It took 38 years for architect Julia Morgan, working with William Randolph Hearst and others, to complete the construction of La Questa Encantada, (The Enchanted Hill), on a hillside near San Simeon. Located roughly half-way between Monterey and Santa Barbara, the Hearst San … Continue reading
Great houses. I’ve got three in my photograph album, all in California—yes, there are great houses here. Lots. Filoli, San Simeon, Scotty’s Castle, among others. Filoli, an estate 30 miles south of San Francisco, was built with mining money. San … Continue reading
Because I started out with no ideas about what to write, I decided to post a bunch of photos—that’s always fun and easy. So I sat down at the computer and opened Finder and browsed the sizable number of photo … Continue reading
It’s fall for certain. That sunlight slant. The trees looking as if they’ve been misted with yellow paint. Those squash leaves wearing a funereal shade of pale ocher, as if trying on make-up for a Halloween costume. The only spot … Continue reading
Without preamble, here we go. Woke. This one is particularly irksome. High on the irony scale. “Woke” may have multiple origins, but the most contemporary one appears to be from early 20th century Black consciousness raising–”stay woke” appeared in a … Continue reading
Going to talk about old things, like myself. Last week I baked cookies. I’m pretty good at cookies and scones, and can scramble a mean egg, and I have cooked in my varied past. However, I am lucky enough … Continue reading
Mr. Big never complains. He never asks for anything. It makes me sick. Sometimes I just want to bite his nose off. And they love him ever so fucking much. He’s the favorite, I can tell even though the treat … Continue reading
I have a number of thing to say today. One, before I lay out my crossword frustrations, I want to do a modified “Six Degrees …” of my background films (that is, films and TV series I run while I … Continue reading
Often when I sit down to write my blog, I have no clue about what I am going to say in 600 or so words. Waiting for the biscuits and the duck egg omelet to be made by the husband, … Continue reading
This will be a short one, all made up of photos for your viewing pleasure–a relief for us on the U.S. West Coast experiencing foul air and energy-sucking heat. A few days before the SECOND malevolent heat wave hit Oregon, … Continue reading
