I’m in between trips again, just back from a weekend down in San Diego and about to depart for Pennsyltucky in two days to visit the family. All this recent traveling has got me to thinking: Just how can I travel more? I have friends flitting here and there about the globe, some sticking to [...]
Give me sunshine. Give me fresh air. Give me a high GNP. While you’re at it, give me easy access to wine, cheese, culture, and a lair in which to escape all of the above. But more than that, give me freedom from the insanity that is known as organized religion. I don’t know who [...]
(With apologies to anyone with any literary sensibility.) They were well underwayOn a bright August dayWith a bearing set for Santa Cruz.Their craft was nigh fullFrom the mast to the hullWith provisions for two or three crews. At the Sun Soleil’s wheel,On an uneven keel,Stood their captain, of skill set unknown.Quick to temper was he,As [...]
I don’t even want to imagine such an intersection in LA. Picture it: a merge-phobic armada of SUVs attempting a living version of a theme-park teacup ride while chatting up their agents/au pairs/massage therapists on their cells as they try to navigate a perpetual eddy of interlocking circles. Hell on wheels, I say, but the [...]
I only had Mel Shavelson for one grad school class, one so crammed with other students that I’m sure he never realized whether or not I was there. But I liked the guy. He had a passion about his work. His love of teaching was evident, and even he must have known that he could [...]
It’s that time of year again, time to fold your butterfly ballots, rip off the hanging chats, and stuff the ballot box to the brim with your favorite animal-friendly people, places, and foods. Not veg? Vote anyway. Great prizes, including a trip to Northern California, await. Hurry! Voting ends September 1. 2007 Veggie Awards (Coming [...]
The few bananas still on board didn’t faze us, although at least one person tried to attribute the shape and yellow color of the kayak to Chris’ unusual incident. After breakfast, during which we fended off the swarm of flies that had come aboard some time during the night, we took turns paddling the sheltered [...]
We slept well last night — almost nine hours, in fact — fatigued by our many encounters with rotting animals and the unending activity of hauling anchors, hoisting halyards, and searching for the perpetually elusive “bag of bags” in the chaos of the galley. After a breakfast of omelets, the Sun Soleil headed towards Painted [...]
It seemed to bode well that we had quite the picture-perfect sailing day as our boat, Sun Soleil (repetitive, no?), motored through the marina at Channel Islands Harbor. The sun was high in the azure sky, a few billowy clouds floated about, a slight breeze carried us to the harbor inlet towards the open ocean. [...]
