THE WEEKENDER-SURPRISES

SURPRISE

   It's the time of year when the "surprise lilies" or as they are known here the "naked ladies" start popping up.  

     They are a wild flower that some find annoying.  We simply enjoy their elegance- surprise, naked, or not.

SURPRISE 2

     Stepped outside my normal comfort zone this week and took advantage of a discount coupon sent by favorite sporting goods store, celebrating an upcoming birthday. I took home a new tennis shirt-neon yellow.  Way outside my habitual white or blue color scheme.  

      I had barely gotten out of the car before the hoots and catcalls came from the tennis courts.  Even my foursome had commentary.  Later as I went into the coffee shop, ooohh!, oh my! and other such observations filled the air.     

       Lana was surprised when I told her what color I was shopping for.  I like the color and I've seen it on the pro tour. It is not my traditional style, but when and where else might I ever wear neon yellow? And I felt like I was playing more energetically today.  Power Yellow!

WEEKENDER VIDEO
A LITTLE LARGE FOR THE KIDS POOL, BUT. -

    Enjoy your weekend.

      See you down the trail.

LIGHT FUN & THE NEWS BIZ

SORKIN'S GENIUS RUNS THE NEWSROOM

Courtesy HBO

     It's a subjective thing and thus, Aaron Sorkin's scripts in season two of HBO's THE NEWSROOM weave a brilliant faux reality that parodies, parses and probes what we know as "true reality," however vague and ephemeral that may be and gives us entertainment without peer.
     Last year he build a foundational understanding of the sliding iterations of broadcast journalism in modern America, against the back drop of journalistic iconography. This year he bores in, delivering core samples, albeit fiction, that examines how it is in the newsrooms of broadcast journalism. The fiction is virtually life like, and he delivers characters, drama and intrigue in story arcs that are painted in some of the most effective dialogue ever.
     The situational ethics are real and so are the characters. Yes, it's fiction, but after a life time in newsrooms I tell you unreservedly he nails it all. And brilliantly he holds a mirror to America where our political and journalistic mores are exposed, laid bare and in a way that will move you-to laughter, anger and even tears. And yes, the cast, everyone of them are up to walking and talking those brilliant words.
      If you haven't joined in this Newsroom fandom, make a point of starting with last year's season 1.  I'll best most of you will be like the rest of us-we can't wait until the next episode.  It's not Downton Abbey, but it is just as addictive. And it is about our age.

LIGHT FUN

     Jeff and Florence Pipes hosted a marvelous wine club dinner in the Pipestone Vineyards.  The candles and torches set against the gloaming created an enchanting mood. You can see more in a brief video below.

MUSICAL SHADOWS

 A pre sunset concert at Harmony Cellars provided a couple of interesting shadow moments.

Spend a gorgeous evening dinning in a vineyard

in about a minute and half-thanks to Pipestone Vineyards and my IPhone.

     See you down the trail.

RELAX----THE WEEKENDER

RELAX

     Can you?  Do you?  How frequently?  How do you relax?

Leading questions that were launched by the admonition of a friend in response to a recent post.

      It's no doubt a good thing to do, just relax. But it's difficult for some to do so.

SERENE

the weekender video
THE SUMMER SUN AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT

   Find a little relaxation this weekend.  And wonder how you can help others to do so.

     See you down the trail.

ROMANCING THE FAVA

THE FINE ART OF THE SECOND SHUCK

The finesse of a culinary affair

     It approaches a near sensuality. Near, I say, lest you think I've gone around the bend. Perhaps it is the knowledge that your effort will lead eventually to a taste unique, a culinary dance rich with flavor, aroma and the certainty of kitchen alchemy where almost anything you do ends up delicious. Such is the Fava. And so the endeavor to get these  tasty morsels into their prime nakedness, while not an easy task, is not without its pleasure, in the moment and in the anticipation of what is to come.

     When Lana bought the beans we are growing on our back hill the lady said "So you're growing these for cover crop huh!"  

      "No, my husband loves to cook with them."

      "Really!"

    Native to North Africa, the Fava, also called the broad bean, has been eaten by almost all cultures through history. Getting to that point, the eating, begins the way it is with most beans, getting them out of the pod-a common enough exercise. But the Fava is special. It requires further attention, a kind of special seduction.

     Out of the outer shell, these nutty companions of succulent dalliances need further prompting for culinary amour. 

     Some will tell you to parboil them, to soften the casing in which they hold their precious treasure. NO, NO, NEVER do that! You are not mashing potatoes here, you are instead courting a freshness and taste that merely is being coy. You must speak the language of food love, with your hands and a longing caress.

