My Canyon Life

war protest downtown san diego

2011-10-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

sharing a meal

2011-07-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

2011-07-09T17:01:00.001-07:00

2011-05-04T13:11:00.001-07:00

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

Imperial Beach

2011-02-26T14:40:00.001-08:00

Ocean Beach Sunset

2011-01-07T07:22:00.001-08:00

Scout Forest

2010-11-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-06T18:13:00.001-07:00

fresh from the garden, fresh from the shell

2010-08-06T18:12:00.001-07:00

2010-08-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

sunflower high

2010-08-06T18:10:00.001-07:00

bookshelf number one

2010-08-06T18:09:00.001-07:00

scout on the couch

2010-07-02T18:40:00.001-07:00

my neighborhood is a haven for parrots!

2010-05-26T06:23:00.001-07:00

. . . remember this morning . . .

2010-04-22T11:43:00.001-07:00

A little hidden spot in Temecula . . .

Cat Adoption

2010-02-20T15:45:00.000-08:00

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

Jesus and Cold Cash

2010-02-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-20T15:37:00.000-08:00

2009-12-22T16:35:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

Where cowpokes end up after a long ride through life

Imperial Beach Pier

2009-10-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-09-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

sunset at dog beach in Ocean Beach

Marguerite on the last day of August

2009-09-01T13:43:00.001-07:00

From a small seed comes many seeds

2009-09-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Relaxing Read

2009-09-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T17:32:00.001-07:00

2009-08-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

I love my bedroom curtains!

2009-08-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

This sign really pissed me off.

2009-08-22T15:10:00.001-07:00

El Ray movie theater - Wilshire Blvd.

2009-08-22T15:09:00.001-07:00

2009-08-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

2009-07-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

. . . you will be missed dear lady, but the sky will hold you lofty and our hearts will hold you long.

2009-06-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

This is Rose. She's five weeks old and has one blue eye and one brown eye. She is the newest member of the 36th Street clan and she is adorable. Say, "Hi Rose!"

tea and books before sleep

2009-05-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

happy birthday John

2009-05-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

i miss you like crazy boy ox

2009-05-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

" a fence doesn't make a boundary" - susan powter

2009-05-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

this shot is looking north, with the fence behind me

2009-05-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

this shot is the border fence, looking south

2009-05-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

. . . today's read

2009-04-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

I'm off of work for five days!!! Having absolutely nothing in my ice box (hey, i work at one of the best organic food co-ops in the universe . . . i eat the best of the fresh daily, and on most days off i live on burritos and salads from weird salad-houses like soup plantation and ye olde taco bell), i realized that i needed to put something in there for midnight emergencies. Oh, and a few odds and ends for the counter as well.

2009-04-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

public park in west hollywood

2009-04-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

jack and the iris . . . my backyard . . .

jack is my landlady's cat, but she finds that the flowers in my yard suit her better then the ones at her place.

2009-04-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

where i wish i was right now . . . hot spring heaven, and these folks DO NOT chlorinate the water!

2009-04-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

head to head by the daisy bush . . .

2009-04-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

what i'm reading in the yard today . . .

2009-04-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Big teeth . . .

Spring Rain and Puppies

2009-03-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Sitting at home today and watching videos from the Best Friends Animal Society . . . . then it starts to rain outside my door . . . the birds love the lite shower. Click here, then choose the Pupsicles video; it'll put a smile on your face. And, if you've ever considered adopting a puppy, watch the Thanks for Rescuing Me video . . .

Caterpillar with Wildflower

2009-03-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

my first short film . . .

Zoom

2009-03-09T08:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's Walk

2009-03-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

This sweet pup met me at the fence, in an alley near my house. I could hear her tail thumping a hello.

Self Portrait

2009-03-07T09:01:00.001-08:00

Self portrait? Of course. Who else would take it, Scout? Anyway, as an old lady I want to be able to look back and see what I looked like with a hat on, while wearing a sleepy face.

