Northern Roadie

Tomorrow, I start driving to the Bay area, stopping first to visit my father in Fresno. It's been way too long and I can't wait to see him and Shela and Sarah and her bambino.

Will see what else happens. Stop by and see some friends perhaps. Am I on your flight path?

Leslie and I have really been working our businesses lately and it is paying off a bit. I'm affable and engaging all of a sudden, who knew? Staying open every available moment, throwing a few things on ebay, not necessarily out of the woods, but making serious progress towards the safe zone.

My wife is the most solid woman on earth - amazing retailer who can charm and sell like the dickens. And we are grinding out the bad economy together and keeping things afloat. I couldn't have a better, more beautiful and responsible partner in this whole world. Twenty years later and I am still hopelessly in love. With a tiger, actually.

Bought a great Borein painting this week, thanks Paul! The best face I have ever seen Borein paint. And one of the best watercolors. I know that it will find a new home but will enjoy it while I have possession.  Click on it and check it out.

Got linked on two national blogs this week, Crooks and Liars and Locogringo, whatever that is. My blog is a little personal and folksy right now so the new people may not get it but it is what it is and I'm not going to change. I have less than 50 posts to go to hit 1000 on this here blog and I have considered giving it up at the magic number and writing a book or something. But truth be told, a lot of my friends like my blathering verbosity, even the occasional republican (they still can't believe I wrote the Honduran thing) , and it might be tough to quit. But if you can't say everything you have to say in a 1000 posts, what the hell are you doing?

Went to the coast yesterday with the R & L club, minus Richard, Stanley and Tracy who are all parts east. Hi there, you guys in New York! Remember the smoked fish at Barney Greengrass...

Fireworks and great chow at Ron and Lena's. Met Ron and Suze, who sailed their homemade boat to Tahiti for five years and are now transitioning to new property in Chile. Watched the Del Mar and La Jolla and local fireworks.

God, I would love to go to Chile and Argentina. Patagonia is a dream and I have Weinrober family (mother's side) in Buenos Aires. But we haven't had a great vacation since we bought our building. Wings are clipped. Time to plough and sow. Try not to eat the seedcorn. Reap later, insh'allah.

I may have found an amazing black funk gospel group for the party on the 18th.  Guitarist plays at a church in Oceanside.  Young singer sounds like Al Green. Raw, they are just playing together but beautiful.

Back to growing our own tomatoes, will see where it leads. Lost a great new australian flower called a joey to the gopher this week. Chomped the roots right off. Bastards. Here is one of the dahlias I bought friday morning at the farmer's market. They are probably my favorite flower. Send corms.

I leave you with a chestnut from the Steve Miller Band that I have been grooving on today.

Later.