     Each Fava bean needs to be seen for its individual structure and promise.  You begin by an examination to find the proper side and spot where you begin the journey.

    Carefully, I prefer a thumb nail, you incise a small point

to reveal the inner bean, the essence of the taste.

     You then begin a gentle squeeze, not unlike the way some Mediterranean men or women apply an approving, even if an uninvited, pinch of your derriere. 

     A digression-both Lana and I have been the receiver of such. It is a special kind of touch and practiced by those of a particular nation where this bean is prepared in rapturous excitement. Maybe there is a connection.

     As you can see in the frame below, the gentle pinch brings the tasty little dear out into the world and ready to satisfy. 

Such delight, ready for the kitchen and the eventual 

consummation of the romance.

CLINICAL NOTATIONS

   It may enhance your experience with Favas if you know that a particular kind of pasta, perhaps Italian sausage, cheese and or creme fraiche and wine await.  In fact having the wine open, and in a glass and near your work station is also advised.

    I've wondered if there couldn't be some use for the now discarded inner shell.  Ours goes into the compost which is a good purpose in itself.

   If your climate permits, doing the work outside also enhances the love affair.

   Cheers!  I wish you many happy hours in your romance of the Fava.

    See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-HOW DO YOU SEE IT?

POINT OF VIEW

     Some of us are bewildered by the almost instant division that appears on practically every thing anymore.  Politics, religion, social structure, meaning and significance are all points of departure.  It seems more so now than ever.

     Henri Bergson, a writer and philosopher in the early 20th century and a Nobel winner for literature wrote of the power of intuition over mechanized intellect.  He also wrote of the continual force of creative and evolutionary energy, calling it "elan vital." I like the concept; never ending expression of new, original, life, birthing, a driving force to creation and understanding.  Mix that with my opening premise above and I'm left to conclude "some people get it and some just don't."

     Some adapt, learn, evolve, grow, expand. Some don't. Some see differences as a space in which opportunity exists, others see boundaries. While we all probably "get set in our ways," as rapidly as science is expanding and cognitive understanding is occurring and computer assistance advances, getting hung up in "old thought" seems to be counter to progress.  But then there are those who find "Progressive" a frightful term. So we come full circle.

      What's it mean?  Maybe we are indeed from different hemispheres of the brain, or different planets!

VIEW POINT ON SUNSET

 From a vineyard hill top, watching the painted sky.

Even the shadows enjoy the moment. 

 There may be better acoustical stages, but none with a better point of view.

THE ULTIMATE EXERCISE IN POINT OF VIEW

THIS IS LOTS OF FUN

     Thanks to my long time friend, artist and musician Jim for forwarding this video.  We are probably from close to the same planet.

      Have a great weekend.

      See you down the trail.

KNOWING AND OPTIMISM & THE ALMOST EATEN BY A WHALE VIDEO

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM

    Tools, advances and new research are coming rapidly now in the area of brain science.  Discoveries in the last couple of years are astounding but because they are technical and complex they have not been widely reported nor understood by the public.

      PBS presenter and host Charlie Rose with Nobel Winning neuroscientist Dr. Erik Kandel have presented 14 programs over the last two years that can provide a breathtaking and mind charging survey of this extraordinary new science of understanding. 

       Here are a couple of ways to learn more or gain access to the series.

 LearnOutLoud 

(this links to the full series and program descriptions)

Charlie Rose watch

(the final program in the series-looking at the new federal Brain Initiative)

     This is fascinating and informative television with special relevance to an aging boomer population.

A JULY SEA SIDE WALK
PACIFIC LULLABY

Napping seals without memory foam.

SOME KIND OF NEAR MISS

   Posting a video here that was shot just down the coast. It captures a moment where a couple of snorkelers come precariously close to being whale food.  They are swimming with a school of small fish when something happens they'll never forget.

     Whew!!!

     See you down the trail.

DIRTY AND THEN JUST NICE

DIRTY FIRST

    Jeremy Scahill is a savvy journalist who has survived war and produced major sets of information.  His latest, Dirty Wars is gripping, troubling and one of those pieces all Americans should see, but wont.
    It's a new day in world politics and the exercise of military might. Answers are not easy, solutions are complicated, but the operation of JSOC is something Americans need to come face to face with.
    The documentary draws you in from the first scene.  Scahill has a point of view, but when he gets information from the inside, to validate and expand what his reporting in Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere has shown, you realize this is not your daddy's warfare anymore, nor of course is the nature of the enemy. If you care a whit about the future of this nation and the exercise of power, you need to see this film.  Here's a trailer.

Now, here's a little antidote to help you chill.

NATURE IN BALANCE

See you down the trail.