Kauai no ka 'oi

Beautiful Kauai through the eyes of filmmaker Philip Bloom.
Music by Brian Eno.

Hello

Hello there and how are you? I've been feeling a little quiet and a little uninspired as well as feeling an aversion to the computer.

But I can tell you that I'm reading two good books. The first one is called Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, by Jerry Mander. Jerry used to be a big advertising executive in San Francisco, and his perspective is highly intelligent and thought provoking. The book was written in the 1970s but is completely relevant today. I first learned about the book in this interview with Barry McGee, who was recommending it.

The second book is called Folk Medicine, A New England Almanac of Natural Health Care From a Noted Vermont Country Doctor, by D.C. Jarvis, M.D. This book was written in 1958 and I love reading it. Written by an ear, nose & throat doctor, he knew it would be important to earn the trust of his Vermont patients by learning about their tried and true remedies. These remedies go back five centuries and the doctor discovered how well they worked and intelligently outlines them in this little book. Three words: Apple Cider Vinegar.

I've been picking ripe blackberries on my walks with Devo. And I bought two big and tall heirloom tomato plants for $5 each from a farmer in Los Altos. I'd feel proud of myself if I learned how to grow some of our own food.

Jay and I have tickets to see Echo & The Bunnymen in October. My two favorite songs are All My Life and The Killing Moon.

photo by Adam A. Palmer

Jay and I celebrated our two year anniversary on the same day that Seamouse got married.

I visited my grandparents' grave last weekend for the first time since my grandmother's funeral in 1986. It was a lovely thing to do and was not quite as hard as I thought it would be. I told Jay that I was thinking of either taking Devo to the beach or going to see my grandparents, and he said, "Let's go see your grandparents". And that is one of the many reasons why I married him.

Ever since the visit, I've been feeling things a little more deeply, which might be why I've been feeling quiet. Thank you for the nice comments lately and I'll see you really soon. Much love.

Surf Fridays!

all photos by Jack Brull

I haven't been able to stop thinking of these photos. They belong to photographer Jack Brull, who took them with his Diana when he was on vacation in Southern California. I highly recommend checking out his blog, Salt Stained Eyes, as well as his newer blog, Salt Stained Photography containing the cream of the crop, or as Jack describes it, "print-worthy" photos which are available for purchase. One of my favorites on the latter is in a post called Stoke.

Mr. Brull lives in New York and had a show at Mollusk earlier this year and from what I gather, he used to live in Southern California. Thanks for the eye candy, Jack.