Highlining

Shawn sent me this crazy video. Pretty incredible, not for my acrophobic self but w0w!

I had a pretty good christmas/solstice/chanukah/kwanzaa holiday, hope that you did too. I am still sick with the respiratory thing but hopefully past the point of contagion.

I actually got out of my shell and visited some folks, Christmas Eve with Bill and Jean and family, dim sum with Jerry, Michelle, Leslie, Max and Corrie at Jasmine on Christmas day. Our favorite duck rolls were hot, food was excellent.

Later that day we had latkes replete with sour cream and applesauce with the Evans.

I bought five hundred gladiolus from an excellent wholesale place in Michigan, Fred Nagle, and have planted about 400 so far. A couple hundred yesterday morning. This is going to be an epic spring and summer. I haven't done the massive glad thing for a few decades, my ranch is going to rock with color!

The perennial/palm/succulent/cycad/cactus garden is really growing up beautifully too. Just adding the finishing touches and will take pictures in the spring when it is in bloom. Need a Palo Verde tree and a few more  agave specimens. The reluctant bismarckia palm is finally opening up its spikes.

I am about to add a Japanese maple from this Temecula company, I am thinking Tamukeyama. I have the perfect spot. It was first cultivated in Japan in 1710 so I think will stand the test of time. They don't mind the heat but they don't like our area's hard water.

We planted a Chinese fringe tree this week that we got from Ganter Nursery recently. Have you ever seen one? Extraordinary beauty and fragrance.

We bought the last one they had for the season, they will get some more bare root soon.

Jubea chilensis - Mission Bay

Saw Renée's garden yesterday which is looking pretty amazing. Roger Boeddart has added some great tipi structures.

Her jubea palm is so much farther along then mine but I get a chance to see what mine will become some day. Hope I live long enough to see some trunk on the thing.

Hopi Woman - Edward Curtis

Bye bye Carrie Fisher. Caught Rogue One last night and she had a computer graphic part laid in from her youth. Wasn't terribly impressed with the movie, basically plotless and a lot of people shooting each other. Ho hum.

Carrie went through a lot of crap, suffered her illnesses publicly, think she made a mark and contribution to this spinning globe, adios muchacha.

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A stoner friend showed me the latest in bong breakfast technology, the wake and bake coffee mug. Ingenious!

Honestly not my thing but there was a time I would have been right on it. First cup or first puff?

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I have decided that I need a retirement plan beyond drop dead.

Have a few goals for the next year, back away from the keyboard and the dining room table. Back to the gym, make a whole bunch of money if possible. Hawaii, hopefully Chile and Portugal one day.

I feel like a sailor on dry land right now. I was so spoiled by travel last year and epic photography opportunities but this year I need to think business and priorities.

My very expensive and most important nikkor 24 -70mm 2.8 lens is in the shop. Will cost over five hundred smackers to fix what felt like a minor manual focus hiccough. Have to do it but it hurts.

So don't be surprised if I go dark if not darker with the blast. This blow by blow of my life is about to amscray.

Unless of course I can catch lightning in a bottle and do everything I want to do as usual, which would make for more fun and happiness but cannot be practically expected. I better get my ass to work or you'll see me on the bread line.