Learning Moments:

So... you wanted to get close to nature, huh?

We spent the fourth of July weekend at Point Reyes National Seashore, where we ate a lot of oysters, drank a little wine, did some reading, and fit in a couple of 8-mile hikes.

One of those hikes was the trail out to Tomales Point. Now, I know that it's been a rainy year in California and that the wildflowers did quite well. This was a little over-the-top, though, don't you think?

There is a trail that ran straight between me and Angie in the photo above. You just can't see it through the growth. While that may look spectacular (and it was even better in real life), it wasn't so spectacular on our legs.

We've walked this trail a bunch of times before and even debated taking a different trail this trip. Once again, however, we learned that, 'one can never step in the same river twice', because everything changes. As long as you're open to it, even seemingly repetitive events can create a brand new experience.

Learning Moments:

Quail Chicks at Carmel Mission, CA

It's the time of year when you need to keep your eyes open. Warm weather brings bare skin, ice cream trucks, fresh blooms, and babies of all types.

I was taking photos at beautiful Carmel Mission this afternoon, when a little bird sprinted across the courtyard in front of me. My first thought was, 'uh oh... someone fell out of a nest'. After watching the little bugger do three hundred-yard dashes, however, I realized that he didn't fall anywhere. This was a ground bird.

Soon, a couple of his family joined him. They zipped back and forth maniacally, like the Keystone Cops. I just sat back and watched, snapping photos on the few occasions that they stood still. The groundskeeper and I had a short conversation about them. He hadn't seen them, so he just stood, smiling with me.

Learning Moments: Go to the source

Mission Ranch, Carmel, California

Many years ago, we were kayaking on the Sea of Cortez near Loreto, Mexico. Our good friend, Bill Bengele, was catching fish and asked if we wanted to eat them. I asked if they would taste good.

Bill looked at me for a moment and then said something I have never forgotten, "Glenn, the worst trash fish in the world tastes better fresh than the most expensive fish in your local grocery store will taste by the time you get it home and cook it".
And he was right.

I never liked artichokes as a kid. I could only laugh and repeat the line from the Little Rascals - "It might chock Artie, but it won't chock me!"
Now that I live in California, though, it's a different story. I love fresh grilled artichoke. Proving, once again, that everything is better when you get closer to the source.

Little Things...

Is it a cliche? Yep.

Does that diminish its truth? Nope.

Little things are big. Very big.

But only if you notice them.

This photo is a closeup of a ladybug in Half Moon Bay. Easy to overlook, but very cool to watch over the course of 5 minutes.

Tonight, Angie and I walked to La Paloma, our friendly neighborhood Mexican Restaurant. When we got there, we saw a yucca in bloom. Beautiful. Fortunately, we noticed it. It stood about 4 feet above our heads. If we had taken our car, we would have never seen it.

On the way home, I was plucking fruits and flowers for Angie. I grabbed a persimmon. I pulled some small flowers and tossed them to her. Finally, in our complex, I got a handful of little purple flowers and presented them to her. "Do you know what those are?", she asked.

I looked at them and realized I was holding lavender. Really? I took a deep breath.

Really.

Very cool. Lavender is growing in our complex.

I love lavender - in my top five scents, with sandalwood, frangipani, and pizza.

I'm sure there's another, but I'll save one spot for the unexpected...

Restroom Iconography XII: Santa Clara, CA

Yes, it's time for another addition to my ongoing collection of restroom icons.

This one comes from "La Paloma", our favorite neighborhood Mexican restaurant: home of amazing chorizo con huevos, excellent flan, a dozen camarone dishes, and my favorite long island iced tea.

Oh yeah, and a very, very cool staff.

Anyway... we've been going there for over 6 years now, but I hadn't shot the restroom icons until tonight.

This, of course, is the restroom for senoras and senoritas.

Everytime I shoot one of these, I worry that a woman will open the door and scream, just as I'm shooting the photo.

It hasn't happened yet, but it's inevitable, isn't it?

On the other hand, it might actually be worse if I caught a photo of some dude exiting the mens room, while I'm shooting the horn-tootin' hombre here!

I guess that's just proof that to be an artist is to take risks?

Ah, yes... We must all suffer for our art...

Butterfly or Moth...

I don't only catch snakes and lizards.

Today, at Alum Rock Park, I caught a butterfly. Or a moth. 

I wasn't sure.

Either way, Angie was pretty impressed that I caught one with my bare hands.

Mrs. Remington was my High School English teacher.

She always said, "It's a sad day when you don't learn something new".

It's probably the best advide I've ever received... 

So I decided to learn something new.

I googled "Butterfly or Moth" and found out that this is probably a butterfly, because:

1. It has knobs on its antennae
2. It sits with it's wings upright and closed

I had no idea those were the discerning characteristics of a butterfly... but now I do!

How cool is that? 

God is in the Details

A River stone adorned with a natural lei

While I'm gregarious and fascinated by people, I love solitude - the kind of solitude that Edward Abbey so perfectly captured in "Desert Solitaire".

I hate it when Angie goes home to see her parents. I miss her constantly (she is - literally - the yin to my yang), but it's good for me.

Today, I went for a hike. Alone. Where I might usually be chattering to Angie, today I just wandered quietly, looking and listening. It was a sunny warm day with wildflowers bursting everywhere. 

Wildflowers in Alum Rock Park

German Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said, "God is in the Details". It's a quote that was often applied to Frank Lloyd Wright's obsession with detail.

Today, I lingered on the details.

Caterpillar walking

Lingering on details is something I've tried to do more of at work. More quiet. More listening. More thinking. More reading. Allowing more space for details to emerge.

