Weblog
Death Valley Superbloom 2016
I took a day off of work so that Jude and I could take a (very long) single-day trip to the Mojave Desert and Death Valley to see the “superbloom”. It was amazing. This was Jude’s first time to Death Valley, and I was last there on a Boy Scout camping trip in 1980. The desert landscape is stark and geologic, the earth-tone colors of grey and brown, red, black, and white. I was drawn to the forms of the mountains, many of them striped with volcanic and sedimentary strata. I connected with the landscape much more as a 50 year-old than a 14 year-old.  Jude captured my joy among the rocks and flowers.  In the areas of the superbloom, there is a hazy yellow tint overlay in the washes and alluvial fans. When we got close, we could see that the land was dotted with desert sunflowers, bright fist-sized flowers suspended 2-3 feet above the ground on wiry stems.  We took a break at the Furnace Creek Inn for an espresso. One outlying building burned down last year, but the rest of the inn has a quality of old grandeur, with a bit of The Shining mixed in.  More photos on Flickr: Death Valley Superbloom 2016 |
Music of 2015
There were a bunch of songs I loved in 2015, but I didn't love the rest of their albums: "Easy Way Out" by Other Lives, "Don't Wanna Fight" and "Gimme All Your Love" by Alabama Shakes, "Lilly" by Toro Y Moi, "Fight or Flight" by Engineers, "Learning To Relax" by Dan Deacon, "Let It Happen" by Tame Impala. I discovered a pair of albums from 2013, though, that have become some of my favorites of all time: Melody's Echo Chamber, "Melody's Echo Chamber": Delightful psychedelic pop, a collaboration by French singer Melody and the lead member of Tame Impala. The Stargazer Lilies, "We Are The Dreamers": Shoegazer-blues, with beautiful guitar work and singing by former members of Soundpool. |
Wildflower Day 2015
Jude and I took a day trip from Los Angeles to the Santa Ynez Valley to enjoy the April scenery and wildflowers.  The ongoing drought has an effect on the landscape, but we saw many special flowers growing on Figueroa Mountain, like these mariposa lilies (Calochortus sp.) in a meadow.  |
April 2015 Flowers
Spring started early in Southern California this year because of the dry hot weather during the winter. In a more normal year, our garden and the wild landscape erupt in bloom during early April, but this year that all started in March. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful time. I took pictures of the garden at the beginning of the month.  This is the definitely the pink season.  ... and the purple and orange season.  |
March 2015 Photos Update
Our garden has started a beautiful bloom this March. The flowers seem a little early this year, maybe because we had a dry and warm 2015 so far. But the December rains were enough to make this year's bloom a hit. I updated the garden photos on our Flickr album.
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February 2015 Photos Update
I've uploaded some pictures spanning the period from last summer to last week.
Garden Cycle 2014-2015 has pictures of the yard, starting September 2104 at the end of the dry season and progressing through the peak of the rainy season now in February 2015. I'll add more photos as garden continues the cycle through green winter to flowery spring and subdued summer.
 People and Pets 2015 is where I'll upload pictures this year of family and friends (feline, canine, and human).
 People and Pets 2014 is updated with some new pictures of family gatherings.
 Garden 2014 is updated with some new pictures from the end of last summer, particularly the striking bloom of the pink floss silk tree in our yard.
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Music of 2014
Even through I've continued to buy lots of tracks and albums from eMusic and iTunes, the last couple years haven't offered many albums that got me excited. That changed in 2014. My favorite records ths year: Spoon: "They Want My Soul"
Temples: "Sun Structures"
The Horrors: "Luminous" The songs have great atmosphere, with sounds that sustain and shift and hook me in. Medicine: "To The Happy Few"
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Music of 2010
April 2014 Pet Photos
The cats and dogs want to let you know they are doing well this spring. I've uploaded an album to Flickr. Madeline and Lupita  Pema and Nigel  Monty  Natalie  Annette  |
Spring 2014 Garden Photos
Despite the terrible drought, our garden is in wonderful bloom this spring. I've posted the pictures to a Flickr album.  Most exiting to me is the new garden we planted by the kitchen. We pulled out part of the driveway and set up slightly raised beds. I planted perennials and sowed annual wildflower seeds last fall. With regular watering, it's turned into a lush, lively space. We can watch the insects and hummingbirds out the kitchen window — such a wonderful improvement from looking onto asphalt! Wildflowers in bloom include claytonias, gilias, layias, phacelias, nemophilas, and collinsias. Perennials include iris, heucheras, penstemons, eriognonums, and mimulus. We made a special effort to deep-water our trees and shrubs, and that was enough to keep our Wildflowering LA hillside in color. Lots of flowers are visible from the street: poppies, clarkias, phacelias, and claytonias. Some of my favorite pictures this spring: Poppies and Collinsias  So many shades of green, yellow, and grey   Iris  |
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