The mystery continues ....

Human foot in shoe washes up in Wash.

PORT ANGELES, Wash. - An athletic shoe containing a human foot was found on a Washington state beach, and authorities are investigating whether it may be linked to a series of human feet found in shoes along the coast of British Columbia.

Undersheriff Ron Peregrin said Monday that the King County medical examiner determined the foot was human and detached from its body naturally after floating in the water.

Peregrin said the foot will be sent for a forensic investigation, including DNA testing to see if it matches feet found washed ashore in British Columbia. Results are expected to take six to eight weeks.

Authorities said a woman told the Clallam County sheriff's office on Saturday that she found the black, high-top shoe along the beach on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, about 30 miles west of Port Angeles.

Animal paw
Five athletic shoes containing human feet have been found along the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland since August 2007. The Strait of Juan de Fuca separates the Canadian island and Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

A sixth foot found in June in British Columbia was determined to be an animal paw that had been shoved inside a shoe as a hoax.

"We're a little apprehensive since the last one was a hoax," said Detective Sgt. Lyman Moores.

DNA testing linked one of the Canadian feet to a depressed man who went missing a year ago. Investigators have also concluded that two of the five feet belonged to one man and that one foot was from a woman.

British Columbia coroner Jeff Dolan has said there was no evidence the feet were severed. Experts say that when a human body is submerged in the ocean, the arms, legs, hands, feet and head usually come off the body.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26014848/

Just back from an afternoon at MUSIKFEST.  The temp was in the low 80's, but there was a nice breeze and the clouds provided occasional cover.  There seemed to be a lot of people there.  Some of them had kids in strollers.  I saw one guy actually carrying a baby that looked like it was only a few weeks old!  WTF!  And, there were lots of people on bicycles.  I'm not sure what that was all about, either.  Anyway, I will have to go back during the week when, hopefully, it will be less crowded.  I'll look at the schedule and formulate a plan!  Besides, I have $4.00 in Musikfest food and beverage tickets left over.

I spent my time today just checking things out.  My first stop (after getting tickets and beer, of course) was Festplatz.  I got there just in time to see the Chicken Lady lead the Chicken Dance.  Then, it was off to check out the crafts at Handwerkplatz.  Then, up to Liederplatz, where a folk group was playing.  I listened to them briefly, then started working my way back down Main Street.  That's where I ran across BEAUCOUP BLUE, a father-son blues band out of Philly. They had a drummer and a string bass player with them, and a special guest joined in on harmonica for a few songs.  Really good!  After the show, I asked one of the guys if they ever get up to the Scranton area.  No, he said, but they do play a lot in upstate NY.  I guess they also play in the W-B area (which, I guess, is different from the Scranton area) once in a while because I noticed on their website that they recently played the BRIGGS FARM BLUES FESTIVAL in Luzerne County (**upon further review, they don't seem to have been part of the lineup this year, but I gather that they played there at some point in the past**).  Maybe they'll be there again next year!

Anyway, here's a little taste of Beaucoup Blue.

It's Day One of my regulary-scheduled vacation and, you could say, it began with a bang.  The sound of thunder rolled me out of bed around 8:30 this morning.  Of course, it was raining, too.  It's dry and sunny now although, according to FutureRadar, it should be pissing down rain at this very minute.  I think I'll take advantage of this weather anomaly to mow the lawn.

In the meantime, I really do love to feel the rain in the summertime ...

Jeez!  That last post was kind of a downer, wasn't it?  Three songs and not a happy tune in the bunch!

Well, no worries.  MUSIKFEST starts today, and if some beer and the Chicken Dance can't cheer you up, nothing can!

Don't believe me?  Watch this!

I'm sitting here listening via the Internet to my favorite local college radio station.  I'm hoping to hear a certain song so that I can see what it's called and who sings it.  I have no idea because, over the summer, the station seems to mostly just play songs without any DJ interruption.  Not that that's a bad thing, but it does make it difficult to determine who's who and what's what.  For example, it took watching my least favorite show,"The View," to learn who sings THIS song.  The sacrifices I make for music!

Anyway, the song I'm interested in is, I'm pretty sure, about somebody's funeral.  The funeral of someone who committed suicide or otherwise died young.  The lyrics mention something about a photo hanging over the ocean and not having seen you in ages.  Then, everyone's in church, I think.  The song has a sound and vibe rather like this one from Cousteau.  But, it's not them.  I don't think.

