I Now Have A Hotel Routine

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I’m back in La Quinta, back in the hotel. We were on from my home studio at 5 and 6. I drove to Palm Desert for the late news.

There are still a few stubborn, but solvable, roadblocks. It’s worth doing right.

The hotel threw me a curve this time. I’m on the left side of the building facing the pool, dead center. I expect it to be quiet and visually meh.

My room has two Queens instead of a single King Size bed. I’m too tired to kvetch. I can take in boarders. Airbnb?

I now have a hotel routine. Dammit. I hate routines.

Suit off as soon as I get in, then neatly hung. Two suits for five days. Respect the fabric.

The Foxes are convinced as long as I change ties no one will notice. Shhh.

My dirty clothes go in the zipped side of the suitcase. My ties are curled up, then set on the TV table/dresser. Gotta segregate the worn and unworn. Seriously, I’d forget.

My collar stays and cuff links are on the nightstand. There are backups, hopefully not needed.

I came with food! Even away from home Helaine makes sure I’m well fed. It makes being away easier. It makes me miss her more.

There’s fruit and nuts and snacks plus a few microwavable entrees and salad kits. My room has a refrigerator, now holding around 5% of its capacity.

Somehow I’ve gotten another room with an unsettable clock showing the wrong time. Welcome home.

I Love Video

Unlocked cell phone. Burmese sim. Internet plan. It’s the third world in the Twenty First Century.

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My friends are cruising the Irrawaddy River in Burma/Myanmar. Their ship is docked in Bagan, It is an exotic place.

I’m treated to photos and travelogues as they explore the world. I love it.

And then tonight, she called on Skype. I expected voice, but there she was on my screen from their cabin.

Unlocked cell phone. Burmese sim. Internet plan. It’s the third world in the Twenty First Century.

She proceed to take me on a tour of the ship.

We went up and down, through hallways and up stairs, into and out of parlors and dining rooms. She walked me down the gangway so I could see the ship itself.

“It’s my friend from California,” she said, while passing some perplexed shipmates.

They only cruise during daylight. The river is too dangerous after dark with many uncharted sand bars.

It is a shallow draft, flat bottom boat. It was built to cruise this fabled river.

What an absolutely cool call! We live in amazing times.

The Longer Way To Work

I was looking at traffic, but not paying a lot of attention to navigating. Then I passed the sign that said I was entering San Diego County. That’s not right.

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My route to work is simple. Well, usually it’s simple. Not today.

I was on the phone with my friend Barry Schulman, chatting and enjoying the ride. I was looking at traffic, but not paying a lot of attention to navigating. Then I passed the sign that said I was entering San Diego County. That’s not right.

Somehow I’d gotten off CA91 and onto I-15. I was making good time, just not in the right direction.

DCIM101MEDIAThe GPS, not turned on until now, pointed the way through desert and chaparral via CA371 and CA74 (aka the “Pines to Palms Highway”). These were two lane roads through the wilderness. I passed three Indian Reservations, a handful of ranches and one outcropping with horse sculptures.

_MG_9693My 1:40 trip took an extra hour!

There is good news. Within 10 miles of Palm Desert is Vista Point. You’re high above the Coachella Valley with a spectacular view of the Palm Springs region and the hairpin of a road I was on.

In My Room

Looking north you see how far civilization goes and how abruptly it stops. Vegas doesn’t thin out. It just stops. Homes on one side of the street, a desolate desert wilderness for hundreds of miles on the other.

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We’re on 27. In Las Vegas that doesn’t necessarily mean the 27th floor. They count oddly. No floors in the unlucky 40s. There’s a lot more hotel above us.

The view is to the north. The Wynn/Encore complex block the northwest.

Las Vegas (The Meadows) sits in a broad desert valley. The region is flat, ringed by mountains.

Looking north you see how far civilization goes and how abruptly it stops. Vegas doesn’t thin out. It just dead ends. Homes on one side of the street, a desolate desert wilderness for hundreds of miles on the other.

Sunsets here often resemble the mixed drinks you find on cruise ships. Tonight’s did.

My First Vlog Post: A Trip To The Wedge

I visited The Wedge in Newport Beach this afternoon. It’s a famous surf break. Lowell, a not as famous Eastern Pacific tropical storm, has blessed The Wedge with heavy surf.

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I visited The Wedge in Newport Beach this afternoon. It’s a famous surf break. Lowell, a not as famous Eastern Pacific tropical storm, has blessed The Wedge with heavy surf. Not great surf, just big.

This is the story of my trip to photograph it and some of my shots. Please click the button and watch my short video.

Always Use The Right Tool

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I’ve been a bad boy recently when it comes to chores. Today was a day to make up time.

On the list, a trip to Home Depot. We want to replace a few plants. Some aren’t healthy. Others, let’s just say they didn’t make the cut. There were other odds and ends as well. There’s always something you need or want at the Depot.

I headed to the garage and realized Helaine was gone. Her SUV too. That only left my two-seater. There was really no way to put this off.

Vrooom.

HD has a self serve packing department. I pulled ten or twelve feet of heavy brown paper from a roll to wrap the front seat. On the floor, a plastic trash bag from home.

Holy crap, it fit! Tall plants. Short plants. Fifty feet of garden hose. Fifty pounds of paver sand. Even a spray bottle of bug stuff.

Nothing spilled!

The plants are home, healthy and I have proof they can survive 50 mph winds.

The Illustrated: How Does My Garden Grow?

Back in Connecticut there was a rush of color as plants flowered over a short period. Here, something’s blooming year round.

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Steffie picked a lemon earlier today. It came from one of the two little lemon trees (very pretty) near the patio. Wow! We grew that.

We have a small outdoor space. I’m the plant wrangler. Most of our plants are thriving. A few are suspect. We need more flowers!

Back in Connecticut there was a rush of color as plants flowered over a short period. Here, something’s blooming year round.

The flowers attached to this entry are in bloom now. In most cases photography makes them look larger than actual size. They’re all clickable for a larger view.

Lunch In Surf City

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IMG_3701_6274“We should get together,” I said a few days ago to Larry Fitzgerald. This afternoon we were texting each other to apologize for traffic and parking related delays.

We met in Huntington Beach, aka Surf City. It’s two days before the US Open of Surfing. It’s “the season” in HB.

There was trouble at the Open last year. Violence. Rioting. Huntington Beach suffered a black eye then worked hard publicly to guarantee there would be no repeat in 2014.

IMG_3709_6282It was hot in SoCal today. Temps were near 90 just a few blocks inland. At the HB Pier the report was 78&#176 with the water at 68&#176. Lovely.

We were going to lunch at Ruby’s, a 50s themed diner at the end of Huntington Beach’s long fishing pier. We were there for the schmooze, not the kitsch.

Considering it’s Thursday the beach and pier were jammed! This is an active beach with volleyball, bicycling and surfing. An in-water lifesaving course was in progress alongside the pier.

IMG_3707_6280It was hazy today, but I made out Santa Catalina in the distance and a few offshore oil rigs which look a lot closer in my photo than they actually are.

This is oil country. I even shot pumps in action behind someone’s house!

We decided we’ll meet again. Cameras again too!

Thar She Blows

This is the money shot! As the whale goes down she arches her back and her tail comes out of the sea. Water pours off while her body straightens then disappears from sight.

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Helaine and I went whale watching this afternoon. We’d been before, in Alaska. A trip in shirtsleeves under sunny skies sounded very appealing.

IMG_3184_5769We headed out Newport Bay and into the open Pacific. Seas were light. Santa Catalina and San Nicholas Island were both visible in light haze.

Finding whales is part instinct, part deduction and part luck. Our ship was aimed where whales were seen headed a few hours ago.

IMG_3237_5822It didn’t take long. No one shouted, “Thar she blows,” but that’s what happened. A quarter mile off the bow a cloud of mist was thrown up from the sea.

From the bridge the captain started talking about the whale, but she was still invisible to me. All I could see was that blow!

She began to rise. A blue whale, she was around 100 feet long. The whale leveled off with a few inches of her back above the water line, then began to dive.

IMG_3274_5859_1This is the money shot! As the whale goes down she arches her back and her tail comes out of the sea. Water pours off while her body straightens then disappears from sight.

The whale stayed submerged 13 minutes then blew again well in front of the boat. I knew it was the same whale because of a distinctive ‘beauty mark’ on her tail.

IMG_3381_5965Next up were dolphins, dozens of them swimming near and often in front of our boat. We stayed far from the whales, but that’s not possible with dolphins. They sought us out.

What a great trip. One more thing to do to keep out-of-town guests entertained… and us too.

The Wedding

Milwaukee has become the hub of my family. We saw my sister and brother-in-law, parents, two nieces and families, nephew and bride, plus non-related peripheral family members who we might as well be related to.

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As you may have heard, H and I spent the weekend in Milwaukee. We live in amazing times. Trips like this are possible, though still pretty brutal.

We left before the Sun rose Saturday and watched it set as we flew between Phoenix and John Wayne two days later.

Milwaukee has become the hub of my family. We saw my sister and brother-in-law, parents, two nieces and families, nephew and bride, plus non-related peripheral family members who we might as well be related to.

We stayed with Mark and Melissa. Her baby is due later this month. Putting us up is no small chore. Thank you both, again.

The real purpose of our trip was Matt and Brooke’s wedding. We went to a rehearsal dinner Saturday night, then the wedding Sunday.

The bride was beautiful. The ceremony too. We hope they’re forever happy.

It’s nice when the family gets together. I’m sure we’ll be back to see the baby.

