I think this 2008 post by Zeldman speaks to what became the fatal flaw of twitter: a shift from a new way to connect with other people—the “social” in what was then called social networking—to publishing & distribution (renamed social media), which had an entirely different set of incentives.
There were seven new National Heritage Areas designated in 2023, but I never got around to updating my list. But as I plot out an upcoming road trip, I figured it was time to update the list and see how many of these new ones I still need to mark off for my NHAs quest. The answer: none—whew!! 😆
😆 “This is a motherfucking website.”
Craft Beer Quick Stop. 📍
Among the very best craft beer bottleshops in metro Phoenix is this crappy looking converted Circle K. Like an old used bookstore, it’s just crammed to the brim with good selections. I believe it’s the same owners as the old convenience store who just shifted businesses, but kudos—they nailed it!
I’ll be hopping on this Monday evening:
Below and Beyond Perry Mesa: The Archaeology of Greater West Verde Area Central Arizona
We surveyed 3,200 acres of a largely unstudied area extending north from Cave Creek between Perry Mesa and the Verde River basin on behalf of the Tonto National Forest (TNF). The results have exceeded our wildest expectations, including re-recording and new discoveries of entire pueblo communities that challenge the existing models of settlement, agriculture, and regional exchange within the greater Verde River region.
Here’s the link to register (for free).
As I plot out how to re-organize my site in my transition from Wordpress to Kirby, I’m struck by how big of a role WP’s structure of “page vs post” + “category vs tag” plays in how I think about it. It’s hard to step outside that framework and think about how I can best use Kirby’s flexibility.
I finally published a page listing the Geographic Extremes of the US that I’ve visited. This isn’t an actual quest, per se, but just something fun to keep track of.
After a cancelled weekend camping trip, and a failed visit to the MVD for new license plates, we took advantage of the nice weather to ride our bikes up to the new 12 West Brewing location, which took over Whining Pig spot in our ‘hood. Hoping to launch a website for my wife’s travels & quests!
Weirdest factoid: Phoenix, Arizona is the highest (in elevation) major city of more than a million residents in all US territory. 🤯
Whoops! Looking through my website drafts folder, and realized that I completely forgot about a quest I adopted 8 years ago. I still have two objectives remaining!
If you have an aging parent, and your own website, you should do this.
Made some progress on my county quest last weekend. Light blue are counties I revisited, darker blue are newly completed ones. My full map is at the link.
I’ve started work on a complete teardown + rebuild of my main website, rscottjones.com. I’ve grown tired of Wordpress, and its complication, and excited by a new platform I’ve been poking around with. Anyway, I ran across my first blog post (Jan 2007) on this WP install: Scott Jones, Site Steward.
Burr Oak Cemetery. 📍
On our way to Chicago O’Hare, we detoured to visit the gravesites of Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley. We also stopped by the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, the site of Emmett’s open-casket funeral in 1955.
Last year, we visited all of the known sites in Mississippi associated with Emmett’s murder and mutilation. The church, along two related sites in Mississippi, were designated as a national monument in 2023.
Neighbors.
#the100pics
I watch this video every year. I promise it’s an excellent way to spend ten minutes:
Pretty excited to see ourselves still classified as “young people.” 😜 But yeah, during the first weeks of the pandemic, we worked on a plan (both financially + work-wise) for taking a “mini retirement.” And made a 95-day trip happen!
🎁: To Escape the Grind, Young People Turn to ‘Mini-Retirements’
Chatted today with my travel buddy @tthrash, who I’ll meet up with in his home state of New York in May, and then again in Sacramento in July.
That’ll give us a chance to celebrate a travel milestone he’ll reach this year—35 consecutive years of Trips That Cross the Mississippi River. Well done!!
🤌💯
Slowing down is what I recommend. If you can take an hour at a rock art panel, take an hour. It may astonish you how they unpack themselves. If you’ve got four days, take them.
I’ve heard that if two strangers stare silently into each other’s eyes for four straight minutes, they will fall in love.
You do the math.
– Craig Childs, Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau