I've been a fan of Jim Hall for decades, but hearing him perform in person was an amazing experience, transcending all of the records I'd heard previously. On a special night in 1989 in Seattle, at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, we had front row seats for his quartet, featuring Gil Goldstein - piano, Steve...

Seems like a lot of camera for the price, Brooks.

Well, Duke's can't compete with that royalty, Valerie. It only took me seconds to "guess" who your dinner companions were. Glad that you had such a fine Thanksgiving.

Thanks, Rita! I'm glad that others are enjoying the results of my new camera.

We empathize with your temps, believe me. We've made the mistake of looking at Anchorage weather online while away. It's in the single digits right now.

Thanks, Valerie. I'm really glad that you're enjoying my photos.

These are recent shots of the Taro fields in Hanalei on Kauai in the late afternoon sun. This is a favorite area of ours, and we never tire of the vistas in this lush valley. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3774/11112892644_9a8732c2aa_z.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/11113128893_6955a473f4_z.j...

After cooking Thanksgiving dinner, or a portion of it, for family get-togethers for many decades, it's somewhat odd to be served this special meal in a restaurant. Patti & I enjoyed a lovely, traditional Thanksgiving dinner (plus Kalua Pork) yesterday afternoon at Duke's Restaurant on Kalapaki B...

Douglas, I'm pretty sure that Clint cooked a "Turducken" more than once, actually. Here's what one semi-boneless version looks like from Dean & Deluca in NYC ... a $100.00 delight. http://www.deandeluca.com/ProductImg/500/702078/butcher-shop/poultry/turducken.jpg No one is absolutely s...

Thanks, Valerie. Yes, I'm having lots of fun with my new Olympus. The humidity has been reasonable for the past few days but is about to rise again, according to weather reports. When the tradewinds go away, so does the low humidity, and the tradewinds are expected to depart some time Thanksgiving d...

Thanks, Brooks.

Yeah, Waimea is a very special place. We had lunch at The Lodge at Koke'e State Park on the way up to the canyon. It was 88° at the ocean in Kekaha, and 64° at the top of the canyon road. Amazing.

There are lifeguards on-duty, but that's not a part of the Pacific Ocean for any but the strongest, most experienced swimmers. Yesterday, Patti & I took a look at the weather and decided to head west to Waimea Canyon Park. It can get very cloudy on that part of the island at times, robbing you o...

Chico was an understated taste-maker, and a drummer I identified with early on, beginning with his early quintet. What a legacy he leaves behind. I first heard the use of mallets on a drum set thanks to his approach. I'll certainly miss his originality, style and finesse. http://marcmyers.typepad.co...

ECM Records New Rerelease: "Concerts - Bregenz/München" by Keith Jarrett http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0003/669/MI0003669215.jpg?partner=allrovi.com "The Bregenz/Munich concerts were Jarrett’s most brilliant live solo recordings to date; his level of inspiration is quite...

Here is a short clip I shot a few days ago when the surf was high after a big storm. I wasn't using a tripod, and even though my camera has image stabilization, there is a little shakiness in places. Still, I think it's pretty cool. You can hear me say "nice ride" at the end. http://www.yo...

Impressive pictures Ron & Coda!! I particularly like seeing the float planes, brings back memories. I love the northwest coast where float planes are mostly what's "parked" out front and, in the case of some of the places I was, the only way to get around other than by boat. I have a ...

WOW!! gave me goose-bumps!! fabulous pictures, Ron. and to think you're sleeping and living so close to these scenes. I am totally envious. I bet you guys could easily spend a couple of months there! Thanks, Valerie. A couple of months here would be fabulous if money were no object. The relative hu...

Thanks, Valerie & BeBop. Here are two of my favorite images I was able to capture yesterday, just as we returned to our cottage ... at moonrise. We're staying about 150ft. from the ocean with no buildings between us and the water. Sublime. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3676/10912378395_c84016c33...

Yep, that's me on my prized boogie board!

It's always difficult to know where to begin when it comes to posting photos when on a trip. So, I'll just make some arbitrary choices and hope for the best. I'll begin with a photo I didn't take ... a post-birthday dinner shot from Waikiki last weekend. It was a wonderful dinner, m...

Mike Schwartz wrote:How about not beating yourself up, not second guessing, and just moving on?

Sounds good to me.

From my perspective, this little board is valuable and worthy of our good care.

moldyfigg wrote:Who was that guy who LDB had a running battle with? I mean much more than the rest of his targets.

Tim Kroesen. Damn, I hadn't thought of that bizarre scenario in a long time.

Here are two photos I took with the Olympus yesterday, even though it was dismal and gray, and the light was very flat. This is my very favorite aircraft of all time, the de Havilland Beaver, which is a workhorse in Alaska ... on wheels, skis and floats. I had the thrill of a lifetime about 15 year...

Celebrating year 70 very soon.

What a loving, joyous tribute.