Emma Varga, Fused Glass, and the Color Red

(Ocean #40 2007, fused, cast, ground and polished glass by Emma Varga, from the Collection of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, currently on loan at the Palm Springs Art Museum, is one of the pieces Varga described making.)

There are so many different forms of glass art: blown, stained, cast, cut and fused. And, although we often think of blown glass when it comes to contemporary glass artists, fused and cast glass are certainly becoming highly sought after too.

Today we had a real treat when we got to hear glass artist Emma Varga speak at the Palm Springs Art Museum about her work, especially her "Story About Red," and the process she used to make Ocean #40 that is currently being exhibited at the museum. Originally from the former Yugoslavia, she has lived in Australia since 1995 where she has continued to make her fused glass cubes, screens and obelisks.

The color red has really been an inspiration for her. Beginning with the civil war in Yugoslavia where red was for blood, to the red skies of the sunsets outside her home in Sydney, to the red of the horrific brushfires of Australia, to red symbolizing stress and fear, to red symbolizing love and hearts. And, although this color is very striking in her work, it is really the various layers of glass and the way in which she works to imagine and create the piece almost knowing its full outcome when it comes out of the kiln.

(A collection of many of Varga's work in red from the catalog, The Story About Red [ISBN 978-0-646-48211-8].)

When she described and showed the process to make Ocean #40 that is at the museum, she showed us how meticulous she was in cutting and sorting the glass by color and length before she assembled the pieces. She even constructed the various glass pieces in such a way as to trap air bubbles in lines so that when the completed work is shown it has that appearance of looking through a slice of water. Having seen and heard this lecture, I can certainly appreciate and understand her work even more.

In describing her work and technique she says ...

"To make each of these sculptural objects, it is necessary to cut thousands of tiny glass elements from clear and transparent coloured glass sheets and combing them with glass frits and stringers.

It takes two weeks to fire and slowly cool down large sculptural works, then a further two weeks to grind and polish all of the surfaces to perfection. Only then it is finally possible to see the inside; all the fine details and veil-like structures floating in the sea of clear glass." - The Story About RED by Emma Varga.

2009 Lammy Finalist's Reading

(Award-Winning Author Christopher Rice, center, hosted a reading with James Berg, Teresa Decrescenzo, David Francis and Dan Luckenbill, all 2009 Finalists for a Lamda Literary Award, tonight at the Palm Springs Public Library.)

One of the ways in which libraries, bookstores, publishers and authors benefit and collaborate with each other is by having authors come and read or talk about their work.

Tonight we had a special treat at the Palm Springs Public Library as it was one of the few sites in the country for the 2009 Lammy Finalist Reading Series. Hosted by Award-winning author and President of Board of the Lamda Literary Foundation Christopher Rice, it featured three authors involved in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgendered Anthology category for Love, West Hollywood, (Co-Editor James J. Berg, Teresa Descrescenzo and Dan Luckenbill) and Gay Fiction category nominee David Francis for Stray Dog Winter.

The excerpts from Love, West Hollywood were quite touching, especially Descrescenzo's account of her late partner Betty Berzon's insistence in being treated with dignity and respect, especially in regard to her status as a lesbian couple, while being admitted to the emergency room. In the chapter entitled, "The love that dared speak its name," "...Betty says tartly, 'you will not check the box marked 'single' because I am NOT single,'" and goes on to tell how as an activist she was not going to back down. Powerful stuff.

Luckenbill's chapter, "An ephemeral life," chronicles his experiences of coming to terms with and defining his life as a gay man in Los Angeles through his background as an archivist librarian who is intrigued and interested in brochures, newspapers and other items that appeared in the 60s and 70s and indicated to those who saw them what being gay was. He was especially interested in a painting on a book of erotica that he saw in the 60s that showed men in a more intimate way than he'd seen before and tells how it affected him.

The fourth speaker, Francis, caught my attention because not only was he attractive, but his accent as an Australian was also magnetic. In his current book, Stray Dog Winter, Francis set the novel inside the Soviet Union in the 80s where his characters have some homosexual attractions, but I didn't get enough flavor of his writing or the plot to know if it would be something I'd read. He read to us from the beginning, "He arrived in winter on a sleeper from Prague and the sound of the train went boogedy boogedy--what do you want, Darcy Bright? Darcy Bright, what do you want?"

Following the readings, Rice led off the discussion with a question about where folks picked up their books: a library, gay bookstore, Amazon, Borders, etc. This then went on to talk about how publishing, especially gay publishing had changed since the Lamda awards began. "What makes literature gay? Is it enough to have gay characters? Gay sex? Or does it need to have more? A gay sensibility, if you will."

Of course, being Palm Springs most of the audience was middle-aged to older. Individuals who could relate to growing up and coming out as gay individuals when life was not as open. When gay bookstores mattered as a community center. When libraries were one of the few places you could find literature that had gay or lesbian characters, even if the books didn't actually label them as such. It is an interesting topic to ponder, and as a library trustee, I do wonder about whether literature other than best sellers will be available. And if it is, will gay people seek it out or will the next generation find it all just ho hum.

I certainly applaud the Lamda Literature Foundation for having these readings and forums across the country. Like everything else, marketing and word of mouth help readers know about what is out there. Awards like the Lammys and the Stonewall Book Awards help propel authors, both new and established, as well as their work to readers who are still seeking good literature. So good luck to all the nominees.

A Different Desert Oasis

(Nestled among the Little San Bernardino Mountains, the desert oasis at Big Morongo Canyon is one of the 10 largest cottonwood and willow habitats in California.)

You're probably getting tired of reading about my hikes here in California, but every once in a while I end up going somewhere new that is a complete surprise and wonderful discovery.

Such was the case today when a friend and I decided on a whim to drive about 25 miles to Big Morongo Canyon Preserve in Morongo Valley. Having discovered it through Philip Ferranti's book, 120 Great Hikes in and near Palm Springs (it has since been revised to 140 Great Hikes), it seemed like something interesting to check out. I know that I have driven by the big brown sign on Highway 62 on the way to Joshua Tree National Park many times, but just had never read or heard enough about it to make it a destination.

