).... This is a great town for vacationers, and a beautiful surrounding area with a lot of diversity of scenery, climate (inland is HOT during the summer months; whereas just a few miles away near the coast, it's amazingly cool & foggy), and with plenty of things to do.
Anyway, always a pleasure to hear from you, David! I'm typing on my boss's computer at work right now, where I stay & sleep overnight here until my workweek is finished; but often I don't visit MLHH for long periods of time (unlike when I used to be a Moderator); so again, no worries about not responding quickly to any of my silly posts, as that to me just means you're living life to the fullest by not being on the computer so much!
Take Care, and my best to you always!
- Ken
Now I have to disagree since i've been using computers since
1973 when I took my first electrical engineering classes and
had my first FORTRAN class.
I first had to use FORTRAN for an EE class semester project in 1968. None of us knew FORTRAN. We were just given the manual. We had all semester to do the project, but I turned it in with all the right answers the next morning. My impression was that the project was really easy, and my professsor's first reaction was that he had made the project too easy somehow. However, as the semester dragged on, no one else turned it in until the last day, and some of them never "got it". I guess I was just good at that. And yeah, I got an "A".
But truthfully, I'd rather be walking in the park. Hiking has always been a passion.
Bill
I do mountain climbing, biking, walking, my civil war group,
etc. but I still have a passion for computers.
Were the other folks in your class peeved that you turned in the
assignement so quickly?
Not that they let show. They probably didn't want the professor to think about the situation much.
Two other times in my life, though, the "getting peeved" did happen. One was in fourth grade, when I aced a math test when the rest of the class got Fs except for one guy who got a C and one other who got a D. The teacher made the situation much worse by calling the class stupid "because one student got an A on the test so nothing was wrong with it." She went on and gave them a tough homework assignment and made them take a test again on the material, while she exempted me. Now that really made me popular!
The other time was when, as a freshman in college, I joined the student radio station. The FCC came to a town fifty miles away every six months to give exams. We needed an easy license, the Third Class one, but it was a real pain to take a whole day off to take the exams, so I opted to take the First Class license so in case I ever wanted it later, I'd have it. I then got teased relentlessly. I didn't know that there were guys in the popular crowd there, very much looked up to, who had flunked the First Class test several times. I got told numerous times that I was a fool, because I'd flunk the test and not be able to get on the air for another six months. Then the FCC graded all the easier exams first, and everyone had heard from the FCC but me. Every time I'd go into the station, they would say, "Where's your license, Bill?" Ten days later when it finally came, I slipped in that night and I hung it on the wall, where everyone had theirs. The next day I walked into the station and got the usual taunt from the group. I just replied, "It's on the wall, where it's supposed to be." They all charged into the hall and down to the room where that wall was. None of them ever came back to congratulate me or anything. Nothing was ever said about that license. Yeah, in this case, they were peeved.
I paid for two years of my college education with money I earned using that license. Damn right it was worth getting.
The lesson learned from all that was, "Pick a career you are good at." Then you will make your boss lots of money. Bosses who make lots of money off you are not apt to say much about what you look like.
Bill
Hi Ken,
I thoroughly enjoyed these photos! Thanks for posting them! Looks like everyone had fun!
Ted