tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141594182011-09-23T09:10:20.337-07:00STUCK IN TRAFFIC ON THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAYClairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.comBlogger5601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-87847592233774113902010-12-05T21:11:00.001-08:002010-12-06T20:16:54.260-08:00

Last January a friend and I went to Gray Lodge Wildlife Area to see the much talked about hundreds of thousands of snow geese. On that trip I saw exactly one snow goose on that trip. Still in search of the snow geese a friend and I took made the trip up to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge last weekend with much better results.Nearly all national wildlife refuges I've been to look pretty

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-86922171399407636562010-11-07T18:16:00.000-08:002010-11-08T22:24:52.797-08:00

A year or two ago a Sierra Club friend of mine suggested I might like to join him on an East Bay Regional Parks trail work day. The promise of a free lunch was enticing so I agreed. I've now participated in several trail work projects and each one has been very enjoyable, though one or two would have been more pleasant had the weather been a bit cooler! And so I found myself waking up at 7:00am

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-42266614357211481122010-03-31T09:58:00.000-07:002010-05-06T22:01:05.474-07:00

Sometime last summer I read that Oakland was having a marathon on March 28 of 2010. Fun I thought, I'd like to volunteer. Then I read that the event was in fact going to be the Oakland Running Festival which included a half marathon. Thirteen miles, that sounded like something I could do, so I registered for my first race ever the Inaugural Oakland Half Marathon 2010. Then I started running. Just

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-54318330143984649182010-03-11T22:29:00.000-08:002010-05-08T21:20:07.621-07:00

At 8:45am on Monday I headed out for a day of hiking near Mount Tamalpais. You never know what adventures the day holds when you step out of your door in the morning. At the trailhead for Cataract Falls six of us started out on a hike and journeyed through a day of wonder.We hiked along a stream with many waterfalls.And even more waterfalls.We consulted a map on which way to go.We hiked through

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-14113249968726537132010-02-24T20:33:00.000-08:002010-02-24T21:02:04.156-08:00

After many years of having it on my to read list I finally checked Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale out of the library. There's not much I can add to the volumes of critiques and analysis already written about the novel. It's a wonderfully crafted book and so well written I was so absorbed in the story I didn't notice the writing. The narrator however is very well aware that she is narrating

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-52322882734029063152010-02-11T19:33:00.000-08:002010-02-11T19:50:32.990-08:00

Recently I was talking to a friend about Paul Coelho's The Alchemist which I greatly enjoyed reading some years ago. That friend later gave me a copy of Coelho's The Witch of Portobello along with a disclaimer that it was not at all like The Alchemist and I may not like it. I was intrigued by the book in the beginning. It is told as a compilation of stories from people that knew the main

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-2639882703165349162010-02-04T20:23:00.000-08:002010-02-04T23:48:26.165-08:00

There are various ways to get to San Francisco from Oakland, one can drive, take Bart, take the ferry or other boat and I suppose one could walk or bike but it's an awful long way around. Last weekend the Kayak Guy and I paddled kayaks from Jack London Square Oakland to Crissy Field San Francisco. Then we drove back to Oakland which is why the planning and prep for the annual paddle across the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-64342338455596582732010-01-28T19:08:00.000-08:002010-01-28T22:12:29.480-08:00

My dad gave me a deck of Bay Area Backroads cards while I was home for Christmas. Looking through them the other week I made piles of cards for places I've been, places that are too far for one day, places better in the summer, and most importantly places I could visit in the next few weeks. One of those cards in the last pile is Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. After reading about Gray Lodge's millions

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-68095425235883381152010-01-23T10:36:00.000-08:002010-01-23T11:25:52.017-08:00

I hike fairly often and after having traveled many trails in the east bay, a bit of Marin and Point Reyes I've found myself wanting to explore new areas. So a couple weeks ago I got another bay area hiking book out of the library and chose Castle Rock State Park in Los Gatos as last Saturday's destination. It's over an hour's drive from Oakland, my friend and I left home at the reasonably

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-29723989528032758112010-01-21T20:11:00.000-08:002010-01-21T20:27:05.527-08:00

In the eighth grade I was entranced by Willa Cather's My Antonia and though I always meant to read more of her works I haven't. Then a few months ago my mother gave me Death Comes For the Archbishop. From the title one might think it is about a man facing death but that is not what this book is at all. It is the life of two priests arriving 1851 New Mexico in 1851. The chapters are like a

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-38587348316356411052009-12-24T14:53:00.000-08:002009-12-24T15:41:34.901-08:00

The second night in our tent on Tomales Beach seemed not as cold as the first and again I heard the raccoons visit our campsite in the middle of the night. The morning beautifully bathed our camp in its warm early morning light. A small group of Marbled Godwits wandered along the shore fairly close to our tent. We had a breakfast of instant oatmeal then set to work laying out the tent fly and

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-28021514380457353122009-12-19T15:44:00.000-08:002009-12-24T15:43:15.149-08:00

The night was cold but bearable, I've spent much colder nights in a tent. In the middle of the night I was awakened by what I assumed was the sound of a raccoon scrambling around in the cockpits of the plastic kayaks. I don't know why he was so interested in the boats, we didn't have any food in there. Sure enough in the morning the seat of my kayak was covered in sand tracked in by the nighttime

