THE TREE & THE FACTS

    Our good neighbor Karen asked what is that fluffy white snowball like tree blooming near our deck.

    I said it was a bit of a mystery, even to the expert arborist who keeps it healthy and trimmed. He thought it was a kind of Bottle Brush tree. Others told us it was called Paper Bark or that it was a kind of pepper.

   Our almost 19 inches of rain this year-the most in 5 years-agreed with it and it's been a magnificent bloom.

   Karen, who sees this exposure researched and learned it is a Melaleuca Linarifolia, also called Paper Bark and Bottle Brush.

   Full from the road, it is a center piece in a meditation spot Lana created just off our front deck.

   A closer look shows you why it's called Paper Bark.

    And the soft blooms look a bit like a bottle brush.

  Not sure how good it is for allergy sufferers, but it is beautiful.

GETTING AN ANSWER

    Hillary Clinton wasted no time in assembling the words of Jeb, Ted, Lindsey, Carly, John and others as they spoke of the Donald. It makes an effective commercial. We'll see a lot of that kind of thing.

     Perhaps I'm hoping for too much, but I'd like to see the 2016 political media begin to act like adults. They could begin by emulating the pros of yesteryear who asked questions  until they got an answer-to the question they posed. They did not accept a rehearsed and canned political spiel. Refusing to answer directly and prevaricating has become business as normal. Getting a straight answer is especially necessary in the case of Trump. That is not to say they should not also press Clinton, but she has a record, defined positions, actions and a voting record. Trump is only pie in the sky promises, double talk (he repeats himself endlessly) and braggadocio. 

      Americans will vote for whomever they choose, but when it is the Presidency at issue it is wise to extract as full a measure of the candidate's thoughts, mental facility and understanding of issues as can be extracted. Trump has been given a pass, thus far. He's also a skilled deflector. It's time for the high priced media talent to begin showing the mettle to demand substantive answers from Drumpf.

     Unseemly as it is more than a few Republicans will begin to close ranks around their nominee. They did it with Barry Goldwater last century. There will be even reluctant endorsers, that is what political parties do. Though none will provide the humor of Governor Christie. He's come to resemble a neglected orphan in a  Charles Dicken's setting, transformed into a kind of adoring lap puppy licking up whatever it is his master spews his way. And Donald spews.

      He'll get new staff, position analysts and policy guides and he will suddenly have people feeding his brain. But we all know it is just a cram. Until Hillary stands on stage with him at a debate, and don't you imagine she can be tough, we can hope the media will begin to see what's beneath that orange top. 

      See you down the trail

EXPECTATIONS AND VIEWS

fresh

the tribes

steps

powered up

lows

    Low information and high motivation are grumpy parents. The offspring is a chimera now morphing the DNA of the  body politic and it's occurring before our eyes. It isn't the Revolution you expected, but it is televised and phoned, tableted, app'ed, and alogrithimzed.

     The 2016 Presidential race is a warrant. We see from the campaign trail a disturbing image of America.
     Donald Trump campaigns like pitchmen who sell products on late night tv, tweets like a mouthy punk and does so with the frequency of a hormone riven teen, but an American political party has been unable to stop him. 
     My wise friend with a rich experience in law says, "some of us are dinosaurs." The ethic of election campaigns is a moving storm and what used to make sense seems now frequently out of mode. 

    Still, it is hard to imagine a majority of American voters choosing to cast for someone who campaigns with the rhetorical skills of a carnival barker. What about temperament? Where are the first shadings of a policy standard? Where is a sign of intellect up to the complexity of diplomacy? What in his history would lead a voter to conclude he would/could work in the political culture that is the Federal Government. Yes, hard to imagine, but he hasn't gone away and he fans anger and fear.

     There is no data that shows Trump with the ability to win a national election. His followers are a fraction of a fractured party. But he's had more impact than expected. Expectations are not to be trusted anymore and that was a point my wise friend made. That, and old rules are loosing function.

      Boomers watch as reaction times shrink and depth disappear. This political season has been cheap and brawling. Americans who believe governance needs a higher tone and better participants can only shake their heads. In the end Mr. Trump should be marginalized, but those he has rallied will remain inflamed. And one wonders how the circus will play in 4 more years. In politics imitation is not flattery, it is the norm. Have we crossed a Rubicon? Are short attention spans, selfish anger, missing historical perspectives and form over content new rules?

highs

     High praise to Don Cheadle for Miles Ahead, the non biopic film on Miles Davis.  Cheadle directed and starred in an impressionistic triptych fantasy that presents snatches of the great trumpeters life, moving forward and backward, in and out of reality. It is an artful and arty film and features extraordinary music. It is Davis's music but mostly done by cover players, brilliant in their own right. This is not a purist's tale and there are wild diversions brought from imagination, but they still help shape a "sense" of Davis. 

