Tropical Sunsets and Rainbows

Something about being on vacation makes sunsets special. Not sure what it is so I will let you decide.There were also rainbows everywhere. I think there must be a convention.

And nothing like getting blown on vacation.

Cows again...

It seems as if every vacation I go on there are a few recurring themes.

1. Nude people hanging out somewhere
   
2. I run into people I know
3. Cows in the middle of the road

Halfway thru this vacation I was cautiously optimistic that this vacation would spell an end to those themes. No such luck. While 1-2 have not happened, 3 was on full display yesterday.
Go figure.

I have been to the mountain top...

and it was wet!

Workin on my tan

I may have overdone it

Guess

Ah

Vacation at last

Summer Solstice, Summer Sun, Summer Scorcher

Summer has arrived. It was 109 degrees on 6/21/08. Not the kind of heat where you go outside. Unless you are 7 of 9. 7 insisted on playing Frisbee. I think we both are sunburned from that experience.

After that experience we retreated to the comfort of the straw bale house. After being closed up for 3 weeks in 100+ degree heat for 5 consecutive days, the house was a comfortable 79 degrees. Not bad for a place with no air conditioning.

One of the great things about the heat is that it produces magnificent sunsets. Here are some panoramas from that most blistering day.

This was taken 1pm when the recorded temperature was 107 degrees.
And these pictures say it all.

Straw Wine

I have been in a wine mood lately and decided to map out the wineries that I prefer. These are all within a 10 mile radius of the house. Most are pouring 2006 in the tasting rooms but if you ask you may get something out of the ordinary.

Wine Drive

What Up with 7, What Up with Camera, 7Up!

For those of you who know 7, you know she is a very active dog. Lately she has been running 4 miles in the morning, playing frisbee for 30 minutes a day and getting walked 3 miles at least 3 times per week. I think she has finally had enough as she is now reduced to just standing around looking tired:

The picture of 7 above and the flowers below were taken with a new camera. Yes, after 6 years I have traded in my 4 megapixel camera for a 9.1 megapixel with all the bells and whistles that I will never use:
And finally, I like 7Up. Always have. Though I do not like the amount of sugar they put in soda so when I drink 7Up, it is Diet. While enjoying the cool refreshing taste of 7Up I decided to read the label and educate myself on what I am putting in my body. I was heartened by reading the I was 7Up is using '100% Natural Flavors' to help quench my thirst:
The next question that popped into my head was "What are these 100% Natural Flavors". Reading the back of the can was less than informative:
Can someone tell me what ingredient is 'Natural Flavors".

7 is not sharing her frisbee.

NYC-SFO-Paso and 7 of 9

Paso Straw Bale at the end of May. It is only 81 degrees this weekend vs. 104 degrees 2 weeks ago.

As you can see, 7 is enjoying the cooler weather, playing frisbee,

and hiding in the landscaping. Can you find 7?

A little bit of hunting:

And after all of that excitement, 7 went to Silver Horse Winery and made herself at home:

Finally here are a few panoramas from this weekend:

Only in California...

do cherries grow at the oil change shop.

Reflections on the Naked City

The Naked City is endlessly fascinating to me. From the food, architecture and most importantly the people. Several moments for me were especially poignant. Grand Central Station will always be a wonder of the modern world to me.
The Chrysler Building never ceases to amaze me. To me it is the pinnacle of art deco and one of the reasons I fell in love with Art Deco in the first place:
Another Art Deco building is the Beekman Tower Hotel. Great Views and a great example of Art Deco at its' best:

Last but not least is the Woolworth Building. To me it is one of the most imposing buildings in Manhattan. It just stand up, out, and about:
It is hard to not fall in love with the vibe that is the Naked City. But alas, Paso calls, after spending time with 8 million of my closets friends.

Yet another flight...

and all alone in exit row!

Japanese Comfort Food in Tribeca

Great japanese curry and Hoegaarden beer. Yum!

All Alone on the E Train

Over 8 million people in New York City and during rush hour I am the only one in this car on the E train.

Eerie...

Warp speed Mr. Sulu

Another Airport. Another Flight

And loud baby behind me again!

From Whiteboard to Reality

Several years ago the builders of this house took it upon themselves to design the landscaping. We started with some simple goals like drought resistant, deer resistant, and naturally offensive to fleas and ticks. We also wanted low maintenance, low overall water requirements, and last but not least it needed to blend in with the surrounding environment AND the house.

