Last weekend marked, once again, the second Saturday of July.
What's so special about the second Saturday of July?
Well, for 31 years it has been an Orange County tradition to moon the passing trains on that day each year. The event is called Mooning Amtrak.
I attended the event both last year, and again just last weekend. If you haven't read my past recaps about Mooning Amtrak, I really suggest you do. They're very entertaining, especially this one.
Two years ago, over 8,000 people showed up for train mooning and the city of Laguna Niguel, where mooning the train takes place, freaked the hell out. As a result, last year the city paid an exorbitant amount of money on scare tactic publicity and for a ridiculous, overwhelming, police presence to discourage mooners from showing up.
Apparently Laguna Niguel is getting what they want. This year only about 100 people came to moon the trains and there were more police "monitoring the crowd" than there were mooners.
It really pissed me off.
Train mooning is harmless fun and a thirty one year tradition. It's also, in my opinion, a dying tradition. The police ticket and/or arrest people for drinking in public or frontal nudity and traffic infractions. The police do let people moon unharrassed, but their very presence scares people away.
Boo hiss Laguna Niguel!
Mooning takes place each year across the street from Mugs Away Saloon. (The saloon does not sponsor the mooning in any way.)
Mugs Away Saloon is not a classy bar. Let's take a closer look at the sign they have posted outside their front door.
Last year I walked into the saloon during train mooning, but it was so crowded I walked right out. This year I walked in, looked around at the photos of tits and nude women on the wall and ...? Walked right out once again.
To be honest, I was afraid to touch anything in the saloon. It's the type of place that makes most biker bars look like the Ritz Carlton.
These are my friends D1 and D2 who accompanied me to Mooning Amtrak. They're pointing out their asses because they're afraid we might not notice them otherwise.
Have I ever mentioned what great girlfriends I have? I don't like most women as much as as I like most men, but the women I do like? Are pure awesome!
Most of the people at Mooning Amtrak are very nice and just regular, every day, folks.
However, there are always a few people thrown in who make you wonder, WTF? For instance, this time there was a guy who was very, very, serious about his mooning. It seemed like, perhaps, he just liked to have his pants off a lot. I nicknamed him Stroker.
Also?
Some of you don't come to visit on weekends and might have missed this photo which I also posted yesterday:
I was interviewed both on and off camera by several different TV and print reporters. (So was my friend D1 who you see standing next to me in the above photo.)
Cross body purses make my boobs look big.
Oh wait ....
My boobs ARE big!
A few of you have asked me for online links of the interview and to be honest, I'm not sure where it appeared. I do know ABC was supposed to be one of the stations receiving the feed. I also know it was out there internationally because Twenty Four At Heart has been going absolutely crazy with insane amounts of traffic since the interview. (A lot of that traffic has been from within the United States but a ton of it has been from outside of the country as well.) Also, I've heard from some of my readers in various cities around the world saying they saw me on TV.
I also appear in one interview done by the local Orange County Register. If you click on this link, you will see the article the Register wrote about train mooning. At the end of the article, they have a video I appear in, briefly, which you can click on. It's really not a big deal, but as I said - I don't know where to find the links to the other coverage.
Will I go moon the train again? Probably not unless the event is resurrected to its previous glory. I might, however, stop by to take a few photos again next year.
Did I mention ...
Boo! Hiss! Laguna Niguel!
Shame on you for ruining some harmless fun and a long time OC tradition!
By the way, just so you get a feel for how conservative many OC people are, I've copied two of the comments the OC Register received on their mooning article for you to read:
1. All these people should be arrested for indescent exposure and lewd conduct....If children were also present, they should be charged with child abuse and sexual assault.....Since the gay movement is on the rise, the buttocks area is now a sexual organ and this is why these people should be charged with sex crimes. These people are the same kind of mentality that say being gay is normal.....They are all immoral people and sinners and should be arrested for sex crimes
2. These people are disgusting!
And for the OCR to promote their disrespectful behavior, foisting their indecent exposure onto others is wrong. Why the double standard allowing them to do it when it is actually illegal to bare your privates. Absolutely sure a few go-nads and V-g's are visible from behind! I have NO RESPECT for these people who show no respect for perfect strangers. How arrogant.
