blazing 81º sunshine on golden leaves
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picSan Francisco
This was shortly after we got a call from Kettleman City to tell us that the car repair was going to cost $750.
. . .…
San Francisco
After dinner the night after Christmas, we went ice skating (still remembered how from last year) under the twinkling lights in Union Square, then took…
Seal Rock Inn, San Francisco
Hooray! We're here at last!! Time to ditch the car, drop off the suitcases and hatboxes and jump on the bus in search of Indian…
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picGettin' the hell out of Kettleman
The tow bill came to a highway robbery total of $200 for a 6-mile drive to the nearest service station (in a place called Kettleman…
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picTwigs
Pew the cat kept me company while I cleaned up after last week's wind storm. Our giant sycamore, redwood and eucalyptus trees scattered branches and…
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picSunset Las Vegas
My mom is 72. I get my great genes from her and she gets her fabulous costumes from me . . .
picVive la Vivienne!
My mom at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. We watched the sunset from the top of the Stratosphere tower, ate dinner in…
picZion waterfall
On our final hike before we headed to Las Vegas in the afternoon for my parents' flight home the next day . . . talk…
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picDesert Pearl Inn
Our favorite hotel anywhere in the whole world, and a wine-eye view of the red cliffs of Zion National Park from our balcony overlooking the…
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picUntitled
. . . just south of the Utah border in Fredonia, Arizona where we stopped for gas on our way between Grand Canyon and Zion…
picWake up call
We awoke from a post-hike nap face-to-face with elk peering into our window at the Yavapai Lodge.
picGrand Canyon
My parents, age 72 and 77, kicked our butts on the hikes as usual. But I had a cold for the first time in years,…
picCanon ELPH 300 HS
I broke another camera while traveling with my parents! Last fall it was geyser gas at Yellowstone (video still worked for some reason), so it…
picNo matter how many times you've been there before . . .
it's always more vast and colorful than you remember.
picChez Brad
We spent almost a year looking for just the right investment property. Hundreds of drive-bys and scores of open houses. We had so much fun,…
picL.A. County Fair
Apparently there used to be a lot of gang violence in the 1980s. But most of the shooting these days is limited to film, or…
pic"Pane" & Suffering
This room has fourteen windows, that's a lot of painting and scraping. But I could scrape paint off windows all day. I love it. Until…
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picStorm Chasers
This weekend it was 104 degrees so we headed off into the blazing sunshine, over the mountains and into the desert in search of thunderstorms.…
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picWe headed north on back roads and let the road signs lead us . . .
(that last one says: PAVEMENT ENDS 500 FEET)
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picBacon is Better
Who knew they even MADE veggie bacon!?
I wrapped half of my famous bacon-wrapped appetizers in "fakon" for a farewell party for a vegan friend.…
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picBirthday Girl!
and at least a dozen of these sparkly take-out boxes showed up all over the house since last night . . .
AND my parents are…
picYou've* seen him at the Tour de France . . .
* ("you" meaning the 2-3 percent of Buzzneteurs who are pro cycling fans)
. . . you've seen him at the Giro d'Italia, you've seen him…
picTour of California
If you're watching Stage 7 of the Tour of California Saturday afternoon, watch for the girl with the polka dot flag among the throngs of…
picL'Étape du California
Moi, cheering riders toward "le top" de L'Étape.
The polka dots represent the "King of the Mountains" red polka dot jersey or maillot à pois…
picHors Catégorie
Steven is riding in L’Étape du California.
It's a 75-mile/10,000 vertical-foot route, some of it “hors catégorie” a French term meaning so steep that it is…
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picMy brother (who is now someone's dad)
After a fabulous homemade pasta dinner and two bottles of fine wine from his cellar (Verbena 2007 Rosso di Montalcino and Domaine de la Bergerie…
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picWho needs the Internet?
The electricity was off for 23 hours starting just before sunset last night. There was a loud POP and then silence. I cooked dinner by…
picIf I Twittered, I would Tweet the following:
There was a small tomato soupident this morning, but I managed to get most of it out of the DSL jack and I only have…
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picWas it ever really this sunny??
(photo from Joshua Tree last month)
Just emptied the rain gauge. AGAIN.
We've gotten over SIXTEEN INCHES of non-stop rain since Friday, more than our usual…
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picPark Ranger's Son
Steven was born in Yellowstone and spent his first 15 summers there as the son of a summer park ranger (who was a history professor…
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picGeyser + Rainbow
Riverside Geyser spews up to 75 feet for 20 minutes every 5-7 hours over the Firehole River. We just happened to be walking by one…
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picARRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope all me hearties had a happy Halloween!
Oh, that be five days ago, be it not?
Aye, these weeks be a bit too busy!!!!!!
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picHow geysers REALLY work!
