CHRISTMAS 2011
Diana and I enjoyed our Christmas this year with Erik, Rachel, Ronan, and Nieve in Palo Alto, California. We had an enormously wonderful time with them and their family and friends.
We feel singularly blessed:
December 27, 2011
October 30, 2011
THROUGH MY LENS
I recently returned from several weeks touring Great Britain. It was an absolutely awesome experience, something I undoubtedly will do again!
My shutter finger developed a callus due to it's protracted use; I love it! I took several thousand photographs, so all I can say is thank God for digital photography! As always, I'd like to share my experiences with you:
WARNING: Viewing the following videos may cause eye strain, irritation, consternation, and/or insanity due to their extreme length and questionable quality. Be fore-warned! Be prepared--have a tall, cool one at the ready!
Now, please enjoy.....
Great Britain 1: Various traditional sites in London, Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cheltenham, Snowdonia, Wales, Llangollen, Caernarfon, Portmeirion
Great Britain 2: Wales, Caernarfon Mens Chorus, Chester, York, Lake District, Whitby, Castle Howard, Gretna Green, Hadrian's Wall, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Animals: During my travels I came across many interesting animals of all sorts. Of course, the British are great dog lovers (that's why I felt so at home there) and canines were in great abundance. But, I restrained myself from taking photos of evry dog I encountered!
Fellow Travelers I also took photographs of humans too, when the spirit moved me. I will admit that this was not a priority for me at all. I took some shots of my fellow travelers and of locals who caught my eye.
Cormerion Men's Chorus: We were privileged to attend a rehearsal of this very good mens chorus in Caernarfon, Wales. They were terrific; and most were sung in Welsh, as was the guidance of the director, Menai Williams.
I recently returned from several weeks touring Great Britain. It was an absolutely awesome experience, something I undoubtedly will do again!
My shutter finger developed a callus due to it's protracted use; I love it! I took several thousand photographs, so all I can say is thank God for digital photography! As always, I'd like to share my experiences with you:
WARNING: Viewing the following videos may cause eye strain, irritation, consternation, and/or insanity due to their extreme length and questionable quality. Be fore-warned! Be prepared--have a tall, cool one at the ready!
Now, please enjoy.....
Great Britain 1: Various traditional sites in London, Stonehenge, Bath, the Cotswolds, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, Cheltenham, Snowdonia, Wales, Llangollen, Caernarfon, Portmeirion
Great Britain 2: Wales, Caernarfon Mens Chorus, Chester, York, Lake District, Whitby, Castle Howard, Gretna Green, Hadrian's Wall, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Animals: During my travels I came across many interesting animals of all sorts. Of course, the British are great dog lovers (that's why I felt so at home there) and canines were in great abundance. But, I restrained myself from taking photos of evry dog I encountered!
Fellow Travelers I also took photographs of humans too, when the spirit moved me. I will admit that this was not a priority for me at all. I took some shots of my fellow travelers and of locals who caught my eye.
Cormerion Men's Chorus: We were privileged to attend a rehearsal of this very good mens chorus in Caernarfon, Wales. They were terrific; and most were sung in Welsh, as was the guidance of the director, Menai Williams.
October 25, 2011
GO CARDINAL
Last weekend I traveled up to Palo Alto for a football weekend. I took Erik and Ronan to see the Stanford versus Washington football game on Saturday night. We went to the game on a tandem bike for Erik and I, carrying backpacks on our (of all places!) our backs. Ronan kept his hands free so as to be able to quickly ring the bell on his bike. What a procession, especially in a football crowd!
Some of Erik's friends had kindly invited us to their tailgate party which we finally navigated to. Great food, friends, and fun!
After Stanford had annihilated Washington 65-21, the three of us slung on our packs and ventured into the night and an adventurous ride home.
Sunday morning we brunched on good things from the oven with a good friend of Erik and Rachel's, and his adorable pooch--who's name I can't spell! Nieve and Ronan added playtime in the back yard to their brunching.
As usual, I took a few pix to document the action. Enjoy!
