Mayall's British Blues and Dave at the Belly Up

And this is a good thing.

“Ain’t no brakeman on this train” wailed John Mayall and the BluesBreakers. Mayall (British bluesman and harp player) pumped up the raucous, blues-lovin’, guitar-appreciative audience for a good 90 minutes before Dave Mason took the stage and once again poured hot-fudge guitar notes all over his delicious ice cream songs. It’s rare that I see the same artist within a six-month time span, but the Belly Up Tavern offers such an intimate setting that it’s hard to stay away.

Above Malibu and Montecito

Last weekend we took a mini road trip. Day One was to Westwood to visit son Kellen at UCLA, where we watched the UCLA basketball team win another one. The next morning leaving Westwood, we drove west on Wilshire Blvd. and picked up the somewhat hidden ramp that leads down to the coast and hooks up with the Pacific Coast Highway (known in these parts as PCH, or simply Highway 1). From Santa Monica, PCH hugs the coastline in a lazy loop out towards Point Dume, a landmark in Malibu. Around Point Dume the Santa Monica Mountains go straight down to the ocean, leaving a small bit of land for the road. Here, several roads lead up the many canyons into the mountains, giving day hikers ocean vistas. On a clear day, the view is spectacular.
We drove through Malibu to Encinal Canyon Road. Our destination was a day hike that would give us great views, be not too arduous and 2 or 3 hours long. We consulted John McKinney’s Walking Southern California: A Day Hiker’s Guide to choose this Malibu area hike. The road snakes up a canyon and at about 4 miles we turned into the Charmlee Natural Area, a nature preserve run by the city of Malibu. The Ocean Vista Trail is an apt-named series of trails that traverse meadows, shady oak groves, and a fabulous bluff offering inspiring views of the Pacific, Catalina Island, and the Channel Islands off the coast of Ventura and Santa Barbara. The trails are fairly level. We saw no other hikers and briefly shared the trail with a lone woman on horseback. The steady breeze and Santa Ana temperatures gave us a sparkling day that felt like summer.
We continued up Pacific Coast Highway past Point Mugu to Oxnard, Ventura, and headed to Santa Barbara, where we used to live while Paul was in graduate school at UCSB. My heart tugs at the immediacy of the coastal beauty here: the islands are in your face right off the coast (as shown in the photo below) and the mountains are so near that they seem much higher than their 3,000-plus foot peaks.
The day following our Malibu trek, we took to the mountains above Santa Barbara (dubbed the “front range”). From Montecito, we started at the Cold Spring trailhead and took the McMenemy Trail fork to Montecito Overlook (majestic, indeed). From Montecito Overlook you can see (northwest) up the coast to Goleta and beyond. Looking south you see Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands that dot the coast off Santa Barbara. Looking southeast gives you more coastline towards Ventura and its range of mountains.

Meeting Barack Obama

The ’08 election is more than a year away, yet already the campaigning and fund raising has begun. Today, I somehow find myself at Scripps Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, rubbing elbows with like-minded San Diegans, excitedly awaiting the arrival of the guest of honor: Barack Obama. As a bonus, the wine and cheese reception featured one of my favorite music groups, Peter Sprague. Indeed, it was Peter’s weekly email newsletter that let me know the Barack Obama meet and greet event was planned. How could I pass up such an opportunity?

Even though Senator Obama arrived late, he did not disappoint us. He spoke for 30 minutes, and even answered a few questions. Many of us brought copies of Audacity of Hope for him to sign—and he signed as many as he could before being whisked off to the next event (each succeeding event had a steeper price tag). This was, after all, a fund raising trip, not really a campaign trip. But, he spoke of the need to fix America, to end the bleeding (literally and financially) in Iraq, to take advantage of the opportunities that addressing the challenges of the environment gives us. He spoke of how America has the ability to contribute to the global economy in a healthy way. He answered questions about prescription drugs and medicare and the threat of Iran and North Korea. He urged us all to go to barackobama.com and participate in his candidacy and email our friends and family and get them involved as well. Americans are ready to get serious about their government. I know I’m ready to take back my country.

