Head East, Young Man!

Vance and I saw Head East at the old Civic Auditorium in Albuquerque in 75-76-ish. Great jam!

I'm your Captain, dammit!

Man... An ex-GF shared this on FB today and it brought back some memories. In my middle-school days this song was just the shit. If you were in a garage band and wanted ot play, you had to learn this song.

Meanwhile in Colorado

Current Events

I'm.... I... I just don't know what to say.

This is... It's... it just is... view it. Trust me. YOU"VE GOT TIME FOR IT.

The Lockers

I remember Vance and David Lewis dancing in sync like this to Aerosmith's "Walk This Way." It was the shit, man. It was the shit. Ain't shittin' ya, neither.

A Public Service Announcement

Moonpie's New Official Stance on the Election.

JT's first album. I kindda' dug this record. First track has him saying hi to mom and dad. This is the album he referenced in his hit song "fire and rain" when he sings..."...sweet dreams and flying machine in pieces on the ground..". Bet ya didn't know that. You may sleep tonight peacefully with that tidbit of info tucked away in tour brain now.


This is the first in a series of usless information about  record albums. Stay tuned for more.

Jobs We've Had

Here's a shot of Rick's last play as quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. After the involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped, Rick sought medical attention and retired to a life of quiet anonymity.

Vance's First and Last Family Vacation

He we see the sole photo remaining from Vance's first and last family vacation. The plucky lad managed to escape over the station wagon's tailgate.

The bears carjacked the family and everyone had to walk home.

Just kidding. The rest of the family was eaten by the bears.

Check Out Rick's Other Shitty Blog!!

Yeah, I'm (Rick, that is) still not posting anything here on Moonpie. That's because I'm not really finding much funny these days. A lot of friggin' change in my life.
SO!! If you agree, OR, if you are feeling TOO happy and want to reign that shit in, check out my shitty blog, The Bad Actor. It's chock full of mental/social/emotional/physical health and wellness tips; sob stories about how life has continued to screw me over; Witty inspirational sayings; scientific articles regarding nutrition, food, depression, and relationships; and a bunch of other crap I've ripped off from other sites. In fact, I've posted more crap there in the past two weeks than I have on Moonpie in the past two years. More or less.

Otherwise, see you back here when I'm on the emotional upswing. Namasté, Bitches.

~Rick

Sidecar Days

Vance recently sent my this newspaper clipping from our U.S. Tour. Apparently you're NOT supposed to ride your motorcycle through the grocery store. We didn't want a pickle. We just wanted to ride on our motorsickle.

Sorry, I'm hungry and this is the best I can come up with.

Why we were going to Memphis to begin with

Yeah, Me, Vance, and Martin were only going to Memphis to gain a little style sense back then in 1976. If ONLY we'd know about Flagg Bros.

Lookin' mighty fly, my man.

Hello.....is anyone there?

Please to forgive us after a 2-month.....well.......sort of a break from Moonpie.
The fall of the year is approaching and this is when we really turn up the posts. We are not going to tell you why we have been too busy for Pie, but simply to say we are returning.

Food of the gods (so I'm told).

Garages, the only place to be..

When it is summer time, the garage seems to bring out the "buds" to the garage of the day. This is Franks garage and me, Brian and Sqeegy are just shootin' the shit having a couple of cold ones. It is very hard to see, but I'm sporting the "where's your Moses now" Moonpie t-shirt.

Extreme Family Vacationing

Vance heads out for a weekend of RV-ing.

Vance and his child bride enjoy getting back to nature.

Check out the original at: http://thereifixedit.failblog.org/2012/05/29/white-trash-repairs-extreme-family-vacationing/

Rick Visits New Belgium Brewing

Moonpie West/Rocky Mountain Division Executive Vice-Emperor Rick enjoys a frosty beverage while touring the New Belgium Brewery (maker of Fat Tire Beer) in Ft. Collin's Colorado.

If ever there was a perfect place to work, this might just be it.  The tour guide called out to one of the workers as we walked along: "How ya doin' today?!"
He replied "I work in a brewery. Doesn't get much better."

Employee Parking Lot at New Belgium. This is one of the bicycles employees receive after one year on the job (in addition to shares in the company.)