Best Linguine And Clams Ever

From the first bite I was in love! Nicely cooked pasta, small clams and a light sauce with rich seasoning in every mouthful. Was it the mullet roe? Whatever it was, it was dynamite!

Best linguine and clams ever. This was truly a California surprise.

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I’m learning more about SoCal every day. For instance, at least a half dozen people have told me the worst traffic is on Thursday afternoon. Did all the former college students who arranged for no Friday classes figure out a way to preserve that as adults?

It was with this is mind that we set a halfway point to meet our friends Farrell and Vered for dinner last night. They live near Palm Springs, but were visiting in Los Angeles. We headed to Long Beach. Traffic on the 405 did not disappoint.

None of us know much about Long Beach, so we set out to find a restaurant using Yelp. That’s always scary. Yelp can be swayed, good or bad, with enough effort.

Our second worry was Vered and Farrell dine… we eat. Their tastes are more sophisticated.

IMAG1037We ended up going to La Parolaccia. In Italian, the name means “the bad language.”

Long Beach is a beach community (duh). La Parolaccia is in a neighborhood away from the water. It seemed like a locals place.

The TV over the bar was tuned to RAI! It’s an Italian place with Italians who speak Italian! A California rarity.

IMAG1038Helaine had lasagna, Farrell salmon, Vered a simple spaghetti dish and I had “Linguine alle Vongole con Bottarga.” That’s my go to pasta dish, linguine with clams. At La Parolaccia they add “bottarga,” grated dry mullet roe (dried fish eggs).

From the first bite I was in love! Nicely cooked pasta, small clams and cherry tomatoes in a light sauce with rich seasoning in every mouthful. Was it the mullet roe? Whatever it was, it was dynamite!

Best linguine and clams ever. This was truly a California surprise.

Helaine and I were worried when we picked a place sight unseen, but the service was great, the bread hot and the food tasty and genuinely Italian.

We sat, shmoozed and ate. Good friends are always worth the drive.

An hour ten there, thirty five minutes home. Thursday traffic!

A Drive Through Laguna Beach

Total fail. Nothing I wanted to do worked.

On the way back I held my cellphone at the top of the windshield to shoot a little trip through Laguna Beach. This you’ll enjoy.

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The beauty of SoCal is very different than Connecticut’s. Connecticut is verdant. California is stark. Here the hills are sharp and individual with deeply chiseled canyons.

I read about a nearby place with good photo opportunities. It’s called “Top of the World.” Officially it’s Alta Laguna Park. In any event, it’s high above Laguna Beach with commanding views.

I didn’t bring the memory for my camera!

Seriously. What a doof. I’ve never done that before.

I tried to shoot something with my tablet, but it didn’t keep focus.

Total fail. Nothing I wanted to do worked.

On the way back I held my cellphone at the top of the windshield to shoot a little trip through Laguna Beach. This you’ll enjoy.

94 Seconds With My Hummingbirds

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I was fooling around with my GoPro camera this afternoon. It’s perfect to suction near the hummingbird feeder.

Notice how amazing agile they are and how they always hit the right spot with their long beaks. Each bird feeds a little differently.

First Fruit

It looks like a cherry tomato, but it’s supposed to be full size.

This plant is growing in a pot. Maybe I should thin things out a little to concentrate the growth? I don’t know. I’ve never had to do that before.

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I just ate my first tomato of the season. It’s still April. I usually don’t plant until Memorial Day. Oh, California!

Here’s the problem. It looks like a cherry tomato, but it’s supposed to be full size.

This plant is growing in a pot. Maybe I should thin things out a little to concentrate the growth? I don’t know. I’ve never had to do that before.

The taste was good, though a little pulpy. Not as many seeds as I expected.

I’ll keep observing. Tomatoes are worth it.

Oatmeal: It’s What’s For Breakfast

IMAG0745-w1200-h1200I live an odd schedule. It’s ten of two. I’m on the patio. I’m having breakfast. A bowl of oatmeal has been invited.

I have oatmeal for breakfast every day. Helaine usually prepares it. She’s out today. She left an oatmeal kit. Like so many guys, my kitchen skills are limited.

No one eats oatmeal for the taste. Neutral. I sprinkle a little Splenda on. Passable.

I do enjoy the texture. Good oatmeal has loads of texture. It feels best when slow cooked.

Oatmeal maintains heat for a long time. Walk away from oatmeal for ten or fifteen minutes, its still piping hot. I am baffled by this ability.

IMAG0746-w1200-h1200Oatmeal sticks to everything! The pot must begin soaking with hot water as soon as the oatmeal is served. When dry, oatmeal could easily be mistaken for cement.

I don’t want to think about what it sticks to inside me.

If my twenty year old metabolism decides to reappear I can switch to bagels. Until then it’s oatmeal, my top choice.