(Western Scrub-Jay was among the many different birds we saw.)

What a nice surprise. Unlike many other desert oasis or preserves, Big Morongo has no natural palm trees (there are some that were planted by ranchers who lived there prior to 1968 when it was purchased by The Nature Conservancy), but stands of old cottonwoods and willows that grow along its wetlands. The preserve is also well maintained and has several trails, including the completely accessible Marsh Trail, Desert Willow, Yucca Ridge, West Canyon and Mesquite trails that we took all or parts of.

The other surprise were the number of birds (it is a habitat for more than 200 migrating and breeding birds) as well as the large number of species of wildflowers still blooming; especially fields of Apricot Mallow, Brittlebush and Desert Pincushion. Due to its higher elevation than places in the Coachella Valley, the temperatures and moisture probably make spring just a bit later here.

(Lots of Hedgehog Cactus was in bloom.)

Well maintained, easy to access and very different ecologically from many of the other hiking locations, I am sure this will now become another area to bring my hiking friends.

To see all the pictures I took today, go here.

Partying at the Partylab

(The Partylab Warehouse is a new party store that certainly will inspire you to throw any kind of themed party you want.)

These days it seems we're all looking for excuses to feel good, and what better way than to throw or attend a party.

Last night I went to an art show of work by Kimberly Nichols entitled "Cherry Secretary" that was held at a new store in Palm Springs called the Partylab at 383 North Indian Canyon Drive. Open for only a few weeks, every time I drove by it, it looked like a fun place and I wanted to stop in but just never did.

(Kimberly, second from left, having a good time at her party with the girls.)

Now I have been to art openings at lots of places, galleries, restaurants, bars, but this was a first. Yet with its 2,000 sq. ft. "lab" in the back part of the store that is crammed full of all types of fun party goods, it was the perfect setting to be creative and show off Nichols photographic and painted objects.

And, sometimes you just need an excuse to party, and what better place to do so than in a party store. No need for decorations, they're all ready there.

Mysterious Skin

(Mysterious Skin: A Novel by Scott Heim, Harper Collins, 1996.)

Sometimes you pick up a book out of curiosity. That was the case with Mysterious Skin: A Novel by Scott Heim. I guess I was intrigued by the cover, as well as by the blurbs on the book jacket. Not a new work, it has in fact been also made into a movie of the same name. Somehow I missed that too!

The book deals with a subject most of us would rather not confront: sexual abuse of children. At first you might not understand that as the story begins with one of the abused subjects blocking out the initial event and projecting it onto a totally different scenario. The main character, Brian, even as a young child knows he is different. So do his parents, but no one seems to recognize or deal with his "alien abduction" fantasies in realistic ways. By either ignoring them or going along with them, everybody pretends they will go away or be forgotten, instead of seeking any outside professional help.

As a complex subject, gay male sexual abuse is difficult to talk about. Does being abused as a child lead the subject into more abuse or confused state about his sexuality? Eerie, creepy, and at times pathetic and self-destructive, the story weaves its way along by portraying the various characters growth and denial. While Brian cannot understand what happened with his coach because he has blocked it out, the other victim, Neil seems to have accepted the abuse as part of his growing up process.

By taking you along on the quest to find the meaning of the "alien abduction", Heim draws you in, all the while knowing that the abduction did not take place, but something else sinister did.

Cousin Joan

(My mother, Audrey Bowman, reading to my cousins Joan and Pat Figler in 1937.)

On Monday, my oldest 1st cousin, Joan Marilyn Figler Tilyou, died at the age of 79 in Louisiana. It has been almost three years since I last saw her on her 77th birthday in June of 2006. It was a short visit (I was attending a conference in New Orleans) but I spent a couple of hours at her house with her and her husband, Ray, reminiscing about our family, before we went out to a favorite fish restaurant along the Mississippi.

(My three cousins Joan, Pat and Paula; with Pat adjusting Joan's veil and Paula as flower girl on October 14, 1950.)

I only had three 1st cousins on my mother's side of the family and none on my dad's. And, even though my mom and her sister, Irene, were very close in age; Irene's first child, Joan was born when her mother was 20, and I was born when my mother was 43. That made my first two cousins, Joan, and her sister Pat, a generation older. As young girls they loved their Aunt Audrey and all during my mother's life remained close. But as a kid and teenager, I didn't know my cousins very well, especially since they lived more than 500 miles away in western New York. Not until I was in college and on my own, and as my mother was getting older, that I began to become more interested in Joan and her family.

I well remember my first visit by myself to visit "the cousins" in New Orleans in 1973. I was 22, and by then, Joan and her husband Ray, had had 10 children. I couldn't imagine such a large family. I wondered what it would be like. Upon arriving Joan welcomed me and said, "You'll be staying upstairs with the boys. I don't know what it's like up there, but I'm sure you'll be fine." She was right. She (and her husband) ran a tight ship and everyone knew their place and did their part. It was a fun time.

(Me, on the far left, with my cousin Joan, her oldest son, Mark, his ex-wife Ann, husband Ray, and first grandchild, Brett, in 1973.)

That was 35 years ago, and without fail every birthday and Christmas, we began our twice yearly correspondence and occasional phone call. That became even more intimate after both our mothers died and we became the oldest link. Of course over the years we'd share stories and information about our children, my divorce, coming out, and eventual marriage to my partner Steve in 2004. She wrote about that too. Even before Steve and I had decided to get married, she asked me my feelings and opinions on "gay marriage". As a good Catholic, but also as someone who had seen some of her own children get divorced and remarried, she didn't know about the word "marriage" but felt everyone had the right to happiness and legal rights. It was a good conversation, a bond that made me proud of her.

(Joan & I on her 77th birthday in 2006.)

Her wake will be held today, and her funeral and burial tomorrow. Her large extended family of nine living children, 16 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, along with her husband and his brother (who married Joan's sister Pat), her sisters Pat and Paula, along with many others will be there. I'm not making the trip, but I have spent the last few days thinking about her, our letters, visits and lives lived.

Goodbye Cousin Joan, I'll miss you.

