George put in a new outdoor thermometer yesterday; it records the day's high and low; yesterday's high 110 degrees. And the damn thing isn't even in the sun. How does it know when a new day starts and it should start over? I don't think I'll ask...

If you still need a Bald Eagle, go down Chambers Drive and hang a left on the River Road. Not too many yards, there it be, sitting on a post to your right.

Sum Gai a-Birding

A couple of days ago, this guy shows up at the Dump (excuse me, that would be the Transfer Site) hoping someone there could tell him how to get into the sewage ponds, which are located on the river road not many yards from where I am sitting right now. In hand was a pretty cool birding book about where to find what, obviously written for those compiling a list of some sort ("if you still need a Pileated Woodpecker...") which mentions the sewage pond boss man as being amenable to letting birders into the ponds to look for duckies and stuff. Alas, the boss man (who is the only man) had locked up and gone home early and so our visiting birder slogs up to the dump and discovers that the guy Chris at the dump is the brother of one of California's most famous birders, Kimball Lewis Garrett. (Of course I may be prejudiced; I am his sister.) So I took Sum Gai to one of the old barns to look for roosting owls, but there weren't any. And we walked down to the sewage pond gate that fronts this property, but it was locked. Alas, lamented Sum Gai, his fence climbing days are over, but he did take a walk around the perimeter and saw Swainson's Thrush and something else I can't remember because when it comes to birding I am a disgrace to my family. --kg

Tom Horton -- but not the Blues

I've been thinking a lot about Tom these weeks here at Happy Camp. Maybe because of the garden he would have loved, even more the pool and Ramada area, dining in the evening next to the pasture. Give Tom some mowed grass and a bit of tile (even gravel) and he had a Piazza. When he was well enough to sit on the front lawn of 14 Dipsea, we would drink martinis and joke about the Seadrift Life Style. That was before he moved to the City; soon it was Kate and KH pretty much 24/7 and I was out of the picture (how out I didn't realize 'til later) which was as it should be. And when he died, I just carried on, no tears -- it was not my loss but theirs, or so it seemed. And I cried so hard for so many months when he was first diagnosed I don't think I had any tears left.

I think of Tom when I am doing the receipts here in the morning, very much like he taught me at the Stinson Beach Grill back in 1992. And I think of how I came to be here -- so many miles away from Stinson Beach and an eternity away from him. And how far from the (honorary) family status I once enjoyed; how little that family, other than him, had any real regard.

I guess it is OK to indulge a little sloppy sentiment now and then.

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III

From Dailykos this morning:

If Only ...

by BarbinMD

Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 08:26:03 AM PDT

Matthew Yglesias articulates what I'm guessing most of us are thinking:

I would pay good money to hear Sonia Sotomayor say, "Senator Sessions, I think it’s ironic to be facing these questions from a man whose judicial nomination was rejected by this very committee on the grounds that he’s a huge racist."

Watching Consummate White Man Sessions question Sotomayor on her ability to be unbiased -- maybe not the clash of civilizations, but demographically, Sir Sessions will soon exuent stage right. And take that horrible Kyl person with you please.

In Country

Since I am too lazy to do any original posting, I'm just gonna use some excerpts from my outgoing email this last week.

New Friends, Old Enemies: So Chris got the water on in my cabin, which pleases both me and my roommate, Mr. Daddy Longlegs. Mr. L looks nothing like Fred Astaire and has a large family -- hundreds it seems. Sometimes I shoo them away so I can clean, but next day, there they are. with their cute little hammocks strung around the walls and ceilings, singing "You are not alone; I am by your side."

You must be in the city. I too am going to the big city today, downtown Happy Camp, which boasts two -- count them, TWO- statues of Big Foot. I wonder if Mr. BigFoot knows Mr. L. Hope he doesn't come to visit.

Did you watch Obama and Medyvedy? I found it too boring (come to think of it, almost everything about Russia seems drab and boring*). Obama is breakfasting with Putin; do you think he will look for his soul in his eyes? Or just eat his eggs and be nice...KG

*exceptions: caviar, vodka, blinis....

MJ: And here's a not-so-wild-prediction: Jackson's funeral is gonna be a riot. Literally. kg

Honduras: Who knows. The ousted Pres is one in a series of dark-skinned-not-of -the -upper crust- leaders South of Mexico -- Hugo Chavez being the most well known. Also, the Ecuadorian President (Correa) and Bolivia (Morales). Correa has roundly pissed off the US by insisting that Chevon compensate for the damage they did to the rain forest. These guys are left of center, i.e. they want to use systems that work for them, not for the IMF and Dick Cheney. I suspect the CIA has its fingers in the current mess, just as they aided and abetted the 2002 failed coup against Hugo Chavez. That is not to say Obama would approve, but I think Panetta walked into the CIA and crawled in bed with those guys. I will never forgive the CIA for sabotaging Jimmy Carter; why don't they spend some time getting humint in the Middle East, huh????

As for what is specifically the deal in Honduras, I'm afraid I haven't kept up. But it looks like your classic upper class instigated military takeover of a democratically elected president who does not cater to them...Apparently the new guy is pretty right wing. Think Pinochet....

Have to go move sprinklers around. KG

Cabin/Palin/Etc: Chris is at my cabin -- hopefully he is turning the water on. Then I can start cleaning it up....The Vanity Fair article is about Ms. Palin and I am printing it out as we speak, so to speak...So don't buy no mags for moi! George cancelled a lo of his TV stations so I didn't see any talk shows; maybe later. He does John King's show but JK had that horrible Ed Rollins and that horrible black Demo whose name I have blessedly forgotten -- you know, the break bread lady. [on edit -- this would be Donna Brazil.] Also some other right wing moron. So I didn't watch it. Watering the garden takes up a good deal of the morning around here anyway. Let me know the update on Ronnie Wilhelm....kg

Re: Palin At first I thought it was a Pawlenty deal -- that she did not want to run again because she would lose and that would compromise her rep for a presidential run. But not if she is actually resigning. Rumors have it that there is some about-to-come-out scandal involved (oh, I'm SURE not...) but I have no idea what it would be. Maybe she is gonna fess up that Trig or whatever his name is, is actually Bristol's baby - hee hee. Maybe she is just an idiot. Oh, and it could just boil down to she is just an idiot. Remember -- it's now silly season, 24/7, 12 months a year. And we thought only Friday was Anything Can Happen Day! --- kg