Day Trip Part 3: Coulterville

With the pandemic showing no signs of slowing down and having been basically living in lockdown for months, I needed to get away---but in a safe way. A quick day trip I'd never been to before seemed like a good idea. So, with my friend Erich, we took an afternoon in August and headed for …

Day Trip Part 2: Hornitos

With the virus keeping everyone at home, the need to get out has been overwhelming. But unlike a lot of others that have gone on to do dangerous non-socially distant and/or maskless activities, I have been trying to stay safe. So I came up with a plan for a more or less contact-free day trip. …

Day Trip Part 1: Mariposa

With the pandemic, it's not the safest time to be traveling. Still, I have a natural wanderlust. I wanted to go someplace "safe." But where could that be? And then it occurred to me... There are lots of small towns I've never been to near me. Sure, everything would be closed more or less...but I …

Local Boogeyman — An L.A. store that’s really SCARY good!

A few weeks back, I was visiting Los Angeles. I was tracking something down with google Maps. It sent me in the wrong direction, which, while frustrating, actually turned out to be a good thing. I was in the Echo Park area on Sunset Boulevard. Traffic was crazy and when I realized I needed to …

Europe 2019 Part 17: Inside the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the long voyage home

I woke up that Monday morning. It was April 15th. It was my birthday. I didn't expect anything special since we had celebrated the occassion at Makai Surf & Tiki Bar the night before. However, when I emerged from my room, I was delighted to see that there was a small gift from Erich and …