Saturday, June 6, 2015

Remember Phone Booths?


Photo by Retiring Guy
(taken inside the Grove Arcade)

Of related interest:

Asheville at Dusk

Photo by Retiring Guy.....

....taken from the top of this monstrous eyesore of a parking ramp.


315 Washington Street, Columbus, Indiana



Most recently, this space was home to Imagination Station.

Colliers was a shoe stores once upon a time.

Don't We All



Photo by Retiring Guy

Spotted across the street from the Magic Mushroom on Broadway Avenue in downtown Asheville.

Where my wife and I spent a portion of the late afternoon.


Asheville:  A Place Like No Other



Scott Walker is off the table but Pawn Walker is along for the ride



We got some miles under our belts before breakfast, stopping at what looks to be a brand-spankin'-new Bob Evans just off I-64 in Simpsonville. Kentucky.

The restaurant is located next to the sprawling Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass, which opened on July 31, 2014.  (I would have thought that the use of 'shoppe' and 'shoppes' was prohibited throughout most of Kentucky.)

As shown above, Pawn Walker looks on as I'm poised to wolf down a culinary guilty pleasure, chicken-fried steak.  He looks sort of envious, don't you think?

Friday, June 5, 2015

Yet another Big Boy post



Today I made my first visit to a Big Boy in more than 20 years.  The interior of the restaurant, located a few miles east of Danville, Illinois, on I-74, looked much the same as every other location I've seen.  The glossy, oversized menu offers a familiar, comforting array of burgers and sandwiches.  The turkey melt (pictured above), served with just the right amount of cole slaw, was perfectly prepared, a candidate for the 'short order' hall of fame.  

And this is a former short order cook making this proclamation.  

A decorative touch not likely to be appreciated by most Big Boy customers



The sink is much more stained than it looks here.  (This Retiring Guy photo was taken at the Big Boy Restaurant east of Danville, Illinois.

Selling Big Boy merchandise to the bare walls


As seen in Big Boy Restaurant east of Danville, Illinois -- home of Dick and Jerry Ban Dyke, Gene Hackman, Bobby Short, and Donald O'Connor -- just before the Indiana border along I-74.  (Retiring Guy takes credit for the photo.)

ROAD TRIP -- which means that Scott Walker is likely to be off the table for the time being



There's always the archives, if you need a quick fix!

At Disney World, Republican presidential candidates leave behind them the concrete floors of Iowa



Luxurious Florida scene contrasts with Iowa campaigning.  (Des Moines Register, 6/3/2015)

Fantasyland.
Instead of a plain, concrete-floored building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds or a big-box church in Waukee, the latest venue for the roving band of GOP hopefuls was Walt Disney World's luxurious Yacht & Beach Club Resort, where rooms start at $405 a night and the stray Tesla, Rolls Royce or Maserati are in the parking lot.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Scott Walker is already yesterday's news in North Carolina



