Here is some lichen and old man's beard I found on a plein air excursion down the peninsula. Lichen is the result of a nice symbiotic relationship between green algae and a fungus. They are remarkably vulnerable to air purity...

When I first came to California, I didn't recognize a lot of the plants, because so many would never thrive on the East Coast. I started gardening in earnest in 2004, with my first garden. Luckily, my neighbor, a Dutch...

Every year at this time, the berries of the Pyracantha and Cottoneaster get ripe—really ripe as in fermented—and the birds go nuts. It sounds like a party all day long as flocks of beautiful Cedar Waxwings and over-wintering Robins hang...

On Christmas Day, my friend Nancy took me to the Dolphin Club in San Francisco. I am fascinated at the ability of people to be able to withstand the terrible cold of our San Francisco Bay. I appreciate the love...

In July I visited Corsica, which is a province of France, though I don't think the inhabitants are too keen about that. (Witness the crossed out French translations of Corsican village names on the signposts). But this island has the...

I am fortunate to have family in France and I go as frequently as I can. Before going to St Cannat, a tiny village in Provence where my sister lives, she and I packed in as many adventures as we...

As a cat person, I am always amazed at the patience and devotion dogs show for their beloved masters. Here are a few sample dogs waiting for their consumer mistress/masters in the Elmwood on a sunny day in Berkeley. I...

This organization is a treat for those of us who like to draw from real live people. Dr Sketchy's Anti Art School gathers in cities across the world and gets us artists together with fantastic performance and otherwise exhibitionist folk....

For someone who loves painting the human body, this place offered more than a restorative spa experience. The steamy atmosphere hiding and revealing all the beautiful and graceful women reminded me of all those "Orientalist" paintings. I am continually amazed...