All in all it was a pretty sweet trip.

Gone, not forgotten....

 When you think of Go-Go music in D.C., only one name stands out. Chuck Brown.

 From the funk days, through disco, go-go and hip-hop, if you wanted to party......find out where Brown was playing.

The Nations Capital city is honoring him today (with the families blessing) with a day long viewing at Howard Theater. Services will be at the Convention Center. The crowds are still on the street tonight outside the theater.

Rick Graduates

While we frequently make shit up here on the Moonpie Chronicles, this is real. Here we see Rick and his esposa waiting for the bus to take them to his graduation from the MFA in Creative Writing program at UNM.

Rick, being the penny-pinching Scot that he is, could not see laying out $80 for a cap and gown he would never wear again.

"I've a perfectly serviceable kilt and sporran," he said. "Time to wear it before I lose too much weight."

Oh, how we laughed and laughed over that one.

So, yeah, while his classmates were kicking it old school, Rick was... well... something else.

Where's the RC Cola?

Vidal, rest in peace....

When Martin, Rick a Vance were in high school, hair was all the rage. Vidal became our mentor. Martin would spend hours getting his "do" just right before class. Rick sported the "flying part" while Vance went with the part down the middle. So much of life depended on 'the hair' of the day and Vidal made hair fun. I've got to call Martin now...he hasn't stopped crying for hours over the news of Vidals passing.

EVER DREAM THIS MAN?

Every night throughout the world hundreds of people dream about this face.

http://www.thisman.org

HISTORY

In January 2006 in New York, the patient of a well-known psychiatrist draws the face of a man that has been repeatedly appearing in her dreams. In more than one occasion that man has given her advice on her private life. The woman swears she has never met the man in her life.

That portrait lies forgotten on the psychiatrist's desk for a few days until one day another patient recognizes that face and says that the man has often visited him in his dreams. He also claims he has never seen that man in his waking life.

The psychiatrist decides to send the portrait to some of his colleagues that have patients with recurrent dreams. Within a few months, four patients recognize the man as a frequent presence in their own dreams. All the patients refer to him as THIS MAN.

From January 2006 until today, at least 2000 people have claimed they have seen this man in their dreams, in many cities all over the world: Los Angeles, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Tehran, Beijing, Rome, Barcelona, Stockholm, Paris, New Dehli, Moskow etc.

At the moment there is no ascertained relation or common trait among the people that have dreamed of seeing this man. Moreover, no living man has ever been recognized as resembling the man of the portrait by the people who have seen this man in their dreams. 


The Moonpie Chronicles is oddly happy to support the thisman.org website and its mission: - to help those who have seen this man in their dreams and to foster communication among them;
- to understand who this man is and why he appears in an apparently pattern-less array of situations in the dreams of such diverse human subjects. 

 

Kickin' it old-school with APD

Back in the olden days when Vance and I were on the run from the law....

OK, that's not true. It was not so much that we were running from the law but that we were running into the law and they were making us pour our beer out and smash our bongs.

Anyway, here's an old APD Ford Galaxie 500 cruiser. This was one of my dream cars with its Police Interceptor engine.

Actually, when we were in our teens, I believe APD was using Plymouth Satellites. I think they'd gone to the all white car by then, but they still had the classic cherry-top (aka gumball machine.) The low-profile light racks they have nowadays make it hard to spot Johnny Law sneaking up behind you on the road.

I don't know where I'm going with this. I just spotted this car up the street and thought it was bitchin'

4:20 day

Happy 4:20, from Moonpie West....

Don't forget.... Ummm. what was it again?

Only, like 2 shopping days until 4:20 day.

And now Dick Clark!

Man, for people of our generation, Dick Clark was just iconic. Saturday morning after cartoons, we;s always sit around and watch American Bandstand, looking for hot chicks dancing. Dick would always pull a couple of them to rate some new song and they'd always say "It has a great beat and I can dance to it." That was basically the qualifications for a hit song then, hence the plethora of mindless lyrics that proliferated from the 50s through the 80s.

Dick was also the host of New Years Rockin' Eve, and that was the place to be on New Years if you were too young to go our of the house, or didn't have any friends ofr a date or anything. Kind of sad really.

