Thanks Dave, for a breathtaking look at Wisconsin weather this beautiful evening in Oakland. Awesome. I have never seen lightening quite like this. It appears to come from (go to?) a patch of clear blue sky. Dave, please tell us more about this very cool shot! Looks like 10 seconds at f4.0, so you used…
Category: Old Friends
De Torchum Never Stops
Looks like I have enough images for a couple more days of abuse. Heh! I’m loving it!
More Party Pix!
Here are a few more fab shots from the CLAM reunion in no particular order. That last shot of your humble photographer was made by Dave Seitz. Thanks, Dave! By the way, I saw a couple of videos at the party that I’d love to make available to all of the CLAMS. Jeff, Todd –…
These Are a Few of My Favorite CLAMS
I am sooo glad we took the time to set up the lights in Dave’s garage. My only regret is that I did not spend more time in “the studio”. This is partly due to the 92 degree heat and high humidity, but also because I was just plain lazy. I wish I had shot…
Milwaukee River Cruise
Our most excellent friend Mark recommended a Milwaukee River cruise during my visit to Wisconsin, so we boarded the Edelweiss II at precisely 5:30 on Friday night. The weather was perfect and the cheap margaritas flowed freely while we cruised up and down the scenic river. The riverfront seems to be a happenin’ place these…
A CLAM-tastic Reunion
This weekend’s CLAM reunion was fabulous. So fabulous, in fact that I was having way too much fun to shoot the hundreds of images I’d imagined I’d shoot. I shot a mere 161 images, and our host Dave managed to get a few more. I’m sure there’s enough here for a MyPublisher book, but some…
Reunited!
Yes, miracles DO happen, and here’s proof. Kelly found her beloved Nova!! So, you’re probably wondering how this could possibly happen. What follows is the story of the incredible series of events that led to Nova’s return home. First, we printed a few flyers and stapled them to telephone poles in our neighborhood. Kelly has…
Hoping for a Miracle
This weekend Kelly’s oldest, sweetest bird, Nova, managed to slide out of a narrow opening in one of our loft windows. This is not the first time she’s flown out, but this time her wings were strong enough to carry her too far from our loft. We haven’t found her, and we know that odds…
Suburban Illusions – From Camera to Book in One Day
Steve made these images on a sunny Hayward afternoon while riding his cherry 1942 AMC Flash Cruiser, recently resuscitated from a 64 year stint in a “barn at Francis’ house”. The unretouched Fuji FinePix E900 images were dragged directly into a MyPublisher book. Here are a couple of spreads from this sure-to-be-instant-classic. The process took…
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…
Steaks on the Grill
Chris and Ben hosted another fabulous shindig at their home in the Oakland Hills. No Thai food this time, though. Instead, we had good ol’ steak and corn-on-the-cob. Yum! These images were all shot by Grant with his amazing Canon 5D. This dang camera produces absolutely the best color and simply amazing sharpness. I own…
Terramare
We spent the weekend in Northern California at what is now one of our favorite destinations – Terramare. This amazing property is locate in Gualala – directly across the street from one of our other favorite places – St. Orres. The house features sweeping views from its perch on a cliff high above the thundering…
Happy Birthday, Ben!
Let’s take a short break from our Philippines trip to wish our dear friend Ben a happy birthday. Ben prepared some of the best food ever for her own birthday party. As you can see, she also provided the entertainment. Happy Birthday, Ben! We love you. You are truly one in a million. 🙂 More…
Sushi, Scharffen Berger and Soizic
What a day! I don’t think we’ve had a day like this since the last time Jim and Wendy visited. We started with lunch at Tachibana – the best sushi bar in the east bay. From there, we toured the fragrant Scharffen Berger chocolate factory and sampled numerous luscious super-dark chocolates. Later that evening, we…
Steve Wynd 2005
The title of this entry hints at the fact that I see my first friend in California way too little. Steve and I had an awesome time revisiting our old haunts in the foggy Sunset District. We both concluded – again – that there’s no place like San Francisco – the number one tourist destination…
A Roast With the Rowes
Just to be sure we’d had our fill of MEAT on our trip, Steve prepared a huge slab of bison for dinner with Jim and Wendy Rowe on Friday. He paired the meat with a few rare and delightful reds. Yum! Â
More Hilights From Our Visit to Wunnerful Wisconsin
Tuesday was a busy day with an outstanding lunch at B.J. Wentger’s in Burlington, a short tour of Lake Como aboard the Kimpossible and finally a prime rib dinner with old friends at Eric and Bonnie’s fabulous estate. Kelly had a chance to witness the heart-warming hippotherapy program offered on the property before we warmed…
Some Things Never Change
What trip would be complete without a visit to John’s Main Event? It is always great to see all of you. A special thanks to Kalvin, Scott, Julie, Lexy and Lynne for going the extra mile to be there. I wish we could see each other much more often!
A Big Week for Birthdays
We took the train to Fresno to help celebrate Wendy’s 45th birthday – the first of four birthday celebrations this week. The party was supposed to have been a surprise, but you know how these things go – she knew all about the it. However, Wendy did not know that her pals Kelly and thedude…
Happy Birthday Terra!
2005 is a big year for 50th birthday parties, and Terra’s will no doubt be remembered as one of thedude’s favorites. The party’s hosts have a stunning and eclectic home in the hills above Orinda. The home has an enormous multi-level deck with views from Mt. Diablo to Mt. St. Helena. The entire compound is…
Pacific Classic in Del Mar
The high point of our weekend was the Pacific Classic – won by long shot Borrego. No, we did not bet – we would have lost if we had – but we had fun looking at the shiny horsies and drinking 8 dollar beers. Many thanks to Paul and Joanna for driving us up and…
To Temecula and Beyond!
We just got back from visiting Paul and Joanna and their five cats and 2 dogs in Temecula. Paul and Joanna have a lovely home in a quiet, clean neighborhood. Both of them have very short commutes and good jobs. (Well, Joanna might argue with that point, but that’s a l-o-n-g story for another day.)…
Jumpin’ Jack Chestnut
From time to time friends send me fabulous images. This is definitely one of them. Meet Jack. The black and white is a nice touch don’t you think? It really sets off the metallic costume from its leafy surroundings. Most excellent costume and photography by Siobhan Chestnut. Fabulous!
Long Ago in a Frozen Land Far, Far Away…
This week I received e-mails from two people I have not seen in nearly twenty years. The first came from my ex-girlfriend Cheryl. That’s her on the left with a somewhat younger and slightly thinner dude. Evidently, she stumbled onto my site while Googling Thule Air Base in Greenland. She sent a link to my…
Eat Them Up – Yum!
We missed our local fireworks display this Fourth of July, but that’s OK, because we had dinner at Chris and Ben’s, and just in case you don’t already know this, Ben’s cooking is as good as it gets. Tonight’s meal featured the biggest dang shrimp I’ve ever seen – a fresh-water variety all the way…
Knutson Associates
Kelly has known these fine folks for many years. Knute, Scott and Joyce Knutson create exsquisite unique jewelry. Scott’s work is influenced by his diving adventures – he has produced many pieces with an aquatic theme – really lovely stuff. When it came time to select a jeweler to design a fabulous wedding ring for…
I’ve Been Horribly Lazy…
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…
The Fabulous Fagan Family
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…
Happy 50th, Chris!
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.