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-29673682419746966292009-12-14T20:05:00.000-08:002009-12-24T15:43:59.436-08:00

Often, when I tell a bay area local that I like to kayak the person I am talking to will say "oh have you been to Tomales bay, it's such a nice place to paddle and you can camp on the beach" even when said person has never been to Tomales Bay he or she will sing its virtues. So Thanksgiving week the Kayak Guy and I planned a camping trip to Tomales Bay. We've done enough camping trips now that

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-11454196504988570022009-12-05T10:25:00.000-08:002009-12-05T11:50:52.726-08:00

I haven't written any fiction since the eleventh grade when I wrote a story for my high school literary magazine. It wasn't a particularly good story but the teacher wanted to put it in because it wasn't quite as sad as most of the work submitted. In the back of my mind I've always carried a notion that one day I would write a book. I imagined holing up for months in a cabin in the woods of Maine

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-83293464180906743832009-11-28T19:47:00.000-08:002009-11-28T19:48:36.188-08:00

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-25510347633786105582009-10-31T00:04:00.001-07:002009-11-07T20:09:22.389-08:00

On Hiatus for National Novel Writing Month. 50,000 words 30 days!

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-370574530377344612009-10-26T22:25:00.000-07:002009-10-26T23:21:13.802-07:00

If you've read The Namesake (or seen the movie) you know that the main character is named Gogol because his father is in a train wreck while reading Nikolai Gogol's The Overcoat. This sparked some interest in me to read the Russian author's work since I had not heard of Gogol before. Last winter while at my parent's house I discovered on a bookshelf the Progress Russian Classics Series - Nikolai

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-79476018321038938542009-10-20T20:44:00.000-07:002009-10-31T19:49:22.241-07:00

This afternoon just before going out for a run I noticed a spider in my bathtub. Not just a little spider mite but a big full fledged quarter sized spider! I don't know how it got there, it must have come up through the drain and maybe has something to do with all the rain we had yesterday. The spider was moving around a lot but every time he tried to climb the tub wall he slid back down to the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-40493384106287991902009-10-15T18:20:00.000-07:002009-10-15T18:30:33.183-07:00

Fall blew into the Bay Area with a vengeance on Tuesday. The wild winds and torrential rains only lasted a day, still it marked a significant change in the weather. And so the Fall Header for the 880Blog again makes its annual appearance. Many thanks to creator bucci for simply wonderful design!

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-49417157672961281892009-10-13T19:50:00.000-07:002009-10-13T20:55:42.222-07:00

A few Saturdays ago at the urging of a friend I joined a group of volunteers for the work day at Audubon Canyon Ranch by Bolinas Lagoon. I had driven by ACR many times, but never really knew what they do there. ACR preserves land and educates children and adults about the natural environment and the need to protect it. Their main program for adults is setting up telescopes to watch nesting

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-71559927411136393422009-09-16T17:20:00.000-07:002009-09-16T23:08:07.369-07:00

I have been hiking with the SF Bay chapter of the Sierra Club for a few years now. When I first moved to California I hardly knew anyone and didn't have a lot to do on the weekends. I started hiking with the Sierra Singles section of the club and usually still do because I didn't want to spend all day with people talking about their spouses and kids. The Sierra Singles is a nice group of people,

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-85108807489165686032009-09-10T19:37:00.000-07:002009-09-10T21:09:21.588-07:00

Marc Reisner's Cadillac Desert has been sitting on my shelf for several years, since I first moved to California and lived with my brother for a spell. He recommended it as required reading for all Californians. And I have to agree. It seems to me water and its scarcity is not talked about enough in California. Currently in 2009 the California Department of Water Resources declares we are in year

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-50689010392380352942009-09-06T13:55:00.000-07:002009-09-06T17:56:59.724-07:00

Last night I had the opportunity to go on California Canoe&Kayak's moonlight paddle. I've gone on this trip several times before and really enjoy being on the water at night. The group gathered just before 7pm, aside from the instructor and myself there were six other people. We donned all our gear including spray skirt, pdf and paddle jacket and headed down to the dock.. The instructor assigned

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-9064336830549864002009-09-04T09:55:00.001-07:002009-09-04T11:47:58.174-07:00

Just for fun here's yesterday's post if I were to write it as an "e" Lipogram.It's hot in this California City by San Francisco Bay. From last Saturday to today, hot by midday. How hot? So hot a day's last task is picking up a salad to munch by Oakland's big pond. So hot I switch on a fan hanging in my living room. So hot I sat at a stadium past sundown and put on only a surplus shirt for

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-76642604004303161582009-09-03T21:17:00.000-07:002009-09-03T21:22:04.977-07:00

It's been hot in Oakland the past few days. How hot was it? Hot enough to pick up a salad and head to Lake Merritt for an evening picnic. Hot enough to turn my fan on. Hot enough to need only a single long sleeve shirt at the A's game on Tuesday. Hot enough to wear shorts. And hot enough that they closed a few branches of the Oakland Public Library. Buildings using natural ventilation are great

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-23105157793545449902009-08-30T15:14:00.000-07:002009-10-31T19:55:11.335-07:00

Oakland's Eat Real Festival took over Jack London Square this weekend. The event was well promoted but I'd hazard a guess the organizers had no idea how wildly successful it would be. The festival opened on a hot Friday evening with beer and ice cream. What more could you ask for on an eighty degree evening in Jack London Square? Well food for one thing, but that was to come on Saturday and

