Solar Eclipse

Because of the fog, I was able to photograph the solar eclipse directly! How cool is that? It's noticeably darker here. Very eerie, and very beautiful.

First Wisteria Sighting

The first wisteria flowers just showed up today, on my birthday! That totally makes up for the gray day and the rain.

Fourth of July Fireworks

It's not quite Fourth of July yet, but Santa Monica College does their fireworks display the Saturday before the Fourth. I have a ringside seat, because the stadium is two blocks from my house. It sounds like WWIII and my cats don't appreciate it, but I got some good pictures and several short videos for your viewing pleasure! These were taken from my dining room windows.

Pet News and Views

Attention pet lovers! I found a great pet and wildlife blog written by Michele Hollow called Pet News and Views. She provides helpful information about living with pets as well as posts about pet and wildlife issues.

Michele is a freelance writer, and I thought she wrote about art, so I sent her my recent press release. It turns out she only writes about pets and wildlife, but it's my gain! I've bookmarked her site, and you might want to check it out, too.

John Robbins

I was watching a John Robbins lecture on DVD at lunch today, and at the end, he said a beautiful prayer that was touching:

May all be fed
May all be healed
May all be loved

If you have the opportunity to hear him speak, either live or on DVD, I highly recommend it. He is the author of several books, including the classic Diet for a New America.

Vibram Five Fingers Shoes

I succumbed to curiosity and bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) shoes. It's like being barefoot, except you have a rubber sole protecting your feet from sharp objects and hot surfaces. It takes time to get used to these shoes, and they say you should start by wearing them an hour or two a day, so your feet and leg muscles can adjust. I'm not having any problem with my muscles, but my little toes are killing me. They're bent inwards at an angle from years of wearing ill-fitting shoes, and the VFF shoes are forcing them back out, to their natural position. I'm hoping that my toes will adjust, but that remains to be seen.

There is something very fun about running around in purple shoes that look like some sort of strange flippers and feeling like you're barefoot. Do I have more energy when I'm wearing these shoes, or is it just my imagination? I really like them!

Two Tone

It looks like this camellia can't decide if it wants to be pink or white!

Rainy Day Hike

It was raining today, so I went hiking, because I adore hiking in the rain. Very few people are out in the rain, and I have the trails all to myself. My waterproof clothes make it pleasant.



I even have waterproof pants and shoes. Unfortunately they don't get much use here in Southern California, so I have to take advantage of the few rainy days that we have.



The purple nightshade plants are in bloom now.



And the exposed wood on the dead ceanothus is gorgeous in the rain. When the weather is dry, the wood looks drab and ordinary.

Jerry Waxman 1941 - 2009

I was going to write to Jerry Waxman, to let him know that Hubert had died, and I found out that Jerry died, too, just over a month ago. He was only 68 years old. You can read more about him here.

Jerry was the phenomenal astronomy teacher at Santa Monica College when Hubert and I were students there. We both worked as his teaching assistants, and that's where we met.

Jerry was one of the best teachers I've ever had. He was so excited about astronomy that he got everyone else excited about it, and I was an astronomy major because of him, until I had to take physics!

The last time I talked to Jerry was several years ago, but it still feels sad, losing these people from my past. It brings up so many memories of those days, good and bad, but surprisingly, mostly good!

Hubert Stamps 1948 - 2009

I just found out that Hubert Stamps died last May. He was my first boyfriend, back in 1973-74, and he was only 61 years old. I hadn't talked to him nor seen him in many years, but it still felt sad. From what I hear, he was well-loved by many who knew him in Santa Barbara, where he lived. You can see some of the tributes to him here.

We were an interracial couple in the days when that was rare. We were only together for about a year, but I learned a lot during that time. Here's a picture of us in January 1974.



And here's a picture that he took of me, that is still my favorite picture of myself. I always felt that he really captured my essence here. A little bit shy and a little bit sad.



Thanks for being my friend, Hubert. I'm sure the world is a better place because of you.