Patterns in the Sand

Just as artist Kirkos (Kirk Van Allyn) was climbing the steps at Stone Steps beach with his artists’ tools in his backpack and his dog Cody close by, I happen to arrive at the top of the stairs. What greeted me below was the sand art pictured here.

Kirkos creates public art on the beach at low tide, leaving intricate geometric designs in the tidal wet sand for any who happen by to admire. I have seen his art many times, but today I was lucky to meet and greet the artist himself. He so kindly sent me these pictures so I could post them in time for a Valentine’s Day greeting! Thank you Kirk.

Nectar-Laden Blossoms

Since late January this tree in my front yard has erupted in a snowy show of white blossoms. My poor tree is clearly confused. It's Springtime! We enjoy the warm weather—how can you not?

As I stood beneath the blossom-laden branches, a low-pitched humming emanated about my head. Bees, lots of bees, were taking advantage of the nectar bounty on this tree.

Super Day at Tidy Bowl XXXI

Tradition rules at the Tidy Bowl.
(Click the pictures to see a larger view.)
JP, Sam, Brent, Wese, PA, Billy, and Bruce at the very first Tidy Bowl
(Gail took the picture).
Way back in 1977 we had our first Tidy Bowl, a flag football game played on Super Sunday. This picture is Tidy Bowl I (10 years behind the Super Bowl), played bare-foot and in the mud. This is the before-shot—we never took the after shot, since the game ended when I sprained my ankle. At the end of the game, we were covered in mud and the name “Tidy Bowl” seemed apropos. We started the tradition to get us all in the mood to watch the network extravaganza that the Super Bowl has grown into. Over the years we’ve had anywhere from 8 to 30 participants, with the down-side of the participation level now being filled in with next-generation players (our kids). This year we had a great time at Tidy Bowl XXXI and the game, as usual, ended in a tie. Tyler Strause both played and took photographs. Here's the red team in their huddle with Kyle providing patterns for his ends.

Red team in huddle. Photo by Tyler Strause
Each year we have these goals:

Have fun
Don’t get hurt
Make the teams even
Have as many people catch passes as possible
End the game in a tie

Heavy rushing provided by PA and Kellen with JP blocking. Photo by Tyler Strause
We start playing around noon, take a half-time break, and continue playing until the game is tied or until around 2:30PM—time for us to collect our aching bodies and make our way to Chuck and Jocelyn’s for the Super Bowl viewing.

Gail, Sara, Kellen and Paul: a flag football playing family. Photo by Linda Strause

Tidy Bowl XXXI Participants. Photo by Tyler Strause
Tyler has posted his all of his Tidy Bowl XXXI shots online here.

Wait, Wait Don’t Lie to Me!

While Congress and Bush are grappling with what to do with Iraq, it’s time to remember some of the verbiage emitted from the White House in 2002 and 2003. Al Franken has a radio segment entitled Wait, Wait! Don’t Lie to Me! It’s a “quiz show” and the object is to listen to an audio clip (presented in context) and declare if what you hear is

The Truth
A Lie
A Weasel

A Weasel is defined to be technically true, but used in a way to intentionally mislead.

Today’s contest is well worth reviewing in that it uses quotations from late 2002 and early 2003 as the Bush Administration was making its case for a preemptive war in Iraq. Today’s contest is also much easier than the typical contest which tends to be subtle and nuanced. (In other words, you can associate the words “blatant” and “bold-face” with the following excerpts.)

Clip #1. Vice-President Cheney, August 26, 2002, VFW 103rd National Convention. “Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us.” Correct Answer: Lie.

Clip #2. President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, September 8, 2002, CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: “We do know that he [Saddam Hussein] is actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. We do know that there have been shipments going into Iran, for instance -- into Iraq, for instance, of aluminum tubes that really are only suited to -- high-quality aluminum tools that are only really suited for nuclear weapons programs, centrifuge programs.” Correct Answer: Lie.

Clip #3. President Bush, October 7, 2002. Cincinnati Museum Center - Cincinnati Union Terminal Cincinnati, Ohio: “The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his "nuclear mujahideen" -- his nuclear holy warriors.” Correct Answer: Lie.

Clip #4. President Bush, January 2003, State of the Union Address: “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” Correct Answer: Lie.

How did you fare?

Winter Garden Gallery

The neglect I heaped upon my garden so far this winter while away seemed to suit it well. Indeed, “How can I miss you when you won’t go away?” (reference: Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks) may apply to gardens/gardeners as well as people. I did go away and apparently the garden didn’t miss me one bit.*

I have been (perhaps unworthily) rewarded with a bountiful winter crop of parsley, cauliflower, broccoli, and various types of lettuce.

Even the rosemary bush is blooming. There must have been just the right amount of sunshine, moisture, and cold to nourish my winter plots. Curiously, Encinitas had six hours of a 24-degree freeze early on January 15th (perhaps the collective shudder after the Chargers loss—you see, I’m still getting over that one).

I am not a Constant Gardener, but a casual caretaker, and I guess left on their own, the veggies grew just fine.

*I noticed more than one blogger using Dan Hicks’ song title for their blog titles without even a nod to the phrase’s author. I’m a Dan Hicks fan and know the source, but hey, how hard is it to perform a simple google check?

Alles mit Gott

Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn’ ihn
(All things with God, without him nought)
Wird einher Wundersegen ziehn.
(will hither Wondrous blessing bring.)

And so lusciously sings Anne-Marie Dicce, soprano, with the Bach Collegium San Diego in the Southern California Premiere of the Bach aria Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn’ ihn. This aria, written for the 52nd birthday of the Duke of Weimar, Wilhelm Ernst (1713), was discovered in Weimar, Germany, in 2005, among papers and documents with the Duchess Anna Amalia Library. Hearing this historically significant aria, performed by such a capable vocalist as Ms. Dicce was a wonderful experience in of itself.

But there’s more. The Bach Collegium, established in 2003 by Ruben Valenzuela, performs music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, with an emphasis on J.S. Bach. They specialize in “historically informed” performances, using both authentic period instruments and reproductions. Mr. Valenzuela plays a reproduction Italian harpsichord, a beautiful instrument that takes approximately 40 minutes to tune (and requires frequent tuning). Throughout the concert, Pierre Joubert, leader and violinist, wove tales about the pieces (we heard selections from Telemann, Purcell, and Vivaldi in addition to Bach), the instruments, and the astounding history behind the recently discovered Bach aria.

The concert was held in the acoustic-friendly Parish Hall of St. Peter's Del Mar; hardwood floors and a glowing fire provided background warmth. A bit of wine and cheese at interval offered a different kind of warmth. Oh how fortunate we all are at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church to have Ruben as our new Music Director!
Next Entry: Winter Garden Gallery

A Brief Blush with History; or London in 1880

While the subject of London (and also here) is fresh in my mind, I'd like to delve into a London tale from the past.

On August 17th, 1880, Laura Augusta Kreis marries Graham Cox Campbell in Monticello, Minnesota. They are my great-grandparents. She is 24 years old. He is a Presbyterian minister, called to mission work in Gaboon, West Africa. After the wedding they travel to Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York City, Boston, and finally to Halifax, Nova Scotia where Graham’s family farm is situated in the small community of Middle Stewiacke. She keeps a journal from October 1880 until May 1882:

Probably no other year of my life will be as beautiful as the present . . . First there was the decision to go to Africa, which was a great struggle, but one in which by God’s grace I was able to overcome. Then the leaving school. Oh! That was very hard. I did not know before how I loved my studies and classmates. For weeks I carried such a burden that it seemed almost impossible to bear. But no one guessed my secret.

How does Laura feel leaving her family for perhaps at least a few years and traveling so far? She writes:

The leaving home I have no heart to recall or record. It is too deeply impressed upon my mind to need a record. I will only tell you, journal, that it was harder than I had expected. It seemed cruel. But Graham soothed my sorrow and pledged anew his love and care and in a measure eased the pain. I find myself now breaking down as that scene comes up in memory, and I hasten on.

After a long, arduous, and sea-sick journey across the Atlantic, the newly weds land in Liverpool, where they gather supplies they will need in Africa. A lucky excursion for them, they are able to make a quick visit to London just before their departure by ship to Africa. Here are excerpts from her journal:

Liverpool, England Sunday afternoon Dec. 5th 1880

I wonder what they [my family members] are all doing at home today. They are six hours behind us so it is only half past eight with them and they are only eating breakfast. I wish I could make one of their number. It seems so long [since sometime in September, 1880] since I left home, and I have so much to tell them. I wrote them a letter of six sheets yesterday, telling them all about our visit to Chester.

We expect to go to London tomorrow morning and stay until Friday. It will be a great treat for us. I anticipate a good deal of pleasure.

Wed. Dec. 8th No. 16 Torrington Square, London
You see, my journal, my dreams are at last realized. We are in London, arrived Monday evening. Found good quarters on recommendations of Mr. Christie. It is a private boarding house, only about a dozen regular boarders. They are all pleasant and we are enjoying it very much.

Madame Tussaud's Today

In order to lose no time we went to see Madame Tussaud’s wax works. They were magnificent. All of the leading men of England and some of America, China, India, Africa, etc.

Yesterday morning we started out early. Took an omnibus to Hyde Park, from there we passed into Kensington Gardens. Saw Albert’s Memorial and got a view [postcard] of it. Saw also Albert Hall and purchased a view. Then into Kensington Museum—then drove from Hyde Park through Grosvenor Place, Buckingham Palace Road, past Prince of Wales’ residence and Queen’s Residence, into Pall Mall thence to Trafalgar Square. Saw Nelson Monument thence down Whitehall and Parliament Streets, past House Guards to Westminster Bridge near which we took lunch. Next we went through Westminster Abbey and Palace and Parliament House. Then we went across Westminster Bridge, took a boat down the river to London Bridge, and saw Cleopatra’s Needle [the Egyptian obelisk on the banks of the River Thames].

Thursday Dec. 9th 1880

One more bright day in London. It is quite wonderful how the fogs keep away. Yesterday we went out to Crystal Palace and spent the day. The Palace is an immense building. We could have spent a week there easily. My expectations were fully realized. We bought some little things to send home.

This morning we went to the Regent’s Zoological gardens. There we saw almost every kind of animal in the world and some that we may meet again in Africa and probably not under such pleasant circumstances. This afternoon I have decided to stay indoors while Graham finishes the British Museum which we commenced this morning.
Next Entry: Alles mit Gott

The Essence of London

Okay, so London wasn’t just about watching the Chargers lose their play-off game to the Patriots. It was four days of adjusting to a new time zone so that we could articulate by the time we started teaching. The course, Building E-Commerce Web Applications Using Sun Java Studio Creator, was the same course we presented earlier in San Francisco .

But back to London. I love London. I love how the tube is easy to navigate, even when you’re unfamiliar with the lines and the station names. I love that it’s easy to walk around. I love that the shows are numerous, the pubs are more numerous, and you can always get a good brew. However, I hate the exchange rate, that the pubs all close at different times (as early as 11:00PM), and very few hotels have elevators (next time, bring less!). And, in January, the sun rises about 8:00AM and sets about 4:00PM—the days are short, me lad.

I love the craziness of Piccadilly Circus, I love Chinatown and its array of restaurants, and I love the old-world grandeur of St. Paul’s Cathedral, its dome, and the resultant echo as the choir sings during Evensong.

Finally, I love the parks—regal expanses of green hosting willowy trees, fountains, water, birds, geese and swans, and walking/running pathways! I didn’t mind that it rained, that it was cold, and that sometimes I could not understand spoken English. Hah!

Here is the finishing touch to your London Cappuccino: brown sugar, chocolates, and tiny cookies (biscuits).
Next Entry: A Brief Blush with History; or London in 1880

NFL in London

Note that the title of this post is “NFL in London,” not “Football in London.” The term Football is ambiguous—do you mean Football a.k.a. Soccer or Football a.k.a. American Football? While the term NFL may not be as knowable outside the U.S., it is clear to anyone even remotely interested in American Football what is meant here. Righto.

Second side note: This post was very painful to write.

