WE ARE LOST!

We started out on a casual early morning stroll along the shaded redwood trails in the Oakland Hills with the dogs. After an unplanned turn we wound up following a dry stream along a well maintained directionless trail. Verdant dark forest turned to desert after hiking switchbacks up the fairly steep ridge.

Eventually we reached Chabot and then back to Waterloo where it all began, three hot hours later. Temp in the Subaru thermometer read 82F in the partial shade.

My only regret is not eating any breakfast.

So much better than sitting in an office.

Insane Clown Posse - Miracles

Another inspirational video that will blow your mother f**kin mind.

My Heritage

Who am I? What am all about and where did come from? These are questions that I know in my heart but are apparently difficult to answer on paper.

A German law allowing offspring of citizens who left the country because of Nazi persecution
to once again become Native applies.

So for the last few years my consistent search for documents proving my heritage required to obtain dual citizenship has plagued me. After exhaustive searching I have apparently located them all except one: parents marraige certificate issued by NYC. This elusive certificate is the lone stumbling block opening doors to re establishing my EU rights.

In the city where I live there is a huge Mormon Temple. One of the missions of that religion is to help anyone in learning about their heritage. They have a huge database and access to others. I paid them a visit.

Enlisting the assistance of experts in locating genealogical paths has not proven to be much help except in highlighting one outstanding fact. The day I went to their offices for help in this matter Sept 11, 2010 paralleled the anniversary of my Fathers landing in America on September 11,1938. We all marveled at that coincidence, raising specters of spirituality to those so inclined. However it still leaves me having to cajole Manhattan bureaucrats to fire up their microfilm in finding this fading needle in a haystack.

So I continue to work on this and will hopefully prevail. Stay tuned to learn how this will turn out.

Bananas

I never knew that bananas are a member of the grass family. They fruit just once and then the stalk(psuedostem) dies down. Some of the shoots are as tall as trees up to 20 feet high. After the banana fruit in a bunch is harvested the tree is cut. A shoot grows from the stump and the cycle begins again. It takes a little under a year for another harvest. Those rain forest tropical plants grow quick.
Bananas originated in South East Asia.

I guess if you are managing a grove with all the fruit being harvested at once you end up just mowing the lawn to begin again.

Bananas are 75 percent water.

State Quarters

I finally completed a project that extended from 1999-2009. From random change I searched each quarter seeking one that was needed to complete the collection. Five quarters were issued each year with the first ones representing the states that first entered the union first. With the final shiny coin joining the flock in 1999.

The last holdout that took me over a year to find was Arizona.

The book has some weight to it and it feels like one is holding something of substance in your hand.

Since the pace of releasing the coins was over a long period it brings to mind the passage time, measured row by row.

justice 4 Oscar

I have been quite taken with the case of Oakland Police Officer Johannes Mehrsele who has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Oscar Grant(pictured above). Captured on several hand held video recordings we see Grant face down being restrained by three police officers. Mehrsele states he mistook his 40mm pistol for a taser and shot Grant in the back. Grant died a minutes later before medical help could arrive.
Community leaders called for restraint after the sentence decided by an all white jury was announced and for the most part the peace held. After it got dark some store windows in downtown Oakland were smashed and a few trash cans were set alight. In the end 78 were arrested on various charges but only 19 of them had Oakland addresses. Some of the arrested came from out of state.
Police become Criminals and heroes are carved out of dire circumstances. One life destroyed and the other ruined. Proving once again truth is stranger than...
This news item never grew any legs nationally although it rocked Oakland like a supercharged Marshall turned up to 10.
Stay tuned for updates on the sentencing.

New crap from the donut

My left brain has been dormant which has resulted in a lack of recent entries. Now I have returned to these pages to present one more photo entry. This one a display of used toilets being sold as recycled furntiture.

Questioning the value of a medium that chronicles a historic legacy of thoughts and events.

However entering two stories today is a historical first in this blog as I am trying to balance the whole thing out.

Any way I like taking the pictures and showing them to you.