The Soloist

(Jamie Foxx & Robert Downey Jr. play the main characters in the complex and moving story of a homeless man and the journalist who befriends him in The Soloist.)

Schizophrenia, homelessness, journalism, classism, tough relationships are all highlighted in the upcoming movie, The Soloist. Oh, and then there is the music.

Based on the true story and book (The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music) written by LA Times journalist Steve Lopez about Nathaniel Ayers initially attracted me to it for its story of redemption through music. Due to the fact that my parents played the violin & viola, the music of Beethoven, Bach, Brahms almost always brings back nostalgic memories.

Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Lopez in the movie is really intense. From the time he careens off his bicycle and lands in the emergency room, to his interest, friendship and intense longing to help, and then to befriend the homeless, Ayers, portrayed by Jamie Foxx, you can feel his pain, frustration, anger, hopelessness and eventual resignation to "fix" things.

This is not an easy movie to always watch. Homelessness and mental illness are not as easily solved as most would like to think. However, the dignity that inside each individual, even if that may only appear briefly, is one of the things this movie really shows us.

Aerating Wine

(While at a wine tasting on Saturday, an aerator like this one was used to aerate a wine that was just uncorked.)

I used to think that people who used decanters were just being fancy. Not any more.

On Saturday afternoon while at a "Flavor-A-Palooza" wine tasting at the Tulip Hill Winery Tasting Room at The River in Rancho Mirage, I really saw the difference between drinking a nice red wine that had been aerated vs. drinking it unaerated immediately after being uncorked.

For the four wines that they were offering that afternoon with appetizers, they had already been uncorked and so didn't require the use of an aerator. However they were also advertising a great buy on a case of 2004 Petite Syrah. Even though I was pretty sure we'd had this wine and I liked it, I didn't want to buy a whole case without tasting it. That is where the aerator came in. Since they didn't have a bottle open, one was uncorked, and then poured through an aerator into our glasses.

I was intrigued. I don't think I'd actually ever seen an aerator being used, and inquired about its use. Well it seems that many full-bodied red wines need time to "breath", and without the time necessary (30 minutes to an hour), the use of an aerator helps. When asked to breath and taste the aerated wine, it had a wonderful bouquet and taste. And then to show us the difference, we tried another glass directly out of the bottle. It didn't smell very much and it was almost undrinkable; very bitter and puckery to the tongue. Wow! I could hardly believe it was the same wine, and I probably wouldn't have if I wasn't standing there watching it being poured.

So there you have it. Air out that red wine. Pour it into glasses at the table while you're having your appetizers or pour it into a decanter. And if you're only pouring a glass for yourself, go ahead and use a simple aerator. You'll really enjoy that good bottle of red wine that you somehow thought was a bit off.

The Brown Act

(The Brown Act, first enacted in 1953, is the law that governs the open meeting process for governmental bodies in California.)

I am sure that every state now has laws governing open meeting laws for governmental agencies. I know that in Massachusetts we did and various City Councils and Town Selectmen were always in the news for violating its purpose.

When I was appointed to the post of Trustee of the Palm Springs Public Library, I too was given a copy of the law, along with information about revealing ethical and financial disclosures. However as a service to the many different individuals who serve on these boards, mostly for free, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office conducted a training on The Brown Act and the Political Reform Act at the Palm Desert City Council chambers.

So there I was with about 100 others who serve on various boards, committees, along with elected officials to hear about the pitfalls and legalities of these acts. Most of what we heard seemed fairly self-explanatory, but it also made me a bit cautious in discussing too much with my fellow trustees as it might be construed as a "serial meeting" that would not meet the test of the public's "right to know."

A few things were surprising and made me rethink a few things about our Trustee Meetings. Among them:

• Individuals are NOT required to register or state their name during public comment.
• All documents given to those on a Board have to be made available to the public.
• Reimbursements for travel or business need to come from the authorizing entity.
• Some things may actually be legal, but still appear unethical.

I found it interesting and helpful as I begin this process of being in the public eye.

Feeling Old in Palm Springs

(The Riviera Hotel & Spa was the scene of a three-day Coachella Weekend party by Music Loves Fashion and House of Hype.)

Most of the time when one thinks about Palm Springs, parties that last all night long don't usually come to mind. In fact most nights, you'd be hard pressed to find anything going on or open for a bit to eat much after 9 pm. However, during the month of April, especially on the weekends, that all changes.

For many years, the Dinah Shore and White Party weekends (usually on the 1st and 2nd weekends) have brought hundreds of young lesbians and gay men to town to party. And, although some of the activities take place actually outside Palm Springs itself, (the Kraft Nabisco Golf Championship associated with the Dinah Shore Weekend takes place in Rancho Mirage on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club) for the most part these parties happen at various hotels and venues throughout Palm Springs.

And now following on the heals of those two events, comes the Coachella Music & Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival, both held about 20 miles from Palm Springs at the Empire Polo Club grounds in Indio. I have been aware of both of these events through the media and some increased traffic, but since I've never been to either I really thought most of the activities and crowds didn't actually come to Palm Springs very much. How wrong I was.

This year my niece, and her boyfriend, purchased tickets to Coachella and instead of camping or staying in a hotel, stayed with us. My nephew also came for the weekend too, but he wasn't attending Coachella. Our first encounter with the "Coachella-ites" came while driving down Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs yesterday afternoon. They were young, hip and happening. Oh there were a few older hippies too! They were the 60 year olds who crashed the party this year to hear Paul McCartney on Friday night. Then, when my nephew and I tried to go out for a drink on Saturday night we tried to hit the bar at The Riviera Hotel & Spa. Wrong choice. We didn't know exactly why, but the lots were full and the parking attendant said unless we had a ticket to the "Coachella Party" we couldn't get in. Hm, I thought, "What are they doing here in Palm Springs, aren't they supposed to be at the festival in Indio?"

(The Coachella Festival attracts more than 100,000 music lovers over it's three-day run.)

