My wife has been volunteering her time for the past few years to a really wonderful organization. Xenophon Therapeutic Riding offers special needs children a chance to ride on the back of one of their gentle horses under the watchful eye of skilled instructors. Many of these children must be lifted gingerly out of their…
Category: New Friends
thedude’s Photo in Copenhagen
Hey Dude, Have a look – it looks super cool! – it’s dye-sub printed directly on a sound-absorbent panel. Thanks for allowing us to use the pic!! Best regards from Copenhagen – Sten Jauer, Art Director LAND DESIGNLAB APS | VESTERGADE 12A 3 | DK-1456 COPENHAGEN | DENMARK Thanks, Sten! I think it looks great…
Hot, Fun-Filled Fourth
Many thanks to our hosts Hi-Suk and San Ju for a wonderful day at their gorgeous country home in Guinda, Califirnia. (Don’t feel too bad – we never heard of Guinda, either.) July 4th was the hottest day of the year so far – at least 110 degrees. Ugh! Luckily, the couple have a gigantic…
Something to Feel Good About
Yesterday we attended the end-of-season horse show at the Xenophon Therapeutic Center in Orinda. This little organization pairs disabled children with specially trained horses. Kelly has been volunteering her time at Xenophon for two years. I was not sure what to expect on my first visit. What I found was truly beautiful and inspirational. Many…
Everything in a Single File!
Just a quick note to ask you all to take a look at Tiddlywiki. I’m busy working on images for two other blog entries, but I just could not wait to tell you about this. When you view the TiddlyWiki site, bear in mind that you are viewing a single file. A rather small file,…
Congratulations, Steve & Debra!
Kelly and I had a wonderful time at your wedding. The 20’s theme was an excellent idea – everyone looked great! I now have hundreds of photos to retouch, color-correct and otherwise perfect in PhotoShop before they’ll be suitable for display on thedude.com. I’ll be busy for days. I’ll post images as I finish them…
Those Eyes!
While at Hugh’s party, I ran into my favorite hostess from a popular lunch destination – Bucci’s. I have always been amazed by her stunning blue eyes. Luckily, Laura was kind enough to let an old, drunk dude snap a few shots. What a beauty!
Chilluns!
A renowned family man, thedude is proud to share with you a few pictures of some of the younger people in his life. Nephews, daughters, sons and daughters of friends. See if you can tell which is which. C’mon, this is too easy! Oh, by the way, Kerry is due this week. 🙂
Happy Birthday Bill!
We celebrated Bill Dalton’s birthday last night at the Burt’s residence on a surprisingly mild evening in the beautiful Oakland Hills. Ben prepared another of her world-famous Thai dinners with help from Tum. We met Tim Cahill – founding editor of Outside Magazine and prolific travel writer and his wife Linnea. Jerry Alexander dropped by…
San Francisco on a Sunny Day
Weather forecasts called for overcast skies and even the possibility of rain which seemed to work in our favor today as we breezed into the city with Paul, Joanna and new friend Michael. We hit many of our usual stops – Union Square, Lefty O’Douls, the Top of the Mark and finished off the evening…
Olive, Ice Cream
We were lucky to have a few hours with our most excellent friend Olive. It was a lovely evening, so we took a short walk with Olive and her somewhat spastic dog, Frisco, to Ben and Jerry’s in beautiful Jack London Square. Yes, she ate the whole thing.
Schultz Has a Heck of a Lot of… Friends!
He also has a lot of stuff. So much stuff that I suggested to him at his 70th birthday bash today that we need to do some serious shooting before this special place disappears forever. He suggested a coffee table book, and I think that’s a terrific idea. You see, his unique home/workshop/museum is on…
Happy Birthday, Dave!
Kelly and thedude were honored to be among the invitees to Dave’s birthday party last night. Sonja prepared a delicious meal and a really wonderful cake with Scharffen Berger chocolate. YUM! Thedude shot countless pictures of his new pal Nathan. Much consumption ensued. As the evening progressed, the images became more and more – shall…
Birthday Party Number Two
We celebrated Elise’s 39th last night at the Conga Lounge. Elise has been one of thedude’s favorite coworkers for the last five years. Gotta love that smile. Happy birthday, Elise! We’ll be back at the lounge again tonight for thedude’s *gulp* 50th. Whew!
