THE WEEKENDER :) REALLY FAR OUT

OF STARS, DREAMS AND MORE

      The star field above our ridge top between the Pacific and the Santa Lucia Mountains is spectacular. Twice in the last week house guests were taken back by the clarity and depth of the celestial bodies.  Watching the night sky is a common activity here and the vocal enthusiasms of our guests underscores how pristine the views are.

INTO THE STARS

      Before we get to the weekend's video offering, a sort of tribute to life and work of Ray Bradbury, The Weekender :) adds a cosmic note.

      As I was walking a coffee cup back to the waiting group of tennis partners who had assembled on the coffee deck after our match, a friend engaged me in a trio who were sitting elsewhere.

      "Did you hear what a new survey found?  The majority of Americans would prefer Obama over Romney in the event we had an encounter with beings from another planet?"

      Well, I had not heard that. Hadn't considered that eventuality either.

      "It's just a matter of time," one of her companions said with conviction and a bit of a distant look. Not so distant that I couldn't see he believed and believed it might just happen sooner that I expected.

       So as you consider that as part of your presidential election thinking, here's a unique video that explores the possibility of something once considered only science fiction. If it's truly "a matter of time" this free enterprise idea just could make sense and in just 11 years!!

Have good weekend.  Maybe do a little star gazing.

Mars is visible.

See you down the trail.

       

A SEA OF EXPERTS

WATCHING IT PLAY

    The ruling by the Supremes put all news organizations through the drill.  I was fascinated by watching how it was covered.  

    The challenge was an old one-get the essence, then get the info out of the court room and to the viewers or online readers or listeners.  It was a kind of fire bucket brigade.  The first of the info was handed along, while reporters and analysts in the Supreme Court building continued to listen to Chief Justice Roberts, gather the actual ruling, opinions, copy them, get them to the news headquarters and to the field correspondents waiting outside. It was a massive operation, like a 100 yard dash with copy machines and text books while deciphering a code.

   I've covered court rulings and appreciate the logistics of getting the story right, and getting it on and in a competitive environment. All news groups want to be first. 

   While there is no shortage of talking heads and experts, the smoothest and most concise of the morning was Ted Ruger, constitutional law professor at the University of Pennsylvania who provided succinct and helpful analysis on CBS.  As a former anchorman, that is the kind of analyst I would like to have along side. Scott Pelley, who handled it nicely, benefited from Ruger's polish.

    The next chapter is to now watch the spin, the spinners, the straight networks and newspapers and the partisan media like Fox and MSNBC and all of the yacking heads who'll try to make you think their perspective is the only correct one. 

     And we can't forget the candidates.  There is a presidential election into which all of this will factor.  Do you know how that will play out?   Well, Someone on one of the networks or blogs will try to convince you, he or she does. Let the game's begin. 

DAY FILE

RANDOM SCENES
eclectic and well, random

This is the kind of "hot" issue I now prefer to deal with.

See you down the trail

WAITING AND NEWS

OCCUPYING THOUGHTS

     Regardless whether Chief Justice Roberts writes it, and regardless of the outcome, the ruling on the health care reform will be remembered as one of the most anticipated, watched and debated. It is an automatic argument starter, however it comes out.

TRUTH IN THE NEWSROOM

       I entered my first newsroom as a green high school kid and have lived in them since.  The Aaron Sorkin script for the HBO series The Newsroom is brilliant and it speaks truth.  It demonstrates truth as well.  The pilot does a great job of showing how a breaking news story get's covered.  And I can't leave this without saying the tirade launched by actor Jeff Daniels, as a network anchor, is masterfully done. And it speaks truth.

DAY FILE

EARTH AND SEA

 In the frames below it looks as though the stone has been carved with a saw.  Amazing power in the relentless surf.

All of the shots were gathered at one of our favorite hikes, 

Montana D' Oro State Park.

See you down the trail.

HERE'S WHERE YOU WANT TO DRIVE

A SWEET ROAD

     You may have seen Turri Road between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, even if you've never been to California. It's been filmed for car commercials.  The good thing is, there's hardy ever any traffic. The other good thing is its beauty, especially when marigold fields are in bloom.

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) FLOATING CARS & DREAMS

A COASTAL SNOOZE

     Saturday or Sunday was always good for a couple of things-getting outside and sneaking a nap, usually in a hammock or lawn lounger.

      Our first stop this WEEKENDER :) is a place where snoozes and snoozers combine.

The Dreamy Scene

 The coast north of San Simeon

 where the big boys-the elephant seals-snore

   These guys excel in napping.

A DREAM COME TRUE?

Would you believe a "floating" car?

Enjoy this ride.

Catch a nap and have a dreamy weekend.

See you down the trail.  

IN THE EAST OF THE APPELLATION

AN AFTERNOON EAST

     We made a rare visit to the far east side of the Paso Robles Appellation and collected a few scenes to share.

     Our destination was the Pear Valley Winery, where a local group held a luncheon meeting.  We left fog at the
coast and drove into 80 degree sunshine and mild breezes.

    Lana was asked to decorate tables with her Pear cards and ceramic pieces.

 It's a beautiful setting and a micro climate apart from Cambria.

See you down the trail.

GETTING OUT

JUST DOING IT

    A couple of simple musings about the fortune of doing something, more specifically about being able to do it.

      I never got over looking out of windows.  From elementary school through my days in the corner office as a CEO, the great outdoors always called to me.  I would rather be out there instead of inside.  I regretted seeing beautiful days flow by while I was desk bound.

PLIMPTON DID IT

    Some of the appeal of George Plimpton's writing was his

ability to get out and get into things, a whole lineage of  fantasy life episodes. He called it Participatory Journalism.