Today was more of the same. Young (anyone under 40) kids were crawling all over downtown. The lines at Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and breakfast places were out the doors. Even so, it still didn't sink in that every place would be so crowded. "Let's try the Riviera for lunch!" So, off we went, four of us with reservations for 1 pm. But driving up to the entrance it looked even more crowded than the night before. Nevertheless we valeted the car, and walked into the hotel amidst the bikini and shirtless low-hung pants crowd. And then, as we descended the stairs toward the pool and restaurant, we realized we were smack dab in the middle of a huge loud Coachella party.

Yup, it was the every hip and happening Belevedere IX Music Loves Fashion and The House of Hype Coachella Weekend pool party. And even though Steve & I were with our niece and nephew, we were no match for these "LA Coachella-ites." There certainly was lots of people watching while we ate our lunches behind the glass wall surrounding the restaurant and tried to talk over the extra loud rap music as hundreds of kids partied down. I am not sure about the fashion sense of those there, but there were enough stiletto heels, leopard prints, ripped short shorts, enhanced boobs and bikini thongs to make anyone over 25 feel unhip, not cool and over dressed.

Now I suppose, even with an open bar (it was included in the weekend package), the shuttle, and VIP helicopter to the Coachella Festival, some of these kids might actually have gotten to hear the bands in Indio. But I also suspect that for many of them, with 40 plus DJs playing the pool and ballroom parties at the Riviera itself, they might have just said, "Let's just spend the weekend in Palm Springs."

Tomoko Sawada

(Tomoko Sawada became famous for her Photo ID400 Series in which she used a photo booth to create a hundred different photos of herself.)

One of the newest aspects that is being created at the Palm Springs Art Museum is its photography collection. Like many other forms of artistic expression, a new Photography Collection Council has been formed to engender those interested in this medium to advance the museum's collection as well as provide lectures and photographer's of note.

Yesterday afternoon the young Japanese photographer Tomoko Sawada who is currently working in New York, came to talk about her work. Facilitated by Virginia Heckert, associate curator in the Department of Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Sawada explained how she became interested in self-portaiture while in school, and how it has influenced all of her various photographic series.

Since much of what she does is conceptualize a project, put on different wigs, costumes and make-up, and changes to her facial expressions, but does not always push the "shutter", is she really a photographer? Or is she just a performance artist? An actress? She herself denies that she is an actress. "I don't have time to get into these characters; I just change," she says. Yet she is trying to define what makes us who we are, and how we are defined by society.

Tomoko Sawada
Decoration (13) 2007
c-print mounted on plexiglass
39-3/8 x 29-1/2 inches (100 x 75 cm)

"I like to let others decide what they see in my work," she says. "If a feminist is looking at my work, maybe they think I am a feminist. If a person with gender identity issues looks at my work, maybe they think I am trying to challenge that," she continued.

Although most of what we saw during her discussion yesterday were slides of her work in each of her series like PhotoID, Omiai (30 portaits used for arranging a marriage), School Girls, Costume, etc., several of the original works of art were shown. By studying one of the larger prints (39-3/8 x 29-1/2 inches) in the "Decoration" series, the two large sized Japanese dolls that Sawada is portrayed as, shows her interest in exploring the Japanese fascination with all things "kitschy."

I left being intrigued. Sawada is certainly talented and creative. She seemingly has an endless array of ideas on interpreting this theme of discovering ones self. But like so many others who have looked at her work, one wonders if in fact the person in front of us was really Tomoko Sawada or if she actually exists.

Day of Silence

The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.

Please sign this Pledge of Support.

Two Years

Well it has been two years since I began this blog as a way to discipline myself into writing every day and to keep in touch with friends and family as Steve and I transitioned our way from Boston to Palm Springs. Since then, I have had 20,000 visits to the site, many of whom come back nearly every day, while others only once or occasionally.

The transition did not go as originally planned, (things never usually do), but neither Steve nor I regret our move one tiny bit. And, if it hadn't been that the economy got rather bad about the time we arrived here, I am sure we'd be liking it even more.

However after two years, I am now going to transition again. I've decided that I am no longer going to be tied to writing something every day, but when the spirit moves me or when there is something I really want to say. I certainly don't want to disappoint my loyal followers, but I also realize that although I can write every day, I don't like the pressure of feeling I have too.

I can't say how or if this will really change the feeling of this blog, but it will now become a blog of my thoughts, ideas and discoveries while living here in Palm Springs, California. Stay tuned, I hope to keep you interested.

Pomme Frite

(Mussels are one of the many dishes that bring back memories of Brussels.)

Some nights you just don't feel like cooking and with the large number of restaurants we have here, that excuse happens. Mid afternoon we went over to our neighbor and asked if she'd like to join us for dinner out. Yes, she said, I didn't want to cook and now you've made it even easier.

Thinking we hadn't been to Pomme Frite: a Belgian Bistro, we decided to head there. A cozy quaint little restaurant right downtown on Palm Canyon, it has about a dozen tables wedged inside and a half dozen outside on its patio. However since it was a bit cool we opted for inside.

One of our most wonderful memories of a European city was Brussels. Partly because it was sort of a surprise in its charm, but also because of its beer, mussels, chocolate and waffles. What's not to like. So not surprisingly Pomme Frite offers a whole page of Belgian beers. I started off with a Maredsous, a dark blond triple abbey ale. Steve and Maryellen opted for a half bottle of Italian Santa Margherita '06 Pinot Grigio.

Each evening during the week they have a regular daily special, as well as a three-course Prix Fixe Menu, and additional specials. It can become overwhelming. However none of us opted for any of the specials and instead ordered a three-course meal a la carte. To start I went for Tiger Shrimp and Andouille Sausage with Mustard Sauce, Maryellen the Roasted Red and Yellow Beets and Goat Cheese Napolean in a Roasted Red Bell Pepper Vinagrete, while Steve had the house Caesar Salad with Anchovies.

Our main courses consisted of Prince Edward Island Steamed Mussels with Blue Cheese and Cream for me and in a Safron Broth for Steve; while Maryellen opted for the Carbonnade of Beef "Flemish Style" that was simmered in Belgian beer with onions, carrots and Brussel sprouts. Of course each of our entrees was accompanied with wonderful crispy "Pomme Frites." To finish our meals Maryellen had "Le Cafe Liegeois", which was coffee ice cream, a shot of espresso coffee, Kahlua and whipped cream. Steve had Flouting Island and I had the Poached Red Anjou Pears.

