“… blogging about life, travel, books, food and the outdoors”
Mylo the dog and all of his ‘other ladies’
When mom and I moved in together last year we each came with four-legged creatures. Mine lived with us full time, while hers is a part-timer. Mylo is a 14-year-old Shih Tzu who my mom and sister Jann share custody of. So, Mylo has two moms. They are referred to as...
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Luther Burbank Gardens continues horticulturalist’s legacy
Luther Burbank was such a force in the horticulture world that in California his birthday (March 7) is celebrated as Arbor Day. Burbank is credited with creating nearly 1,000 varieties of plants, including more than 200 fruit species. One of his goals was to...
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An unexpected bike ride through hilly Butte County
Something was clearly wrong. We were supposed to only climb 200 feet total and we were already beyond that marker. From our vantage point the hill we were on looked like it stretched to the sky with no end point. What was wrong was the markers for the ride got...
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Immersive art show lacks detail of traditional exhibit
Being immersed in art is a wonderful thing—until it’s not. I learned I like my art old school. On a wall where I can take my time to appreciate the artist’s work, to contemplate the detail, the grasp the nuances, to even walk away when it hasn’t grabbed me. Earlier...
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Finding somewhat affordable gas at Indian casinos
I’ve become a semi-regular at Indian casinos of late. But I never go in. I always stay outside. That’s because this is where the gas pumps are. RV’ing friends enlightened me that Indian casinos are the go-to place to get the cheapest gas. Even cheaper than...
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Story of Manzanar told through photographic exhibit
Somber. That was the mood of the assembled viewers. How could it have been otherwise? What we were looking at were 50 photographs taken by Ansel Adams at Manzanar, the World War II concentration camp where people of Japanese descent, most who were U.S. citizens, were...
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Cops disrupt sleep during Bay Area tennis camp
It’s been a while since I’ve had an early morning encounter with the cops. The first time was when I was in my 20s living in South Lake Tahoe. That’s a story probably not for publication. (I did nothing illegal, was just stupid—but still kept my job.) The recent early...
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Book Review: ‘Astronaut Wives’ a trip to another time and place
Plenty has been written about the men in the U.S. space program, but what about their wives? After all, it was a prerequisite at the start of NASA’s space endeavors that the astronauts, who of course were all male at the time, be married. They were to exhibit what a...
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Chico institution more than a knife sharpening business
In business for more than 100 years, it took a pandemic for Fanno’s Cutlery to have its best year. With restaurants closed or not able to have customers dine in, people were at home cooking more than usual. This is when they realized their knives were dull, as were...
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Relishing the sport of baseball on opening day
I wasn't sure I was going to care about this baseball season, what with the greed of both sides delaying the start of it. And then there I was at the Giants opening day on April 8 in San Francisco. Something about baseball intrigues me. So much strategy and...
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Adoptable dogs get bounty of love from volunteers
There is no such thing as an ugly puppy. Soft, adorable, rambunctious and a bundle of energy. The problem is I’m not allowed to hold them, or play with them, or interact in any way. I’m not qualified. I’m only allowed contact with the Level 1A dogs. That’s what...
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