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-89029740564110380862009-08-23T09:45:00.001-07:002009-08-23T10:27:34.370-07:00

One of the many things to do in Oakland which I usually forget about is the free historic walking tours. This Saturday I finally caught the Old Oakland tour, a neighborhood I particularly like with all its old brick buildings. About a dozen people turned out for the tour, all locals. The tour guide, was a fountain of information though I thought he rambled a bit. He told us about first mayor and

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-63907271495862199222009-07-22T22:52:00.001-07:002009-07-23T21:52:03.200-07:00

You can't help but feel just a little bit special walking through the gate, down the stairs onto the roof, leaving the observation deck behind. Gabions, wire cages filled with rocks, criss-cross the living roof. These were installed to prevent erosion but also provide walking paths through the area. The section of roof we were to study was on the opposite from the observation deck, hidden behind

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-37590918724491610912009-07-20T22:25:00.000-07:002009-07-22T23:13:50.976-07:00

Last Sunday I participated in the California's Academy of Sciences Living Roof Project. A chance to go up and actually walk out among the hills on the roof! The CAS naturalist center is working on developing citizen scientist programs. The most well known of this type of program is probably the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's e-bird program in which birds from around the world record bird

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-30942089673305299752009-07-14T22:45:00.000-07:002009-07-20T22:49:39.116-07:00

Oakland never ceases to surprise me and today was no exception. Strolling through the Lake Merritt gardens this evening with a friend we happened upon two gentlemen playing croquet on what I thought were the lawn bowling courts. After stopping to watch for a few minutes we were completely entranced. This was like no croquet I'd ever seen before. First of all the mallets were quite fancy.

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-87751788150185841382009-07-02T08:32:00.000-07:002009-07-02T09:29:26.916-07:00

Last night I caught The Bridge So Far - a Suspense Story on PBS. The documentary about the Bay Bridge explores the history of the old bridge and the three ring circus that has been the building of the new eastern span. The new span is well on its way, and I enjoy seeing it progress, the Oakland Alameda Ferry provides a nice view. However entertaining all the politicking around the building of the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-87643183364234444372009-06-26T19:20:00.000-07:002009-06-27T09:01:08.838-07:00

Back in March a colleague I spoke with mentioned I might find it useful to get the USGBC LEED Credential as Green Building is all the rage right now. A few days later a friend of mine who is a LEED AP mentioned that if I wanted to take the easy path to accreditation I should sign up fast, as the credentialing system changes July 1 and the last day to register for the exam was March 31. Not

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-48010935295983686792009-06-23T22:38:00.000-07:002009-06-24T21:47:09.552-07:00

Recently I watched the film Amorgosa, a documentary about Marta Becket an artist who mid-life moves from NYC to create an unusual world of her own in the Mojave Desert. Marta landed in the Death Valley Junction while on tour in 1967 and she's been there ever since. In February of 1968 she performed her first show in front of a dozen people. Lacking the crowds of NYC Marta designed her own

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-9241628517522268012009-06-17T21:37:00.000-07:002009-06-17T21:56:28.292-07:00

On my recent trip to Provincetown my fellow traveler asked one of the locals what she would recommend as a don't miss experience in the area. Portuguese Kale Soup was the answer. As a fishing and whaling center in the latter part of the nineteenth century many Portuguese fisherman came to settle in the area. The town today still has several Portuguese bakeries and the women who for hundreds of

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-63720549006554623932009-06-15T21:25:00.000-07:002009-06-17T21:26:02.576-07:00

The last time I went to Cape Cod I was six or seven years old, my family who usually went to Maine every summer decided to try something different for some reason I'll never know. All I remember of Cape Cod is crying while some kid pounding me over the head with the edge of a clam shell. The next year my family resumed the annual trip to Maine. So when a friend called me two weeks ago asking me

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-41314701478501999572009-06-01T21:22:00.001-07:002009-06-01T21:44:17.339-07:00

Wow! Springtime at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is just breathtaking. The Arboretum is a pretty green place. All that green is pretty fantastic in its own way, the many many blossoms just add to the joy. And when the azaleas suddenly appear in a undulating rows it's like fireworks. Yellow, orange, pink in more shades than you can imagine. I wish I had had my watercolors with me, not that I

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-30571611081584654032009-05-25T11:24:00.001-07:002009-05-25T11:41:29.861-07:00

As part of a school geography project the son of one of my friends from Minnesota sent me a Flat Stanley a few weeks ago. My task was to send him back with a few pictures of the area and a letter to the class telling them where Stanley's been. Here's the letter along with a few of the pictures:May 25, 2009Dear Friends,Last month Alex sent me over 2,000 miles to visit a friend in Oakland,

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-8063342235114634362009-05-22T09:20:00.000-07:002009-05-22T09:57:02.390-07:00

Last Sunday was the close of yet another season of Survivor. I missed watching the finale as my parents were in town. Overall, it was a good season and the right guy won which is what counts. The weeks went by so quickly, they always do and the end of Survivor always makes me sit up and think about how much of the year has passed. This was Survivor Season 18. I started watching in Season 3 during

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-61053051091291220232009-05-11T22:16:00.001-07:002009-05-11T22:55:20.393-07:00

I love the train. I love the soft whistle in the middle of the night. (Sometimes in the middle of the night I become half awake wondering what that beautiful music I hear is.) I love the bigness and power of the engine. I love the relaxing rocking motion of the cars while the world speeds by out the window. I love watching and wondering as a hundred freight cars go by.Last Saturday May 9, as you

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-47843988778135253262009-05-02T18:21:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:36:53.703-07:00

This afternoon I spent an hour up close and personal with California wildflowers at the Oakland Museum of CA's annual wildflower show. This was their 40th annual show! If you're interested in wildflowers it's a great opportunity to examine the flowers for as long and as closely as you want. Hand magnifiers are provided on the tables for an intimate look. I arrived late this afternoon and the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-44293038408448883762009-04-28T21:03:00.000-07:002009-04-29T09:55:42.505-07:00

One of the many wonderful things about Point Reyes is that it's so huge there's always some new place too explore. Every area is absolutely gorgeous and there's no entrance or parking fees. I've had the opportunity to go to Point Reyes the last two weekends in a row. Once with some friends to Tomales Point and once to Drakes Head with the Sierra Club.I sort of wonder if I have been to Tomales

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-67641541139186679112009-04-26T09:31:00.000-07:002009-04-26T09:45:25.093-07:00

Audrey Niffeneggers's The Time Traveler's Wife is the best novel I've read in some time. I believe the book might suffer in popularity from it's title, giving the impression it's a science fiction book. Which it most definitely is not. The Time Traveler's Wife is the story of a man, Henry and his wife Clare. Henry suffers from Chrono Displacement Disorder which causes him to occasionally time

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-1456780593921948532009-04-23T15:58:00.000-07:002009-04-26T09:30:56.837-07:00

Earlier this week Union Pacific's train of goodwill rolled through the Bay Area. Engine Number 844 was the last steam engine built for Union Pacific. It was put into service in 1944 as a high speed passenger engine. It's a big engine, 454 tons 114 feet 2 inches long according to the spec sheet. For a day the engine was parked at the UP railyard in Oakland and the public was invited to get up

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-56742410469168601942009-04-20T17:49:00.000-07:002009-04-24T11:17:27.152-07:00

This seems to be a banner year for California wildflowers. Everywhere I go there are govs of poppies, popcorn flowers, fiddlenecks, lupines etc. etc. The poppies seem to be popping up in every nook and cranny and highway median. Over the past few years I've managed to learn the names of many of the most common flowers. Most of this comes from hiking with a Sierra Club leader who is quite

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-77507102135905067012009-04-14T21:52:00.000-07:002009-04-15T14:14:27.327-07:00

The Monterey Bay Aquarium, always a wondrous place has a special exhibit on the Secret Lives of Seahorses. I've seen very few seahorses before and knew very little about them. Up close and personal they're fascinating. The biggest ones were about a foot long, and looked kind of creepy. I wouldn't want to meet one snorkeling. Mostly though they're beautiful in their own way. The seahorse's snout

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-90398271264830239462009-04-09T10:10:00.000-07:002009-04-09T10:25:36.203-07:00

My neighbor lent me these three books of essays by Gore Vidal: Imperial America, Dreaming War, and Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace. Though short, it took me awhile to get through these books. I find in many essays Vidal goes off on so many tangents I had trouble following what he was saying. I also thought he makes a lot of suppositions and accusations without factual support. I think I would

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-87455585293992117342009-04-03T20:06:00.000-07:002009-04-21T23:05:19.096-07:00

I have not yet been to heaven and assume most of you have not either but when I get there I sure hope it is as beautiful Antelope Valley. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is situated in the western part of the Mojave Desert, at an elevation of around 2600 feet. The 1800 acre preserve is thick with California Poppies and many other wildflowers every spring. The description from the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-5949658588474401272009-03-26T22:07:00.000-07:002009-03-26T22:28:41.912-07:00

A friend lent me The Philip K. Dick Reader some time ago, and I've finally finished all 24 short stories it contains. I rather like collections of short stories, they give a good variety of an author's writing, they are easy to put down and pick up again later and because they're short the story doesn't drag. This collection of science fiction includes four that serve as a basis for movies

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-10311063527420249242009-03-21T17:21:00.000-07:002009-04-26T09:31:22.472-07:00

Today marks the official arrival of spring but I could see the bright new season was here yesterday at the Old Oakland farmer's market. The strawberries are starting to arrive in greater numbers. They are still on the expensive side though. Asparagus is the real sign of spring. The first tasty new vegetable to appear after the long bland winter months. The spring asparagus are the best, small

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-60852558557812213972009-03-17T09:58:00.000-07:002009-03-21T17:19:08.020-07:00

At 3,849 feet Mount Diablo looms over the east bay.It's shaded woodlands, grassy slopes and rocky outcroppings always provide for an interesting hike. The mountain's unique position as the northern most point of many plant species range and the southernmost point for many others along withe it's location on the boundary between the Bay Area and Central Valley makes for an incredible diversity of

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-45817055580259455562009-03-06T14:50:00.000-08:002009-03-06T15:32:51.682-08:00

On Ash Wednesday I went to the noon mass at the new Cathedral of Christ the Light next to Lake Merritt. As the cathedral is in downtown Oakland, the pews were packed with people stopping in during their lunch hour. The administrative offices, meeting rooms and free health and legal clinics are housed in a building next door forming a two block complex. I'm glad to see it's a popular place, the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-70076351846115120232009-02-25T18:12:00.000-08:002009-03-16T20:45:47.432-07:00

Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them? This is the question posed in the first few moments of the wonderful musical Wicked. The following three hours are spent telling a magical tale which tries to get at the answer. A week ago I was fortunate enough to see the San Francisco production of Wicked and it was fantastic! I'd wanted to see this musical for quite some time, but it's always sold

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-25792978482387622892009-02-23T17:48:00.000-08:002009-04-21T23:05:19.097-07:00

More rain poured down over the bay area this weekend. Fourteen inches so far this season, which is almost up to normal, though not enough to erase the drought conditions. I ventured out in my new rain boots on Sunday for little walk around the neighborhood. The grassy area near the estuary was somewhat flooded and the geese, gulls and ducks congregated there. The wigeons hang out with the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-45128270717039439432009-02-18T18:57:00.000-08:002009-02-18T19:10:50.796-08:00

The New York Times today had an article about the Eye-Fi Explore SD Card. Just like any SD card it goes into your camera and stores 2-4GB worth of pictures. Unlike a regular SD card it can geo-tag your photos and upload them via a wireless network to photo sharing sites such as Flickr or your home computer. That's one of the best melding of technologies I've seen. I hate all the wires connecting

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-88444671702955928142009-02-16T16:48:00.000-08:002009-02-16T17:31:59.906-08:00

Winter finally arrived in the Bay Area this weekend with loads of rain and high winds. Oakland received over 3 inches of rain during the weekend with more expected in the next few days. With reservoirs still only 30% full, there's not much relief for the drought. The stormy weather meant to hiking or kayaking this weekend. I took the opportunity to stay inside and clean the house, dust all my

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-6779266630377337152009-02-12T19:01:00.000-08:002009-02-12T23:07:06.767-08:00

The production of Absinthe, the long story of which you can read on the Wikepedia page, was resurrected in the US in 2007. Lucky for me one of the first places in the US to produce and sell Absinthe in the modern age is located just across the way on the old Alameda Naval Base. St. George's Spirits which produces among other things Hangar One Vodka is no longer located in hangar one but is still

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-37282412351138493012009-02-06T10:22:00.000-08:002009-02-06T10:37:43.581-08:00

Some time ago while taking pictures in the evening I snapped this shot of a freight train and was pleased to see the flash lit up the lettering. Apparently there's a flickr group for that. I think there's a flickr group for just about anything you take a picture of. The sticker used for the train lettering is made from Scotchlite a 3M product made with millions of glass beads. The spherical

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-14036279097002854862009-02-02T19:53:00.000-08:002009-02-02T20:16:21.029-08:00

The picidae or woodpecker family are some of my favorite birds. In New York in winter we often get Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers coming to the feeder. I like their red heads and the way they stand on the tree trunks. At Pt. Reyes last weekend I saw my first ever Acorn Woodpecker. The Acorn Woodpecker drills holes in a tree to store acorns, the tree is called an acorn granary. The granary can

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-5404962446575235282009-01-26T21:29:00.000-08:002009-03-21T17:19:50.434-07:00

Every year the Oakland Museum's Women's Board takes in donations of household objects, tests them, organizes them, puts on price tags and in the spring opens their warehouse to the public for the White Elephant Sale benefiting the museum. It's a crazy mess of stuff - sports equipment, art, tools, dishes, furniture, games, clothes, jewelry, books, knick-knacks, anything and everything you might

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-30942495241145154862009-01-24T09:42:00.000-08:002009-01-24T09:59:12.899-08:00

Ursula LeGuin's Lavinia tells the tale of the second wife of Aeneas, mentioned only briefly by Virgil. Most notably Lavinia is mentioned in an omen "the day before Aeneas lands in Latinum, Lavinia's hair is veiled by a ghost fire, presaging war". LeGuin's story creates a life for Lavinia from when she was the young daughter of King Latinus, until her death many years after her marriage to Aeneas.

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-38200841915992681002009-01-21T16:39:00.000-08:002009-04-21T23:05:54.793-07:00

In early January I was most wonderfully surprised to get this nifty new camera as a gift from Bucci. The Pentax Optio W60 is waterproof to 4 meters, encased in reinforced 2 layer polycarbonate plastic with aluminum plating and operates in temperatures from 14-104F and it's blue! Perfect for an outdoor enthusiast such as myself. I've already taken it on the kayak, securely tying the camera to the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-2665561091745477082009-01-19T14:48:00.000-08:002009-04-21T23:05:40.412-07:00

Northern PintailSurf ScoterKilldeerAcorn WoodpeckerWestern BluebirdNorthern FlickerCanvasbackGoldeneyeBuffleheadCootWestern/Clarks GrebePied billed grebeEared grebeScaupTufted DuckAmerican WigeonGreat Blue HeronAmerican EgretSnowy EgretNorthern ShovelerWestern MeadowlarkWhite Tailed KiteRuddy DuckCurlewAvocetLeopard Shark (not a bird but interesting)

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-72770901919799810372009-01-16T17:45:00.000-08:002009-01-24T09:41:05.595-08:00

In 2008 I took 539 photos deemed worthy of putting on Flickr. Most are actually good photos, a few are just because I was documenting something. I went a lot of new places in 2008 so it was a good year for taking pictures. I got a lot of shots I really like. The photo with the most views and comments is this one of a projection of Obama on election night. It is indeed a good photo. I was able to

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-41000887944240124742009-01-14T19:01:00.001-08:002009-01-14T19:07:28.048-08:00

If you've ever spent hours on your resume trying to get the wording just right you need to read A Literary Critic Reviews My Resume from McSweeney's. It's the funniest thing I've read in quite some time.

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-66883935684041988852009-01-13T15:31:00.000-08:002009-01-23T22:49:54.628-08:00

Northern California has recently enjoyed a spell of exceptional weather which I took full advantage of by going for a paddle on Saturday afternoon. The current heading out to the bay was fairly strong that afternoon so the kayak guy and I decided to head out to the estuary mouth. It would be a fast trip out but a hard paddle back. I really enjoy paddling out to the mouth, you go buy all the big

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-537310833914494332009-01-11T11:07:00.000-08:002009-01-11T11:34:04.045-08:00

Generally it seems everyone hates networking, yet they say it's the best way to grow your business, get a new job etc. etc. Since I'm in the market for a new job last Thursday I found myself in San Francisco at a Carlson School Alumni networking event. I have to admit that in addition to the job market networking I was curious to see what other Carlson School people are out in the Bay Area, as I

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-34343910434900323982009-01-08T20:21:00.000-08:002009-01-13T15:29:44.419-08:00

You may have read of the recent riots in our fair city. First let me just say I think the media loves a frenzy and has hyped this somewhat out of proportion - but not much. Yes there was an out of control crowd on the streets, a significant number of cars were damaged, one car set on fire, and many business vandalized. There were by most accounts hundreds of protestors, around one hundred of

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-70508162294123688492009-01-06T22:25:00.001-08:002009-01-06T22:30:56.273-08:00

This is what it looked like much of the time I was in NY for the holidays. The snow is very pretty, and kind of fun to tramp around in a bit. It brings more birds to the feeder and lends a certain tranquility to the world. But after a day I'd had about enough. The snow is cold, slippery and the roadsides all turn a brownish gray. The rain took away most of the snow pretty quickly. But the snow

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-31294543343378190002008-12-31T14:11:00.000-08:002009-01-06T21:03:31.889-08:00

As the calendar rolls over to 2009 the papers and blogs are full of retrospective looks at 2008. I don't generally do a year end review but 2008 was unusual and might be something worth looking at. The most remarkable occurrence was a non-event. I did not work for pay. I did look for work, I was available for work, I was not too sick or injured to work and I did not refuse any work. These

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-64066116056340837592008-12-31T13:40:00.000-08:002009-04-21T23:06:17.842-07:00

No owls, or eagles this holiday season though Dad and I did take two trips to Croton Point for a look. We did see the usual suspects at the backyard feeder this year:Tufted TitmouseWhite Breasted NuthatchCardinalJuncoWhite Throated SparrowGoldfinchDowny WoodbeckerRed Bellied WoodpeckerCarolina Wren (only once)House FinchMourning DoveBlue JayCrowSquirrel (not a bird but at the feeder)And at Croton

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-42693193223359128862008-12-24T19:46:00.000-08:002008-12-25T12:46:32.327-08:00

On the last day of our adventure Bucci and I woke in the back of the 4runner once again agreeing that it was a much more pleasurable place to sleep than the tent. After a quick oatmeal breakfast we packed up the camp, burned all the remaining wood in an amazing display of pyrotechnics and said goodbye to our campground neighbors. We headed off to the cactus garden in the southern part of the park

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-91878025630494886642008-12-22T19:46:00.001-08:002008-12-22T20:10:10.554-08:00

Day three started much better than day two after a very peaceful night and a new appreciation of redneck camping (I hate to admit just how enjoyable it was to sleep in the 4Runner). Bucci and I set out in the morning to hike up Ryan Mountain. The signpost at the trailhead announces the Ryan mountain trail as a "reaffirmation of life". I'm not sure it was quite that amazing but it is a good hike.

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-27704182618180189972008-12-21T17:46:00.001-08:002008-12-22T20:11:30.061-08:00

The night was cold and windy. Very, very windy. In the morning Bucci and I fruitlessly searched White Tank campground for a more sheltered campsite. We then drove over to Belle Campground to continue our search. After picking up a leftover pile of 2x4's and deciding on a new campsite we drove pack over to White Tank to pack up our gear. When we got to Belle someone else was in our campsite, we

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-38949348606538167872008-12-19T13:58:00.000-08:002008-12-20T15:17:28.325-08:00

A few months ago, Bucci who lives on Joshua Tree Court in a far off land sent me a beautiful picture of a sunlit Joshua Tree in the California Desert. So on a sunny afternoon in early December we found ourselves driving a rented Toyota 4Runner the two and a half hours from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree National Park for three nights of camping in the desert. I-10 winds through the San Gorgonio Pass

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-44381405893948900592008-12-05T19:36:00.000-08:002009-01-13T15:30:32.621-08:00

Henry Petroski generally writes interesting pieces, some of which I've read in American Scientist. The Evolution of Useful Things is no exception, it's an entertaining and well written account of how a few everyday items came to be. Reading the book is sort of like wandering through a museum of artifacts, stopping to peruse all the little sign cards. Petroski basis his discussions on the premises

