The San Diego Zoo is a spectacular place. This week Elana and I are attending watercolor art camp. We spend some time with the animals and then create paintings of them. Here is a great picture Lana took today of a hungry and angry tiger. I figured it would be OK to help get a [...]
Do you ever get the feeling that you’re being followed by elgaria multicarinata? No? This is yet another example of how my life is different from everybody else’s. I took this picture in Ocean Beach late yesterday afternoon. Another fine representative of this species hung out with me in Carmel Valley not that long ago. [...]
I’ve always wanted to ride a horse on the beach. Fortunately, my loving family made sure I got a chance to live my dream. The lesson: if you’ve got something you’ve always wanted to do, do it soon. I had a great time but it took me several days to recover from spending three hours [...]
Here is the latest example of why it’s fun to have a camera handy when you’re outdoors. This bird - a bushtit, according to George, was one of a big swarm of a couple dozen that zipped off to the next group of trees to the south a second or two after I took this [...]
Jacaranda trees are native to tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribean. They’re also popular all over southern California. I love the redwoods and palm trees, but there’s something about the evanescence of the spectacular spring jacaranda blooms that never fails to make me happy. This magnificent tree is [...]
It’s important for us to take responsibility for our own health, especially as we get older. We also need to set a good example for the younger people in our midst. I believe these things. We went to Balboa Park to celebrate Mother’s Day last weekend. A group of Native American tribes were holding an [...]
This is a Fujitsu S 7210. Over the last 10 or 15 years, I have been brand loyal to Fujitsu, other than the occasional ThinkPad dalliance. This laptop features a powerful processor, 4GB of RAM, and a nice screen. I’ve had it since late last summer, and more than once I have been tempted to [...]
These radios are essentially the same – except the one on the left is 35 years old and the one on the right is newly bought today. I still remember the day in the spring of 1975 that I first got the radio on the left (Sony TFM-3750W). I was 16, and I had my [...]
Arizona’s harsh new anti-immigrant law has received a lot of self-righteous comment from all sides. Although I deplore the racism at the heart of Arizona’s law, I believe the angry, confused white people of Arizona deserve the same compassion their undocumented brown counterparts are entitled to. I’m writing this entry from a rich suburban neighborhood [...]
This magnificent specimen is smaller across than the tip of an eraser at the end of a pencil. Too bad each of these tiny flowers can create thousands of deadly weeds, which threaten to choke the life out of ‘useful’ plants, such as this one, which I offer as proof of the majestic in common [...]
…Yeah we are. The first picture is from 2002 and the second is from a few days ago. Share on Facebook
This is something you don’t see every day – yet. This creature is called Carausius Morosus, commonly known as the Indian Walking Stick because it’s from India and it looks like a walking stick. I’ve reported on these guys once before. Here is a close-up look at one of its little eyes. Apparently these insects [...]
OK, actually it’s a lizard, but “Lizard in the Grass” just isn’t as catchy. If I’m not mistaken, this is a fine representative of the Southern Alligator Lizard, elgaria multicarinata. It’s great when a camera is handy at the right time! Share on Facebook
Elana and I have been listening to a lot of hit music on the radio together, and watching some of the videos. A few days ago this 11 year-old gave me a splendid reason to watch the latest controversial hit. Have you seen it? “Scott, there’s a new video with Lady Gaga and Beyonce.” “Yeah?” [...]
Ocean Beach has a colony of parrots, originally from northeast Mexico, who have decided to kick back and enjoy the Bohemian vibe and counterculture traditions of OB. I love these birds and how colorful and loud they are. When they finally showed up, I called Alexis on her cell phone. As a result of a [...]
