Yes it's Raining!

As we do need it, it's hard to complain, but it's raining again. We have had the mighty Pacific storms that I remember lately and hopefully this will end up being a non-drought year. Some of the wildflowers are starting to peek out , like wild radish and I will go to the Redwoods this weekend to find more. I need to harvest Nettles. I am on a kick to boost my immune system and dodge the ever-present cold cycle. I bought some seeds ( Seeds of Change) from Lumberman's? the store on River street in Santa Cruz. They have practically the whole catalogue right on the wall there and seemingly less expensive. I bought carrots and beets and arugula and red cabbage ( purple really), peas and nigella aka love-in-the mist, one of my favorite flowers ever. I will try to grow some stuff on Orlando's plot in Pescadero.

I need to grow out all of the seeds that I have been carrying around for years, so I hope he'll let me use a few rows.

Belated Goodbye to 2007

I kinda like the way these pictures look in a pile. Picasa does that and this one is quite by mistake, but appropriate to put last year into a pile and begin anew. I have my laptop back in the land of free wireless. It had crashed and I am determined more than ever to keep the eddy going. I will try to post some pictures from Joshua Tree. I camped in Indian Cove for my 46th birhtday back in October and got to see Bill and Betsy and the B dawgs in Desert Hot Springs and met a cousin of my Dad's. I just got back from a stay in Room 99 at the Fort Mason Hostel in San Francisco. Spent some time in the beeautiful community garden on the grounds there. Saw the "Parrots of Telegraph Hill" right outside of my rooftop window...though they weren't red it seemed, but more a flock of yellow. I had wanted to see them after seeing the documentary, and there they were greeting both of my mornings with their squawking party in the eucalyptus grove. It's funny to be living remote and escaping to "The City" and San Francisco is such a wonderful city to escape to. Such an amazing view of the diversity of our planet at this time. Okay, this part is belated too: I resolve to learn to surf this year. I resolve to take care of my body, continuing acupuncture and ocean air breathing (as much as possible), I resolve to meditate everyday on the possibility of the whole world breaking down into un-controllable laughter.

This was the amazing view from " Bill and Betsy's place" just south of Pigeon point Rd

This is Buddy, one of their dogs. Boy, is he happy. I love the way he's still checking me out, out of the corner of his eye, as he runs away.


This sunflower was on Kelly Avenue and I just had to stop and take ( alot ) of pictures of it.

Artichoke Bliss 7/27/07

Artichokes are one of my favorite California plants and this one just came into the lovely lavender of it's downy fleece. Some cousins* of mine and I had dinner tonight and they brought artichokes. Being raised on the meat and potatoes of Ohi-O, I had never really eaten an artichoke until I lived in the Greenhouse on Jones Gulch Road my first fall here in the greater La Honda-Pescadero-San Gregorio triangle back in 1989. Shortly thereafter, I started eating them on a regular basis. Around these parts, you can get them in bread, pesto , and even ice cream , though the latter might just be a rumor from Castroville, and the former ( from Norm's Market in Pescadero), I can never pass up. There is definitely a method to imbibing this flower's buttery insides , and mayonnaise is an essential element of the whole process. If you've never done it, get a Californian to show you.

* and beautiful , kindred spirits who I hope to write about. They drove up from Desert Hot Springs to see me. We met for the first time at a family reunion 2 years ago, they were sort of catalysts for helping to nudge me out of Columbus and back "on the road"....back out into the uncertainty of nowness. For the next week or so , I hope to show them the Redwoods, the San Gregorio Store, parts of Santa Cruz and Big Basin...maybe Castle Rock...who knows? what fun it will be.
This is the second summer that I have been able to see this flower bloom. Thanks to Teresa for planting it!
Medicinally, artichokes are good for your liver, stimulating bile flow and reducing cholesterol, among other things. more info at www.botanical.com

Jugtown Pirates of Lake Champlain !!!

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The Lens Room clearer,perhaps a reflection

Fog overtakes Lighthouse 5:40 pm 7/17/07

This was just a few minutes ago. I went straight down to the cove after work today and just played and layed (laid, lie ....at 40 something, I am starting to forget...help me editors at heart) in the sun , on the rocks enjoying being off and midsummer energy everywhere. I watched a beautiful greenish crab with turqouise sides come in and out from a crack and heard and watched oystercatchers protecting their brood. I had not been down in the cove prior to this, DURING the coming of the fog. I was standing in the sun and it comes pouring past the Lighthouse from nowhere and it looks like smoke as it follows the curve of the land and falls down the cliffs in a spray over the coves soft sandy beach. I looked up and the Lighthouse was completely gone ( but it's really not that far away, that's how thick the fog is). You can see a little nub in the center of the fog that is what I think are the windows of the Fresnel Lens room of the Lighthouse.
Pretty cool eh?