***UPDATE:  Right after I posted this - seriously, right after - I went back to the internet station and the song was playing!  It's called "Gather to the Chapel" by Liam Finn.  And, yes, it has to do with suicide - the drummer from Crowded House.  The connection is Liam's dad, Neil Finn, who formed Split Enz and then Crowded House.  It seems like the song has actually been out for a year or so ... 

The Phillies finally made the move they should have made weeks ago.  Adam Eaton goes to the minors.  Read about it HERE.  I guess those two home runs he gave up during the one inning that he pitched on Sunday were the final straw.

So, let's see.  That gives us a rotation - in no specific order - of:  Hamels, Moyer, Meyers, Kendrick, Blanton.  J.A. Happ did pretty well in the two starts he had during his earlier call up.  The article mentions that he could go to the bullpen this time.  Or, do you throw him in the rotation and send Meyers back to the pen?  Hmmm.

At least the Phillies seem like they might be starting to hit again.

Watch the Season 3 preview here.  WARNING:  This preview is most definitely NOT approved for audiences of all ages.

I am now officially a part-time student at Luzerne County Community College.

Friday's meeting with my academic advisor was, as I suspected it would be, brief.  I told her that I already had a four-year degree and that I only wanted to take one course.  She asked why they had me take the PLACEMENT TEST.  I said I didn't know (although I later wondered if maybe it was because I didn't bother to send them a transcript from Juniata.  Whatever.  It was either waste my time taking the test or waste my money sending for a transcript).  My advisor promptly filled out the appropriate form and sent me to the registrar's office.  That's where the whole back to school experience became a reality.  When they print out the course schedule and the bill - which includes tuition and assorted fees - it's real.

Anyway, now all that's left is to buy some books, get my student ID, and go to class.  Starting right after Labor Day.

Today I have a meeting with my LCCC academic counselor.  I suppose we'll go over the RESULTS from the placement test I took last month.  Then, I suppose we'll talk about my future at LCCC.  There won't be much to talk about since, as I indicated BEFORE, I only plan to take one course!

At any rate, in honor of my going back to college, here's a little ditty that was popular during my first go 'round back in the 80s.  I have it on a cassette somewhere!  Giddyup!

When last we left, THIS was the status of the epic public relations struggle between the PA Turnpike Commission, which wants to put tolls on Interstate 80, and Pennsylvania Transportation Partners, the international consortium which thinks it can run the Turnpike better than the Turnpike Commission.

To recap, in early July, state lawmakers decided not to vote on PTP's proposal to lease the Turnpike, almost - but not quite - killing the plan.  A week or so later, the Turnpike Commission followed with an update on its plan to turn I-80 into a toll road.  Basically, there will be toll plazas, but no one will actually be there to take tolls.  You will either pay by EZ Pass, or they will send you the bill in the mail.

Now comes word that the PTC has submitted this revised plan to the feds for their consideration.  The submission happened Tuesday.  I'm not entirely sure it's worth an update because this is a soap opera and you can't expect major plot points to happen on Tuesdays.  But, you can't just skip Tuesday, either, or you might be lost when Wednesday rolls around.

Anyway, what happened Tuesday was that the PTC sent in a revamped proposal asking for permission to turn a federal highway into a state toll road.  HERE'S a link.  Read it at your own risk.  Basically, it seems to indicate that this revised proposal is much more detailed than the first one.  But, the detail that everyone wants to know - exactly where the toll plazas will be - is still being worked out.  They'll file an amendment sometime in August.  If - and that's a big if - the feds give the OK, we could be on the road to seeing tolls on 80 sometime in 2010.

Now, back to the other plan - the one to lease the turnpike to foreigners.  As I implied earlier, it's not dead yet.  In fact, as of Wednesday, it had new life!  PTP, as they like to be called, put out THIS news release which alleges increasing public support for leasing the turnpike and which graciously gives the state until the end of September to agree to the deal or risk falling into a giant pothole.

I'm not a big fan of either one of these ideas.  But, so far, I'd have to say that PTP is winning the PR war.  Their news releases have a friendlier tone and a more positive spin.  Compare that to the PTC, which fills its news releases with mysteriously obtuse phrases such as "planning organization consultation" and "in-depth physical condition assessment."  I'm also not convinced that two toll roads are better than one.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow ...