Get it straight, Mr. Cheney

And so titles a recent opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times (Opinion, April 24, 2007) authored by none other than George S. McGovern, former U.S. senator from South Dakota and Democratic nominee for president in 1972 (he lost to Nixon).

The piece is a straightforward chastisement of a Cheney attack on the Democratic Party. McGovern provides a concise and relevant comparison of the Iraq War with the Vietnam War, the fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush-Cheney administration, the truth-challenged path we were offered to justify invading Iraq, and the morally corrupt team currently occupying the White House.

McGovern also has an interview in the current issue of Rolling Stone Magazine (Fortieth Anniversary). While McGovern lost the 1972 bid to become president, peace and the Vietnam War was a major platform issue of his campaign. Like the Iraq War, the Vietnam War was a civil war and our participation in it was immoral since that country posed no threat to us.

A telling quote from the Rolling Stone interview is

“I take a lot of satisfaction in the fact that, even though we lost [the 1972 campaign], we helped end the war in Vietnam. My campaign made it impossible for that war to continue.”

Of course, not long after his re-election Nixon resigned under threat of impeachment. Offering us a comparison between the Nixon administration and the current administration, McGovern writes

“It is my firm belief that the Cheney-Bush team has committed offenses that are worse than those that drove Nixon, Vice President Spiro Agnew and Attorney General John Mitchell from office after 1972. . . . I expect to see Cheney and Bush forced to resign their offices before 2008 is over.”

Patriotism and Peace

Washington D.C. is a city you can get around in. I used a combination of the Virginia commuter train from Fredericksburg, the metro, and my own two feet. As I strolled downtown Washington D. C., I turned the corner on G Street and saw Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace billboard beaming out from the Verizon Center. It will be on display through April 29.
Washington D.C. makes me patriotic. I decided to visit the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum, both housed in the Smithsonian Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. The building has been recently renovated. It is the original Patent Office Building and said to be a “masterpiece of Greek Revival design.” It was constructed between 1836 and 1868. You can read more about this amazing building and its history here.

This is two museums in one, and as such, demands multiple visits to absorb all that it has to offer. Here is a sample from the Smithsonian American Art Museum entitled 'October' (1867, artist John Whetter Ehninger).
Like many D.C. museums, this one is free, although its hours, 11:30Am – 7:00PM, are a bit odd. (Okay, I admit it. I showed up at 9:00AM thinking I could perhaps visit a second museum later in the day.)

The building itself is stunning, with a sweeping staircase and an upper floor with vaulted ceilings.

My first interest, however, was the America’s Presidents exhibition, the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House. Each portrait also includes a plaque telling you something about the president. Here is a portrait of James Monroe (1816, artist John Vanderlyn).

It’s interesting to go through. You realize there are some presidents you don’t think about very much—when’s the last time you thought about Millard Fillmore (13th, not nominated for a second term) or William Henry Harrison (9th, died in office and served only one month) or even Chester A. Arthur (21st, not nominated for a second term)?

Things change a bit when you get to presidents who served during your lifetime. Everybody remembers where they were or what they were doing when Kennedy got shot (okay, if you were alive you remember).

You remember the disgrace of Nixon (“I am not a crook!”) and the fact that he is the only president (so far) who has resigned. His portrait in the gallery is admittedly small, but tasteful and certainly flattering. He is credited for opening relationships with China. His successor, Gerald Ford, is the only president not elected either vice president or president (he was appointed vice president when Agnew resigned and succeeded Nixon when Nixon resigned). Ford pardoned Nixon and gave amnesty to the Vietnam War resisters.

What kind of portrait and what little tidbit are “they” going to write about the current Bush? (One website kindly noted that he once owned part interest in the Texas Rangers baseball team. Is that an accomplishment?) And if Buchanan is signaled out as being a contender for Worst President Ever because he helped start a civil war . . . wait! Didn’t Bush start a civil war in Iraq?

Let’s not belabor the obvious. On a more patriotic note, here is a license plate speak mural in the American Art section that displays the Preamble to the Constitution (Preamble, 1987, Mike Wilkins, sculptor). You can see the real thing (the real Preamble and the real Constitution) in the National Archives.

God Bless America.

Stop and Smell the Ranunculi

Over 50 acres spread across a coastal hillside above Interstate 5 in Carlsbad (southern California) erupt every spring into splashy ribbons of color. The Ranunculus bulbs bloom early March to May. Actually, very few of the flowers are sold—these plants are primarily grown to harvest the bulbs (approximately 200,000 bulbs per acre).

I see these fields every year and every time I drive by I tell myself, "Gee, I should go walk among these blooms and take a few photos."

The coastal area around Carlsbad (site of the Ranunculus flower fields) and Encinitas (self-proclaimed flower capital of the world) boasts greenhouses and flower fields to rival The Netherlands. Property values, however, have put a strain on the maintainability of flower growing. I have seen more than a few greenhouses in my area leveled to make room for new housing developments.


And again I tell myself, "Gee, I should go walk among these blooms and take a few photos."


Fortunately, the Flower Fields in Carlsbad have evolved into a tourist attraction—they charge admission if you want to walk the fields, admire the blooms, and take pictures. If turning the fields into a tourist destination (hey, Legoland is right around the corner) saves them from becoming housing slab, I’m happy to pay.

And so I did walk among these blooms and take a few photos.

When you visit, you'll get a brochure explaining the history of these flowers, the history of the fields, and more than you'll ever want to know about Edwin Frazee and his Ranunculus flowers. Through selection and breeding by said Frazee, the flowers today are multi-petaled and boast 16 different shades—before today I did not know that.

But don't stop and smell the ranunculi—these beauts have no fragrance.

Sassy Sorrel

I confess that I had never heard of sorrel until I picked up a couple plants at my local nursery to add to my nascent vegetable garden. Sorrel has a lemony tartness that startled me and I started searching for interesting recipes. I currently have two favorites: Sorrel Soup and Sorrel Salsa, both from Rosso and Lukins New Basics Cookbook. I modified the Sorrel Soup to make it vegan (substitute olive oil for butter and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock), but the salsa recipe is already vegan-friendly. The soup includes onions, garlic, sorrel leaves (of course), stock, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. It’s a purée and can be served hot or cold (I prefer hot). The salsa is great for a party appetizer (serve it with crackers) or to accompany fish (uh, sometimes I eat fish). It is simply made with sorrel leaves, chopped tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper.

And for a literary reference, in Émile Zola’s Germinal: ‘Oh, the soup!’ said Maheude wearily, ‘that means picking sorrel and pulling some leeks . . .’ (’Tis incubating in the Book Club Possibility Bin.)
Recipe: Sorrel Soup

Boobarry Night at PETCO

Compared to last year’s flying syringes, Boobarry Night this year was rather tame. Low scoring, low hitting, it was all about executing the baseball script. With a strange mixture of ex-Padres (Bochy, Flannery, Roberts and others) and traditional Giant foes (Durham and Vizquel both made hit-robbing plays, as well as Roberts’ amazing running catch to the wall in center field), the night took on a “Who are we” and “Who are you” feeling. Barry was a non-factor, even watching him rattle about the left-field corner chasing down Greenie’s double in the 7th (it was a solid double even without the rattling). Kahlil Greene’s long hit proved to be the start of the lone run of the game, helped along by Russell Branyan’s walk and Jose Cruz Jr.’s sacrifice bunt to move the runners up a base, putting Greene on third. Jeff Blum, frequently good for game-shaping offense, delivered a sacrifice fly to score Greene. His long-out fly ball was barely foul, but perhaps too close to let drop by Winn in right field.

Padre starter Chris Young went seven innings (good for the win) and the Padre bull pen continued their scoreless innings stretch (20 2/3 innings and counting), with Cla Meredith and Trevor Hoffman posting zeros each for an inning. Giant pitching was also excellent, with Giant Cain throwing a two-hitter but taking the loss.

For me, two moments stand out from last night. One, it was really nice (really, really) to have a manager call for a bunt (note: non-pitcher up at bat) with two on and no outs: a game-winning decision, no doubt. Bud Black is not Bruce Bochy. Two, long-time Padre player, coach, and announcer Tim Flannery coaching third base for the Giants, seemed uncomfortable during the raucous Trevor Time, a celebrated Padre home field tradition before Trevor takes the mound in a save situation. Our seats just on the left-field side of third (and aided by binocs) revealed a bit of pacing and squirming from Tim during Hells Bells.

The other nicety about this year’s Padres? Two sets of brothers populate the roster: Marcus and Brian Giles and Glenn and Trevor Hoffman. From the right field bleacher seats where I was sitting on Sunday (thanks for the tickets, Rob), a very cool site line shows Giles number 24 in the foreground and Giles number 22 at second. I wish I had carted a long lens on Sunday to frame that image!

Encinitas Nooks and Crannies

In the coastal communities of Encinitas and Leucadia, we have many quirky nooks and crannies waiting blog exposure. Ah, yes, these are the people in your neighborhood . . . Here we see the mark of Jim Morrison at this shop offering Astrology Readings and Jewelry.
A few blocks away, these dwellings give new meaning to the word "houseboat."
The vernal equinox was yesterday and clearly spring has arrived at the beach. Purple, yellow, and pink dot the cliffs above the white water.
People came out in droves to surf, ply the beach, and feed the pigeons.
Surfers in wetsuits took to the water, shown by this split pair, as the sets rolled in.

