thedude.com

I can’t seem to figure his one out. Count the men, then count them again.

A few more of my favorites from our day at Eric and Bonnie’s.

It seems like months since we last traveled to Wisconsin. I made the mistake of shooting more than 800 pictures, and the thought of prepping them for the blog has been daunting, to say the least! I’ll see if I can get a few shots up from time to time.

Thanks soooo much to our gracious hosts for making this one of the best vacations Kelly and I have ever had. We’re still talking about how nice it was. We look forward to seeing ALL of you again!

Wendy and Jeff and Bailey spent the weekend in the Bay Area. They camped in Pacifica in their adorable Airstream. They shopped in the city. They ate, they drank. But mostly they sat stuck in traffic on or near the Bay Bridge.

Ahh… the joys of driving in the Bay Area.

At least Sunday turned out to be fairly relaxing. It was great to see all of you. See you again at Thanksgiving!

Overheard at dinner: “If we could eat like this every night, we’d never need to have sex again!” Yes, dinner at Frisson was that good.

I don’t know what to file this under because I don’t have the whole story yet. I don’t know where or how or when our friend Mark Downey met Howard Dean. I promise to learn more this week over sushi at Angel Fish in Alameda, and let you know.

Always a pleasure. Thanks, Julie, for the totally awesome food!

While I’m happy to see that our favorite hangout has been discovered, I do hope that this won’t lead to throngs of patrons at the Conga Lounge.

If I am ever asked to film a parody of a presidential visit to a rural town in middle America, I am well prepared - I saw George Bush come through towm in his bus.

George’s bus clearly proclaims, “A Safer World”. See it? Right there - above the talking gee-dubya look-alike holding Mr. Microphone behind the bullet-proof glass in the second of two identical monster buses. I know I sure felt safe! There were at least a hundred policemen and secret agents covering every angle - the approach, the getaway, they had officers in the northwest corner, the southwest corner, dangerously low-flying Coast Guard helicopters, Navy Seals in the water!! Damn! With all this security, I was expecting an appearance by the BOTH of the Blues Brothers, but instead, I got this screechy little voice coming out of over-amplified car speakers on the top of an American uber-bus. (Made in Belgium.)

I’m not entirely sure, but I think he said, “Thank yooooo fer comin’ frooma blargy murka! VOOM!” Wha?

(I think what he meant to say was, “Thanks all of you nice white people for busing in your school children and thanks to those church groups for cranking out all those nice hand-made signs. I especially like the ones that say Four More Years, Jesus is With Us!”)

And then… He was gone.

The monster-buses took the corner as fast as possible and sped off, much to the dismay of the 10,000 or so caucasions lining the streets.

Neither Kelly nor I saw George Bush for even one second through the hundreds of waving Bush/Cheney banners handed out - conveniently - just in time for the arrival of the motorcade, and we had waited more than three hours. Absolutely no one saw him for more than one or two seconds - max. I only got this shot because I was holding the camera high above my head.

It’s hard to feel safe in a country with a leader who acts as paranoid as this one does - in a corner of Wisconsin that firmly supports him. I mean, when I went to Washington D.C. to see Ronald Reagan’s innauguration just 24 short years ago, he actually WALKED behind his limo down the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue. When exactly do you think we’ll be able to get close to a US president again?

Safer? I’ll believe it just as soon as George Bush believes it…

Do the hard-working author a favor and get your very own copy here!

Seems like it’s well past the time to dump Internet Explorer.

I took Kelly with me on my second trip to Wisconsin this year. We had such a wonderful time that we’re just about ready to move there. (I know - before we do that I need to bring her to Wisconsin in February…)

We spent much of our time in Williams Bay, but also visited friends in Burlington and Madison. We have lots of people to thank, but perhaps none so much as our tremendous host Steve. Thanks, Uncle Steve for the fabulous food and wine and ultra-cozy accommodations. You make it possible for us to make these frequent trips. We simply could not - would not - do it without your generosity. Thanks!

I shot more than 800 photos on this trip - including three “serious” photo shoots - a CD cover, shots of Steve’s beautiful Studebakers, and a series of fun portraits like this one. I have a TON of images to slog through. I should have lots of material for the blog.

See you soon!