Round of Golf

Sunday afternoon and time for some golf at my home course of Shadow Ridge. Bogart would have been proud, for I claimed his nickname on nearly every hole.

Hole #8 at Shadow Ridge. Had a bogie, but should have had a par.

A beautiful Sunday afternoon on the links. This putt should have dropped....

#14, Par 5. Another missed put, another bogie.

Things always get strange near sunset on the Back 9.....

Thousand Palms Oasis

A few pictures taken today in and around the Coachella Valley Preserve near Thousand Palms on the West side of the Valley. The San Andreas Fault runs directly through the Preserve.

Heading toward home, looking West towards the
Banning Pass, with a view of San Gorgonio above

"It's A New Dawn"

The above words were spoken by the immortal Gracie Slick as the Jefferson Airplane launched into their song Volunteers on the 3rd day of the Woodstock festival in August, 1969. They seem to me as fitting as any I could utter as our nation truly begins a "new dawn."

Today, President Obama issued executive orders to close the Guantanamo detention center, and to stop the use of torture as an interrogation technique - not conveniently and legally spun as in the previous administration (who were those masked men, kemo sabe?).

"The message that we are sending the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism and we are going to do so vigilantly and we are going to do so effectively and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals," the president said.

End the torture now, Mr. President, and investigate those who conducted it during the past 7 years, wherever it may lead.


Avie and I spent the morning snapping pictures off the television and wishing we were in DC for the inauguration, but enjoying it nearly as much. A big plus - it was quite a bit warmer in Palm Springs.

Last Thoughts on George W. Bush

I've been thinking hard about how to put at least some kind of a personal exclamation point to the end of this awful, calamitous, inept, and disgracing Bush presidency. Keith Olbermann's great piece above sums it up neatly and does most of the work for me. But we must never forget, and never let it happen again. Iraq, Katrina, Torture, Shredding of Civil Liberties, Tax Cuts and No-Bid Contracts for the Rich and Powerful....and let's not forget the shady manor in which the 2000 election was rigged and that Al Gore received half a million more votes.

Ok, less than 24 hours to go and I'm feeling a bit more optimistic.....let's close with a song from yesterday's celebration on the National Mall, a song that Mr. Bush probably has never heard.

Windmills of Your Mind

One of the most noticeable landmarks one sees when driving into Palm Springs are the windmills. There are more than 3,500 of them, and they generate about 1 1/2% of California's yearly energy supply. While some see them as eyesores, I find them quite interesting.





































Those of you familiar with the film Mission Impossible 3 might recall the helicopter chase scene, which was shot here at night - the windmills were all lit up for the filming, and we happened to be driving back to Palm Springs that night and the scene was wonderfully beautiful.

Catalina

The Four Preps had a big hit in 1958 with their song "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", a song which has pretty much stuck in my head for the last 50+ years. And looking at these guys today, I believe that it has indeed been 50 years. Yikes.

A couple of years ago, I finally had the chance to get over to Catalina for a day. Avie and I, along with our friend Johnsie, took the Catalina Flyer over to Avalon Harbor from Dana Point.




Morning, looking back at the
California Coast.











Catalina Island











Avalon Harbor





Getting around the island like a typical tourst






Sunset over Catalina and our wake






It was a very fine, warm and sunny California day. One day was clearly not enough, but we did get a wonderful sense of the place. We were especially taken by the lovely and historical Catalina tile, of which we knew virtually nothing. The next time we go we'll have to take more pictures of the tile, which is displayed in numerous public places throughout Avalon. It is simply spectacular.

Oh, So That's What's a Woman Is.....

I was 12 years old and had never really thought about women or sex - there were just girls and old ladies......until I saw this:



Bye Bye Birdie, the film, from 1963. When I saw Ann-Margaret running up to the camera in that clingy dress, well, I can only say it was a new world from that moment on.

Memories of Luke Easter; The Lonesome Death of William Zantzinger

Luke Easter was a great ballplayer who was perhaps unlucky in that he was past his prime when the Major Leagues finally realized their folly and began following the lead of the Brooklyn Dodgers by hiring black ballplayers. By the time he made it to the big show he was nearing 40, but he is remembered for blasting some of the longest home runs in memory.

His major league career was thus woefully short, but my memories of him are from his last years as a professional ballplayer, which he spent with my hometown Rochester Red Wings.

He was nearing 50 by then, but he was beyond doubt the fan favorite in Rochester. When he came to bat at the old Red Wing Stadium on Norton Street, the crowd would shout in unison "Luuuuuuuuke!" I have a very happy memory of Luke stepping up to the plate one evening and blasting a pinch hit home run over the right field fence in a close game. I looked at my father, who was beaming. It has hard to convince my father to make the 25 mile drive back into the city for a ball game, especially after he's made the same drive home from his job at Kodak hours before. But he clearly enjoyed that moment and it's a memory of him, and of Luke I will never forget.

What I did not know is that in 1979, Luke Easter was murdered during an attempted robbery.

Pat Doyle in the Baseball Almanac describes this final tragedy: "Employed as the chief union steward for the Aircraft Workers Alliance, Luke was approached by two robbers in a Euclid, Ohio, bank parking lot. Refusing to hand over $40,000 in union funds, he was shot in the chest with a shotgun blast and died immediately. The same loyalty and integrity he gave to baseball remained with him throughout his life. "

I say "Amen" to that.

