Month: May 2021

I see many crews of caravans with cameras. The slabs are littered with photographers ranging in talent from complete amateur beginner to published professional and now with the new influencers on every media platform distinguishing the former is impossible without asking.

“Are you the owner of this camp ?” Asked the leader of a caravan crew I had noticed in front of East Jesus. They did look quite professional with models,fancy big lights, filters and of course cameras. Difference from the usual big production there were way to many individuals with cameras all focusing on the same thing.

My answer, yes!

After a short conversation starting with, we can pay if…

Turns out it’s a photography class learning to take portraits. The only professional was the teacher and the closest to an influencer would have been maybe one of the two models, but really no one was here to take advantage of anything more than a personal photo, albeit may be a graded photograph.

All the students profusely showed their appreciation with thank you’s. Many gave donations amd bought art, so I was a little shocked to find out both East Jesus and salvation mountain turned them away with argumentative responses about formal requests for professional groups. I chuckled as the teacher again thanked me for allowing them an art explosion of a camp for the models to pose and cupped my hand with a nice final donation.

I am very excited to see some of these photos. And can’t wait to have more groups like this.

An odd symptom I have noticed with the more hardcore denying the addiction tweaker meth heads is if you smoke weed with them they tell you some serious off the wall shit

Tonight it was about the slabs and the 33 latitude and time. Yep we can see the future here or better yet move through time.. What? Exactly.

Came back to this 33 concept over and over then suggested it was different this time because I brought it up.

Thanks to my witty Alzheimer grandmother, I learned to keep a conversation going with nods, and well placed “right on” ” interesting” “wow, you don’t say”

And the gig is up.

I am not here to try to recreate an electric equivalent to the power company, continuing my quasi minimalistic lifestyle I only want to generate and use what’s,needed from an energy level.

With 700 watts I now have 4 27dc batteries hooked up in parralel. First day with full charge, curious to see what I can run all nite long.

Every so once in a while the guests of the slabs bring drugs to share psychedelics of the most common besides weed and beer.

Today was one of those days. Being accommodating he asked to put it some water or something for me.  Uh sure I have this bottle of water. My camp is littered with water bottles this time a year. Thinking he would do the whole bottle, possibly not knowing better. He advises I drink down to just some left in the bottom. Couple good swigs left.

He politely and delicately doses the bottle 2 specific drops on my advise. I rarely do more than two tabs.

The couple leaves I walk back to my shady cool spot, set the bottle on the table to realize I have about a half dozen equally empty water bottles on the table… … … Immediately I can not remember which one is the dosed bottle.. Well that will be a fun day.

Funny how things start to happen. A few weeks ago I was asked by a film crew if I had interest in my camp as a location.

Sure. Heard this a couple times. The arcHive is even featured in a cute music video I never saw.

And they came back!

This is the first official film crew for a full film. And they have picked the arcHive and the Vintage Bus Boutique as locations. This is exciting. All the hard work creating these immersion spaces with a “if you build it, they will come” attitude getting some play.

So to be known as an actual slabber, questionable honorability, you have to endure 2 summers. Starting my third I am am official slabber.

Many use a generator or a minimum of 1200 watts solar and batteries for the all faithful air conditioning. May sound insane, silly or down right self loathing to try to endure heat in the high 120s with out AC. But for some reason I continue to find a delight in the challenge of making it work with out.

The love of sun bathing a long lost passion for most of the world was my favorite pastime. Here in the furnace blazing heat the shade can feel like the skin scorching heat of the sun on the highest heat index day in Florida. Literally blistering your skin boiling the sweat underneath. What’s missing here is the water. Water is the key. Misting, pool, canal, pond even a foot soak.

The first year I focused on one large shade area and the misting and a fan. Tried an art project known as the vagina room with a pink vendor tent, air mattress linings, a kid pool and a battery operated sprinkler.

Second year. Got a huge kid pool. Still a mistake. Water filtering and cleanliness were issues with all kid pool solutions.

Sheet tent room with fan and mist sprayer severed the purpose most of last year. With six weeks higher than 125.

This year. Starting with a huge roll of shade cloth. Most tarps walls are now shade cloth. With the battery operated sprayer we are on point for at least the comfort of last year.

But I want it more than comfortable. I want it luscious. May sound impossible, but that’s the delight in the challenge.

Probably one of my favorite stupid questions I got to answer again today

So if you come from San Diego or north on the 111 that gives you a little remorse at the question, but I like to answer

Food

Or with my mouth is there a new way?

The slabs actually has multiple free venues available

Food every third Tuesday and Wednesday. Yep one is delivered all the way to the slabs. The other stops in niland .

Also a Food bank by the tracks every Saturday and all the local towns free food pantries.

But I shop mostly at the little market right here in niland. Known Mays,mais .

I’ve lived farther from nourishment many times.

The slabs is not a good desert.