Why was he painting the roses red? It should have been white to cover up his mistakes. Yet Willa Wonky died and he has blood on his hands… and arms and chest and face and so on. No going back. He ate the chocolate.
An image flashed in his mind from the past. Wheeler did too! Or was it Shelley?
Anyway, suddenly everything switches with this and he’s painting red roses white instead of the other way around. Willy Wonka lives!
Filed under **VIRTUAL, 0039, 0509, Blue Mountain, Hana Lei^^, Heterocera, Red Hill
Another circle of interest has been created in my ongoing hiking mythology about *Haze County* (left pink circle). Dimensions this time: 0.4 mile radius, 0.5 square mile area, 2.5 mile circumference. This is exactly 1/2 the area of my previous circle of interest centered on what I call Pink Peak (larger pink circle to right), which was one square mile. I believe I’ve pinpointed a center for the new one as well, a kind of island in a stream containing 4 trees. More info soon!
Nearby Blue Mountain with a snow tree on top.
We’ve already featured pics from the inclusive Throne House in the last photo-novel here, now 37 in number. We seemed to have started the 38th with this post. The Throne House may also be called the Tyrone House, with logical results coming up.
Every circle I create seems to have a standy outy rock, sometimes gleaming from a distance. Like this one from the newest, flat against another and purest white in color.
Filed under **VIRTUAL, 0038, 0101, Blue Mountain, Red Hill
He is greeted in Heaven by the Man in the Middle, the Man About Time, some say. Just that damn important.
The knowledge and power of the center of it all, Fife to some, was drying up. Time to heal. Time to drive the Chevy to the levee, or at least a Dodge. Man About Time was waiting. On his heels drunk.
June 14, 2012 – the pond at Fife’s Grove Park. It has since been reconstructed.
The fated journey actually started here In Real Life, in the shadow of Pink Peak and exactly on the perimeter of the encompassing 1 square mile pink circle I’ve put around it. Shine is the place of the drinks. Brookshine, let’s say, a portmanteau of sorts, and with the trailhead of perhaps now inaccessible — because of the poison ivy and all — Mystery Gorge just beyond.
https://bakerbloch.com/2022/04/19/00320507/
Once she was Alysha. He sighs, thinking of his former girlfriend, like if Thelma Lou left Barney for Sherriff Andy Taylor, attracted to the shine of the bigger badge. Another King over Bishop (or Rook) situation, then. Or a King’s Bishop anyhoot.
note: Throne House on the other side of Blue Mtn. from Pink Peak (place of Turtle Head) on this map my actually be Tyrone. Texas Pete. Gonna play with that.
https://bakerbloch.com/2022/04/20/00320509/
“*Miss* Ouri,” Man About Time dutifully wanted to say but held his almost always mild tongue. No need to bring Texas Pete into this, his mama always said about verbal acidities. She trained him well; he absorbed everything he could from her. Poor Mama, he lamented. Hanging with the angels now.
And that’s about the last we see of Man About Time until now, speaking time-wise.
(to be continued)
Filed under **VIRTUAL, 0037, 0608, 0609, Blue Mountain, City Park, Country Park, Red Hill
Blue Mountain from the slopes of neighboring Pink Peak, the actual namesake for the town it towers above. Not as much from the western direction we see here but more from the north. And to its north lies not a *barren* landscape bereft of humans but comparatively so. I might be heading there next; who knows where I’ll end up. Lower Pink Peak might be closing up for the spring, what with the early encroachment of poison ivy and, quickly following behind it, other bothersome woodsy aspects like snakes and bugs thanks to a mild winter here in the NC mountains. And despite a fairly cold March much to my disappointment. I spotted some poison ivy coming out on the town’s greenway 2 days ago, about the soonest I remember it sprouting. Use to be, I swear, the *end* of April I’d start seeing it instead of more toward the beginning. But maybe its just a weird spring, and the plants are confused because of all the odd weather, hot then cold, hot then cold. But overall pretty mild still, like I said. I can’t help but think of the advancement of global warming…
That night I found a figurine of one of Batman’s archvillains Poison Ivy staring menacingly in the same direction as similarly green Kick-Ass in a Nightsity comic book store display case. The night before this we observed Edward ordering a kick-ass grasshopper, his regular, from bartender Lexi at the seedy Nightsity establishment he runs for Ben Left Horn, formerly Jer Left Horn in these here photo-novels, 37 in a series so far.
Turning to leaves, there are precisely 3 population places named Leaf in the US, the same amount as found on a poison ivy plant. One of these is in Greene County, Mississippi, and whose only notable person, according to wikipedia, is named Lloyd *Green*, a pretty famous steel guitarist featured on Ken Burns’ “Country Music”. Also according to wikipedia as I found out this morning, villain Poison Ivy uses the power of an interplanetary force known as Green for the purposes of her ecoterrorism.
Why does Edward order a drink named kick-ass from a bar in the same town as a comic book store featuring the wannabe superhero? What is Shelley being tempted into by wearing a “Crazy Blue” outfit, another type of uniform if not a wet suit? Does formerly blue clad Duke Blue Devil Grant Hill still drink Sprite? Does it still quench his thirst? And what of his less famous and less tall Duke basketball running mate Thomas Hill, who won a national championship with him in ’91 and ’92? Hills again — peaks, higher and lower. The only way to figure out more is to go inside again.
Filed under **VIRTUAL, 0037, 0515, Blue Mountain, Mississippi, Nautilus, Red Hill, Upper Austra^
The housing village I have to pass through to get to Pink Peak (changed from Red Hill or Pink Mtn.!) contains some ridiculously high retaining walls, Medieval style even.