And just like in cafe like this in Brussels, we were seated so close to our neighboring tables that we often joined in conversing with them. Some grandparents with their young granddaughter to our left, a couple to our right from of all places Belgium in town for the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, and another couple to our backs who loved what we ordered and needed directions to get back to their hotel.

I don't know why we don't go to this restaurant more often. We always love the food, the atmostphere, the attentiveness of the owner and the customers around us. A little bit of the old world in downtown Palm Springs that sticks to what it knows well.

Paying for Things That Should be Free

(River rocks like these are popular in landscaping here.)

It bothers me when I have to pay for things that I think I should be able to just pick up for free. Like river rocks. I know that if we all went out into the desert or forest and just picked up everything it wouldn't be very good for the environment, but it still seems like there are lots to go around.

This week though I knew I'd have to do just that. Pay for rocks. There are several rock suppliers here that have lots of different varieties of stone from sand and gravel to large slabs of slate and marble. We've actually gotten some larger rocks from the Southwest Boulder and Stone in Cathedral City, and have heard that Whitewater Rock and Supply Company near Whitewater also had a great supply. But since I didn't need too many and wanted smaller river rock, I thought I'd check out both Home Depot and Lowe's.

It turns out, as is often the case, that Lowe's actually was a bit cheaper. Each had several varieties of stone in 10 lb bags, but Lowe's display actually had samples of each variety of stone out in bins so that you could actually see and feel them. I went with Large River Rock and purchased 14 bags for about $65 dollars. I know I couldn't have actually gotten them cleaned and bagged in the amount of time it took be to run into a store. So maybe I am wasn't really paying for the rocks after all, just the labor that it took to get them from where they had originally been, washed, bagged and shipped to the store.

At least that is what I will convince myself. I don't mind paying for someone else's labor and my convenience, just not something that seems to plentiful.

Valentino: The Last Emperor

(Although the story is of Valentino, left, it is also the story of his relationship with his partner & lover, Giancarlo Giammetti, right.)

Couture. Red. Sequins. Italy. Dominance. These are some of the things that come to mind when one hears the word, Valentino. Certainly this documentary, Valentino: The Last Emporer, produced and directed by Matt Tyrnauer, is an intimate portrayal of one of fashion's most celebrated designers, but for me what made it so interesting was the extraordinary relationship between Valentino and his partner and lover Giancarlo.

The dresses are fabulous, the lifestyle almost unbelievable (if you like pugs, Valentino's five have the run of his houses, yachts, planes and workrooms), but the real stars of this movie are the seastresses (no one uses a sewing machine) models, and Giancarlo who makes it all work behind the scenes.

Would I want to live with or work with "the Emporer"? No way would I want to work or live with the man, but his genius was evident. To say that he will be the last of the designers who built his reputation on his creativity and flawless workmanship is probably an understatement. Certainly the film shows both his flaws, creativity, over the top lifestyle, and intimate relationships, and it is worth it just to see the production of his last show, retrospective and lavish party commemorating his 45 years of fashion design.

This is no ordinary Project Runway or Fashion Week; this is the real thing for the Emperor of Fashion.

The Freedom to Read

(Judith Krug, Director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, and one of the strongest advocates against censorship of all kinds.)

Yesterday Judith Krug, one of America's strongest advocates for the right of everyone to read whatever they wanted at public and school libraries without fear of it being censured, died. As the Director of the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom since its inception in 1967 and the originator of Banned Book Week, her voice and advocacy will be greatly missed.

Short in stature, I remember hearing Dr. Krug speak during my first American Library Association Conference several years ago. At that time she was fighting against not only censorship of various challenged books, but also the right of the government to confiscate library users records to see what they were reading without their knowledge under the Patriot Act. Due to her tireless efforts, as well as librarians across the country, some of the most onerous parts of the law inregard to privacy were not included in its reenactment in 2006. She also, as you might expect, stood firm against individuals and organizations that wished to remove books from libraries that dealt with sex, especially those that had gay or lesbian content.

Perhaps not as well known as many other national leaders, Americans of all political, religious and sexual orientations, have Dr. Krug to thank for believing that everyone has a right to print, distribute and read materials of all kinds in order to inform themselves and learn.

Yet, that still did not stop many from challenging books of all kinds. Here are the top 10 that were challenged in 2007.

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
   Reasons: Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
2. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
   Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Violence
3. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
   Reasons: Sexually Explicit and Offensive Language
4. The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
   Reasons: Religious Viewpoint
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
   Reasons: Racism
6. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
   Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language,
7. TTYL, by Lauren Myracle
   Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
   Reasons: Sexually Explicit
9. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
   Reasons: Sex Education, Sexually Explicit
10. The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
    Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Gardening Decisions

(Palm Springs-Style Gardening: the complete guide to plants and practices for gorgeous dryland gardens by Maureen Gilmer, and published by Sunbelt Publications, 2009)

After the recent wind storms that we have been having here in Palm Springs, the old bushes by the side of our garage that lead up along the path to our neighbor's condo were getting a bit bedraggled. In fact, they were really just about dead so we asked the gardeners to just take them out. It's been about a week or so now since they did, and the light along the path that was hidden in them now shines at night and yet we needed to plant something new there.

Last week a friend and I went to check out one of my favorite nurseries, Moller's Garden Center in Palm Desert, but I just couldn't decide on anything. It's a tough area to plant; faces north, is long and narrow, and is shaded by the garage most of the day except for a few hours in the late afternoon, the hottest part of the day. Anyway, after talking to three or four employees, I got a bit confused and left.

Then Thursday while Steve and I were at the Palm Springs Art Museum after viewing the Mapplethorpe Portraits before the show closes, we were browsing in the gift shop. Steve saw the Palm Springs-Style Gardening: the complete guide to plants and practices for gorgeous dryland gardens by Maureen Gilmer. Browsing through it I like how gardening expert Gilmer had various types of gardens popular here (Spanish, Mid-Century Modern, Bighorn Natural, Desert Modern, Mediterranean & Tropical) and her "Top 10 Picks" for each one. Now, if I bought every book published about Palm Springs, I'd have a mini library, but this one seemed most helpful in my current quest so we did.