Dick's face was just part of the American landscape for the last 50 years. Now it's your turn on the dance floor, Dick. RIP.

Levon Helm in final moments of life

Drummer/singer Levon Helm has been reported to be in the final moments of life after a battle with cancer. Levon, in case you don't know, was the drummer for The Band. He's that 'voice' you instantly recognize in songs like "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Ophelia," and "Up on Cripple Creek."

From The Band to playing Loretta Lynn's daddy in "Coal Miner's Daughter" to his work with The Levon Helm Allstars, a great blues band, Helm's contribution can't be denied.

Rest easy, rest in peace, old boy.

Our office, circa. 1979

Business was booming at The Bud Farm Landscapes in 1979 and the Movie Apocalypse Now was all the rage. We just aquired a new Design Center for homeowner installs and patios. This catches the crew directing the client to the new location and sales staff.

Before becoming a writer....

Back in the day, Rick was the Military Advisor of Stealth Technology. In Washington state, Rick developed a unique way to transport "just one more" solider per vehicle payload without the enemy detecting the increased personnel movement. Unfortunately, a newbie hit the wrong button and Rick was propelled to what we today call, Nevada. After walking for a month and living on cactus*, Rick was able to rejoin his Company and continue cooking. Truly, one of America's greatest Military stories that has ever been told through the generations. God Bless America!

* Cactus has been a long time source of nutrition for Rick. "I like the texture, not the taste."

on a further note

I'd just like to say that I rocked that dissertation! It was accepted "with distinction" which, in essence, means that there's no accounting for some people's taste, but it went above and beyond people's expectations. People were all like, "Really? Him?"

A heavy drinking session, the likes of which we will hopefully not see again for a long long time followed with much jocularity.

Happy as a pig in shit!

We tend to lie a lot here at Moonpie; it's just our stock in trade. But this here announcement is the real deal. OK, yeah, Rick made the poster, but the announcement of his dissertation defense is no lie. Dig it! After 5 years of undergrad study, and 3 years of grad school, Rick is finally getting ready to graduate. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll present my novel and the critical preface to a panel of writer/professors (including a trauma surgeon!) to see if I pass muster.

I'm pretty much ready for this all to be done and to take a break.

Hmmmm, wow.....another line?...

I'm glad the "good old days" are long gone. Today, I'm strong like "bull". Well, maybe a steer. O.K., strong like 54 year old dude who hasn't done that shit for 25 years.

You never know how the dope will affect your life until, well, it's a little too late. But it's never too late to change, if you're not already dead, mind you.

More D.C. jobs

Heading north on 17th street crossing the MALL in Washington. This is looking west toward the Lincoln Memorial. But, in the foreground, is a strip of sod, (actually 3 areas) that I installed several years ago when the Queen came to place a wreath at the WW II Memorial.

How did I end up working in Washington, DC?

Washington, DC...

We were in DC last week planting more trees along 18th st. NW. This is in the Adams Morgan area with a vast array of cultures. Check the "diversity" in half a block of business property.
America, the true melting pot.

Our Affiliation with NORML

In the early days of this blog, we posted a lot of pages from the original Moonpie Chronicles books. It's been a while, what with life and all, but the time is ripe!

Here are a few pages from the original book regarding our affiliation with NORML - the National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Back in 1976, flush with cash from my $364/month salary in the US Army,  I bought Vance a membership in the organization as a birthday present.

The official letter welcoming Vance to the organization and soliciting names of his "associates" who might be interested in pot... Ummm... laws and such. Including the famous and worth millions of dollars, signature of Keith Stroup. (Click the pic to biggify)

The NORML BMW -- combining our favorite car (before it was a Yuppie Machine) and our favorite recreational drug! Also a brochure from NORML and a cartoon about cops and pot. (Click the pic to biggify)

A generic letter from the NM branch of NORML. Note that the address of the former NM HQ is now a  gift shop. NO, not that kind of gift shop. (Click the pic to biggify)

You can still support NORML and help rid our nation of these draconian laws bu clicking one of the many links located on this page. Including this stupid looking link that didn't quite work as I'd imagined it.
src="http://www.norml.org/share/norml_button-100w.gif"/>

Rick's most recent visit to the Land of His Birth

Rick Sang Karaoke....

