Heeding Carrie
I flew to Southern California this morning. Being hobbled by crutches, I got to sit close to the front of plane. It was an early flight; normally at 0700 I would have closed my eyes and slept through taxiing and take off. But this morning, I kept awake for the safety announcements.
I heeded Carrie. Read more
On First Encountering Melange
My life lurched in early 1989, when I first encountered melange. Melanges (mélange, French for “mixture”) are heterogeneous muddles of strong rock blocks embedded within weak rocks, often sheared shale. The melange underlies the lower slopes of San Bruno Mountain in South San Francisco, and is part of the Franciscan Complex, a regional-scale jumble of tectonically rafted and crammed plates of exotic crust. (I could write more romantic twaddle about the Franciscan but John McPhee does a much better job than me with his prosaic book Assembling California). I had never before seen such a complex mess of rocks. Read more
Blessed by BART Busker Bléa
I was blessed this morning by Rev. Joseph Bléa, playing his guitar and harmonica at the Oakland Civic Center BART station. It was a perfect time to be blessed; hobbling on my crutches, my spirit flagging. Joseph had stopped playing by the time the surge of commuters had passed him by. But as is my habit with BART buskers playing early morning music, I dropped a bill into his guitar case anyway. Read more
bimrock bimbo
I am a bimbo – I study bimrocks. Bimrocks are my research and professional passion. I don’t breath heavily over bimrocks, but I do find them challenging and well worth the effort I have expended on them. Read more
Princess Kaiulani
Victoria Kawekiu Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Ka’iulani Cleghorn of Hawaii was born in 1875, the daughter of Princess Miriam Likelike (sister of Queen Lili’iuokalani) and Archibald Cleghorn, a Scot from Edinburgh. After her mother’s death she became second in line to the throne of Hawaii as Princess Kaiulani. I have had a crush on Princess Kaiulani for nearly 30 years. She was beautiful, spirited, lively, intelligent and mature; just the sort of woman I admire and am drawn to. Read more