The photo of the whiteboard below was drawn in early 2006. The house is to scale as is the landscaping.


Mari Landscaping did a great job in taking this:

To this in Nov 07:



and finally, to this in May 08:

David Brown is going a great job and it shows not only in the work he did for me but in the reputation he continues to develop in North County.


And finally, a plug for Jeff Pipes of Pipestone Vineyards. Even tho he ran out of Zinfandel the Syrah 'almost' made up for it. ;-)

Jeff is doing some amazing work and I wanted to thank him and his wife for taking the time and sharing some of their experiences.

Don't you know i'm loco...

One of the unintended benefits of this blog has been that it is a unique form of therapy for me. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I happened upon THIS article.

Another of the unintended benefits I have personally derived in this experience on the blogosphere is rediscovering how much I enjoy writing. In a way I can sense the new neural pathways being developed when I am attempt to find ways to communicate in writing landscaping projects, flooring work, owls keeping me awake at 2am, and the battles of the tarantula hawks vs. tarantulas.

So to the friends and associates who have been supportive during these most interesting times, I say many thanks. To the ones who have humored me and made me laugh and see things from a different perspective, thank you. And to the very special people who have stood by me during the moments when I actually may have lost my sanity, I owe you a debt I can never repay.

A window to my

landscaping.

Had I known that having the landscaping done would significantly alter my perception of the house, it would have been done 2 years ago. No longer do I have 5 foot weeds to look out at when I sit in the great room...

Patio Work

It only took 1 year but I finally cleaned and resealed the patio. It makes a huge difference in how it looks and hopefully how it wears. Here are the before and after pics

Before:
After after cleaning and scrubbing in 90+ degree weather, this is what it looks like:Of course a weekend in Paso Robles would not be complete with out a little:

Play an accordion, go to prison. That's the law!

On New York Time

Another great day in the naked city

Babies everywhere, must be the red eye to JFK

Babies 2 the left and right. This was one of the worst flights of my life. There were two infants in front of me and one behind. To add to the mix, was a person with the worst smelling body odor in the aisle across from me. Never again will I take the red eye. NEVER

Another airport

and now a word from our sponsors

For the first time in over 40 years a leading politician has made a head on attempt to begin the discussion of race in this country and to begin the discussion on why racial division persists in this country today.

Very rarely in my life have I read or heard a speech that touches my soul.

Obama's 2008 Philadelphia Speech

This is a non-partisan attempt to begin a substantial discussion that has been pushed to the margins vis a vie 'playing the race card for as long as I can remember.

I truly hope that we begin this discussion. Not just on the racial stalemate Obama so accurately touched upon, but by beginning the discussion of "investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in the criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations"

This is the discussion that needs to happen along with why we have this racial divide 45 years after MLK's 1963 Washington Speech

The politics of the last 40 years has been one of division, of Blue vs. Red, Left vs. Right, White vs. Black, and the Haves vs. the Have Nots.

Obama states that "It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper."

Perhaps America will rise to the challenge of having this discussion. Perhaps we will look past the race baiting divisive politics of the last 40 years. Perhaps we will see that the politics of 'values' is frequently used to divide us.

My hope is we will. My fear is that we will not and continue down the path of divisive politics and lack of true leadership.

The reach of the Web

I was chatting with a certain someone who is building a straw bale house in Atascadero and it was never clearer to me that with the proliferation of technology it is possible to influence, impact, and assist, people from all over the world. For example here is a map of one day visitors to this blog:What is amazing is how narrow a category straw bale construction is and yet people from Japan to South Africa find their way here.

Thanks Al Gore...

Spring is almost upon us...

The winter is receding into the background (along with the rain I hope) and warmer weather is on the horizon.

Amazing that the floors are done, landscaping is pretty much complete, and yet there are any number of projects that still remain to be done. Among them:

• Air conditioning
• Weed control
• Re-grading the road
• Sealing the Patio

But I have been finding time to visit a few wineries within 10 minutes of the house. The wines are great, the tasting rooms intimate and the staff are friendly and accommodating.

• Silver Horse Winery
  
• RioSeco Vineyards
  
• Mitchella Winery
  
• RiverStar Vineyards

The flowers are starting to bloom, the days are warmer and unfortunately the insects are coming out as well. Does anyone have a suggestion for environmentally responsible insecticide? Last year was a bumper crop for insects and I would appreciate not having to view the sequel.