Last weekend I traveled up to Palo Alto for a football weekend. I took Erik and Ronan to see the Stanford versus Washington football game on Saturday night. We went to the game on a tandem bike for Erik and I, carrying backpacks on our (of all places!) our backs. Ronan kept his hands free so as to be able to quickly ring the bell on his bike. What a procession, especially in a football crowd!
Some of Erik's friends had kindly invited us to their tailgate party which we finally navigated to. Great food, friends, and fun!
After Stanford had annihilated Washington 65-21, the three of us slung on our packs and ventured into the night and an adventurous ride home.
Sunday morning we brunched on good things from the oven with a good friend of Erik and Rachel's, and his adorable pooch--who's name I can't spell! Nieve and Ronan added playtime in the back yard to their brunching.
As usual, I took a few pix to document the action. Enjoy!
October 22, 2011
CAMBRIA HARVEST FESTIVAL 2011
Once again it is time for Cambria's annual Harvest Festival. It is a very effective way to add interest to an already interesting town. Every year more and more businesses (and some individuals) are participating in the Festival.
Basically, participants in the Festival create their own "scarecrow" figure(s) and display them in front of their shops or designated common areas. A panel of expert scarecrow judges caravan around town and judge the entries in several different categories. They view these creative efforts with a very critical eye. These awards are quite prestigious (ha, ha!) and are highly sought after. Bragging rights in Cambria is highly valued!
Harvest Festival, sponsored by the Cambria Historical Society, is a fun way add interest in the town during the Halloween and Thanksgiving season. It is a real kick to see the creative ideas of our fellow townspeople.
The following slideshow features most of 2011's entries:
Once again it is time for Cambria's annual Harvest Festival. It is a very effective way to add interest to an already interesting town. Every year more and more businesses (and some individuals) are participating in the Festival.
Basically, participants in the Festival create their own "scarecrow" figure(s) and display them in front of their shops or designated common areas. A panel of expert scarecrow judges caravan around town and judge the entries in several different categories. They view these creative efforts with a very critical eye. These awards are quite prestigious (ha, ha!) and are highly sought after. Bragging rights in Cambria is highly valued!
Harvest Festival, sponsored by the Cambria Historical Society, is a fun way add interest in the town during the Halloween and Thanksgiving season. It is a real kick to see the creative ideas of our fellow townspeople.
The following slideshow features most of 2011's entries:
August 7, 2011
National Lighthouse Day
One of my favorite volunteer activities is being a tour guide at Piedras Blancas Light Station, just north of San Simeon, California.
On Saturday August 6, 2011 we celebrated National Lighthouse Day at Piedras Blancas Light Station. Volunteer reenactors portrayed PBLS personnel as they might have been in the 1890's; they dressed in period costume and did various activities of those times. We had well over 100 visitors and we ran 6 guided tours, starting at 9:45 AM. Guests and reenactor interacted at various points along the tour route. After a 2 hour tour our guests received a gift bag of several goodies commemorating their visit as they drove out the PBLS front gate. It was a great day for one and all!
Here's a little video of the day's activites:
Here's a little video of the day's activites:
July 18, 2011
Coastal Discovery Center's 2011 Summer Fair
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Coastal Discovery Center hosted their 2011 Summer Fair by their facility at the William Hearst State Beach in San Simeon, CA. Diana and I are both volunteers there. The Fair is primarily an educational event; local environmental and animal advocate groups provide and man booths featuring their own particular mission. There is plenty of fun activities for kids and good conversation for adults. I think it is safe to say that a great time was had by all!
June 26, 2011
MBARI!
Yesterday morning Diana and I drove up to Moss Landing and met Erik, Rachel, Ronan, and Nieve who had driven down from Palo Alto.
We spent the afternoon at the MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) Open House at their facility on Monterey Bay. It was overcast, which was good since we didn't broil in the sun as we wandered around the exhibits, lectures, and activities.