At the start of the best, actual path up the mtn. is what I call the Graveyard, full of holes like this.
On the upper edge of the Graveyard we encounter Turnup Rock, which indicates that the path has changed direction and is turning up the mtn. instead of continuing around it at a more level ascent. In the future, this appellation might naturally degenerate into Turnip Rock, and then explorers and researchers of the peak might wonder why it is named so, since it’s quite block-like and looks actually not very much at all like some kind of fruit or vegetable.
Beyond the mtn.’s front ridge lies what I’m deeming Vineland, a microcosm which could have an interesting story of its own. The path I’ve picked out passes through its upper reaches.
Far side of Vineland. The woods clear out substantially after this
At the top now. Closeup of that kid’s cat themed sleeping bag, which I then hauled from next to Turtle Head and dumped over the bank of a nearby dirt road just to get it out of sight and mind.
I explored the all the rocks of the top pretty extensively this day, perhaps my main mission. Nothing as odd as Turtle Head and Campfire Rock already discussed here, but below is pictured one of the larger and more interesting of the rest, complete with defining orange fungii that I couldn’t find anywhere else.
Descending directly down from the top to go back, uncovered this rock that seemed to have tumbled against an already mature tree. Mostly likely illusion. What else is not what it seems on this clearly magical mountain now called a peak? Maybe won’t reach it again for a couple of days. And I’m still waiting to hear from Mountain Man, who I gave my email address to about 2 weeks back now, the start of all this. He has some art and writing he needs to share with me fer sure (!). Trouble is, he doesn’t have easy access to a computer. Hope I haven’t already lost contact with him!
Filed under **VIRTUAL, 0037, 0510, Blue Mountain, Red Hill
To truly understand Mtn. Man we have to put ourselves in the middle of all the circles (All Circles, aka All Ears), in his place. The Orange Man descends to blue…
I believe he entered his original mountain, the start of it all… here.
And so shall we.
—–
“You didn’t even explain that the newest explored mountain, this Red Hill or Pink Peak or whatever — inside the 4th and largest circle — could be his *final* home.”
“I’ll get to that.”
Filed under **VIRTUAL, 0037, 0508, Blue Mountain, City Park, Country Park, County Park, Google Street View, Red Hill
Last spring in background. This spring: foreground. Almost a square mile encompassed in a circle raised slightly to be exact (hence the 2 concentric circles, inner pink and outer red). Last spring’s circle, called Country Park, is 3.18 miles in circumference, so about 8/10ths of a square mile in contrast. Peak of finds in Country Park: the Monolith. Peak so far of new circle — think I called it Pink Hill. Or Red Mtn. — anyway, the peak so far is Turtle Head in combo with Campfire Rock just described in that last post here.
https://bakerbloch.com/2023/04/02/00370506/
Both parks also contain locations called Mystery, the newest one being Mystery Gorge, certainly a strange passage almost directly connecting Country Park with the top of Red Mtn./Pink Hill and its Turtle Head. That was also featured in a recent post called “Inside”.
https://bakerbloch.com/2023/04/02/00370504/
Must talk about Mountain Man. 1st encountered the *hammock* of Mtn. Man in City Park not far from my toy happening in the middle of last July called ALOHA. 2nd encounter was in County Park last September, and he’s actually mentioned in this post.
https://bakerbloch.com/2022/09/13/00340511/
The story of County Park basically ends there, as another location I had my eye on for a toy happening was blocked — someone else was already present, a nice enough bloke but obviously living off the land. I knew where he lived; he was telling me that, albeit unconsciously in all likelihood, unless he was an alien himself, ha. He filled my space quite effectively. He, in all likelihood, needs it more.
Soo. Fast forward to this March. 3rd encounter, let’s call it. And then a 4th the next day. For this guy, this Mtn. Man, actually *tossed my toys* over a cliff. Luckily he put them in a bucket first in order to dump and so they were gathered together in roughly the same spot. This man *destroyed Aloha* (!). To remind, Aloha is in City Park, not County Park. And Mtn. Man now *lives* just outside of the former location of Aloha and is building a fire pit directly underneath the same rock the toys were positioned under — thus the tossing. He thought a kid brought them up the mountain to this location. I had to explain to him I was a 63 year old kid, ha. Yes, we talked. We are actually friends now. We are linked. I quickly explained that the toys were a sort of art happening, and that I was an artist. The next day, on our big hike around the area, I explained in more detail that I was a collagist, although I’m not sure if he understood. Do *I* even understand? Anyway, to recap, Mtn. Man moves his camp site from County Park to City Park, destroys proximate Aloha, and then encounters me shortly after, where we become friends. But, at the time, *I did not remember* this was the same person from County Park I exchanged a sentence or two with last September until a bit later. Very very peculiar, but it continues…
(to be continued)
Filed under **VIRTUAL, 0037, 0507, Blue Mountain, Country Park, Red Hill, Toy Avatars
What I originally called Campfire Rock, which seems to be a misnomer in retrospect.
I’m tempted to call this projecting rock above it Turtle Head.
Closeup of the lower rock. I don’t think this was a campfire site, despite what it looks like more from a distance. Just rocks on top of a rock some kid put together. Or is it?
Turtle Head, turns out as I approached from above, has its own, smaller collection of topping rocks…
… and an accompanying what looks like a children’s sleeping bag? Cartoon cats all over it, mostly black but a couple brown. Kids again enter our theories about the place.
Turtle Head and Campfire Rock together.
More soon!
Yes it seemed to be a red and blue day overall.
An unexpected path that barely escaped illegality.
I’m not sure what this was designed to be but it’s not pretty.
Blue and pink (or red) again. Almost a trail marker by this point.
Tomorrow I get to here.
Sunklands 