Today we headed out again in search of something that would either fit into the "Spanish or Desert Modern" mold. First we headed to the garden center at the Living Desert in Palm Desert to see what they might have. We got a few suggestions, but since we had just missed their big garden sale, their selection wasn't as large as we had hoped. So back to Moller's we went so I could show Steve some of the things I'd be suggested a week earlier. This time I think we lucked out. We got an employee who was not only suggestive, but helpful and even more careful to guide us in selecting a single species instead of several even it wasn't what we had initially envisioned.

And the winner was Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora).

Banking

(This Bank of America that was built as City National Bank by Victor Gruen and Associates is one of the banks we often frequent.)

Knowing that April 15th was looming and our Real Estate Taxes were due today, today was one of those days when I actually went into a bank, in fact two.

Because so much banking is done today using direct deposit, ATMs and online banking, those days of knowing your local bank teller seem somewhat passe. In fact, even though lots of banks have drive-ups, none of them here actually have a person inside the bank talking to you and helping you with a deposit or withdrawal, but are just another ATM machine. Yet, for some reason there are lots of banks here, even after it seems we had lots of mergers. And, although I don't know for sure the reason, I suspect that in a smaller cities like ours, more people work for small companies that don't offer things like direct deposit.

So there I was today in two banks actually dealing with real tellers, and both were pleasant, helpful and efficient. Kind of nice.

Home Again

(Steve receiving the 1st Steven Shuman Award in Support of the Work of Men in Early Education and Care.)

Two weeks is a long time. At least it felt like it to me and I wasn't the one away from the warm sunny weather and experiencing cold, rainy days.

But after two weeks Steve has returned from his trip back east. From his daily calls and updates on Facebook, I knew that he was enjoying seeing his family and former co-workers, colleagues and friends, but even he got tired of sunless cold days. Of course if it hadn't been for his being awarded the 1st Steven Shuman Award in Support of the Work of Men in Early Education and Care, I know he wouldn't have picked this time of year to go either.

Travel is fun, but there is nothing like coming home to your own bed, familiar surroundings and routines. For me that might sound rather selfish, but even simple things like making coffee or having dinner, get complicated for me when I have to do them for one instead of two. Guess that means I wouldn't make a very good loner.

Winning Another Door Prize

(Here I am on stage with my co-worker Holly and the cast from Cabaret Zoso after winning the Ultimate Fan Package.)

Winning something twice in one week seems a bit like an out-of-body experience.

Tonight was the 1st Anniversary Show of the Cabaret Zoso that was the idea of a performer/producer here in town, Bella da Ball, to bring together female and male vocalists, drag performers, music, comedy, song, special costuming and more for a show each week. Having run continuously since then, my former co-worker, Holly, the Director of Volunteers at the Palm Springs International Film Festival thought it would be fun to get a group of volunteers together to attend the show.

(Bella da Ball calling out my name as the winner.)

So there we were, about 20 of us or so, right up front getting ready to enjoy the show, when as Bella always does, they pick out a name of someone in the audience to sit in these two huge chairs; the best seats in the house. However, since this was a special show, the Hotel Zoso where the show is held, kicked in complimentary drinks and food for the evening, as well as an overnight stay in a Superior King Room. And, before I could blink, Bella (who actually knows me since "she" was one of our star volunteers at the Film Festival), is yelling out my name. Of course our table erupts in applause and since Steve wasn't with me (he was returning home from Boston) I brought Holly along with me to sit in the chairs. However, that didn't seem quite enough for the crowd because no sooner had we sat down, spotlights on us, and the manager of the hotel presented me with a overnight bag filled with goodies, when Bella wanted us to come up on stage to have our photos taken with the cast. Oh my!

(Holly and me in our "best seats in the house.")

Talk about being the center of attention. It actually was fun, but a bit crazy. Who knows when we'll stay downtown at the hotel, but if our house fills up with too much company, I guess we have a place to go.

Iowa, Vermont & DC

(The Vermont Legislature overturned a veto to become the fourth state to now allow same-sex marriage.)

In less than a decade, it seems that Vermonters have come to realize that "civil unions" aren't quite the same as "civil marriages". Within just this past week same-sex marriage has become a possibility within the next few weeks in the states of Iowa and Vermont. And, even in the District of Columbia recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states may soon be legal.

So as time marches on it seems more and more legislatures, judges and citizens are beginning to see that granting financial and legal rights to one class of citizens but not to another cannot continue in a country that views all as equal.

We're still waiting to see what the California Supreme Court will rule in regard to their decision on Proposition 8, but my marriage is now recognized in four states. Let's hope for more soon.

Winning Makes You Feel Good

It is always fun to win something.

Everyone dreams of winning the lottery, even those of us like me who seldom play it. And, I think winning it big is also the lure to the thousands of people who play at the casinos here in town day and night.

But most of us when we go out somewhere and they are selling raffle tickets for something, go ahead and buy a few. We don't actually think we're going to win anything, but secretly of course hope we do. Even those jars you see in restaurants where you can put your business card in to receive a free lunch almost always are full. (Do they ever pull a name out I wonder?)

Well tonight I did win something, and although it is not going to make me any richer, it still felt good. It happened at the bi-monthly mixer for the Desert Business Association that was being held at the new location for the Golden Rainbow Senior Center. Now I don't go to these mixers all the time but when they are held at a location that I want to see or know people, I often attend. At each event they have various door prizes that they give away by picking out a business card from a bowl. But with 50 to 100 people present, your chances are well, like any of these things, not high.

But then, lo and behold, they called out my name. Everyone cheered! I'd won a ticket to the Spring Fling: A Dinner Dance to Benefit the Golden Rainbow Senior Center. It's a funny thing because normally I might have already purchased a ticket. Since I've done some work for the Center and know almost everyone on the board, as well as a great number of friends who would be going, that would usually have been the case. However since it happens to fall on a night when Steve will be away teaching, I hadn't felt like purchasing a ticket just for myself. But now I have a ticket!

