More From West Virginia

We made a diversion to visit the New River Gorge Bridge. This bridge was unitl recently the largest single span bridge in the world . The bridge takes approx 45 seconds to cross at 70 mph. Since we had a couple hours to spare we decided to drive down into the gorge and back up the other side. This is the old route that had to be taken until this bridge was completed in 1977. Once you start driving down into the gorge you cannot come back up the same way. You have to go all the way down and then cross the river and back up the other side. The road is so narrow, steep and curvey that it takes approximate two hours to cover the distance. 2 hours vs 45 seconds

Almost Heaven West Virginia

It had been 30 years since I graduated from high school. I had only been back to West Virginia twice in that time and I had forgotten how beautiful "The Mountain State" really is. I have a ton of photos to share......... i'll put more up periodically......... This is the high school I attended. Fairmont Senior High School is on the national registry of historic landmarks. Sitting on a 14 acre campus with streams, walkways, hills and wooded areas it is truly beautiful for a high school.

Childhood Home In Germany - Google Earth Pics

I grew up as a military brat. My father was a career man in the U.S. Air Force. What a great life. I wouldn't trade that childhood for anything. I was able to live in Europe for almost 10 years and and 6 different places in the U.S. I went to 14 schools in 12 years....... Anyway... I was looking around on Google Earth and decided to try and locate my home in Germany. I was there from 1st grade through 5th. We lived in a small town called Rodalben and I went to school on the American Army Post at Pirmasens. The school was Pirmasens Elementary School. The base has since closed and in the years after 1969 when I left they added a high school. Anyway, here are three Google Earth photos. The first is a regional shot of both Pirmansens and Rodalben, then one of my house in Rodalben and the third is the school I attended. Go Spartans !!!!

Geeks Are Sexy Blog

I have added a new blog to my daily read. Geeks Are Sexy Technology News is a great read for interesting items. Some is geeky I suppose but it is all good. Take todays post for example. "Who Wants To Be An Astronaut?" This posting is about the Canadians taking applications to be an astronaut. Now how cool is that? For a good read, I recommend Geeks Are Sexy

Robert Rauschenberg 1925 - 2008

I just found out that one of my favorite artists passed away earlier this month. I was first introduced to the work of Robert Rauschenberg while attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh back in 1977. His artistic style really grabbed my attention and I delved into each of his works and would sometime sit for hours just looking at each stroke, each placed part of a montage or some found object that was inserted into the work.

For me Robert Rauschenberg defined drawing outside of the lines. His abstract work was unlike any I had ever seen before and he seemed to be a bridge between the early American artists and what came to be known as contemporary art. We shall miss you Robert.....

Lowertown Arts & Music Festival - Paducah KY

WOW ... talk about a transformation for an old town area. I was last in Paducah KY, a town on the Ohio river in western Kentucky, about 18 years ago. The waterfront area was in pretty bad shape from what I remember with run down buildings and typical downtown blight. What a pleasant suprise when I went to the Lowertown Arts and Music Festival this past weekend. The entire downtown and riverfront area has undergone a huge transformation. There were all kinds of small restaurants, cafes, art galleries, specialty shops and antique stores. They have revitalized the downtown area without losing the old world look and charm. One of the side streets still has cobblestone......how often do you see that these days.

There is a real drive to bring the arts to Paducah as well and the many galleries and art studios present are a testament to this effort. To find out more about this initiative visit the Paducah Artists Relocation Program website. Here is a sampling of the opening text from the "About The Program" page:

"At a time when funding for the arts is constantly being cut, Paducah has established an environment where artists and the arts are flourishing. Paducah’s Artist Relocation Program was started in August of 2000 and is now a national model for using the arts for economic development. The Artist Relocation Program has been awarded the Governors Award in the Arts, the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, The American Planning Association National Planning Award and most recently Kentucky League of Cities Enterprise Cities Award."

If you find yourself in western Kentucky travelling along Interstate 24 from St Louis to Nashville, be sure to take some time and follow the signs to the Lowertown Area and spend some quality relaxing time on the riverfront. You won't regret it.

Kentucky Girls - Looking Good Eh

Who says Kentucky girls don't have style? These two were at the Lowertown Arts and Music Festival in Paducah KY on Saturday May 24th.

Photos From Recent Trip To Las Vegas

I went to Las Vegas last month on a business trip. This was my first time there and I must say I was impressed. At least with the "strip". I was in Las Vegas for 3 days and I never left the strip so I am certainly not getting the entire picture. We stayed at the Imperial Palace - what a slum hotel compared to where my meetings were - Mandalay Bay. But it wasn't that bad I guess. From what I understand it is coming down soon and being replaced. Lots of construction and definitely sensory overload. Here are the first three photos........ will probably put some more up over time.........enjoy.

Welcome To My World

Hi. My name is Eric Dytzel and this blog is all about me..... I have had a lot of interesting experiences in my life and I really wish I would have kept a diary or some kind of record. Now I have a head full of memories......... So here I find myself with the desire to share what I like and dislike, what I think and what my opinions are and to generally opine about whatever happens to be on my mind. You will probably find a mix of many different topics and maybe something that might interest you. If it does please leave a comment. I would love to hear what you think.

So with that being said........I suppose I am now off and running. I will try to write each day maybe more than once if possible. Thanks for visiting and I hope you will enjoy what you read.

Thanks...........Eric