Related posts:
Same as it ever was, pretty much, in latest Fox News poll.  (6/3/2015)
The latest CNN/ORC Republican presidential primary poll likes the Florida boys.  (6/2/2015) 
5-way tie in latest Quinnipiac Republican presidential primary poll.  (5/28/2015)
Republican presidential candidates find little elbow room in latest Fox News poll.  (5/16/2015)
Latest Public Policy Polling (PPP) numbers keep Republican candidates in a jumble.  (5/14/2015)
Digging through the latest Arizona Republican presidential poll, we learn that Scott Walker is the perferred candidate of older, 'very conservative' voters.  (5/11/2015)
The leading Republican candidates for President have already peaked in New Hampshire.  (5/10/2015)
The Florida Boys leave Scott Walker in "show" position in latest Republican presidential horse race poll.  (5/5/2015)
Two more Iowa Republican presidential polls to add to the line graph.  (4/28/2015)
Jeb Bush experiences some serious slippage in New Hampshire.  (4/17/2015)
Home-state voters show waning enthusiasm for a Lindsey Graham presidential campaign.  (4/16/2015)
Big spikes for Scott Walker, Donald Trump in most recent New Hampshire poll.  (4/13/2015)
Tracking the Florida Republican presidential primary polls, January-March 2015.  (4/4/2015)
Ohio Republican presidential primary poll: Ohio Governor Kasich leads the pack.  (4/3/2015)
Tracking the national Republican presidential primary polls.  (4/3/2015)
Republican presidential primary polls: The current top 5 preferences.  (4/2/2015)
New Hampshire Republican Presidential primary voters are having trouble making up their minds.  (3/31/2015)
Another day, another New Hampshire Presidential primary poll.  (3/28/2015)
Bush, Rubio not exactly wowing the home-state voters.  (3/27/2014)
Scott Walker tied for 2nd with 'Dunno' in latest CNN/ORC poll. (3/19/2015)
Bush-Walker-Dunno in a 3-way tie for Connecticut Presidential primary preferences.  (3/15/2015)
Don't know/no answer/somebody else/won't vote leads latest Quinnipiac Republican Presidential primary poll.  (3/6/2015)
Bush-Walker-Unsure are 1-2-3 in latest Florida Republican Presidential primary poll.  (3/3/2015)
Bush-Walker-Unsure are 1-2-3 in latest South Carolina Republican Presidential primary poll.  (3/3/2015)
It's Walker, Bush, Unsure in 1st Nevada Presidential primary poll of the year.  (3/2/2015)
Quinnipiac poll: Scott Walker is the Tea Party favorite among likely caucus-goers in Iowa.  (2/26/2015)
Texas Poll: Scott Walker takes it to a couple of Texans on their home turf.  (2/25/2015)
Someone else/no one, Ben Carson have best 1-2 punch in Public Policy poll.  (2/24/2015)
'Undecided' leads, Scott Walker 2nd, in year's first California Republican Presidential primary poll.  (2/20/2015)
On the merry-go-round: Mike Huckabee takes the lead in the latest Republican Presidential preference poll.  (2/18/2015)
Give it up: "Favorite Son" Lindsey Graham ekes out an anemic 17% in South Carolina poll.  (2/17/2015)
New Hampshire: Jeb Bush holds slim lead among crowded GOP pack in NBC News/Marist poll.  (2/17/2015)
Mike Huckabee retakes Iowa lead, Walker falls to 3rd in NBC News/Marist poll.  (2/17/2015)

Likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers are still groovin' on Scott Walker -- but not nearly as much as they were in February


Then again....they loved that there Santorum Guy back in 2012.


The behinders in the latest Iowa poll:
  • 6% - Ted Cruz
  • 6% - Rick Santorum
  • 5% - Carly Fiorina
  • 4% - Chris Christie
  • 4% - Rand Paul

As Scott Walker might ask......



More Iowa craziness: 
Scott Walker finishes 1st in latest Iowa poll, but his best numbers are more than 3 months behind him.  (5/31/2015)
Rick Santorum: You ain't goin' nowhere in this presidential race.  (5/28/2015)
Kristina, 27, like the idea of Donald Trump running for President.  (5/23/2015)
Will the results of the August 2015 Iowa straw poll embarrass Republicans again?  (5/21/2015)
The Iowa straw poll, a slow death by many small cuts.  (5/21/2015)
Dreamboat Dixie channels Heart.  (5/17/2015)
Hey, Tanya, if you like Carly Fiorina, you'll love Scott Walker.  (5/17/2015)
Walt Rogers hitches his star to a political flameout.  (5/17/2015)
This Saturday, Republican presidential "wannabes" descend on Des Moines for "the fourth major, multi-candidate cattle call of the caucus campaign".  (5/14/2015) 
Jeb hurts Iowans' feelings.  (5/13/2015)
Pandering to social conservatives, Scott Walker and his buddies continue to box themselves into a corner.  (4/26/2015)
Let the intramural sniping begin.  (4/26/2015)
Reporter shares his sharp, blunt, candid assessment.  (4/26/2015)
'Veteran Republican Strategist' sez goodbye to Scott Walker the day after 'hello'. (3/18/2015)
Clothes make the man: The Iowa Caucus edition.  (3/18/2015)
Liz Mair stars in Scott Walker's 'Les Miz'.  (3/17/2015)
Motor runnin', Scott Walker gives a shout-out to these Iowa communities.  (3/9/2015)
Scott Walker serves up a helping of red meat to audience at Iowa Agriculture Summit.  (3/8/2015)
The insignificance of the Iowa caucus.  (3/7/2015)
Scott Walker is already booked, naturally, for the last weekend in April.  (3/3/2015)
Quinnipiac poll: Scott Walker is the Tea Party favorite among likely caucus-goers in Iowa.  (2/26/2015)
Mike Huckabee retakes Iowa lead, Walker falls to 3rd in NBC News/Marist poll.  (2/17/2015)

What color pajamas does The Gotch wear?



Who's The Gotch?!?!