I am sure I would have been just as excited to win any of the other prizes too. Sometimes it isn't so much what you win, but the fun that comes with winning.

Yesterday in New Zealand

(My friend Peter with my cousin Mary Evans at her winery, Heron's Flight in Matakana, New Zealand, posing with a book about my great grand uncle, Mordecai Cubitt Cooke, who is Mary's Great Grandfather. Small world!)

Yesterday or today, (I have no idea about this time thing when you cross over so many time zones), a colleague who I have only met a couple of times, but since have become very friendly with via the Internet, was in New Zealand with his partner, Conrad.

Because I knew he was going to New Zealand, I suggested he visit a distant cousin of mine, Mary, and her husband, David, who run a winery, Heron's Flight in Matakana, New Zealand. Now, granted I have never met this cousin either. It happens we are related through my maternal grandmother's uncle who is her great grandfather. I stumbled upon this a few years ago when reading a biography of my great grand uncle, Mordecai Cubitt Cooke, and discovered I had relatives in Australia and New Zealand.

It turns out, Peter, Conrad, and their friends, had a great time. And, like Steve & I greatly enjoy food and wine. Peter writes a wonderful blog entitled, Peter. Food.Travel.Musings, and this is what he had to say about their visit yesterday.

"After breakfast - again at that funloving near by cafe, Jafa - we hopped in a car to head about 3/4 of an hour north to Matakana. The town is noted for a few things, including its market.

An upscale market at that, and we sampled some tasty local products like good mustards and preserves. We even bought a few things there: mustard, a chocolate and hazelnut butter, lime-scented olive oil.

One other thing we picked up, though, was a quince ratafia. It's an old-fashioned recipe for a spiced liqueur made of the fruit. We're quince fans, definitely, and we did buy a bottle after tasting it, but what caught our eye was that it was from Heron's Flight.

My friend Dave had pointed us to Heron's Flight. His cousin, Mary Evans, and her husband, David Hoskins, own the winery, and - in fact - it was David who was at the market selling wines, grape juice, and the ratafia. We had a nice chat, and when he learned who we were, he let us know to get up to the winery as soon as we could to try the wine and meet his wife.

We're very grateful to Dave for putting us in touch with Mary because that was a very relaxing time spent at the winery. We arrived to find the placed thronged with what turned out to be a 50th anniversary party. The winery has full restaurant service and a good patio overlooking the vines. Set in among the green hills near Matakana, it's an exceptional escape from the city. We sat outside with Mary for a while, and she opened a bottle of their Sangiovese for us.

What's noteworthy about the winery (well, several things are, of course) is that it focuses on only a few wines, and rather than the usual NZ varietals (of which Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are the most common in our sampling), the winery produces wine from two Italian grapes: Sangiovese and Dolcetto. We were drinking their top line Sangiovese, and it opened up beautifully as we sat and sipped.

Eventually cool breezes drove us inside where we continued to enjoy chatting and sipping. Despite the crowd there, Mary had arranged for us to have a terrific platter of breads and spreads. We didn't go hungry from there - it was more the case that between the wine and the food, we were utterly relaxed and content.

It was only a few hours that we were in Matakana, but it was a wonderful time."

So, even though I've never met them, I feel even more connected via Peter. Isn't the Internet a wonderful thing. Things like this could never have happened only a few years ago.

Rattlesnakes on the Trail

(Signs similar to this are often posted at the beginning of the trail heads where I go hiking.)

Until today, I had never seen or encountered a rattlesnake while hiking here in the mountains or desert. But there virtually on the trail was a full grown fat Red Diamond Rattlesnack all coiled and ready to strike.

Fortunately I wasn't leading the 17 of us who were on a Great Outdoors - Palm Springs Chapter hike from Mission Creek Preserve to Whitewater Canyon Preserve, when it was found. I had always wanted to do this six or seven mile hike so was glad to find that a group would be going. In fact, it actually turned out to be even better in that instead of having to park outside the gate at Mission Creek Preserve, we got to drive the 1.6 miles further in to the Stone House and the real beginning of the trail head.

(The Red Diamond Rattlesnake we saw along the trail from Mission Creek Preserve to the Pacific Crest Trail.)

When I've inquired about this hike at the ranger headquarters at Whitewater, they had said that is was easiest to do the hike from Mission Creek to Whitewater Canyon because it was mostly downhill. After today's hike, I would agree. Although it was a gradual 1.9 mile climb up to the Pacific Crest Trail from the Stone House, the trail then went very steeply switch backing down from the ridge into Whitewater. Something I don't think I'd like to do going up.

(From the Pacific Crest Trail the trail goes down into Whitewater Canyon toward snow capped Mt. San Jacinto in the distance.)

Because Mission Creek is located in a transition zone between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, it has a rich species composition, with flora and fauna representing both deserts. Ostensibly a wild flower hike, it was great to be able to see so many different types of flowers that are not seen down in the lower Whitewater Canyon area that I frequently visit. And, although I always hope to see some wildlife, I generally only see rabbits and birds. Thus today's encounter with a rattlesnake was something new.

Red Diamond Rattlesnakes like to bask in the sun during early spring, just like the one we encounted was doing. As the weather warms, they become more active and search for food (rodents, rabbits, and other small mammals) and mates. In desert environments and in hot weather, they are most active at dusk and at night. This particular rattlesnake is noted for its mellow disposition; some may not even rattle when encountered, while others may be quite nasty. But like all rattlesnakes, they should be treated with caution and respect. I did. I went several feet off the trail after taking its picture.

If you would like to see more pictures from today's hike, including the various flowers we saw, go here.

Fire in Palm Springs

(A brushfire that started near Tramway Road burns close to a house in Palm Springs late this afternoon. Richard Lui photo: The Desert Sun)

I don't normally equate Palm Springs with the terrible wild fires that one often hears about happening periodically in California. But today it all began while I was having lunch with friends at Azul downtown on North Palm Canyon Drive. The wind began to whip up as we were sitting at the bar with napkins blowing about, a few glasses shattering and umbrellas swinging about on their bolted down metal stands.

