war protest downtown san diego

sharing a meal

in the big wide desert, you can still return a book . . .

Imperial Beach

Ocean Beach Sunset

Scout Forest

this is the last photograph taken of Scout . . . i'm glad that she is playing with a toy in this picture. Scout was my constant companion for 16 years. rest in peace you beautiful, loyal friend. Scout Forest ~ October 18, 1994 - November 1, 2010

Cold Solace

by Anna Belle Kaufman

When my mother died,
one of her honey cakes remained in the freezer.
I couldn’t bear to see it vanish,
so it waited, pardoned,
in its ice cave behind the metal trays
for two more years.

On my forty-first birthday
I chipped it out,
a rectangular resurrection,
hefted the dead weight in my palm.

Before it thawed,
I sawed, with serrated knife,
the thinnest of slices —
Jewish Eucharist.

The amber squares
with their translucent panes of walnuts
tasted — even toasted — of freezer,
of frost,
a raisined delicacy delivered up
from a deli in the underworld.

I yearned to recall life, not death —
the still body in her pink nightgown on the bed,
how I lay in the shallow cradle of the scattered sheets
after they took it away,
inhaling her scent one last time.

I close my eyes, savor a wafer of
sacred cake on my tongue and
try to taste my mother, to discern
the message she baked in these loaves
when she was too ill to eat them:

I love you.
It will end.
Leave something of sweetness
and substance
in the mouth of the world.

originally published in The Sun magazine

buzzing around and then it's a nose dive, straight to the honey-center

fresh from the garden, fresh from the shell

sunflower high

bookshelf number one

scout on the couch

my neighborhood is a haven for parrots!

. . . remember this morning . . .

A little hidden spot in Temecula . . .

Cat Adoption

Ever been adopted by a cat? It's an oddly comforting thing. Jack has officially claimed me as her own.

Jesus and Cold Cash

this is Mesquite, the last gambling town in Nevada before you cross over the Virgin River into Arizona, a mere 20 minutes to Utah!! I love Utah!! Okay, what i really mean is that i love the land in Utah.

Mars Bar and Trucks

Scout meowed me awake just in time to catch the morning coming. I saw this through my window and went outside to be amazed at the colour.

Where cowpokes end up after a long ride through life

Imperial Beach Pier

A new place to make my heart leap about . . . I love it here. You can walk the beach to the border, about 2 1/2 miles, and see a total of 10 people on your way.

sunset at dog beach in Ocean Beach

Marguerite on the last day of August

From a small seed comes many seeds

Relaxing Read