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-30337538203200033632008-11-28T21:28:00.000-08:002008-11-28T21:39:57.580-08:00

Early Thanksgiving morning (early for getting up on a holiday anyway) the kayak guy and I set off for a paddle along the Oakland estuary. Thanksgiving being a day off for even the port workers things were wonderfully quiet on the water. No ships docked at the port, no trucks roaring by, only a few lone sailboats and the very occasional Amtrak whistle breaking the silence. The grebes and

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-53034427965179749452008-11-23T21:48:00.000-08:002009-01-13T15:30:14.007-08:00

It's been a while since I've talked about the Jack London Square Farmer's Market. It's still going strong, bigger and better than ever I think. Generally the late fall brings an end to the my favorite season of summer fruits and vegetables. And the christmas tree against the palm tree backdrop doesn't sit well with me. Yet I still wander over on Sunday mornings to have a look and pick up some

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-40790606068542615472008-11-19T15:35:00.000-08:002008-11-19T15:39:26.333-08:00

A quick note on the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. It's not what you'd expect from a Bond movie, no Q, no gadgets, no Bond captured and strung up for an elaborate death with just enough time to escape. It's a bit dark, brooding and filled with angst. But it is a good movie in it's own way. And maybe would have been a better film as a non-Bond movie. It opens with a great car chase, Bond

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-19928878879888713942008-11-14T15:01:00.000-08:002009-02-05T14:54:30.756-08:00

Last night someone in the group I was having dinner with mentioned her parents didn't allow her to watch Nickelodeon when she was little, and I thought to myself I couldn't watch Nickelodeon when I was young either because it wasn't a channel!

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-57370296280253046572008-11-09T20:41:00.000-08:002008-11-09T21:01:01.729-08:00

AFter nearly a decade of planning the CA Academy of Sciences opened their new facility in Golden Gate Park at the end of September. An aquarium, a rain forest, a planetarium, penguins, an albino alligator, a big blue whale skeleton, all under a living roof! Need I say more? This place is incredible. So incredible that the crowds on the weekends are larger than the place was designed for. I

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-84523756894389079892008-11-05T20:43:00.000-08:002008-11-08T22:31:53.469-08:00

When I am very old and a young person with an oral history project asks me about voting I will tell him about Election Night 2008. I will say I was in Oakland and the people were dancing in the streets. They came to celebrate, they came to sing, they came to dance, they came to cheer and to be together. The BBQ place a few blocks away threw a block party expecting a few hundred guests, by seven

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-17976296216982462962008-11-02T09:30:00.000-08:002008-11-02T09:58:14.461-08:00

with the impending election on weighing heavily on my mind I trekked off to the court house on Saturday to exercise my right to vote. I had spent a few days study the Voter Information Pamphlet and talking about some of the issues yet it's still daunting to face a ballot with nine officials to elect and seventeen propositions. Poor Prop WW by the time people get that far they're probably too

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-79855113524932861202008-10-29T16:11:00.000-07:002008-10-29T16:38:35.009-07:00

Last month I was the guest of a friend, at a conference in New Hampshire. The conference was set up by a provider of local telephone equipment for their users to discuss the issues and ideas concerning use of the equipment. My friend being the charming sort assured me that he had secured me a free fleece logo vest that was being given to the conference invitees. Sure enough when we registered

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-45003759841510810242008-10-22T16:26:00.000-07:002008-10-22T16:50:38.676-07:00

After a day spent discovering the charms of small towns along the Maine coast how would Portsmouth compare? There's a large Naval shipyard there, it's name sounds rather industrious I was prepared for a town of brick and grit. The locals say Portsmouth used to be something of a red light district for the naval shipyard, the thirtysomethings I met said they wouldn't go anywhere near Portsmouth

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-39748568608770517712008-10-18T09:53:00.000-07:002008-10-18T11:21:13.027-07:00

When I first moved to California five years ago people from the east and midwest would often ask me if I miss the seasons. And truth be told, no I don't. I don't miss the icy chill of winter, the hot, humid summer, we get a nice green spring and some crisp days in fall. What's to miss?This year however when I friend asked if I wanted to accompany him to a conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-15016681338946867832008-10-01T18:58:00.000-07:002008-10-01T19:09:48.240-07:00

While at the checkout counter in Walgreens today I noticed a new Chipotle across the street. The cashier noticed my look and said "oh, they're giving away free food today, you get one entree and a drink until 1:00" Wow! free Chipotle! I hardly ever get Chipotle since I moved out of Minnesota. Free Chipotle is just too good to pass up so I walked over to stand in the big long line. The line moves

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-75876724147060847772008-09-29T17:55:00.000-07:002008-09-29T18:42:22.766-07:00

I picked up Leviathan:the History of Whaling in America from my dad last time I was home and I'm sure glad I did. I've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately and to tell you the truth a lot of it is kind of boring so I was happy to find Leviathan truly engrossing from start to finish. Eric Jay Dollin starts his chronicle at the beginning when early settlers carved up whales found on the beach.