Good God, I'm surrounded by Puritans! (Puritans on one side and Money Town Swingers on the other!)
Did you notice, along with their close minded attitudes, Puritan-types don't seem to have a very good grasp of basic spelling, grammar and/or punctuation?
Egads!
© Twenty Four At Heart
maybe next year everyone should sit on the copier, and just "foist"(?) their buttocks in 2D onto the fence. I suppose then you would get arrested for littering.....sigh
Posted by: Joanne | July 12, 2010 at 03:56 AM
OH, I remember your previous posts on this. I think the whole thing is hysterical and fun. You really have to wonder at some people taking it so seriously and getting all worked up. Life's too short people; drop your drawers!
Posted by: Maureen@IslandRoar | July 12, 2010 at 06:03 AM
The OC Register comments people are probably the same arrogant ones who have had serious "enhancements" and wear so little/tight fitting clothing that THEY should be arrested for indescent exposure and lewd conduct, child abuse and sexual assault. Talk about a double standard. Sheesh!
BTW your boobs look perfect to me;-)
Posted by: Linda | July 12, 2010 at 06:41 AM
How sad that people were frightened away from such a harmless event - you KNOW there are people who ride the Amtrack through OC on that day just for the experience.
"Since the gay movement is on the rise, the buttocks area is now a sexual organ and this is why these people should be charged with sex crimes." Oh, I'm going to laughing at THAT statement ALL. DAMN. DAY.
Posted by: Jan | July 12, 2010 at 06:45 AM
Some people are so stupid and cant just sit back and relax. It's not harming anyone, and a parent should have the right on something so minor to decide how "moral" the mooning is. And for someone to say it's a sexul assualt, i say to them "GET OVER YOURSELF AND GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE!!!
Posted by: Laura | July 12, 2010 at 07:02 AM
This is the kind of crap that makes me want to move out of Orange County! Really people it is just innocent fun. No one is being harmed.
Posted by: missy | July 12, 2010 at 07:15 AM
It's a butt for God's sake. Looks like you had fun LOL
Posted by: Kim @ Beautiful Wreck | July 12, 2010 at 07:29 AM
Oh, brother. Child abuse and sexual assault?
Orange County is a very unique place; no where else like it in the world!
I'm proud of you for fighting for the right to moon!
Posted by: Jason | July 12, 2010 at 07:38 AM
The Puritans all need to get back on their boats and go back to England! Who the hell let them in this country anyway? I wish Plymouth Rock had been covered in moss and they had all slipped off of it into the ocean. A butt is a butt is a butt. A "sexual organ"? OMG. Quick... shove them all back on the boat!
Di
Posted by: di | July 12, 2010 at 08:07 AM
If people care enough about a bit of trivial exposure of skin to write irate comments you know they must spend an awful lot of time thinking about it.
Posted by: Anne Gibert | July 12, 2010 at 08:32 AM
I might have been reading your blog too long, because I am feeling deja vu all over again... Is this our third mooning experience?
I'll be sorry if it is the last...
Posted by: DuchessOmnium | July 12, 2010 at 01:30 PM
ROFL.... what a blast. I've heard of this before, being from this coast and all. I've never gone but good for you for doing it. There will always be naysayers.... I say, you go girl! Who are you hurting?!? :)
Posted by: Life in the Crone Lane | July 12, 2010 at 03:42 PM
Heh. SINNER! Repent by going back to Laguna Niguel, stand before the train, make the sign of cross, and follow up with three hail moons. There, the Jack-Catholics say you're forgiven.
Posted by: Fragrant Liar | July 12, 2010 at 03:45 PM
The buttocks are now sexual organs? Dear Lord, I should lock up my naked loving son!
I hope they make it better next year. 31 years is a long time to have a tradition that just gets shafted.
Posted by: Mad Woman | July 13, 2010 at 02:02 AM