Kamakaze Skunks

Why did the skunk cross the road?....
It didn't.

Do the local skunks suddenly have a death wish? It seems they have been routinely hurling themselves at oncoming cars. I took Petaluma Hill Rd. on my way home from biking today and along a 7 mile stretch, I counted 8 dead skunks in the road. Those were only the identifiable ones among even more potential road kills.


I am not unsympathetic to their plight, but did become rather curious; so I turned to Google to sniff out some answers....

1) It's feeling like Spring and skunks are looking for mates. Their minds are not on being safe pedestrians.
2) Skunks are nocturnal and being black doesn't help them to be visible at night.
3) They rely almost 100% on their sense of smell, while their vision is extremely poor.
4) They are awakening for the approach of Spring and are still dazed. At 2a.m. a lot of drivers are also pretty dazed.

coo ya now?

Check out my latest guest post on THG
The Hurdy Gurdy Music Blog.






Sometimes it’s the album cover that beckons to give a listen. Longfingah & Dub Engineers album, Coo Ya Now!, combines a pastoral Jamaican scene with an incongruously towering sound system. The intriguing juxtaposition somehow suggests technology encroaching on rustic island culture.

I sampled the track Coo Ya and realized it was an infectiously refreshing cut. I’ve probably heard it fifty times now and still have no idea what coo ya now implies. It’s not defined in the Urban Dictionary and it can’t be an ode to Cooyah Beach, Australia; so I would welcome some enlightenment on this.

Recently I caught a clip and my quandary grew. These musicians were not the dreadlock Rastas I’d preconceived, nor was the concert setting, Radau am Stau 2010, the funky island dancehall from my mind’s eye. Then I heard Longfingah’s fluent German. HUH?! Had I been duped? Actually, I’d stumbled upon a reggae band from Berlin!




PS...Just Nailed It!

Jamaican term for "look here" or "come here"

cooyah look at dis, bwoy!

strategy session

I was arriving just as the dawn patrol was leaving. There was Doug, who was not only satiated from numerous rides but was dressed and go to go! An adventurer, he often surfs Salmon Creek and Dillon Beach, less sheltered locations than here at Bolinas. But today the place was pumpin, while Salmon Creek, I later heard from Jim, was at least double overhead with no one even out in the water. There was even some talk of a Mavericks Contest this weekend, only the very high tide level would have made for less than ideal conditions.



Though not quite an early bird as the one I stopped to photograph on my way, I was in the water by around 8:30; so I would surely get in on today’s swell. Destination.... The Patch. When the tide is this high, it is a schlep getting over there, which involves climbing along sea walls and rocks en route to avoid battering surf. Nonetheless I was soon enjoying waves, nature and friends. Being so focused on the beauty and power surrounding me, I lost track of the ever rising tide. Then I noticed the rides becoming bumpy due to the backwash. A glance toward the land brought the surprise of seeing a minimalist beach at the cliff base, being pounded by shore break.




It was now nearly 10:30 and dead high tide was at 11. Time to work my way in, though I was in a quandary about my exit strategy. I hoped for safety in numbers and was glad to see Mark heading toward shore. He’s an experienced water man and just the guy who seems to possess good judgment in all things.

“So what’s the plan, Mark?”

“Just go for it”, he answered.

There is a certain fallen tree that has long been embedded in the sand, the end of which has been carved like a big finial. I’ve heard it called the penis tree for its obvious shape. Well, that same tree was what dinged my old McTavish board; so it was once indeed a big prick to me. We decided to maneuver to our drop zone at a small remaining scrap of beach just by this protruding menace.

Meanwhile the shore break continued to jack up and tree limbs were even being tossed about in the mayhem. My trajectory was way off and I could see my impending demise with my old tree nemesis. So, I turned and paddled in retreat.

“What’s plan B?” I asked.

“We have no plan B”, Mark casually replied.

I liked his resolve and determination; so I followed his lead to safety just in time, luckily unscathed by flotsam and tree obstacles. Have I embellished my account for full blog effect? All I can say is that for a sketchy moment there, I did feel I was in the survival mode!

music man of mystery

Funky downtempo beats infused with jazz and hip hop, come swirling as if from some smoky late night origin. Shrouded in a sense of mystery and the exotic, the music oozes with and exudes pure mood. Time to chill with the man of mystery himself, Clutchy Hopkins.