By the time I got home, I no sooner got in, walked the dog (he loves the wind) than the electricity went off. Soon palm fronds ends were blowing about, things began moving about on the patio and the wind gusts really picked up. Unlike last weekend, this time the electricity was only out for a couple of hours and as soon as it came back on, I turned on the news. There on the bottom of the screen scrolling across were the words, "Brush fire in Palm Springs threatening houses, evacuation ordered."

I soon realized that this was happening in north Palm Springs up along the road to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway that goes up Mt. San Jacinto. There isn't too much to burn up there, especially if the winds were coming down off the face of the mountain, except for some Brittlebush, Creosote bushes and grass amonst the big rocks and bolders that fill most of the cove that comes down into town. But that is all it seems to have taken for the fire to be whipped by gusts of 70 miles per hour to rush toward the houses at the edge of town.

From my patio it was a bit hard to discern between the smoke and the dust coming from the west through the San Gorgonio Pass, but the TV images showed smoke rising at the end of the streets west of Palm Canyon that rise up toward the mountain. It is fortunate however that the firefighters and even residents were able to hose down most of the brush and that the fire did not get a chance to reach any of the palm trees that would be in yards and streets further down. It is really dangerous when a palm tree catches fire, especially in a high wind, as their dead fronds then become like shooting firey arrows that go flying onto asphalt roofs and into air vents that then burst into flame.

I of course wasn't concerned for where we live, and was actually fairly certain that this fire wouldn't actually do too much damage either. Fortunately that was the case. Two homes were slightly affected according to the news and by 8:30 this evening it was contained and completely out by 10:30. With no real large trees nearby and very little to burn on our mountains, we are lucky that these type of events don't happen here very often.

Landscaping

(The Pyracanthus when it was planted along the outside wall of our patio were just small plants a year ago.)

Most people when they come to our house comment on the grounds in our home owners association. They are immaculate. The trees and shrubs are trimmed, flowers planted twice a year, and the grass mowed to look like a carpet. And, since we have two full-time on site gardeners, plus mowers and tree trimmers, that are part of the landscaping service, we never have to think much about it.

(The Pyracanthus has now almost covered over the wall.)

However, as with anything, it seems many of the shrubs and trees are nearing their life expectancy of 30 years or so. And, with the gusty windstorms that Palm Springs can experience from time to time, limbs break, trees come down, and bushes get blown apart. That is just what happened to the bushes surrounding our garage. After trimming the bushes back away from the sidewalk, the bushes weren't very attractive. Much of their greenery had been pruned back and all that was left seemed to be old limbs that appeared rather dead. Then the windstorm of last weekend arrived and that blew them apart. It was time for them to go. The gardener's dug them up and low and behold we actually have more of a sidewalk leading to both our door and our neighbor's. We even have a nice light to light the path that had been completely covered over by the bushes growth. Now the only decision is what to put there. A guess a trip to a nursery is in order.

One thing I know is that due to our irrigation system and 300 plus days of sun, things tend to grow very fast here. This is certainly born out by the Pyracantha that was planted outside our patio walls last May. Just basically small plants on stakes, the bushes now almost completely cover the wall. And, for the past few weeks have been literally covered in thousands of small white blossoms. This means that this fall they'll be loaded with their striking orange/red berries.

(The Pyracanthus white blossoms have been a mecca for the bees and have begun to produce the berry-like pomes.)

So for a week or so, I'm going to live with just a dirt strip along the garage; pay a visit to Moller's Garden Center in Palm Desert to see what they have to suggest, and then get the gardeners to plant something new that will, I know grow, but hopefully not cover the sidewalk again.

Korean Food

(One of the trademarks of Korean food are the various side dishes of picked vegetables that you receive like kimchi and seaweed.)

Ever since I lived in South Korea way back in the early 1970s, I have loved Korean food. Good Korean food that is. Unfortunately it is not only hard to get but my partner doesn't particularly like it. Over the years I've tried a few Korean BBQ restaurants and purchased Kimchi in grocery stores, but was usually disappointed. It never quite measured up to my memories.

(My mild spicy beef and tofu soup.)

So since my partner is away, one of my Korean-American friends here offered to take me to one of his favorite Korean restaurants, and of course, I took him up on it. The only thing that surprised me was that he said it was in Chino Hills, California, about 85 miles from Palm Springs. First we went to a Korean supermarket, Super H Mart, in Diamond Bar, that was huge and really cool because it had all of these different foods that I remembered. I was most impressed with the incredible varieties of Kimchi, seaweed and fish. I ended up buying some sliced white radish and cabbage Kimchi, spicy shredded beef & tofu soup, fresh seasoned seaweed, stir-fried anchovies, and a package of fresh noodles with black bean sauce to quench my Korean fix.

(Joe's spicy pork came steaming and sizzling hot from the kitchen with onions and scalions.)

From there we went a few miles to the Yong Dong Tofu House that is located at 3233 Grand Avenue in Chino Hills, just off highway 71. My friend Joe knew the owners and said he took me there because one of its specialties is their tofu soup. That was one of the things that I had been challenged to eat in Korea. It seems that because it is served piping hot, as well as spicy hot, in a stone bowl, my Korean English-language students did not believe I could eat it. But I did, and loved it.

So there we were in a simple but very nice Korean restaurant and almost immediately were brought out a host of Kimchis from the traditional cabbage and turnip to a jalopeno peppered one. Since the soup is one of the specialties, I ordered the Beef and Tofu, mildly spicy, as well as my favorite Korean dish, Bulgogi. The soup arrived as I expected, boiling, that we then took a raw egg and stired in. (I still love an egg in Ramyon.) The soup was delicious and not nearly as spicy as I had thought it might be. (Next time I'll have to order it "hot".) I enjoyed every morsel, but that meant that when the Bulgogi arrived sizzling on its hot platter, I couldn't actually finish that. (It will make for a great meal later with my leftover rice.) Joe ordered similarly, except had the Chicken & Tofu soup and the Spicy Pork.

The trip had certainly been worth it. I'd gladly go again.