Another garage sale, another excuse for more yard kitsch


It all started with a visit to World Market 2 summers ago and the purchase of a trio of rubber duckies.

Welcome to the club, Rick Perry


Have you noticed that Donald Trump is polling better than you are?

(yellow vertical highlight added)

Rick Perry launches 2016 Presidential campaign.  (USA Today, 6/3/2015)

Ready for another round of embarrassments.
The question is whether Perry can erase doubts raised about his readiness for the White House after his 2012 bid. Once touted as Mitt Romney's biggest threat, the longest-serving governor in Texas history made a series of self-inflicted campaign mistakes that showed he was ill-prepared for the rigors of a national campaign.
 
Even before Perry uttered "oops" in a nationally televised debate [before he decided that black glasses frames somehow made him look 'smarter'] when he couldn't remember the name of the third federal agency he wanted to eliminate, the Texan's campaign was in shambles because of his inability to rebut Romney's attacks on his record.

3 Words Never Used to Describe Ted Cruz


Ted Cruz apologizes for telling Biden joke. (USA Today, 6/3/2015)


From a 9/23/2013 New York Times op-ed piece by Frank Bruni:  Ted Cruz's Flinty Path.

Library Materials Expenditures Per Capita by Wisconsin Counties (2013)



 Mapped


For whatever it's worth, the high and low counties are neighbors.

Related post: 
Per capita county support.  (6/4/2015)
Circulation per capita.  (6/2/2015)

Public Library Per Capita Support by Counties: Wisconsin 2013



Mapped




The 'blue' list includes 5 county libraries (Adams, Brown, Florence, Marinette, and Portage) and one city-county library (Shawano).

Related post: 
Circulation per capita.  (6/2/2015)

No Friend to the Environment: Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte, Virginia's 6th Congressional District

Photo sourceU.S. Congress
Text sourceThink Progress

Rep. Goodlatte was re-elected to a 13th term in 2014 with 75% of the vote.

Recommended reading for Rep. Goodlatte and his northwestern Virginia constituents..

Appalachia and our Changing Planet.   Appalachian Voices, 4/1/2011)
To get an idea of how climate change may affect Appalachia, consider the Appalachian Trail. Fifty years from now, hikers will probably have to cope with higher temperatures, dried-up streams and more forest fires.
To get an idea of how climate change may affect Appalachia, consider the Appalachian Trail. Fifty years from now, hikers will probably have to cope with higher temperatures, dried-up streams and more forest fires. - See more at: http://appvoices.org/2011/04/01/appalachia-and-our-changing-planet/#sthash.uh94CBne.dpuf
To get an idea of how climate change may affect Appalachia, consider the Appalachian Trail. Fifty years from now, hikers will probably have to cope with higher temperatures, dried-up streams and more forest fires - See more at: http://appvoices.org/2011/04/01/appalachia-and-our-changing-planet/#sthash.uh94CBne.dpuf
To get an idea of how climate change may affect Appalachia, consider the Appalachian Trail. Fifty years from now, hikers will probably have to cope with higher temperatures, dried-up streams and more forest fires. - See more at: http://appvoices.org/2011/04/01/appalachia-and-our-changing-planet/#sthash.uh94CBne.dpuf
8% lifetime score (3% in 2014) from the League of Conservation Voters. 


No Friend to the Environment dishonor roll.
Alabama Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives.   (Their anti-environmentalism can be summed up in one world:  coal.  Which is odd, since Alabama contributes a mere 1.9% of U.S. production, good enough for an overall ranking of 13.  The state's peak year of production:  1990)  
Alaska Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
  • At-large District.  Don Young (R).   Ridiculed environmentalists as a “self-centered bunch of waffle-stomping, Harvard-graduating, intellectual idiots.....not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans.” 
 Arizona Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Arkansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
California Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Colorado Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
No House Republicans hail from Connecticut and Delaware. 
Florida Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Georgia Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
 Idaho Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
 Illinois Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
 Indiana Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
 Iowa Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Kansas Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Kentucky Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Louisiana Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Maine Congressional delegation:  U.S. House of Representatives
Maryland Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
No House Republicans in Massachusetts delegation.
Michigan Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
Minnesota Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
Mississippi Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
Missouri Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives 
Montana Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
Nebraska Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
Nevada Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
New Hampshire Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
 New Jersey Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
New Mexico Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
New York Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
 North Carolina Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
North Dakota Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
 Ohio Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
 Oklahoma Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
 Oregon Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
  Pennsylvania Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
South Carolina Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
South Dakota Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
Tennessee Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
Texas Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
Utah Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives
Virginia Congressional delegation:   U.S. House of Representatives