San Diego and Denver Summer of 2015

I have been ignoring Camels and Tacos for several months. Apologies to my followers. I originally started Camels and Tacos for family and friends as a space to post stories and photos of our life overseas. When my dad passed last summer, I really didn’t fell like posting anymore. I came to the realization the blog was mostly for him. He was my number one fan and if I didn’t post often he would remind me during our weekly phone call.

The name Camels and Tacos is derived from: Camels=Egypt and Tacos= Tijuana street tacos-the ones you find in carts on the corner. Our favorites are the row of stands that take up an entire city block near the former Plaza de Toros (Bull Ring). Ana and I both like tacos. We thought the blog was aptly titled for our new overseas teaching adventure.

In 2013 when we moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to work at another school. The intention was to create a new blog: Tibs Tummy: Tibs: think Ethiopian fajitas and Tummy: what happens if you eat too many oily tibs. Long story short, an executive decision was made to transfer posts from Tibs Tummy to Camels and Tacos. So our Ethiopian adventures are posted here.

Last winter our former school in Egypt expressed they wanted us to return and since the feelings were mutual we struck a deal. We are back in the land of Camels and Tacos. 

Below are scenes from the summer of 2015. 

A two-month old Ximena sporting her favorite beer shop onesie. 

2 days after getting off the plane, it was time for some punk rock.  

Slaughter and the Dogs! 

Spouting naughty English humor. 

Rock and roll! 

Didn't get much surf time in this summer, but I lived vicariously through these dudes.

Waiting for tacos in IB.

She looks cartoonish. 

Tia Monica came to San Diego to steal Ximena. 

Guess who showed up at our door looking for votes? 

President Donald Trump invited all his latino friends over to our place for a fund raiser. 

Davey Frantix gifted me his work vest. I bet punk rock pilots are stoked to see someone sporting the bars on the tarmac.

The house where "My Dad's A Fuckin' Alcoholic" was recorded.  Davey with his mom Big Sal who hosted bands such as the Circle Jerks, TSOL, etc. 

Being a good son. 

Free Samples tapes. I flew into Denver on two separate occasions this summer and it looks like the same amount from the first trip. I have a feeling these might end up in a taxi cab in Africa.   

Typical Denver July weather: flooding and a two tornado afternoon. 

And there is Bart aka Jet from back in the day enjoying a bloody mary and asking the waitress to marry him.  

Bart and I rode to see Jen at her dog grooming shop. 

It was cool to see an array of breeds have a face off the clippers. 

My buddy Shawn brought in his pup as well.

Matt and I hanging out with Tony Adolescents.  

The Weirdos.

Rikk Agnew acting normal.

Tony and Steve! 

Kids of the Black Hole. 

Stopped in Fort Collins to taste beer and see Ana's boss, Michael plus an old friend Brian who I last saw in 1994. Check out his tunes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhDpSaq47IA

Another friend (K8+8) we worked with in Ethiopia was in Denver. 

Denver Botanical Gardens is lovely.

K8+8 also tried to snatch Ximena. 

Audery and Ximena! 

Bittersweet summer in Denver

Ana and I accepted jobs and moved overseas in the summer of 2009, six months after Mom passed. I was intent in continuing keeping contact with my Dad and thought creating a blog with writings and pictures would be the best way to keep him abreast of our adventures abroad. This blog was initially for him, that and the usual Sunday telephone call, and summer visits is how it has been for the past five years until a little over a month ago. He passed away in late July and this post has been waiting in the wing for some time. Even the simplest tasks such as pushing the publish button seemed impossible. Here is our Denver adventure. 

Our friend Andrew (Descendents/ALL soundman) hooked us up for Hardcore DEVO in Denver. While he was showing us back stage, Mark Mothersbaugh was goofing around with an oxygen tank running over Ana's foot. He eventually drove himself into a corner.  

You gotta love a band that brazenly  walks on stage  collectively sporting their own tour shirts. 

Set 2, a change of outfits.

Are we not men? 

Yes.

In memory of Bob2 aka Bob Casale

Paid a visit to Matt Bischoff (Fluid/Frantix) to hand him a drawing I made for him. We had a nice long conversation about growing up skating and sneaking into punk shows. 

Ana's family came out for a visit. My dad loved hanging out with them. 

A visit to Larry's (Rocky Mountain Low, and Trash Is Truth) house was a must. I was in awe of Larry's record and flier collection.  

Ana thought we should all take a field trip to Hammonds. This is the place responsible for all the thick candy canes and Christmas candy. 

Type 2 Diabetes here we come. 

Working for the man. 

I think we sampled this in the car. And to think my parents thought I was crazy when I mixed chocolate, bacon, and potato chips together. 

Had to see what was at the Great Divide Brewery tap room. 

Duane from Wax Trax is still looking great. 

Hadn't seen Blair in quite awhile. We've been friends since high school. First time getting my hair cut from him. 

Sonny came out to Denver as well. We went to visit Val who just opened a record store-Chain Reaction in Lakewood. 

Getting some of the old crew back together. 

Mike Serviolo (IZ, Jux County, Elam, Peace Core, etc.) looking like Charles Bukowski in Safeway Supermarket. 

My old college roomie, Staci.

Keith, Colin, Sonny, and I remembering the old days.

Ben and I playing some pinball waiting for the Mentors to show up and play a book store. 

Longtime Denver punk promoter Jill Razor and I embarked on an urban adventure. We ran into Andrew Novick (Warlock Pinchers, etc) who was on a 3 week scavenger hunt looking for a clue to a hidden map that led to a golden nugget. 

Jill and I drove around looking at former buildings of where we used to go see punk shows. One was the Fun House in Five Points. It was our lucky day, we ran into someone who lived in the building and let us roam around. 

Outside the Fun House. 

Protecting one's investment. 

Artist Rebecca Vaughn and I went to school together, got to see her new space.

Too many nights at the Aztlan Theatre to remember. We had a running joke that went something like this. She told me to kiss her someplace dirty so I took her to the back of the Aztlan. As you can see it isn't falling apart anymore. The owner Tim and Aurora really did a nice job fixing up the place. 

Hanging out with Tim and Aurora. Tim is still the same, he asked Sonny and I if we wanted a beer and you figured that after all these years that this one would be on the house. He did make Sonny and I do a shot with him. He let that one slide. 

One of the upgrades Tim and family did was putting in a side bar. Their son said they were selling it hoping to fetch a couple of millions. 

No theatre is complete without a framed Bruce Lee poster.