Jesus Truck

2009-03-07T08:59:00.001-08:00

For all the truckers who need a bit of chapel on the road

New Years Eve

2009-03-07T08:45:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit tardy with these snaps . . . Elizabeth, Kent, and me!

Grand Canyon - Horseshoe Trai

2009-03-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

This is a snap i had been wanting to take for years, but couldn't imagine that i ever would. How silly . . . why the hell would i limit myself with an idea of "i can't imagine that i can ever get this picture"? Move over doubt and fear, there's a new Amber on the block!

Scout

2009-01-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

Now that Obama is in office, Scout can relax a bit and catch up on her napping.

Sunset on the last day of the Bush administration

2009-01-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

Neko sings for the animals

2009-01-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

Whahooooo! It’s official, the notoriously talented Miss Neko Case has a new album ready to debut in March of this year. In the meanwhile, because she’s so darn nice, and because we ALL love critters, Neko has made one of the songs from her new album Middle Cyclone available for download. And here’s the frosting on the cake, every time a blog reposts the song, Neko Case and ANTI-Records will make a cash donation to Best Friends Animal Society. Click here to listen and then download to your blog. Thank you Neko and ANTI!

high over the rockies

2008-08-23T19:44:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday

2008-08-18T08:29:00.001-07:00

Smiley Whale Rock

2008-08-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

hand in bus window

2008-07-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

fast asleep at the NYC library

2008-07-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Exit

2008-07-27T07:35:00.001-07:00

love has thorns

2008-07-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

waiting

2008-07-22T08:31:00.001-07:00

Me and Mikey doing our best to look good . . .

2008-07-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

this is mike! he's one of the best friends i've ever had . . . we both went to high school together about a zillion years ago. commonalities include a love of life, photography, and travel.

Bugs in my yard

2008-07-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

the lady bug, who really is a lady because she has no spots (that's how you can tell) is interesting because you can see the sun reflected on her shell. The bee was thirsty, and the beetle spent the night on the horseshoe above my front door.

grand canyon sunset

2008-06-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

The only thing more amazing than this sunset, is the fact that I didn't die when taking the picture; I was basically teetering over a 1,000 foot drop, and only later did I learn that someone had taken a picture in this same spot a month earlier, and had fallen. They didn't survive.

2008-06-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

Purple Daisy & The Road Home

Ocean Beach Billboard

2008-06-07T20:07:00.001-07:00

car wash for god

2008-05-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

Water Lily - Seattle

2008-05-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

rosie the pig and olive the pup

2008-04-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

Tent Revival - Utah

2008-03-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

Train Track Sunset, Ontario, CA

2008-03-17T08:11:00.001-07:00

Litttle Ears

2008-03-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

John - circa 1975

2008-03-10T07:59:00.001-07:00

Tucson No Tel Motel

2008-03-08T07:04:00.001-08:00

Los Angeles sunset

2008-02-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

I was searching all day for a picture; just before getting on the freeway on ramp to drive home, i spied this scene . . . electric grid and eucalyptus trees.

A friend, a rainbow, and the moon

2008-02-24T09:44:00.001-08:00

My Cats

2008-02-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

Blue Sky Desert Cactus

2008-02-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

Green

2008-02-08T19:27:00.001-08:00

Rose

2008-02-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

Colour on the street

2008-02-05T16:43:00.001-08:00

signs - kitties, lost love, and thank goodness the fountain machine works at the doughnut shop again!

2008-02-04T09:21:00.001-08:00

Snow Canyon, Utah

2008-01-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

What I love . . . Trucks!

2008-01-19T13:46:00.001-08:00

In the car with Olive

2008-01-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

Driving has taken a new direction with Olive on my lap. I think I am in love with her. Woof.

Snow King

2008-01-13T08:15:00.001-08:00

Seat for Two

2008-01-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

On the Road to Somewhere

2008-01-07T12:30:00.001-08:00

Walking home last night, past these church windows

2008-01-06T16:28:00.000-08:00