Yesterday, I took my children to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. It’s one of the oldest state parks, and one of my favorites. It’s known for its dramatic waterfalls, majestic redwoods over 300 feet high, and the rare wildlife that thrives in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I used to put Kelly in a backpack type…
Atomic Avenue
Atomic Avenue, an online site where comic collectors can buy and sell their comics, is going public next week. Personally, Peter and I think it’s going to transform the comic book industry. But first some background: The problem with the business of comics is that, once you get beyond the most casual level, it’s restricted…
The Mysterious Disappearance and Death of Christina Marie Williams
In June of 1998 a 13-year-old girl, Christina Williams, disappeared while walking her dog in the Monterey area town of Seaside. The story still haunts me. Of course, we all hoped Christina would be found, preferably alive and well. Her parents made regular appearances on the local news channels, the father holding the hand of…
Thanks from the Seymour Marine Discovery Center
A few years ago, I discovered the Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz. At its heart, it’s an educational aquarium, but it’s a bit more than that. It was everything I love about the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium at the other end of the Monterey Bay without all the things I hate. The Seymour…
Day at the Exploratorium
We visited the Exploratorium, again, yesterday. Neil loves the Exploratorium. He’d rather go there than to the movies or an amusement park. I’m sure, if he could, he would be there every day. On the other hand, sometimes Peter and I feel a little Exploratorium’d out. I don’t know why. It’s really a delightful place….
Alamo Square and Beyond
Yesterday, we drove to The Fillmore to buy tickets for the upcoming Brand New concert. Since it was a beautiful day, we decided to finally visit Alamo Square, a park about 6 blocks away. Alamo Square is best known for its view of San Francisco’s archtypical Victorians, sometimes juxtaposed against the downtown skyline: Personally, I…
Who Killed the Electric Car?
I finally saw Who Killed the Electric Car?, my sight-unseen choice for Best Documentary of 2006. It was actually better than I expected. I thought, like too many documentaries these days, it would have its share of one-sided conspiracy theories. Sure, it does have David Freeman (an energy advisor for the Carter Administration) spitting out…
The Dresden Files
Both Raymond Chandler and Tim Powers rank high on my list of favorite authors, so it’s no surprise that I love Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series as well. The hero of all the novels, Harry Dresden, is a hard-boiled detective who also happens to be a wizard as well. As a new job inevitably turns…
MG versus Alfa Romeo
So I just finished watching the movie “Two for the Road.” It’s not really that good: it’s kind of about an English couple’s dysfunctional relationship over the years. In short, Albert Finney loves himself and Audrey Hepburn spends the rest of her life trying to get his attention, up to an including wearing a dress…
The Notorious Tale of San Jose’s Grant Family
Last fall, we took a tour of the Grant family home in San Jose’s Joseph D. Grant park, and we heard a riveting story of gold-rush wealth, local nobility, homosexuality, alcoholism, and homicide: the rise and fall of a great family in just three generations. The history of the San Francisco Bay Area is rife…