On the other end of the heroic spectrum, William Zantzinger, immortalized as the villain in the great Bob Dylan Song "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll", has died at age 69.

Zantzinger was convicted of manslaughter, fined $500 and given a six-month sentence. "Isn't it amazing that Zantzinger is going out as the nation's first African-American president is about to take office," David Bruce Poole, a Hagerstown lawyer whose father was the Washington County state's attorney who assisted Baltimore prosecutors, said yesterday.

"What happened then was a seminal moment in Maryland's civil rights history," said Poole, who has the white cane Zantzinger used in the attack. Poole said he is planning to donate the cane to a museum.

Poole added: "The shame of Zantzinger is that he never mended his ways." Yes, ain't it a shame.

The Who Live, Montreal Forum, December 2, 1973

Looking back at the many concerts I've managed to see over the years, this concert in Montreal ranks near the top for many reasons. The Who concert guide, a fascinating account of virtually ever concert The Who ever did, provides a great account of the set along with comments from attendees here. Blogger Kanadianbakin also has a nice account.


I was living in Potsdam, NY at the time, in my last year of college. The excellent Quadrophenia album had recently been released, and a bunch of us decided to go - Montreal was about a 2 hour drive away.
Back in those preTicketmaster days, getting tickets was hit and miss, but I do remember putting cash or a check in an envelope and sending it to the Forum box office. I imagine the tickets were roughly $15 - $20 a piece, but I could be wrong.

A few days later I called the box office to confirm that our money had arrived. The gentleman on the phone - wish I could remember his name - confirmed that we were in. I asked him what kind of seats we had.

"They're not very good - way in the back."
Pause.
"Would you like front row seats?" (Golly, would I!)
"OK, kid - here's what you do. When you arrive for the concert, just go to will-call at window # 12 and ask for me. Bring me a bottle of Black Label scotch, and the seats are yours."


I can't recall if he used the term "Eh?" in our conversation, but he was true to his word, as were we. The bottle of scotch was exchanged at the window for seats in the front row, just to the left of Pete Townsend and close to a massive wall of speakers.

The concert itself was wonderful. And very loud. An unknown band to me, Lynerd Skynerd, opened the show and we hated them. Three annoying, screeching guitars, bad songs we thought - I continued to hate them up until the tragic plane crash some years later. I detected some tension onstage between Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend - at one point they were both leaping into the air and collided, and briefly exchanged sharp, angry looks. The show was also famous for the band being arrested for trashing their hotel suite and briefly jailed.

My ears rang for days following the concert, and I don't think my hearing has ever been the same. And I remember a bunch of scruffy, post-hippies driving back to Potsdam late that night, stoned, tired, and happy.

There are some sound clips from the 1973 tour available here.

Sodus Bay, Fall 2008

Pictures from our Fall trip back to Rochester.....

Around the carousel at Sodus Point

Pumpkins and gourds and more gourds at a farmers market

Sodus Point was for teenagers like me in the 1960s our little beach town, perhaps even our little slice of California - or as close as we could come. Bands would play on the little strip at the Point, and it was a place we aspired to get to somehow, underage as we were, though the drinking age in New York then was 18. Somehow I got there in 1967 at age 16 and got in to a bar where The Outsiders (Time Won't Let me - reached #6 on the charts in 1966) performed chunks of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band live in our little corner of the Summer of Love. I thought it was great, but what did I know? I can't remember if I was served alcohol or not. Probably.

Snow is forecast in upstate New York today (surprise) - there is an excellent webcam from the old Sodus Point Lighthouse and Museum looking towards the modern lighthouse. Looks chilly.

Palm Springs is expecting a high of 76 today, with sunny skies.

When I See an Elephant Fly and Truth, Justice, and The American Way

I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this song from Disney's Dumbo when I was young. Now, if I could only find a video of Jerry Lewis singing "Never Smile at a Crocodile" I could die happy. But then again, how many among us actually dies happy? Sadly, dead men tell no tales.



I strongly suspect that I watched way too much television in the 1950s. And back where I grew up, in rural upstate New York, we only had two channels - one of which, shared the channel with another station. One would sign off and the other would sign on. But Superman was another of my favorites. I found the recent biopic about the late George Reeves very interesting.

Return of the Squirrel Nut Zippers?

This photo was taken on a cloudy day last Fall in Carlsbad, California.






It reminds me that one of my favorite bands from the 90s - when things were pretty groovy compared to now - are back!

I have a great memory of seeing them perform at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC around 1996.

So Slim gives a heart "welcome back" to the fabulous Squirrel Nut Zippers. We need them more than ever.

A Sunny Winter's Day in Palm Springs

These are a few pictures taken by my wife Avie in and around Palm Springs. I like playing with the color and brightness settings to make them more vivid. Just my taste.

Most of these are downtown Palm Springs near the Convention Center.

A Few More from Sedona; Pete Seeger

A few more pictures from around Sedona....

From Airport Mesa




Steel dogface sculpture







Going Psychedelic at a Vortex....























And above, the lovely chapel at Tlaquepaque.


Finally, I recently came across a very good site dedicated to obtaining the Nobel Peace Prize for Pete Seeger, one of America's national treasures. I cannot think of anyone who deserves it more.