I just found the scrap of paper that I roughed out a t-shirt idea I had last year. I really want to make this shirt a reality... though it's not like I don't have enough projects to do already. Hopefully the cleaned-up, final version will see the light of day soon.... I hope...

My high school mascot/logo... at least when I went there it was.... I always wondered who drew it. Sac High (Sacramento High School) Dragons.

More sightings on the 'regular' morning hiking route.

In order, creativeness seems to abound in the community and one of the locals watching me from the hill.

I decided to change up the morning hike recently just for the heck-of-it and have been going up "D-hill" as the local kids call it and back through the neighborhood home. The walk, though about 15 to 20 minutes shorter than my other main route (1 hour, 5 minutes) does have a longer, steeper climb (Tomahawk!) but also pays off with this incredible view of the Ross Valley (see this photo I shot this very morning about 7:45)... my house is down there to the right a bit.... somewhere.

Out at 'The Spot' early Sunday morning... which is VERY RARE for me to surf on a weekend there. Glad I did as it was actually fun surf that day and thanks to the very talented painter/surfer Mary Wagstaff for the photo.

Yet MORE goofy sightings on "the hike!"

It's been a whole month since I've posted anything (not much of a surprise, I know)....

Here's a few shots from my daily hike. If I don't end up surfing, which I do two to three times a week, I hike 4.1 miles every day. Rain or shine. Weekdays and weekends.

I see a lot of wonderful things on this daily hike and on occasion not-so-nice things (my route happens to be on part of the same route that the infamous 'tire slasher' here in Marin County did his vandalism on).

This morning I shot pictures of (in particular order) a beautiful stencil piece sprayed on a post, the 232 steps I climb at the top of the hill I hike and some great flowers.

This is a great hike for body and mind... and heck, I feel fortunate enough to live in such a beautiful place.

April 1 would of been D. Boon's 52nd birthday and I was thinking about him that day. I was fortunate enough to see the Minutemen play in San Francisco (I can't remember what club it was) and the very next year being in the opening band (not sure which band it was but it really doesn't matter) on a 4 band bill with them headlining at the Mabuhay Gardens.

By about 1983-84 punk rock began to become a sort of 'rule-oriented-lock-step' movement (pretty much what it is today). By this time most bands were 'hardcore' sounding like an endless army of Black Flag tribute bands. On the other hand, the Minutemen stood out splendidly. They definitely had a sound and style all there own and did what they felt was right. They seemed to approach music without any rules attached, sort of like an experimental jazz musician might have and they made it okay to actually be able to play your instrument well. Hey, I kid you not, I was no Van Halen but I got dogged constantly by other punks for playing a little too proficiently (again, see 'rule-oriented-lock-step' movement).

If you get a chance, see the wonderful documentary, We Jam Econo; Story of the Minutemen.

Great guys. Mike, George and Boon.

Been back in the water as of late 2 to 3 times a week. Starting to get the hang of being 'there' again as well.

This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago with my phone. I rode that little right there (which is actually about 3' and the clean-up waves were 4') for two hours all by myself. Ah, Dawn Patrol.

On February 25Th I drove 100 miles up to my home town of Sacramento, CA to see the legendary improvisational jazz saxophone master, Roscoe Mitchell (one of the original founders of the famed, Art Ensemble of Chicago) perform at the 24Th Street Theater.

The opening group was lead by one of my early "musical teachers," if you will, Mr. Tony Passarell and his Thin Air Orchestra. I met Tony over 30 years ago when I was a skinny, little high school musician and Tony was a music major at Sac State. He, along with (the late) Erik Kleven, Henry Robinette, Mike Curtis and Rick DaPrato were my musical "uncles" as we all hung out at the original Esoteric Records (Alhambra @ J Streets... then owned by Rick DaPrato, across from the McKinley Park 'Duck Pond') in the 1970's and I was to be schooled on all things musically cool, informative and groovalicious!

The show was great! After The Thin Air Orchestra performed a flawless set, Mr. Mitchell came out and floored us ALL with solo Saxophone compositions. I was very impressed that at his age he still can play and command his instrument like a man AT LEAST half his age.

Then the Thin Air Orchestra came back on stage to play about three more pieces with Mr. Mitchell. Egad! It was truly AMAZING!

I was also fortunate enough after the gig to meet Mr. Mitchell and get him to sign an LP of his I own (see photos).