Confessions of a Groupie

For those expecting lurid tales of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, you are apt to be disappointed. I am after all both the author and editor of these tales and will use a heavy hand at extricating any damaging, compromising or otherwise inappropriate material. Oh, I shouldn’t have said that.

That’s just a lure to get you to read my post. But, truth be told, I am indeed a bona fide groupie. You see, I went and married the bass player of a rock and roll band. Actually, he wasn’t the bass player then—he was the rhythm guitar player. But I think his nature is well-suited to the bass.

And this band has gone through several incarnations from the earliest days. It has evolved from being a cover-only, party till the cows come home rock band to the Isam Band, a source of award-winning original tunes—some romantic, some that rock, a little blues, a tad country, with hot guitar leads and soulful vocals. You can hear them New Year’s Eve at Dobson’s Restaurant and in June at the San Diego (a.k.a. Del Mar) Fair.

The band is putting the finishing touches on their CD, a work that’s been evolving for awhile. Isam (Sam) Khoury is the creative source of these tunes. He is both a conjurer of tunes and crafter of words. His supporting cast includes Paul on bass, Dave on drums, Michael on keys, and Bill on vocals and harp. Occasionally, there is also Sara on vocals as well. Recording and mixing all happened at Spragueland Studios, the incredible recording studio owned and run by Peter Sprague.

The CD includes guest appearances by Trip Sprague (flute and sax) and Peter Sprague (acoustic guitar). I have a sample tune. There isn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t melt instantly if her significant other played this tune for her, saying something like “This is how I feel about you.”

Sam has given me permission to post it. So enjoy. Track: Whoever Brought You Near (God Bless) Vocals and Guitar: Sam; Guest Guitar: Peter. (2 MB)

The CD is in its final phase—tracks have been mixed and the cover artwork is being designed (sneak preview above). I will definitely repost when it is available (iTunes and regular, tactile CD), because, after all, I am a groupie.

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

And so asks the Chicago Transit Authority in their 1969 self-titled double-platinum debut album. And, weirdly enough, that question is still relevant today, with Daylight Savings Times moving up three weeks earlier than normal, cell phones that get their time from the mother ship and wall clocks that are susceptible to power outages (which are rare, but are guaranteed to occur when you most need an accurate alarm clock). What’s a time-conscious (or time-unconscious) person to do?

Well, I’ve recently embraced my cell phone as an accurate time source and a convenient alarm. Don’t want to be late for that appointment? Set your cell phone alarm. Conference call scheduled at 10:00AM? Set your cell phone to 9:55AM so you’re ready. I have been known to get so absorbed in whatever I’m working on, that I not only work through lunch, but I forget to pick up my kids at school (that was a long time ago—they’re on their own now—and they’ve hopefully forgiven me).

This January in London, I needed to get up at 7:00AM. The hotel’s front desk was closed, so I couldn’t request a wakeup call. I didn’t have my digital watch, but I did have my not-in-service cell phone. However, it still faithfully kept time. But not London time; it was fixed at its last known time source, New York City, where in-between flights I turned on the phone. Since I wanted to get up at 7:00AM London time, I set my alarm to 2:00AM Eastern time. I did test it first to make sure my cell phone alarm would work and went to bed. Brilliant—just like clock work!

Last weekend at the Sunday change to Daylight Savings Time, I wasn’t quite as confident. I thought that Verizon would accurately update my cell phone’s time, but still, one heard grumblings about mini Y2K-type snafus. In defense of the unknown and not quite sure (and unable to test), I set my cell phone for 7:00AM and my mostly-trusty wall clock for 7:00AM. Of course, I adjusted my wall clock before going to bed on Saturday night and left my cell phone for its master to refresh.

What do you think happened? Before I answer, let me say that a user-friendly device is one that, in spite of its being complex, offers an intuitive interface and allows us users to do most tasks easily. Any other behavior is either a bug or a usability issue.

On Sunday morning, my wall clock went off at 7:00AM, as it should. My cell phone did not. Just as I was about to leave the house, my cell phone went off at 8:00AM. So, not only did the mother ship advance the clock an hour, but it also advanced my alarm setting! I’ve been trying to figure out why someone would want that behavior. I’ve concluded that it’s a bug. Verizon, are you listening?

Color on the Cliffs

Surprise color erupts along the base of the cliffs as spring time has arrived at the beach.

Stones Strewn About

Stones strewn about
All over the beach
Scattered in piles,
Stretching for miles
Such clatter and roar
as the waves wash them o’er
And yet, I press on
One foot
in front of the other
One shoe
just clearing the hazard
Whilst the other shoe sinks
in the sand


Ah, such effort and care must I take
To make sure I don’t twist my ankle
Or break my toe
On this stone or that
Or the millions or so that lie up ahead
Happily, those behind can do me no harm—
Unless I turn 'round
And run back among
Those stones strewn about
All over the beach

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.