In the back of an RCMP squad car....


**Note, there's no sound until about 1 minute 20 sec.

Report from Rick's Night at the Bar

I was out for (more than) a few drinks the other night at the Two Fools Tavern on Central Ave in Albuquerque, when I noticed three large women by the bar.

 

They had strong accents and, thinking they were fellow Scots, I asked,
"Hey, are you three ladies from Scotland?"

One of them chirped:  "It's WALES you friggin' idiot!"

I was so embarrassed. But it's an innocent mistake.

I apologized and said, "Sorry, are you three whales from Scotland ?"

Then the lights went out...

10 Incredibly Hot Women

Incredibly Hot Women Who Are Larger Than A Size 12
Oddee.com (plus-sized models, curvy...)
http://www.oddee.com/item_98119.aspx

In addition to supporting NORML, we also support incredibly hot women who are larger than size 12. Just saying.

You tube, bag of weed - Bing Videos

You tube, bag of weed - Bing Videos

Many videos will pop up. Choose to view the 2:11 minute video labled Family Guy 420 posted on 10/20/11. Have fun

Oh really....hmmm

81 year old Rev. Pat Robertson is in support of legalizing weed. Funny to see who would come to the battle to de-criminalize marijuana. I joined NORML in 1975 or '76. "I ain't shittin' ya neither, I got it in "THE BOOK"*. Keith Stroup was the director in those days. Anyway...pinned-up grins all around.

* Rick may post actual copy of my welcome to Norml letter.

Classic Texts From Last Night (TFLN)

TextsFromLastNight ‏ @TFLN

(512): Just explain how I got from the bar to a house I've never been in, waking up to a cop in uniform ripping a bong

Vance and Rick in better days.

When we were known as Stormtroopers! No one fucked with us, foppish dandies though we may have been.

They say youth is wasted on the young. I say good hallucinogens are.

I also say I should be grading papers instead of fucking around with this nonsense.

Thanks to someecards.com 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Two Lane Blacktop......

Just four short years before the Moonpie gang got together, there was James Taylor and crew.

Then came the early Moonpie gang. Rick, Ginny and Vance would take off on adventures around New Mexico with no real destination in mind. Things always seemed to turn out O.K. for the trio.

Rick was the one who seemed several years older than his actual age. He would be the one to suggest the bizarre and of course Ginny and I would smile and say, "let's go". That kind of freedom was exhilarating and scary at the same time.

I may have to order this movie on DVD just to see how kooky the flick really was. Hey, at least some of the movie was filmed in New Mexico.

And how

Rick 

Alternative houses, Moonpie style...

When the idea came up of the three of us in a home building competition, we all said, "game on!"
Rick and his child bride went with the products from the earth and built this cool cottage, complete with 'green roof'. Very nice.

Martin decided to stick to the building material that he understood...Aircraft. He chose to build in Vera Cruz, Mexico. Mostly because that where the plane was located. Again, very nice.

And Vance, the perennial 'dumpster diver' would build his home from scrape....whatever. "The best part of this house is that my wife actually let me build it in New Mexico!", Vance said.

Nothing new here, just move along...

Everything from the '70's in coming back around now. All the motocycles are being "bobbed" and all the riders are sporting the 'goat'.

Mini-Coppers are back with a vengence and so are chick boots that were all the rage this last winter (although not in white) but spring is just around the corner.

Hell, even my girl Cher is still popular even if it is only because her kid went overseas to have an 'addadicktome' operation.

Now, lets talk MOPAR! The Challenger was sweet then and is super sweet today. Let's face it, what goes around comes around. Only, it is some of the crap we dig and some of the stuff should just be gone and left behind.
It's a funny world we live in. If you don't think so, just wait 30 plus years and then get back to me. Hell, I remember when I was a repairman on IBM Selectric typewriters (these are bulky machines on which you could print letters and shit with) before the PC's. I thought those days would never end, I was set for life with a trade.

My friend asked me if I wanted to take a class with him at night at the local VO-TECH to take computer repair. I laughed and said, "no thanks".

Now you know why I've been in construction and landscaping for the last 35 years. Enjoy today, it won't be the same for long.