I'm not good at it, but I'm working at it. 

Surprises emerge, and that's a good thing.

By looking for details, I also found a gray fox, which just goes to show that the search for detail can sometimes lead to big things as well.

Book Review: Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched

I reviewed Amy Sutherland's "What Shamu Taught me about Life, Love, and Marriage" in a previous post.
An enjoyable, quick read - it was a no-brainer to add "Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched" to my reading list.

I love reading 'behind-the-scenes' articles and books. 

I'm fascinated by processes - always wanting to see a well-made "making-0f" documentary on a DVD.

"Kicked" is exactly that. 

Amy Sutherland spends a year at the Exotic Animal Training and Management (EATM) program in Southern California, where she tracks students and subjects through all the highs and lows you would expect in any school - but where the students are more passionate about learning than most of us were in college and the subjects can literally kill you.

Sutherland disappears, simply observing and reporting the events of the year. This is not her story, which is a great choice, as there are plenty of stories here to be told already.

It's been a long time since I picked up a book that I literally couldn't put down.

If you're interested in animals, interested in learning, or just like a good story: pick up "Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched".

Is there a Special Place in Hell for Timeshare Salesmen?

From Cabo San Lucas:

We were help captive for 30 minutes today so a Dollar Rental Car employee/partner could pitch a timeshare for us while our care was 'readied'.
Felt like I was the one being readied - not unlike a turkey is readied for Thanksgiving dinner.

We walked away... my time is worth more than their money... but, boy, do I hate that!

Number eleven of the huesvalues is "Offerings, Not Products".
This value originally was titled, "Selling Sucks", which sits a lot closer to my true feelings - but is patently unfair and demeaning to the many people who sell with integrity and personal authenticity.
I was talked off the ledge regarding this value by a couple of fine (smart) colleagues.

Still, there's a part of me that wanted to be more blunt. I'm an active, smart consumer.
Give me the information I need, a web address, and a phone number.
If you're product is any good, you'll hear from me.

If not, well, you're not going to hear from me no matter how hard you try.

Weekend Getaway: Coyote Ugly? I don't think so...

Yesterday, we hiked in Henry Coe State Park. It was our first visit to the park and the weather couldn't have been better - 80 Degrees and sunny. We only saw three other hikers on the trails, so it was a nice quiet fall hike.

We took the Frog Lake Trail, to Middle Ridge, to the Fish Trail and then returned to headquarters. Oak, Manzanita, California Buckeyes, and Pine were our companions throughout the trek. Here's the Park map.

Although we hiked 7.5 miles, the highlight of the trip occurred within 200 yards of our car. The ranger station and campground area has a resident coyote. This coyote isn't domesticated - let's call him acclimated. He hangs out around the campground, but you can't get within 20 feet or so of him. Still, that's as close as I've ever been to a coyote and that's pretty cool.

He seemed to really enjoy sitting under this tree.

This coyote is notorious for stealing backpacks, fanny packs, and anything else with food in it.

We weren't camping, so that didn't concern us.
We were pleased to spend time up close with such a beautiful animal.

Burgers at Sino, Santana Row

When we lived in Asia, Angie and I really grew to enjoy 'big city' life.
The assortment of restaurants, the range of arts, along with the ability to do these things without driving, ...

That doesn't really exist in San Jose/Santa Clara (yes, I know it does in San Francisco, but who can afford it?)...
with the exception, that is, of Santana Row.

It's within walking distance of our house, and it's got a number of excellent restaurants - Straits Cafe for Singaporean food, Blowfish for sushi, Thea for Meditereanean, and Amber Indian for (surprise!) Indian. We've also started frequenting Sino, a newer 'Chinese/Asian' eatery that is good, but more of a fusion restaurant.

The above shot has Angie posing with two Kobe beef mini-burgers that were pretty yummy.
Santana Row has tons of street side seating, so the show is always good (and Border's is nearby, so you can shop off a hangover, not that I would know...)

Taco Time! - Alviso, California

I went to lunch yesterday in sunny Alviso, at El Taco de Oro - purveyors of the finest $1 taco in the south bay (and I'm not kidding about that - I LOVE this place).

I was there with Mike, Gary, and Bill as we caught up on all the happenings in the past month.

Anyone who spends time with me knows that they will eventually become 'blogfood' for this site. You can see that Mike is clearly thrilled by that prospect.
Gary, meanwhile, is a little more camera-friendly.

We're eating in the vegetable department of this little Mexican store, because the garage is being renovated (I'm not kidding). This is a great disappointment to me, as the unfinished, unlevel former garage has an excellent Ensenada ambiance that I hope will not disappear.

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE WEEK
While I remember, I also wanted to point any managers out there in the direction of Dilbert.com's fabulous mission statement generator. You ought to be able to get some milage out of this...

The Multicultural Bride - Hsinchu, Taiwan

I'm back in Santa Clara, so I'll be posting some images from Hsinchu over the next few days.

As I was leaving the hotel this morning, a wedding party arrived.
This woman got out of one of the cars and smiled.

"Beautiful dress," I said.
She then gave a response that I had never heard, in my previous 13 years of Asia experience - "I know".

I almost fell over.
In Asia, modesty is king (and queen).
Typical responses would be "It's the best I could do on short notice", "All the good ones were taken", or "I wish I could do it justice".
Even "Thank you" is typically considered too bold.
I had to give her credit for her unusual boldness.

She then asked me where I'm from.
"California", I said.
"REALLY!!! Me, too".

Ahhhh, an American. That explained everything.