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.