Sometimes I get restless, especially after a long cold spell or a week being drenched by “atmospheric rivers” (i.e. heavy rain). There’s nothing like taking a drive without having a destination or appointment at the end of it. Or visiting a favorite shop and drinking in the colors, textures, and variety of items on display. …
I was out for a drive recently and noticed cows in the green pastures. There I was — racing along the road on my way to run errands and feeling a bit stressed. And there was a sign about happy cows and good California cheese. Pleeeese… Are cows really happy? I don’t know, but I …
Rick and I grew up in Pleasanton, California during the idyllic 1950s, before malls, ten theater cinemas, BART stations with trains running into the Bay Area and corporate office buildings. It was a small town and friendly where the biggest event of the year was the Alameda County Fair with its competitive arts and crafts …
Friends of ours had a stinky problem that was not easily solved. They awakened one night and heard noise coming from downstairs. The husband went to investigate. Midway down the stairs, he spotted an animal with a white stripe wandering around the living room. Yikes! A skunk! Thankfully, the animal didn’t lift its tail and …
I’m a native Californian, born and reared one valley over from the East Bay Area of San Francisco. In my lifetime, California has been in a cycle of flood, fire, and drought. I remember the rains coming so heavily in the Pleasanton-Livermore valley that there would be a lake where there are now houses. Over …
I wonder if anyone ever does anything all by themselves, if any idea is unique to one person or if all art, all life, actually, functions on collaboration and interdependence. Where do my stories come from if not from a thousand different sources collected over years of life experience, conversations, observing and reading books. People …
I’m always on the lookout for good things to see, read, do, and there are always so many from which to choose. Here are some of my favorites over the last year. Shadia Hrichi Bible studies. I met Shadia at Mount Hermon a few years ago and found her a passionate witness for Jesus. I’m …
Mankind has built some amazing structures. The Sydney Opera House designed by Jorn Utzon, interior by Peter Hall — awesome. The Golden Gate Bridge designed by Joseph Straus is an hour away and never ceased to draw a sigh from me and Rick when we cross it into San Francisco. Other amazing structures: Frank Owen …
Mistletoe has romantic connotations. Hang a sprig, preferably with white berries, in a doorway, and a person passing beneath gets kissed. When I was a child, we’d climb high into a tree and harvest mistletoe to sell during the Christmas season. It took courage and agility, as well as the risk of a broken bone …
I love maple syrup on my pancakes but checking the prices the other day, I stood mid-aisle gaping. Holy screaming catfishes! The imitation syrup sitting right next to the real stuff is so much cheaper – if “cheaper” is even a word we can use these days. Why is maple syrup so expensive? Well, it …