Big up's to Tony Passarell, old pal and bad-ass bassist Gerry Pineda and guitarist Ross Hammond (it was great to meet you, Ross) and a BIG gracias to Brian Gorman (Northern California Improvisational Arts Foundation) for throwing the whole shebang together so well!

What a night!

Not only am I hiking daily around the immediate area I live in but I'm also stretching it out to encompass the entire county that I have been living in for 18 years (this coming June). Here is what it looked like from the 6.6 mile Pantoll hike on Mt. Tam Saturday.

pic one... me looking at SF (your point of view is looking South down the coast).

pic two... View of the bay.

pic three.... my personal favorite, view of Stinson, the Callas, Sea Drift, the Groin/Bolinas Lagoon, Bolinas (aka the home break) and Duxbury Reef . Way Cool!

This little sign is stapled on a telephone pole down my street a little ways. There are no other signs like this anywhere else on the street or immediate neighborhood (I've checked). It is so innocent and so perfect I took a picture of it this morning on "the hike" and post it here for your edification.

Another sight on my daily hike. This little, blue (cobalt?) face painted on a tree down the street from my place. I pass it every morning at the beginning of the hike. Could this be a new trend, Suburban graffiti?

During my daily treks I get a chance to see all sorts of fun stuff. Here is a picture of a place I call The Poetry House, which is about 2/3 through my morning hike. The words on the fence are removable so you could (and people do) write a poem. I wish that headboard with the ‘free’ sign wasn’t there to obscure the whole effect of the shot I took this morning.
If anyone is interested where this place is located feel free to email me.

I really don't want to sound like a dick here but is it me, or is our government responding to the terrible crisis in Haiti a HELL OF A LOT faster (and better with a lot more gusto) than they did with the hurricane Katrina crisis in Louisiana/Mississippi?

It took me a little while but here's my first post of the year. Some of you already know that I had a bit of a health issue at the end of last year which landed me in the hospital. Well, it's all better now and as part of my "doctors orders" rehab I've taken up walking (about an hour every morning) to help build me up so I can get back out in the ocean surfing, on my bike, etc.
I've even taken up yoga (!) as part of the new regime.

On my long walks which wind through the hills of Fairfax I've noticed that here in Marin County we are heavily into green velvet (see picture). I took my little camera with me this morning to document this.
Dig it.

The yearend is fast approaching and I’m hanging in there and I hope you all are too. It’s been a big year for us what with our son graduating high school and then later this past summer he goes away to college half way down the state. Where did the time go?

I've had fun opportunities to be in many great group art shows with wonderful artists all around the bay area and I'm still cranking out the comix too!

There’s also been lots of stress in the financial world for all of us and then me ending up in the hospital for a week and getting out just before Christmas. Yeegad!

Still, it's almost a new year. 2010 seems so futuristic…. Then again, it is futuristic.

I hope it’s a good one for you.

1968 Ampeg 'Reverbojet' J-12R. Got this one a couple of weeks ago from my buddy and excellent guitarist, Ron Corral, Jr. (Twang Ten, formerly with the Rhythm Drivers).

Man, this baby is smooth. 18 watts, tube amp.

I still have to put it through a few more paces but so far, I can't complain.

Here's my 1959  Kay "Style Leader" guitar. It's pretty much all original parts except the tuning pegs. Oh, and the strap buttons that I just put on. I'm also not too sure if it originally had a sun burst finish or not. The only pictures that I've seen of this guitar has it with a sun burst finish. 

None-the-less, it's a pretty rare bird and plays surprising well though it has a bit of 'fret buzz' around the 12th fret.

I just can't say enough good stuff about Derf and his excellent graphic novel, Punk Rock and Trailer Parks.
It all takes place in 1980 in Akron, Ohio during the hey day of the punk scene as some of the most influential bands of the day come through Akron as the hero of the book, The Baron encounters all of the shit most people put up with while being a teenager along with discovering punk rock, love found and lost, bullying, bizarre characters in the trailer park, losing a best friend while a lot of the seminal forces of punk rock drift through from the Clash, the Ramones, the Plasmatics and even the Godfather of rock critics, Lester Bangs can be found within these pages.
I’ll shut up now because I don’t want to give too much but this baby is quite the page-turner and Derf’s goofy cartooning style is really fun. It can remind one of Peter Bagge’s Buddy Bradley in a way but Derf definitely has his own style and voice.
Man, I wish we had a place like the Bank (punk club) like they had in Akron, Ohio out here in my home town in California.... but then again, an hour and a half ride down the freeway and I was in San Francisco seeing it all anyway. Great book. Check it out!