Tuli Kupferberg.

"For every measure, there is a countermeasure. And for every countermeasure, there is a counter countermeasure. For every countercounter measure, there is a counter counter countermeasure. And for every counter counter countermeasure. there is a counter counter counter countermeasure. LUNATICS! All of them.

A NYC Poet writing in English, Spanish and Yiddish, One of his better known poems was 500 Ways To Beat The Draft, A Founding father of the Fugs and the self declared worlds oldest hippie died today at 86.

San Francisco Bay Days

Walking along the Embarcadaro one sees a variety sights, sounds and smells. The rushing traffic with cars, buses and trolleys keep whizzing by. The sqwuaking of seagulls diving into the grey water ofthe bay adds a touch of nature while the occasional freighter loaded with a huge cargo of colorful containers from China makes it all the more exotic . The walk along this street in the world class city of San Francisco remains a stunning example of why I am so glad that I now call the west coast my home.

It was drizzling lightly the day I took this photo and the gentle moisture dampens the image as well making it appear less crisp or dazzling as the same shot on sunny day. One half an hour later the clouds lifted as they often do on the bay and the bright light brought warmth and shadows to the scene creating an entirely different image from the one above.

Delicious Spring Cleanse

The Nei Ching says, "The Liver craves the Sour Flavor." These food will help to nourish the Liver and are important during a spring cleanse. One of the easiest ways to start your spring cleaning is with Lemons and Water. Lemons have a sour flavor and an astringent quality. Meaning that they literally help squeeze impurities out of the organs and muscles (picture the scrunched up face of someone who has just sucked on a lemon). If you do nothing else this spring, go grab a big bag full of organic lemons (they were on sale today at Whole Foods, by the way) and squeeze generously in all of the water you drink for the next month! It is a great way to get your internal energy moving and cleanse the Liver at the same time.
Thanks Melissa

http://melissabstein.blogspot.com

The Family Simpsons's ( a sweet story)

After dinner, one very strong tradition is to watch “The Simpsons.” We actually call it “Family Simpsons.” There is something about that show — it’s such a great mix of something completely subversive and this sort of sweetness. It’s a show with a heart of gold, as opposed to a lot of other shows which are just trying to be funny, but really there’s no soul there. For the four of us and where we all are in our lives right now, it’s just sort of a perfect show. We all sit on the couch, sort of like the Simpsons themselves.

This is the Sunday routine of author Rebecca Stead whose novel “When You Reach Me” won the Newbery Medal in January for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature of 2009. The book is set on the Upper West Side, where Ms. Stead, 42, grew up and still lives with her husband, Sean O’Brien, a lawyer, and her sons, Eli, who turns 9 on Monday, and Jack, 11.

Crumb's Genesis

Seeing these stories accompanied by the illustrations brings them more alive to me than ever before.
R.Crumb has finally published his lifes work in this Book of Genesis. Just reading the intro is worth the price of admission.
However his B&W drawings of life in the Old Testament

are for lack of better word AWESOME! Art appreciation is truly subjective but there is something for everybody in this latest edition of the first book of the five books of Moses.

Great read, but I don't recommend doing it in public. This hard cover should be enjoyed in a private place.

Click on image to enlarge photo.

Facebook is diverting my creativity

As I spend time on FB it diverts attention from other creative elements. It is oh so interesting to check into the antics of my friends all over the globe but the pastime often robs energy from other endeavors.
Daily employment is enough of a drain and now this private contact medium that is so ever present draws me in. Like an Heroin addict I ask myself how did this happen to me.
What I hope to eventually is follow a path to a computer free day, a Facebook Sabbath if you will freeing me from obligatory visits to Farmville, birthday reminders recent posts & event invitations.
By the way check out the recent photos I just uplaoded to my FB page they are bringing in the comments.