In possession of playoff tickets for the wildly successful San Diego Chargers, we nonetheless relinquished our tickets to our grateful children (who are not children, but offspring sounds way too formal). We are out of town preparing to teach the Sun Java Studio Creator course outside of London. Our mission, should we decide to accept it, was to find a bar/pub/venue of some kind where we could watch the Chargers host the New England Patriots. In anticipation of this event, we packed our powder-blue jerseys to wear during the viewing and used the tool of choice (the internet) to find an acceptable venue. The search term “NFL London” yielded a few possibilities: Cheers London and the Sports Café.

Both venues are near the wild and crazy Piccadilly Circus area and within walking distance of each other. We were in Cheers first (kick-off time was 9:30PM for the 1:30PM Pacific Standard Time start). At 12:30AM with the DJ music blasting all about us, Cheers London turned ON the lights, turned OFF the music and the TVs, and kicked everybody out. It was the beginning of the 4th quarter! We made our way to the Sports Café just in time to see LT score a touchdown for San Diego. Our glee was short-lived, however, as the San Diego defense made a costly mistake and the Patriots took advantage. The Sports Café was packed with both Charger and Patriot fans. When the Chargers game-tying field goal went wide in the last seconds of the game, we cried in our beer, poured out of the bar, and (now it’s passed 1:00AM and the tube is closed) were guided by a savvy American living in London to the proper 24-hour bus stop.
Next Entry: The Essence of London

Montréal In Winter

When nephew Greg and his bride Capella decided to get married, they chose Montréal, the city where they met at school (McGill University) for their marriage ceremony. Lucky for us! Montreal turned out to be an engaging city, filled with a varied landscape. It is dominated by its "mountain," Mount Royal (or Mont Real in French). This shot looks towards the St. Lawrence River and the city center, taken from near the top of Mont Royal. Montreal, as it turns out, is an island. It is officially a bilingual city, but French dominates. It has a very easy-to-use metro (flat price no matter where you go) and a pedestrian-friendly city center, or centre.
Montreal has an area called the Old Port, or the Riverfront. This picture shows a tree-lined walkway near the riverfront and the old city, called "Vieux-Montréal."
Ice skating is a popular winter recreation and Montreal boasts many public outdoor rinks. This one is located at the riverfront.

Just a few blocks up from the river is Montreal's Chinatown. We found a particularly good Chinese restaurant (Beijing) near this gate.

This whimsical sculpture of three women is in Old Montreal on Rue St. Paul, a cobblestone street that takes you back in time.


La basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal - the outside is rather simple, but the inside is one of the most ornate churches to behold. Don't feel like flying to Paris for old-world ambience? Consider Montreal, even in winter. (Of course, "winter" in Montreal is normally below freezing. We experienced a warm winter, with temperatures 20 degrees above normal.)
Next Entry: NFL in London

Sunrise or Sunset?

I’m a left-coast person. When I look at the ocean, I see “west.” This internal compass is part of me, but at times can wreck havoc. Huh? Well, consider that I grew up in San Diego, a nice, west-facing ocean-front city. So, this picture to me is sunset. Sunrise is that rarely-glimpsed phenomenon that occurs over deserts or mountain ranges. When I moved to Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara has a south-facing beach), instead of adjusting to the new location of the ocean, I simply embraced the reality that in Santa Barbara the sun sets in the north. As you face the ocean at dusk, the orangey-pinky sunset residue floating in the sky is on your right. If you’re facing the ocean and the ocean is west, then clearly the sun sets in the north.

Traveling to the east coast has its accompanying perils. For example, you’re driving to the coast. You see the freeway sign, with arrows indicating that east is one direction, west is the opposite. You want to go to the coast. The ocean is west. You turn on the freeway going west and discover a few miles down the road that you’re actually going inland.
Next Entry: Montréal In Winter

Getting Into the Christmas Spirit

Turn on the Christmas Tree lights and take a moment to reflect. Wacky ornaments are definitely appreciated in our house. This poor ski bear lost half of one ski, but that doesn't get him down; he smirks down the slope regardless.

One of a pair of choral-singing rag dolls.

Eek! This ornament is almost 10 years old! How did that happen?

Way back when I coached a girls' soccer team. They kicked some . . . great goals!
Merry Christmas.
Next Entry: Sunrise or Sunset?