Arizona on one tank of gas

Jodi and I decided that we needed to get out of Phoenix. This desire and the rental of a $1900 Canon 70-200 lens served as the proper impetus to get out and see some of Phoenix. Here is the ground that we covered in a 24 hour period. (More pictures are posted in the "my photo repository" on the right side column)

• Picacho Peak, home of the furthest west battle of the Civil War and the Nut Factory. http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/picacho.html



• The San Xavier Mission, the first and still active mission in Arizona. http://www.sanxaviermission.org/



• Bisbee, the onetime mining boomtown was once the largest city between St Louis and San Francisco. http://www.discoverbisbee.com/



• Tombstone, the legendary site of the OK Corral and now nothing more then a comercial theme park were everything has a price. http://www.cityoftombstone.com/



• Globe, another mining hamlet east of Phoenix in the famed Superstition mountains. http://www.globemiamichamber.com/

A new song

Follow the link below to another new song. I'm still not set on the title. Humor me and listen.

Click here to watch "Peace-comes-in-the-morning"

Another song

It's a bit old and speaks of another time. It's titled "I had a dream and it wouldn't end". I will be redoing the vocals but since I don't know when I will get to it I will post this.


Click here to watch 'I-had-a-dream-and-it-wouldnt-end'

Mr Jensen throws a stone at Washington

Rare is the occasion that I get involved in politics. I have a number of friends who have the "beltway" mindset but I enjoy my place on the sidelines. I have a few pet issues but the current situation in Washington has really soured me to the entire process.
I was casually watching a stump speech made by Hillary the other day. She was working a crowd up to a fever pitch with her talk of universal health care and the role that the government should play in making life better for the overlooked masses. While I agree with the sentiment that we should lift up the less fortunate through charity and assistance I have a hard time believing that it should come from the government. Then a thought came to my head..............

"I don't want the government involved in matters that I can resolve myself"

I want to keep government involvement at a minimum. I can make my own decisions regarding whether or not I will allow an abortion. I don't need the government to get overly intangled in matters that could better handled by the people alone. But I will rely on the government for matters that I can't individually impact. I will support government coverage in terms of infrastructure (highways, for example) or miltary protection. These are areas that it would make sense to rely on a larger entity to adequately bring to pass.

I just don't think that I should expect the government to provide for me in matters that I could handle myself. I think I'd do a better job. Thoughts?

What makes a road trip a ROAD TRIP?

We’ve been trying to do more road trips lately. There is much to see and we are always looking for excuses to pull out the camera. So far the results have been a mixed bag. Some trips have been spectacular while others have been spectacularly sucky. In an effort to create more of the former, I’ve compiled a list of the components necessary to making a road trip a success.

• Company- You can do a road trip alone but you can't do it with the wrong company. Good company leads to good conversation which leads to not caring that you are somewhere in a remote part of South Western New Mexico.


• Snack- You want something that can sustain you while not filling your bladder and making you more hungry. Almonds and string cheese are great candidates.


• Destination- You've got to have a nice goal at the end of the road to reward the journey; whether it be a hot tub in a nice lodge or campsite.


• Music- The right music can set the mood or get a good conversation going. Road trips are also a great place to sample some new tunes that you've been meaning to get to. But never forget the timeless standards such as "Joshua Tree".


• Comfortability- Nothing deflates an excursion quicker than a case of Monkey Bum. You don't want to be dealing with a numb butt when you should be taking in a scenic butte.


• Roadside Views- It's always nice to have the ability to pull of to the side of the road and quickly snap a few shots of a scenic vista or over look. Road side views take little effort and keep things fresh.


• Dives- You're in nowheresville, Montana and you're going to eat at a Subway? I think not. You need to try out the local establishments. It's a hit and miss affair but one that will more likely generate memorable outcomes then a combo meal.


• Local Flavor- Step off the beaten path. Visit the local market or square. If you are in Colorado City, Arizona then drive down a side street and admire the sturdy craftsmanship of the polygamist compounds. The point is, take the time to understand the people behind the place.


• Singularity of moment- Take notes, take pictures. Good moments like these are few and far between. Enjoy the ride because you will soon be back in traffic slowly pacing your way to a job that is only moderately satisfying.