Hightime for Art

Dabbling on the edge of painting I spent the week with an artist who has taught me a great deal about acrylics. My talent in this area is limited but watching a master paint can still inspire an adult with toddler skills to pick up a brush.
During a rainy Northern California week we celebrated our collective birthdays touring the sights, partaking in the fruits of this land and transforming a bare wood cabinet into a painting we call "Thunder Road".
I am most proud of the way it hangs in the kitchen holding our stemmed glasses and canned goods.

Legion Of Honor SF

As a recent transplant to the West Coast I am constantly making new discoveries, most of them pleasant.

A museum that I have never heard of is the Legion Of Honor http://www.famsf.org/legion/.

A magnificent building itself houses these great works of art. A fit setting for this collection of major masters. The permanent artists include well known sculptors including Rodin. Most everyone knows the Thinker. But what about a silver Hercules battling a six headed dragon? They are all there.

There is always a temporary exhibition, currently we see Cartier Jewelers. Prior to that Egyptian Art and Mummies filled the massive granite hall.\

It is located on cliffs overlooking the Bay with a great view of Bridge Golden Gate Bridge.

Twenty bucks will get you in and you can always become a member. It might be worth it depending on how often you go.

There are also nice hiking trails all around, eventually taking one to Lands End.

Years End on the west coast....

As the days click down to the end of the decade we will no doubt be exposed to the medias projection of the last decade. We will also be seeing our own personal experience of the last ten years reflect in minds.

My vision of time passing has taught me many lessons. At the moment the key word for me is flexibility. Important for both our bodies and minds. This conceptual framework has enabled me to adapt to the many changes that I have gone through.

I remember a quote from an old J.Geils Song "It's not what we been through but how we been through it"

My wish is for peace.

Happy Halloween

Location. Oakland CA.

Hard for an East Coaster to get used to front porches with pumpkins, cactus and purple flowers.
I remember so many New England Halloweens where the cold rain poured down on the costumes but not dampening the spirit. Not much chance of that happening here.

Don't forget to fall back on Sunday though, wherever you are.

Old Photos

People accumulate possessions. Many of them are touchstones from important periods of their lives. Life is not infinite and people pass on. These mementos move on down to the next generation.

When my Father died I took over some his personal memorabilia collection. He kept his Military photos in Khaki cloth covered notebook sealed with a brass buckle-the notebook appears to be US Army issued.

He never shared them with me while alive but in his death they became a part of my memory of him.

The poses show soldiers relaxing listening to a phonograph played on a victrola and enjoying the bonds that brought them close. A brotherhood that no doubt motivated slaughter to defend each other.

I keep those yellowing pieces of paper in a safe place and scanned to the hard drive.

They inspire perspectives in both general and personal history

ARIZMENDI BAKERY

Those of you who really know me are aware that I have been a Bakery Boy my whole life.
In my past in NYC I had friendly relationships with smiling bakery ladies. One whom regularly opened the bakery door early just for me, allowing me to choose my own Black & White put it in a bag and leaving the exact change on the counter. They always seemed to have a special smile for me recognizing my extreme zeal for the products they sold.
In my new California neighborhood there is this unique bakery that sells a more wholesome product but nonetheless has drawn my regular attention. Although the don't carry the frosted delights of my youth some of the scones, muffins and "chocolate things" produced there have now made me a regular.
The worker/owners don't yet recognize me and they don't carry the look of the NY pastry ladies who all reminded me of my Mother but the bakery does make a nice breakfast. Arizmendi for the time being has become my go to place making my Saturday morning hunt for something to make my weekend special the place to be.

ART

Inspiration is revealed by observation, emotion and action. I can feel inspired by something and sometimes the thought will pass like sand through the fingers. The act of utilizing that thought to create art is long lasting.

The cigar box top is inspired by leaving Petticoat Hill for a new life in California. The cigar box was forever in our chicken coop. A receptacle neighbors threw money in to pay for the eggs. It was with for over a decade.

I toasted the edges in an open fire and let it cool. I then coated it multiple times with varnish until it had an ashy yet shiny veneer. Finishing it off I posted it to an Oak board as a frame applying even more coats of glossy varnish.

The result is what you see. For me a reminder of times passed.