(I jest!)
p.s. I made my Mom relinquish that ridiculous hat on the second or third day.
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picCigars all around!!!
(we interrupt this Yellowstone slide show for an important announcement)
I'm an aunt! And my wonderful parents are finally grandparents to a darling baby girl, thanks…
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picOf course there's a potato museum in Idaho
We flew to Salt Lake City and met my parents who had flown in from the east coast, then headed north in our rental-SUV, eating…
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picL.A. County Fair
For 10 extra tickets, they throw in a beer and an "I'm with Steven Slater" button.
Speaking of flying, I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow, packing nothing…
picThink anyone was fooled?
Somehow we always end up missing all of the summer concerts in the park until the very last one. Then we wish we'd gone to…
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picClick, click, click . . .
Despite the fact that it was a costume design awards gala and that the invite clearly stated “festive attire requested,” we were the only truly…
picSpurs that jingle jangle . . .
Joshua Tree
We celebrated my birthday (and the start of an actual weekend OFF) with Sierra Nevada Pale Ales and cigars around the fire at our…
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These items (with their $1.99 and $3.99 Goodwill price tags still on them) were part of an elaborate birthday scavenger hunt . . .
Can you…
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picDie Walküre
Lights on . . .
Self-portrait in mirror on stairs moments before I dropped my program, then someone stepped on my train as I was trying…
picDie Walküre
What happened to Buzznet? How do I view friends' photos??
I feel like I've been away for months. Did anyone miss me?
Sadly it was not an…
picDisney California Play Day
Wine tasting, California Screaming, Toy Story, Mulholland Madness, Soaring Over California, Tower of Terror, terrifying ferris wheel . . .
We did it all over and…
picA sad day in the magical garden
Mama Bee
Beloved Raccoon Friend
? – May 2, 2010
(this photo was taken Saturday, the last day she was fully awake)
This is a very long post—you…
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picPh.D. Eggheads
We decorated eggs last night at my friend Jill's house, and she figured out what to do with the 360-page draft of her Ph.D. dissertation.
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pic36-Hour Road Trip
Up via Cajon, Back via Tejon
Red Rock Canyon State Park / Mike's Roadhouse Cafe / Cold Desert Wind / Mojave Air & Space Port /…
picSometimes merely pouring scorn is not enough . . .
(a reference to Alexv's recent Irishman/Englishman/Scot joke journal entry)
The coyote skull hanging outside the back door came from a hike my dad took on Mt.…
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picThere's treasure everywhere . . . and junk galore
The self-proclaimed King of Collectible Furniture features a bizarre collection that includes odd and wonderfully tacky furniture (much of it upholstered in leopard print) in…
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picYART (Yard+Art) SALE!
(art and art materials at yard sale prices)I bought:• The World's Heaviest Raku Bowl (first, of course, so I had to lug it around the…
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picThe Ultimate White Elephant Gift
. . . showed up mysteriously and most elegantly on our doorstep while we were in L.A. yesterday afternoon.
Our matching Good & Plenty color schemes…
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picJoshua Tree on the second to last day of the year
This place never ceases to amaze me with its vastness and beauty. When we left home it was rainy, foggy and cold. Two hours away…
picWe got tired of pumping up the inflatable Christmas tree every three hours . . .
but we left the bicycle pump out just in case the new tree gets a flat.
vidT O K Y O
My brother and I flew from opposite coasts and spent eight days exploring the extraordinary city where we grew up.
Here it is, in high speed,…
vidBaby Raccoons
The mother raccoon spent many summer evenings lounging pregnantly under the wisteria outside our back door waiting for seconds. And thirds.
We told her we'd feed…
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vidCactus House Clowns
Yay!! Thanks for posting my video at last Buzznet!
We gave away almost 40 balloon animals and 12 pounds of candy, including the leftovers from…
vidBoingggg (mp4 version)
My videos always used to upload and play no problem, but now: problem.
So let's try this again with a different file format . .…
vidOnly Six Months til Christmas!
Since it's going to be 99 degrees today, I thought I'd post something from a cooler time. Or at least a sillier time.
I am glad…
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vidStormy Weather
Southern California often disappoints stormophiles like myself.
But last night's deafening thunder, brilliant electrical display, torrential downpour, and cranberry-sized hail provided exquisite cocktail-hour entertainment, as…
vidthousands of wings
One of about six flocks of migrating birds settling in for the evening on their way from somewhere to somewhere.
Prepare to be amazed .…
vidTakeoff from D.C.
Steven let me have the window seat on both flights even though he loves it just as much as I do.
On my takeoff iPod: Bittersweet…
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vidwe are the robots
A wind-up toy from my brother.
soundtrack:
Senor Coconut and his Orchestra's cover of the 1978 Kraftwerk classic