Sugar Sweet Something

Here is one of my new songs for your listening pleasure. Click on the link below to sample


Click here to watch 'Sugar-Sweet-Something-Master'

self portrait

An open road and some string cheese

Arizona is a relatively diverse state and has a lot to offer in terms day trips and excursions. I’ve made it a goal to consistently explore all of the reaches of this the land of the Grand Canyon. We will often consult with local guides and recommendations from websites to ensure that we cover all of our bases.

We had an open Saturday and excitedly decided to follow a recommendation from the city of Mesa website. We embarked on the scenic loop that would take us through the Superstition Mountains to the historic Roosevelt Lake and then through Globe. This route would take us through the legendary saguaro covered foothills that define Arizona and then to the world’s largest Masonry dam and area that Teddy Roosevelt once called among the most beautiful on earth. We were excited and left fairly early.

We were absolutely captivated by the beauty of the Superstition foothills; rolling, red mountains covered with Saguaro, Cholla, and Prickly Pear. This is the vision of Arizona that I had as a kid watching and reading westerns. Things took a slight turn when we ran out of paved road 30 miles into the excursion.

The travel guide that we were following made no mention of dirt roads and weren’t expecting to take the Passat “off roading”. But your options are limited when you are in a remote desert and one direction to go. We pushed forward and covered some very remote and beautiful country. Unfortunately my camera battery died just as we were getting to the real pretty country. For being a published scenic route we encountered very few people. That was actually a good thing as the road was very narrow and we had a few dicey switch backs just south of the dam.

We eventually made it to the fabled dam and found the visitors center so that we could charge the battery. While there we learned about how cool the dam is and how Phoenix wouldn’t exist without it. We also struck up some small talk with the local park ranger. I was getting hungry and wanted to probe for a good local place that was an authentic representation of the community. We left with a charged camera, a renewed hunger, and a hearty recommendation for “Ma’s” just a few miles a way.

Eating at the local “dive” is definitely a high-risk, high reward proposition. If you don’t take the gamble on local spots you might miss out on some great experiences in dining. At the same time you might just get some bad recommendation made by some schmuck whose brother runs the kitchen of the restaurant.

Well our experience was more of the later. Jodi’s grilled cheese was akin to something a mom makes her kid on a rainy day. My chicken fried steak was heavy on the fry but light on the flavor. Not even the tub of gravy that accompanied it could help out. A few things you can always count on in these local diners.
- ¾ of the menu will consist of fried items
- The lettuce will always be iceberg
- There will be a picture of the owner holding a prize fish on the wall.
- Next to the picture will be a plethora of business cards advertising every MLM scheme available.
- You will know the first name of the waitress by the end of the stay
- Regardless of the meal you will always be glad you came. These local diners are truly the barometer of these little towns.

After our lunch we were pretty much tired. The treacherous dirt road dampened our enthusiasm. We skipped the desert museum and an archaeological site so that we could get home for a nap. Arizona is full of nice little day trips and hopefully the coming weeks will be filled with several more.

Studio Stuff

Lately I’ve been working on getting three or four of my songs recorded in a professional manner. It’s been an intriguing and very eye opening process. If things go according to plan I should have songs to post here shortly. Here are a few observations:

- Technology goes a long way these days. We are producing the songs using a program called Cubase. A solid understanding of this program is almost more valuable then a sound musical understanding. You can edit and alter effects and tracks to the smallest detail. This software really opens up possibilities to the throngs of amateur musicians, such as me, who are looking to get their stuff out.

- At the same time a great degree of precision and detail is needed to get a track to sound right. I’ve learned the hard way about the need to have a sense of rhythm and timing. When you are literally synching up the 15-20 individual tracks in a song you’ve got to get everything lined up so it sounds seamless.

- If you’re paying some dude $30/hr to help you out you need to have a clear vision of what the song should sound like. If you don’t clearly communicate the intended emotion and texture of the song you are wasting money and run the risk of getting a sound based on the producers understanding of what you wanted.

- Don’t try to add too many unnecessary layers or effects to the song. Only choose what adds the right emotion that you are going for. Don’t be enamored by all of the options, effects, and potential sounds and fall prey to the sirens song of putting too much into a song just for the sake of it. Some songs need little in the way of production others may need a lot.

Since I’m very new to this process you can take all of my observations with several grains of salt.