Me and an ugly tent trailer a long time ago

This is me camped at Death Valley in the 1950s. I'm the little speck of kid in the middle of the photo, sitting on the step of what appears to be a big tent, but which is actually a primitive tent trailer. My mother is bending over, cooking. Notice her camping attire: a dress! I assume my father took the photo. The trailer was made by J.C. Higgins which I believe was Sears' brand. Looking it brings two words to mind: Mutt Ugly!

I have been back to Death Valley about a dozen times since this photo was taken and plan to go again maybe even this year. Now I camp in a comfy motorhome, which is better than that old tent trailer by about a million light years.

Motorhome crashes with 13 people aboard

This motorhome crashed recently after its brakes failed coming down Highway 14A in Utah. The driver laid the RV down on its side to stop. Two people were injured. And that's good news because the 37-foot Gulf Stream motorhome was carrying 13 people -- eight adults and five children, the youngest 6 months.

Traveling with this many people aboard a single RV is stupid -- it likely puts the rig in danger of being overloaded, and, probably more important, most of the passengers do not have seat belts. Everyone aboard this runaway RV should thank their lucky stars they weren't killed. The driver should never be allowed to pilot an RV again. A highway patrol officer at the scene said no citations were issued.

The Beav and Wally are old guys now

This photo showed up in my email. I forwarded it ten friends. Maybe you've seen it.

The guys in the photo are the TV actors who played Beaver Cleaver, his older brother Wally (right) and devious Eddy Haskell (left), Wally's buddy who was total wise ass until he appeared in front of Ward and June Cleaver -- Mom and Dad to the Beav and Wally -- when he was so polite he'd make a fellow kid puke, but make a parent think "Oh, he's such a nice boy."

I watched Leave It To Beaver about every week when I was kid. If you are in your 50s or 60s, then maybe you did, too.

And now, here comes this picture, and all of a sudden my childhood chums look like Hell. So, the question I must ask myself is "Do I look that bad, too?"

Of course not. No way!

But maybe I'm not the one to judge: Every day of my life while I brush my teeth I see myself in the mirror. So I get used to me, the old guy compared to me, the young guy.

I think if humans were only allowed to look in a mirror once every ten years -- say on their 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th birthdays -- they would probably commit suicide or beg for anti-depressants.

Anyway, that's my thought for the day. To be honest, I wish I had never seen this picture. It makes me face reality, which is a lousy thing to face.

Who is this old man?

I photographed this old man in Quartzsite, Ariz. But as you have probably figured out, he's not real. He's a weathered mannequin. But I like his face and his eyes. When you stand right next to him and look into his eyes, it's kind of spooky because you swear he is looking right back at you. I wonder if this mannequin man was modeled after a real person. My guess is yes.

If you know who he is or was, please let me know. And if, by any chance, you happen to be that person, please contact me or send me your photo. I won't be holding my breath, but I thought I should at least ask.

He's pretty interesting looking, isn't he?

The disappearing blue mailboxes

Have you noticed that mailboxes like this one have disappeared from most street corners? They were once all over the place in most big cities and suburbs. Even in the good ol' days you'd seldom find one in a tiny town because the post office was usually a short walk from about anywhere. In my town of Edmonds, Wash., I first noticed the public mailboxes disappearing a couple of years ago. Then, last week, one of the few that remained disappeared, one I would use to drop off a letter on my way home from work.

I guess the postal folks have decided that people can either use their home mailbox or drop by the post office. It's probably a money-saving move -- fewer stops for mail carriers.

Keep an eye on your town's blue mailboxes. If they are not gone yet, I bet it won't be long.