Sun, 22 Nov 2009

California Crisis?

I spotted this the other day on a walk. OK, so it isn't the real Teale Data Center (the major State of California data center in Sacramento), but it IS symbolic of the financial situation in the State of California and the inability of the politicians to do anything substantive about it.

Compromise and compassion are needed, but all we get is partisan wrangling and dissention from the politicians at the state capitol.

posted 16:30 [/FromMyFone] permanent link

Sun, 18 Oct 2009

A Sign of the Times (3)

Not the fence, the abandoned construction behind it. (OK, maybe the fence surrounding the abandoned construction, but you get the idea.) Acres of finished streets and sidewalks leading to empty fields. There's even some roughed in plumbing and electrical and then . . . recession, I suppose . . . or a bank which wouldn't extend the construction loan . . . or . . . the economic times.

It's definitely abandoned. There is no construction equipment, no construction trailer, no sign of any activity for some time. Perhaps a bank now owns it and is looking for someone silly enough to construct apartments, condos, or single-family homes in an area with 12% unemployment.

Despite what the economists say about the recession coming to an end, the signs are that it will be with us for some time to come.

posted 11:12 [/FromMyFone] permanent link

Sun, 13 Sep 2009

Sign of the times . . .

I captured this on a walk today. Businesses are still on the way out. Even if the experts say the recession has hit bottom, I think we will continue to see this occur. People are still unemployed and not spending money. With a good portion of our economy dependent on consumer spending, it's understandable that business will continue to suffer and fail. As evidenced by this sign and the empty storefronts in strip malls all over town, Wall Street may be recovering, but main street is still depressed.

posted 20:32 [/FromMyFone] permanent link

Sun, 16 Aug 2009

Things you don't see from your car . . .

I went out walking this morning and spotted a couple of things you wouldn't see if you were in the same area in your car.

The first is these power units. They're below ground level in a drainage ditch. There are very visible power lines overhead and, in fact, there's a major switching station along the route I took. But, you would never see this set of units if you went zooming by in your car along the major street on which they are situated.

The next interesting thing was this branch. It is about 10 feet off the ground and held there only by a spider web. It's not attached to anything else. Makes you wonder how it got there . . . did the spider spin its web when the branch was attached to the tree . . . did th branch fall from somewhere in the upper part of the tree and end up in the spider's web . . . did some mysterious force place the branch in the web . . .

Fascinating what you can see when you take the time to look.

posted 11:19 [/FromMyFone] permanent link

Sun, 09 Aug 2009

Azul?

"Azul" is "blue" in Spanish, sort of makes you wonder why this sign on an establishment here in Sacramento is brown. Maybe the designers had too much of their own Tequilla when they designed the sign!

posted 10:31 [/FromMyFone] permanent link

Something you don't see every day

I was out walking this morning and ran across this. It's not every day that you see a random door leaning against a tree on a city street. But there it is. I didn't want to open it as I was unsure where it lead.

posted 10:27 [/FromMyFone] permanent link

Sat, 01 Aug 2009

Something you don't see every day . . .

Now here's something you don't see every day in a city setting. I went walking on a Saturday through an industrial and came across this vulture working on some fast food trash thrown on the street. It's unusual to see a vulture in a metropolitan setting, let alone one eating fast food.

posted 14:17 [/FromMyFone] permanent link

Wed, 24 Jun 2009

A sign of summer . . .

While filling up this morning I spotted a friend on the pump. A sure sign of summer. Hopefully, not too hot!

posted 12:50 [/FromMyFone] permanent link

Thu, 18 Jun 2009

A sign of the times . . .

I walk for exercise. When I walk, I like to walk different places so I can see new things. Recently I walked along a local street that I had not been on except to pass by in the car for some time. One of the things I noticed was this sign of the economic struggle which grips the country. It has an upscale restaurant and one other business, but, other than that, stands empty. Another up-scale mall which has been there for some time had many empty storefronts, waiting, I presume, for better economic times when the affluent will again purchase their goods.

posted 11:29 [/FromMyFone] permanent link

Tue, 09 Jun 2009

Bunicula . . .

We have a new family member. He's a bunny that my wife and boys found along the bike trail and brought home. Our plan was to keep him for a short while and the let him go. But it looks like Bunicula has taken over the back yard.

posted 07:27 [/FromMyFone] permanent link