…not because of the smog on the horizon. (However, it is relatively clear.)
…not because it is hot!
…not because the last 17 miles of our trip, because of traffic, took an hour.
…but because I found my car covered by a layer of ash from the various brush fires.
Category Archives: General Discourse
southward ho!
Today we traversed much of the Golden State…which is quite “golden” right now. With these golden hills comes our season fires, and we saw one as we buzzed down the highway and evidence of others. Of course, we stopped at Split Pea Anderon’s in Santa Nella, where our short walk from the car to the restaurant hinted at the heat we would face. Still love that soup, though! While it took us about six hours to travel from Benicia to Los Angeles, we found ourselves in stop and go traffic at the junction of Hwy 5, 10, 101 and 60. It took us about an hour to travel the last 17 miles to our exit!
After a quick check in, it was off to Medieval Times. Everyone else in the family had been there and were quite excited. I didn’t know what to expect. I’ll tell you what, it is quite the experience. The food was good and the entertainment nonstop, with knights participating in full contact games in the arena, which was less than fifteen feet away from our seats. Then it was off to bed with visions of Mickey dancing in our heads.
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- Not too much smog this day.
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- The house on Pentland Street, where I was an only child for a short while.
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- The old house on Coolidge Drive, where I spent many of my years through junior high.
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- The grandparents house on Craig Street.
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- The great grandparents house.
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- St. Phillips Church, where my parents were married.
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- St. Luke’s Church
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- The inside of St. Luke’s Church
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- Visiting with family friends Bob and Janet Rohman.
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- And a nice stop with my Uncle Roger and Aunt Sharon.
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- The old Shakeys Pizza I remember from childhood.
the “highlighting” of my hair
Looking at my longer hair in the mirror prior to a haircut this week, it seems that it’s become my time to shine. I found little hints of silver sparking as I turned my head. I don’t take it as a sign that I’m getting older, after all, even you, gentle visitor, will never be as young as you were when you began reading this sentence. Truthfully, I don’t care what color my hair becomes, so long as it stays on my head. I did make a few observations of late, howver, that I am “older”:
For someone somewhat technically inclined, I not only don’t text people using my cell phone; I don’t even know how to do it. Also, some people are shocked that I still pay some bills by check and have been known to physically step into a bank branch to interact with live human tellers.
But I still like my free “highlights.”
on “googling” friends of the past
Every now and again I am plagued by regrets stemming from an internal disconnect between a desire for friendship and the actions it takes to maintain such a relationship. Though only three times have I overtly expended effort to rekindle old friendships, twice through e-mail and once at a high school class reunion, I do know what some of my ol’ chums from Humboldt State University are up to thanks to the now-recognized action of “googling.” (My thanks to the editors of Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.)
I must say, however, that googling former classmates and friends might skew one’s opinion of one’s self. As I plow ahead as a managing editor at a modest publishing company — and not, by any means, saving the world — some of the people I once knew seem to have climbed quite high on the ladder of professional (and hopefully personal) success.
A former roommate of mine seems to have written a number of research papers on the flora and fauna of Pu’ukohol & Heiau National Historic Site on Hawaii. A friend with whom I spent many hours laughing at reruns of Star Trek — that’s the Original Series starring the ever so subtle Mr. Shatner — ascended through the ranks of academia, completing work for an M.A. in San Francisco and a Ph.D. in New York, teaching at USC and, from what I can find, is now an Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature at American University of Kuwait. Another friend works as an Interpretive Specialist for the California State Parks system at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
After googling friends for a while, imagining their homes, their families and what they may look like some 20 years later, I had to stop. Not because of those little pangs of regret, but because now that I have found them, I find myself wrestling with a decision to act. These people might never pause to think of me, or google me, but I can still hear their laughter and encouraging words.
In the end, I am humbled to think that all those years ago I could call myself a “friend” to these pretty amazing folks.
happy 4th of July
Have a great and safe holiday!
GPS data & the secrecy of fishing
It seems to me that we fishermen can be quite the contradictory crowd. Many of us might agree wholeheartedly with W.D. Wetherell, who in his book “One River More” wrote,
[…] So, my fellow fly fishers, the time has come to bring secrecy back into our gentle pastime — the tight lips, the polite shrug, the knowing wink. […]when it comes to your favorite spots, cherish them in secret, keep your mouth shut — and leave the godamn electronics at home.
Yet in an age when technological proficiency often goes hand-in-hand with the knowledge of knots that may have originated in “The Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle”, who among us doesn’t rely on at least one marvel of modern times in the pursuit of those fish in the genus Oncorhynchus. For those of us willing to acknowledge this truth, I would propose that a more pertinent question might be how one might reconcile the traditional secrecy lends a mystery to the sport of fishing (especially fly fishing) with the use of “godamn electronics?”
My own philosophy is that what matters most is not the secrecy of one’s favorite spot or strategy, but the tangible act of fishing. Isn’t that why we tolerate getting up before God and a four-hour drive just to challenge our abilities and skills in a cold stream? And why we will repeat this ritual two weeks later, even though a previous trip left us tired and cold and fishless? You bet it is. The combination of the scenery through which a river flows, the sound of the water, the occasional conversation with a passing angler, and many other facets that lead up to fishing, and of course, the fishing itself, add up to an experience that is only sweetened by hooking and hopefully landing a fish.
a frosty Tioga Lake
There’s been plenty of talk about the heavy winter this year in the Sierras. Below is a picture that speaks volumes. This picture, of Mt. Dana and Tioga Lake, was taken by Steven from SierraVisions.com on June 10th.
This photo was taken during the middle of June.
fun book… …even if it is about bass fishing
On those days that you can’t get out to the water — at least those of us who aren’t yet leading the life of retirement — you might find some enjoyment in reading Fishing on the Edge by Mike Iaconelli. For those who’ve never inadvertently accidentally found themselves watching a bass tournament on ESPN during the early morning or late evening hours, the Philadelphia-born and New Jersey-raised Mr. Iaconelli (aka “Ike”) is one of the pro fisherman “blamed” for stealing the spotlight from BASS’ traditionally southern anglers. He weaves a whopper of a story about a college-educated kid with tattoos and a hip-hop soundtrack climbing through the ranks to take first place at the 2003 CITGO Bassmaster Classic. He has attracted both fan and foes for his antics, but one can’t slight his enthusiasm for fishing. While “attacking” bass is very different from stalking trout, Fishing on the Edge is a passionate, informative and often hilarious tale of a truly amazing personality.
summer’s around the corner
My nearly daily commute never fails to alert me to the fact that summer is just around the corner. Is it the flowering of the weeds alongside the roadway? Perhaps the blessing of sunlight during my early morning drive? The shimmering of heat waves above the highway in the afternoon?
None of the above. It’s the traffic. Near as I can figure, it’s not so much the vacationers; it seems to be the folks who work out of doors who compound my commute. The start of their day corresponds with the rising of the sun. (Making hay while the sun shines.)
This year it is especially bad. The number of big trucks — most semis towing bottom dump trailers (for hauling or moving dirt) — seems to have exploded this week. I don’t have a clue as to why, but my windshield is sure taking a beating!
POI files
I added a page with some of my custom POI files this morning. The three files cover the California state parks, the California missions (and Costcos in California, Oregon and Washington, with notes on which have gas stations. If you have some to share, drop me an e-mail. Check back for more lists and I may even share my fishing spot POI file… You can also download the files via the links below.
• Costco Stores
• California State Parks
• The California Missions
fishing for words 