      The new documentary PLIMPTON! will premierThursday evening at the AFI Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival in Washington,  I hope it travels widely.

Here's the link.

     When president of the Writers Center I had a chance to spend a couple of days with Plimpton.  A long lunch led to an afternoon of great stories, anecdotes and the trigger like urge to launch into a new adventure.  That evening at a cocktail party, watching Plimpton fill rooms with charm, grace and wit was some of the best theatre I've seen.

      Part of my role was to introduce him at the main lecture of the weekend "Gathering of Writers."  As the weekend had progressed it became apparent part of my job was to "keep track" of George.  

       The Sunday afternoon keynote address time loomed and board members were frantic to find George.

       "He went that way, saying he wanted to take some air"

one of the lobby registrants told me pointing up the block.

       We were meeting in an historic building that anchored

an avenue of pubs, bars, bistros and restaurants.  I dashed off as the clock was ticking down to introduction time.

       I'd duck into a place, look over the room and ask the bartender or greeter, "Have you seen George Plimpton in here?"  

       "I've heard a lot of pick up lines," a man said from his bar stool in one of the pubs, "but nothing like that?"

       It did seem a crazed mission and I was probably starting  to get a bit nervous.

       It all ended well.  After several frantic minutes, it dawned on me where I might find him.

       It was in an old, worn tavern, that had been a favorite of newspaper employees, reporters and printers, for decades.

      There, back in the kitchen behind the bar with the cook sat George intently watching an old television.  

       "Oh.  Is it that time already?" He said as I came through the door.

       His Detroit Lions were playing.

       I understood his wanting to get out.  

DAY BOOK
GETTING OUT ON
A ROSY DAY

RAMBLING ROSE

AND LOCAL POPPY

See you down the trail

HOW ARE YOU BEING MONITORED?

WHO KNOWS YOU ARE READING THIS?

    I was pleased to see a growing reaction to the reports about Google's accountability.  The info giant has reported

how government's around the world lean on them for information about users and push them for censorship.

   Since beginning this blog I have written about the

"INFORMATION WARS."  This reprises one of the more chilling accounts.

WHO CONTROLS YOUR SEARCH?

Maybe it is a leap, but perhaps it is closer to a chilling reality than we would
like to admit.  I acknowledge there is a bit of a stretch here, but it is one we should well consider.
In George Orwell's 1984, aside the from the image of Big Brother watching,
there was indeed the presence of the thought police.


"Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."

"Thoughtcrime does not entail death, thoughtcrime IS death"

George Orwell
1984

Now to the relevance of this to you and your life here in cyberspace.

Did you know someone is already "interpreting" your thoughts.

Take a few minutes to watch this and consider the consequence.

The tailoring of a search, to your specific parameters, may seem a benefit.  But think of the underpinning dynamic.  Your information is analyzed and choices are made, ostensibly to assist you, but they are choices that eliminate, prioritize and assume certain values about you, without the benefit of your input.
That appears to be the beginning of a slippery slope.
THE HAUNTING IMAGE
In case you've forgotten, here is a trailer of the movie
that followed Orwell's visionary novel.

Some of you may recall the "free speech movement" and the more recent court cases orbiting around the First Amendment. We have a history of a vigorous defense of liberty and freedom of thought and speech, absolutely.  
The age of convenient communication and information brings a world to your keyboard, smart phone or pad.  But the glow that comes in the marvelous flow of information and the wondrous world of apps, could occlude a more sinister presence.
Data mining, surveillance of your private chats, and control of the information we voraciously consume could begin to turn against us.  We simply need to be mindful, aware, vigilant, and never cede an inch of freedom nor control of what we put into our minds. And we must be diligent about the sources of our information.


"He wondered, as he had many times wondered before, whether he himself was a lunatic. Perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one"


"Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull."
George Orwell 
1984


Give it some thought.
See you down the trail.

PEACE, LOVE & DIRT

 EXPERIENCING LIVE OAK

   When I told someone we were going to the Live Oak Music Festival they said "Oh, Woodstock West!"

    For 24 years they've gathered at the Live Oak campground in the Santa Ynez mountains just north of Santa Barbara for a Father's Day Weekend of music and good times. "Peace, Love and Dirt" as they say.

     Live Oak is sponsored by KCBX, Public Radio for California's Central Coast.  It features a wide array of music, living up to the Festival moniker. It is also a major cultural event.  This post is a photo odyssey, attempting to capture a bit of the breadth and nuance of Live Oak.

     The drive to it and the setting are gorgeous, along the mountains dotted with forests and copse of Live Oak.  Once you are there, it's up the hill, on foot or on hay.

   One glimpse of the main stage area and you understand the name. The Live Oaks also provide a blessed shade.

    The music flows from breakfast to midnight as the sun arcs through canopy and sets behind the mountains.

    The spectacular setting is bounded by a kind of main street.

     The vendors and "shops" range from tie dye to massage. Our friend Mike, a veteran of Live Oak, played his flute at the massage tent.

     My favorite was the shop selling guitars and banjos made
from an unbelievable array of material.

 I've posted a short YouTube video below-Sound Check.

    Clustered around the hills were thousands of camp and RV sites, a virtual city. And almost everywhere you'd see and hear people jamming.

   There was a second stage, Stage Too, for workshops, and interaction with the artists.

     And there were the "sights!"  Some of them just inexplicable.

  Not everyone opted for a straw hat, but they are the popular head gear.

ABOUT THOSE INSTRUMENTS-

SOUND CHECK

   It is easy to see why people keep going back. Woodstock West?  No, I don't think so.  This is a multi generational, family event.  Maybe Son or Daughter of Woodstock is more accurate but it is a uniquely California mellow gathering.  Next year will be its 25th Anniversary. For the record, the music was superb!

    See you down the trail.