Like the Banksy of the music world, his persona is open to conjecture. Is he the covert op of DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist or his sometimes collaborator Shawn Lee? There seem to be few records of his actual existence. Refusing credit for his session work, he would accept only cash in payment. Though his whereabouts remain clandestine, some say he resides in a cave somewhere in the Mojave Desert.

Dubbed “jazz hop”, his musical style almost defies categorization. Whether man, myth or pseudonym, the music of Clutchy Hopkins emerges on its own terms.

From “The Storyteller” on Ubiquity Records, comes the “Verbal Headlock” video, which not only epitomizes his sound, but takes the viewer on a strange and haunting visual journey.




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This post , by the way, appears in the guest writer spotlight over at:The Hurdy Gurdy Music Blog. THG is an all new multidimensional platform to enjoy, discover and explore the cutting edge of music.

And here's an encore of one of my slide shows inspired by "Ancient Chinese Secret", a Clutchy Hopkins & Shawn Lee collaboration....

Rupert Pupkin Rides Again

Anyone catch Robert De Niro’s controversial acceptance speech at the Golden Globes? I hear the jury is still out on whether he was awkward or funny. I know I was crackin up!

He quipped, “I thought this would be more fun for this kind of evening.”

The actor showed up without his statuette because the top fell off, answering questions with his hands in his pockets. “They need to solder it back on.”

"Thank you for this extraordinary honor. I was very, very moved when you made the announcement two months ago, well before you had a chance to review Little Fockers."

To hear this kind of self-deprecating, deadpan humor from the renown man of few words was a total treat for me and a fun glimpse into his private persona. And maybe he even had a few drinks.

I can totally relate to his opening up like that. I'm sometimes frustrated myself, that people don’t always get my own offbeat humor. And where's the fun in always having to filter what you say in not wanting to offend? Props to the man for being himself!!!

He can be comedic, ala Rupert Pupkin in The King Of Comedy or intensely sinister as Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas or purely evil as Cape Fear's Max Cady. Check out these three clips from the three very different Scorcese films. De Niro always becomes his characters.

"You talkin to me?" Bet you thought I forgot Travis Bickle.

When asked the key to his longevity, he responded, “I’m just here. Only the strong survive.”

the beat goes on....

The concept has evolved. (See previous post)
We even used some images I took out at Bodega Head, where 20 foot walls of surf were pounding the cliffs.

The end result seems to work with Jim's theme and I'm happy with the visuals.

Hey, as one of the potential titles proclaimed, we're 'Stoked For Jazz'!

work in progress

I'll be collaborating on the CD cover for Jim Adams' new release. This is just something I conjured up in anticipation of my session with him.

The composite is from our earlier studio shoot with a backdrop from a Costa Rica trip I took. Jim, being an avid waterman, said he wants a surf vibe. The title is one that I'm told fellow surfer, Doug likes and I can dig it! So, I went off with the surf journey theme.... Hey I could even use one of those myself.

See Walls

After hibernating amid endless rain, the sun finally returned last week! And the Pacific provided waves to complement the bright crisp winter weather. After my surf session last Wednesday afternoon, I just wanted to linger and soak it in. So, I grabbed my camera to capture the rich color of the graffiti covered sea walls, bathed in the brilliant afternoon sunlight! Queue up the ELO!



Combining graffiti with the classic background sounds of Electric Light Orchestra, PaintCan Jam 2 will draw you in and stimulate your senses. -The Hurdy Gurdy

Hey Hurdy Gurdy Man

The hurdy gurdy (also known as a wheel fiddle) is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings.

The Hurdy Gurdy is also a platform to share and discover new music.



Though hurdy gurdies originated from medieval fiddles, this website is utterly new and cutting edge. You'll find it to be a resource for the latest music with a wealth of information about the artists behind the tunes. It's loaded with links, download sites, song samples, photos, anecdotes and video clips. And it just happens to be authored by my son, Garrett.

You'll find the alternative and the esoteric.....so check it out at at: The Hurdy Gurdy

They're Baaack!

Seriously..... what's their deal?!