Getting Ready for the Burn
Jack works to get the Psychic Taxi ready for Burningman. We know quite a few people who will be attending the big event in Black Rock Desert this year. Our friends are trying awfully hard to get us to go, and we’re flattered, but it just does not look like it’s going to happen. Too…
Hill’s Here!
We are delighted to be spending some quality time with Hillary. (You may remember her from our water skiing trip in June.) Well, we have her held hostage for a few days in the Bay Area and intend to make the most of it. Last night, we watched the A’s beat the LA Angels. (Go…
A Diverse Dinner with Friends
Last night’s dinner at Chris and Ben’s was awesome, as usual. This evening was made extra-special because dinner was sort of a potluck. We had Thai curried duck, Tandoori chicken and good old American potato salad and apple pie for dessert. Despite the fact that my pictures are excusively of women, I can assure you…
I Am So Lucky!
I’m sure that I have been blessed with the best friends in the whole world. I can’t think of a better way to measure success, can you? Because I can not, tonight I am a very happy man. I’m thrilled to have spent the evening with Tom and Julie – two of the best chefs…
Later That Evening… Dinner With Dona Tomas
Dinner tonight was with handsome Jack and vivacious Tres at Dona Tomas. You simply can not go wrong at this excellent restaurant. The food is first-rate, as are the delicious margaritas. I recommend the carnitas – a house specialty – and if you’re still hungry for dessert, the mint ice cream is wicked cool. Thanks,…
Puppy Love
Our most excellent neighbors Tres and Jack brought home a little Parson Russell Terrier. “Frisco” is just 8 weeks old. Kelly’s birds were less than enthusiastic about or energetic little visitor, but I can tell you for sure – Kelly was instantly smitten. What a cutie!
The Grape One in Da Hood
Our friend Greg stopped by tonight. He gave us the scoop on the wine business in the central valley and joined us for salty prawns at Le Cheval. Nice to see you, Oh Grape One. We especially love the suit, Baby! (I’ve got news for you – you’re not fooling anyone.
More Interior Shots
Got a home for sale? Better call me. I can make any place look like a million bucks. Of course, that was very easy to do this time…
What a Shame
The owners of Andrew and Barbara’s loft will be painting over this awesome example of Andrew’s skill as a muralist. Andrew has a better understanding of perspective and of how to fool the eye than anyone I’ve ever known. His work is amazing. You can’t see it here, but Andrew even took the time to…
Nice to See You, Ben!
Thanks for everything Ben. We had a wonderful time last night! While the girls were making dinner, I tried something entirely new with my new camera and PhotoShop CS2. Stay tuned for details.
Dinner With New Friends
Last night we had the pleasure of meeting Professor Perry Samson – the founder of weatherunderground.com and his wife Deborah over another delicious Thai meal at Chris and Ben’s. Jerry Alexander provided a few bottles of superb wine, which flowed as smoothly as the conversation. We celebrated Don and Jum’s recent marriage and wished that…
Up On The Roof
We always love seeing our friends Steve (The Laminator) Billings and his lovely girlfriend Debra. Tonight’s visit was particularly nice because he brought his very cute daughter Hillary, and her cool boyfiend Josh. Tonight is one of the warmest nights of the year – AND it’s not raining – so it’s up to the roof…
Chris Burt in the L.A. Times
Our dear friend Chris has finally begun to receive the respect he deserves since the release of his most excellent weather book. Today you’ll find an interesting editorial by Chris in the L.A. Times! Way to go, Mr. Burt!
Happy Birthday, Dave!
Forty Two big ones at Thirsty Bear. Yum!
Happy Birthday Barbara!
Twenty nine looks good on ya! On a side note, I’d like to point out that these shots were taken wth our trusty Canon G3 – still the best digital camera for most people. There is a catch though – you must always shoot using aperture priority. To get these shots, I chose 1/6 second…
Mark Downey and Howard Dean
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.