       Miles Davis influenced jazz in several iterations as well as bop and even rock in immense ways. He was a strange cat with exotic ways and tastes but he left a musical heritage. Cheadle does not define Miles Davis for the history books, but he gives us a playful and excellent entertainment that in the end shines the Davis mystique. Cheadle is brilliant as Davis and bold and imaginative as a director.

     See you down the trail.

FIELD TRIP

A FRENCH ACCENT

      It was a lovely spring day and the lure of the Paso Robles  wine region was irresistible. 

     As your surrogates a group of us immersed in the French connection of Tablas Creek.

   A purveyor of Rhone varietals, Tablas Creek has a long relationship with the Perrin family of Chateau Beaucastle in Provence'. There is a French accent here.

    A walk in a vineyard and a picnic accompanied with content from one of these is a cure for election fatigue. And it is a fine way to spend an afternoon with friends. 

    Cheers!

    See you down the trail.

RULES FOR A KILL and COLORS FOR LIFE

HUMANITY IN TWILIGHT

     Rules of engagement, laws of war and similar accords protect us while they also betray our failures. 

       It has become cliche' William Tecumseh Sherman's statement to army cadets years after the Civil War, "...war is hell." History, personal stories and journalism continue to validate the Union General's warning. Theologically wise and scholarly Dr. William Enright offered another view. He said "war is a crucifixion event." Innocence, love and peace suffer.

       Drone warfare is an insidious ratchet in our capacity to make war and destroy life. It also raises the complexity and  table stakes of killing schemes. 

      Eye in the Sky written by Guy Hibbert and directed by Gavin Hood is an excellent portrayal of the intricacies and fall out of drone war fare in the fight against terrorists. When tasked with action that includes the likely killing or injury of non combatants there is no good alternative.

      Helen Mirren and the late Alan Rickman, lead an excellent cast through the emotional drain and hell of a decision played out involving US drone control, English Military command, British and US foreign policy heads, Kenyan ground support and intelligence. The film is a fascinating study of real life. Cutting corners, the pressure of critical decisions under duress, scoping the likely aftermath in human loss and political calculation are vividly portrayed. It is a powerful examination of a terrible human equation and it demonstrates  how those who execute decisions also suffer. It underscores the wisdom in Dr. Enright's characterization of war.

SPRING CHEER

residents of the front flower bed

   

   See you down the trail.

A SCOTS BLUFF-HAWKE MAKES BLUE-AND TO THE BRIDE!

Like a Scot's Wind

  English, Scots, Irish and a blend of Brit genealogies have  settled in Cambria and on the central coast. 

  Windswept bluffs and plenty of room to ramble are appealing and familiar.

   Legroom with views.

 

   Expansive heath where land joins sea.

   Wind and surf in chorus.

     This area "speaks" to some of our DNA.

Born To Be Blue
will make you blue

    Chet Baker is one of those great talents who let demons direct his life and Born To Be Blue, currently in release, is an artful film that tells the story very well.  

     Ethan Hawke, who studied the trumpet and who sang, turns in a superb performance capturing the genius and torture of Chet Baker. Baker was a better singer than Hawke but the entire score and musical ambiance of the film is masterful. Cool and blue jazz and the essence of mellow.The film ventures into a little bop, thanks to the Dizzy Gillespie shading in the plot. Then there is Miles Davis and the script's hint that Baker was pained to get Mile's respect, even to the point of destructive behavior.

     Hawke is good throughout, but the scene where he stares into the mirror in the dressing room at Birdland while fighting with himself about whether to take methadone or to fire up a fix of smack is riveting and is the distilled crux of the story. Born To Be Blue is directed by Canadian Robert Budreau who has made award winning shorts. Brit Carmen Ejogo is excellent in her double role as Elaine and Jane.

     It is an art film, playing in limited distribution about a tortured artist who lived to play the trumpet and shoot heroin, so you won't leave with a smile. It's not for everyone, but if you like Baker's music, Jazz, good story telling and excellent acting it's a good 90 some minutes. Hard to beat the music.

                           

Happy Anniversary

   After all these years you are still my beautiful bride

and I'm more in love every day. 

A Sweet Finale

    Giovanni the maestro at Harmony Cafe at the Pewter Plough does many things well including his own take on Zucatto. This was a recent "experiment."  We lab animals were swooning very quickly after this photo. "Heavenly" was a consensus.

     See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-For Locals

Rods and Spice

    Cambrians and tourists mark early spring with a bacchanalia like rite of hot rods and hot chili. Restaurants, service organizations and individuals vie for a championship. $10 gets you a spoon and small cup and points you toward the numbered chili dispensers, each touting their unique zest or magic.

  The South Paw chili, using a particular wine were working for an award for showmanship as well. 

These judges deliberate for a set of prizes while the vox populi would ballot for the people's choice.

  The parking lot was lined with dazzle and color. 

   Spring pleasures on California's Pacific Coast highway.

    See you down the trail.