The winner of the most popular activity of the Open House, by far, was building the ROV (Remote Operation Vehicle) venue. I'm not sure whether it was Ronan, Erik, or Diana who enjoyed the challenge the most! I will say that all three of them demonstrated impressive engineering skills!
It was a fun and educational afternoon for all. Seeing a world class research institution was very impressive.
As usual, I took a kazillion photographs. I culled them down to these few, shown as a short movie:
June 3, 2011
Memorial Day weekend was just perfect, especially the weather: It was a bit nippy (high in the mid 50s) and windy (30-40 mpg), but gorgeous just the same. I couldn't resist jumping in "Bucky" (my bright red VW convertible) and cruising along the Coast checking out what was going on in Paradise.
The following video was taken earlier this year. For some reason it disappeared from the internet (probably because it was so awful)! It is a whale watching trip out of Morro Bay with the folks at the Coastal Discovery Center on the R/V Fulmer which was in the area doing a research project.
The following video was taken earlier this year. For some reason it disappeared from the internet (probably because it was so awful)! It is a whale watching trip out of Morro Bay with the folks at the Coastal Discovery Center on the R/V Fulmer which was in the area doing a research project.
April 27, 2011
Have you ever heard the expression: When it rains, it pours? Well this month (appropriately, the month of April showers) was that kind of month for me. Only we're talking about birthdays.
I went down to Gainesville, FL to celebrate my father's 95th. birthday. Admittedly it was somewhat subdued, but was very much fun anyway. One of Dad's great granddaughters, Kim, made him a beautiful and yummy cake with loads of different varieties of blueberry, strawberries, and blackberries, all from their farm! Especially so seeing Dad together with his new great-great grandson, Ethan.
I flew back to Cambria, then drove up to Palo Alto with Diana to be on hand to help celebrate Nieve's one year birthday and Ronan's third birthday. Erik and Rachel threw a birthday bash for both the kids on Saturday. Many relatives, and friends were on there to party with numerous kids. It was an absolute blast! Grammy Borovina made a delicious cake for each of the kid, which everybody wolfed down! A giant raspberry even showed-up unexpectedly!
Nana Holly (Teetzel) will also being celebrating (or ignoring) her birthday down in Del Mar this week.
Congratulations to one and all the birthday people for making it through another year. You guys are awesome!
As usual, here's a video commemorating (or proving!) the events:
February 7, 2011
VISITORS…
Diana and I had several illustrious and celebrated personages visit us here in Cambria during the last several weeks.
First arrivals were Todd and Melissa who drove up from Culver City for the weekend. We had diner with Mary Ellen Lewis, friend from Templeton, and Dahlia, “daughter” who is from Indonesia and is studying at Cal Poly. Recently Melissa spent a year in Indonesia on a Fulbright Scholarship and Todd joined her there for six months teaching a few computer classes at a local university and getting several photographs published in the Indonesian Times pursuing his photographic career. It was interesting to hear them swap tales with each other, and speaking Indonesian with each other; it was a fun night all around!
The next morning Todd braved our local dog park with me, after which we had a leisurely breakfast harbor side in Morro Bay.
The next week my cousin Karin Fowler and her husband Scott, arrived in Cambria, despite an uncooperative GPS system. They are visiting their two boys and their families in the Sacramento area for six weeks. They are both retired and looked great; they are from Grand Haven, MI but deny any coincidence that they had ten feet of snow last week!
Our main activity was exercising our mandibles exchanging updates on our respective lives. Unfortunately we don’t get to see the Fowlers very often. We did manage to partake our share of some good cuisine—a favorite family pastime!
I think the highlight of the visit was the mandatory trip to the Elephant Seal Rookery at Piedras Blancas. It was an especially excellent time to see them: December – February is when the whole herd is in residence at various beaches on the northern central California coast. Consider that our herd is north of 18,000 animals, so there was a ton of activity: Births, nursing, fighting among the males (boys will be boys, especially when there are women at stake!), yakking, and, of course, sleeping (nothing like watching paint dry!). These are fascinating animals—just ask Karin and Scott!
