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The Art of Not Drowning
I photographed some sea gulls, not realizing that, as pictured above, all of us would be doused by a “king” wave. While I was able to keep my balance, this ocean wave reminded me of a short story I once wrote, “The Art of Drowning,” based on my two near deaths in the water. The…
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I Am A Museum, Not A Rock…
I am a museum. With free admission and not closed on Mondays, I am quite accessible, but rarely visited, save through this blog and the occasional random chat where memories of what once was are topics to snicker about. Here is this week’s main attraction: In 1969 I was a newspaper reporter who typed…
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Breaking…
The final season of AMC’s Breaking Bad is looming. I stopped by the home page for the show and noted the 4.9 million “likes.” ‘Sup? I started watching past episodes two months ago after a neighbor said she was a fan. I’m at the start of season 4—the drama started in 2008– and will probably…
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A Place to Reflect
Memo to the world: here is an updated photo of myself. Yes, that’s my shadow against the rocks at the self-proclaimed Sammy’s Beach (not on any public map). This is my “church” where I go to dream, rejoice and sometimes regret. We should each have a place to reflect although it isn’t necessary to broadcast…
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Duck Walk
Yesterday I went on a walk along the coast at Asilomar, California and ran into this purposeful duck with no sidekicks. We didn’t say much. He led and I followed over mounds of soft, dried kelp and rocks that looked smooth but were ready to slash skin at a moment’s slip—I have the strawberry to…
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California Prison Hunger Strike
The hunger strike in the California state prison system is in its 24th day. At its zenith there were 12,000 inmates who said “no” to a meal, now the fasters are down to 561 with 385 going the distance since July 8. Someone is going to die of starvation soon and this will rocket…
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A Few Things I Didn’t Know…
I photographed a ladybug this morning, apparently drunk as a skunk in a marigold. Was “she” eating my flowers? No, I am assured by an internet search, ladybugs eat aphids, up to 5,000 aphids in their lifetime. I wrote about pelicans last week after doing a little research. And earlier this year , I blogged…
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A Photographed Moment
The above photograph, taken as I sped out of Venice by water taxi, is a moment now in its fourth year. One piece of laundry in the center of the line, a sheer skirt, flaps in the wind while the other items are wet and hanging straight down. I saw the woman put the last…
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A Wedding Story, Sort of…
My son was married yesterday. Derek and Vina Steffen laugh well together. It was, indeed, a happy event. I planned to share one of my rambling stories about the passage of time between father and son and how certain memories surface at the oddest times, but then came tequila shots… so I will bare my…