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-47926360944700895662008-09-28T10:06:00.000-07:002008-09-29T17:47:26.804-07:00

I would confess my sins at the Cathedral of Christ the Light. The confession area built into a niche on the inside wall blends in with all the cozy little chapels of the apostles. The separation of parishioner from priest is made of blockss of wood stacked like Jenga pieces forming a screen, the semicircle shaped chairs are made in the same style. The confessor and the listener have separate

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-25258935667807632182008-09-25T19:07:00.000-07:002008-09-25T20:01:22.174-07:00

There's a lot of photo sharing websites out there Kodak's picture gallery (great for ordering prints), Google's Picasa, Photobucket, Snapfish etc. etc. Me, I'm a Flickr gal through and through. I love the sets, the tags, the groups, the easy ways to share and comment, the fact the Flickr team keeps trying to make things better. Over the past few years, I've gotten a few nice comments, requests to

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-54583341576758880612008-09-25T18:47:00.000-07:002008-09-25T18:57:23.858-07:00

I've lived across the hall from the same couple for several years now. I don't see them very often, but when I do we exchange a friendly word or two. It's always comforting to know they're there. And every holiday out comes a special piece of decor. Right on cue the first day of fall brought this cute scarecrow. I think he's a new addition, usually the fall brings a couple pieces of corn on the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-39323947146166932252008-08-30T09:25:00.000-07:002008-08-31T18:25:33.310-07:00

Who knew Oakland had a rose garden? Actually I did know because I had seen pictures of it in the Oakland flickr group. But I had assumed it was a small place with a few straggly rose beds and a fountain. Even so and despite the fact it's well past prime rose season I thought the rose garden might be a good place for a short evening walk. Wow was I amazed when I gazed down into the garden

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-63889137248354046012008-08-27T10:55:00.000-07:002009-04-21T23:03:14.193-07:00

A couple of weeks ago the kayak guy and I loaded the boats onto the Ultimate Driving machine and headed down the coast to Monterey for a couple days of paddling. We hit Monterey about 11:00 and quickly headed up to the city campground to grab a camping spot for the night. I was pleased to see the small campground was actually very nice, good tenting spots, clean bathrooms. It was then time for

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-25436125784321038652008-08-19T22:01:00.001-07:002009-02-05T14:55:34.485-08:00

Last Friday at the local Beverage store, a large place which stocks a wide assortment of beers, I saw a package of Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. Back in the days when I lived in Minnesota Leinenkugel's was a very popular beer. I've even driven by the brewery in Chippewa Falls Wisconsin. It always seemed strange that Leinenkugel's was much more prevalent in Minnesota than in Wisconsin. I was

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-23075452114032999262008-08-15T21:29:00.000-07:002008-08-15T21:51:30.861-07:00

As a big fan of the original Wizard of Oz I was a little apprehensive about watching SciFi channel's inventive, reimagined take on the film in their mini series Tin Man. Much to my delight Tin Man was everything you could possibly want in a new incarnation of the classic tale. It takes Oz into modern times calling the region the OZ or outer zone. Zooey Deschanel plays DG, a girl from Kansas swept

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-21096319788635734502008-08-12T15:27:00.000-07:002008-10-18T11:21:48.431-07:00

Thank you to the neighbor who's license plate made me laugh. If you are creative enough there's always a way to get your message through the censors!

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-65401170876554856732008-08-10T21:06:00.000-07:002008-08-12T15:12:37.283-07:00

About a year ago I heard a podcast of Ken Robinson's brilliant TED Talk on creativity. Robinson makes the observation that education systems worldwide are based on academic subjects such as history, math, science etc. But suppose you were to base a curriculum on art? Not just studying art but doing art, dance, music etc. as the basis of learning. How would that change society? It's an interesting

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-36429324017256228942008-08-05T20:01:00.001-07:002008-08-05T22:56:31.998-07:00

This past Sunday I had the good fortune to attend my first Major League Soccer match. Our local team the San Jose Earthquakes play just a bit too far for me to make the trip but twice a year when they play the LA Galaxy the match is held in the Oakland Coliseum to accommodate the throngs that turn out to see David Beckham. It was quite a nice surprise to be given a free program upon entering the

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-80988291027137572792008-08-01T08:49:00.000-07:002008-08-05T20:02:12.428-07:00

After a week of thinking, talking and watching Grace Under Pressure I headed off to kayak rolling class again last night. This time I had some idea of what to expect, how it felt to be underwater and after viewing the video I had an understanding of what was supposed to happen. And this time it was all so easy. A quick hip snap and the boat just popped right up, of course it helps to have as an

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-46861697205364678642008-07-26T10:54:00.000-07:002008-08-01T08:46:55.315-07:00

Rolling a kayak is not as easy as it looks. OK maybe to some people it doesn't look that easy. But a lot of people take kayak rolling classes and a lot of people can do it. And when someone is showing off that they can roll a kayak, generally they perform a quick smooth roll, they don't miss. These apparently are people who have practiced a lot and wouldn't be showing off if they didn't know they

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14159418.post-75468652923004202632008-07-21T22:18:00.000-07:002008-12-09T20:28:15.996-08:00

My mom gave me this book of New York Times Sunday Crosswords last Christmas. There are 53, one for each calendar week of the year (it is afterall a calendar). At first I tried to pace them out to one a week, but I soon gave up on that idea and finished the last one sometime in June. Crosswords are way too addictive. This book is the perfect bed time reader, it's hard backed so you don't need a

Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14184357184480734286noreply@blogger.com0