Below are some snaps of our guests, which I hope you enjoy!
Diana and I had several illustrious and celebrated personages visit us here in Cambria during the last several weeks.
First arrivals were Todd and Melissa who drove up from Culver City for the weekend. We had diner with Mary Ellen Lewis, friend from Templeton, and Dahlia, “daughter” who is from Indonesia and is studying at Cal Poly. Recently Melissa spent a year in Indonesia on a Fulbright Scholarship and Todd joined her there for six months teaching a few computer classes at a local university and getting several photographs published in the Indonesian Times pursuing his photographic career. It was interesting to hear them swap tales with each other, and speaking Indonesian with each other; it was a fun night all around!
The next morning Todd braved our local dog park with me, after which we had a leisurely breakfast harbor side in Morro Bay.
The next week my cousin Karin Fowler and her husband Scott, arrived in Cambria, despite an uncooperative GPS system. They are visiting their two boys and their families in the Sacramento area for six weeks. They are both retired and looked great; they are from Grand Haven, MI but deny any coincidence that they had ten feet of snow last week!
Our main activity was exercising our mandibles exchanging updates on our respective lives. Unfortunately we don’t get to see the Fowlers very often. We did manage to partake our share of some good cuisine—a favorite family pastime!
I think the highlight of the visit was the mandatory trip to the Elephant Seal Rookery at Piedras Blancas. It was an especially excellent time to see them: December – February is when the whole herd is in residence at various beaches on the northern central California coast. Consider that our herd is north of 18,000 animals, so there was a ton of activity: Births, nursing, fighting among the males (boys will be boys, especially when there are women at stake!), yakking, and, of course, sleeping (nothing like watching paint dry!). These are fascinating animals—just ask Karin and Scott!
Below are some snaps of our guests, which I hope you enjoy!
January 20, 2011
A LATE CHRISTMAS IN PALO ALTO, CA!
Being retired allows one to play fast and loose (or slow and loose) with time and one's schedule. Accordingly, it wasn't until mid-January when we celebrated Christmas with Erik, Rachel, Ronan, and Nieve!
Diana and I loaded up my new sleigh with a few presents and headed up to Palo Alto on Saturday morning. After a leisurely drive, we arrived at ERR&N's Erik, Rachel, Ronan, and Nieve) home in early afternoon. We spent most of the rest of the day catching up on who is doing what to who and when! Of course there was the excitement of opening packages! We all took a long walk to, as Ronan calls it, their mysterious-hidden park, which was great fun.
Sunday morning we stopped at our favorite Starbucks, as ERR&N were being lazeboes and sleeping in! Erik made breakfeast using their just opened ebelskiver (Danish pancakes) paraphernalia, their Christmas present.
After breakfeast we all trekked to Hidden Villa Farm, www.hiddenvilla.org/, for a day down on the farm. This is a great and beautiful place for educating old and young alike! What a blast! We cruised back to Cambria later Sunday and a great weekend!
Being retired allows one to play fast and loose (or slow and loose) with time and one's schedule. Accordingly, it wasn't until mid-January when we celebrated Christmas with Erik, Rachel, Ronan, and Nieve!
Diana and I loaded up my new sleigh with a few presents and headed up to Palo Alto on Saturday morning. After a leisurely drive, we arrived at ERR&N's Erik, Rachel, Ronan, and Nieve) home in early afternoon. We spent most of the rest of the day catching up on who is doing what to who and when! Of course there was the excitement of opening packages! We all took a long walk to, as Ronan calls it, their mysterious-hidden park, which was great fun.
Sunday morning we stopped at our favorite Starbucks, as ERR&N were being lazeboes and sleeping in! Erik made breakfeast using their just opened ebelskiver (Danish pancakes) paraphernalia, their Christmas present.
After breakfeast we all trekked to Hidden Villa Farm, www.hiddenvilla.org/, for a day down on the farm. This is a great and beautiful place for educating old and young alike! What a blast! We cruised back to Cambria later Sunday and a great weekend!
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