Guest blog from friend and fine writer Tom Chappell:
My co-worker Shouwen Zhang came back from lunch, and showed me a picture on his cell phone, and said, "There was this creature in the parking lot...it has the face of a monkey!"
I looked at his photo and said, "Barn Owl? I've never seen one...where is it?"
He and Chris Ravenscroft and I went out to see it, and it was still in the parking lot, just standing there sadly -- something wrong with its wing. It wasn't aggressive to us in any way other than to fluff up its feathers a bit to look larger.
But Chris's wife is training to be a vet, and had spent some time working or volunteering at a nearby wildlife rescue place only a few miles away. So Chris called them up and they said, "Oh, can you bring it over?"
Chris was a little taken aback, "I don't know...I don't think I know anything about handling wild owls!"
But they sent a woman over with big old thick gloves (think waders for arms), and an owl-sized butterfly net, and she had it boxed up neatly in a plastic cat-carrier in a jiffy. Apparently there is a place on a bird's neck (all birds!) where you can pinch them and they'll go to sleep for 15 seconds.
She said that luckily their vet was there today, and they would x-ray it and see if the damage was reparable or not.
So, on our Status Reports for work this week, we were able to include:
4. Helped to rescue a small owl.
While waiting for the pros to arrive, I looked up Barn Owl on Wikipedia, and showed Shouwen that one of its other names is "Monkey-Faced Owl" ("Ha! See? I told you!")
Addendum: The Motorcycle Connection:
I received this great response from friend John Blackburn on the subject:
There are many barn owls in Simi Valley. When a barn owl, apparently wounded, showed up in the road early one morning years ago, without thinking I rushed to pick it up before a car zoomed by. It was surprisingly calm—and surprisingly skinny beneath all those feathers. The animal rescue people let us know later that it was on the mend and doing fine.
Another encounter was less calm. I lived there in Simi Valley at the bottom of a long winding mountain road and sometimes when returning home, when it was late enough and the stars were bright, I'd slip my motorcycle into neutral as I reached the top of the road and turn off the engine to coast the last few miles or so in serene blackness. The road sloped steeply at some places and that night I had picked up reasonable speed, the tires whirring against the pavement, when whapppp!—something struck me in the chest with the apparent weight and size of an old Sunday newspaper, and it was stuck on me! wings beating against my face and shrieking while I too yelled and struggled with one arm to dislodge it and navigated the winding road with the other. When we finally separated from each other I had several scratches and a newfound respect for barn owns.
A while ago we started going to live music events. All of a sudden we found ourself hosting one at our house. It all started with an innocent Starbucks barista mistake, which led us to a singer-songwriter extraordinaire, who introduced us to a whole series of artists and venues where music is not only live but up close and personal.
This blog consists of some blather about the journey, discovering what is this thing called "House Concert", some photos (click for full-screen versions) and descriptions of the concert that we hosted at our house on July 23, 2011, AND some youtube videos of the performers at our concert. Some taken with my iPhone 4, some taken by friend Larry Helmerich with his Panasonic Lumix camera. Don't feel obliged to read this in any particular order or read any of it at all, except this: if you like any of the music, please visit Dave Morrison's website, listen to some of his music, and if you like it, buy it. Same goes for Cindy Kalmenson's website, and Annie Boxell's facebook page.
So it started this way: Georgia ordered a coffee at Starbucks with two raw sugars. When she tasted it, alas no sugar, so had to actually navigate over to the accoutrements station and add it her self, can you believe it how awful is that. Anyway, above said station was a bulletin board, and on the board was "Concert at Four Friends Gallery in Thousand Oaks". Well, we live in Thousand Oaks but never heard of FFG so we decided to give it a try. Turns out FFG is not a public gallery at all but was graciously lent by owner Larry Janns for putting on a live music concert, totally informal with donations accepted for the musicians. Some yummy high-calorie snacks hanging about during intermission for donations. Up close and personal with the musicians, met the great local band "I See Hawks In LA", and a local singer-songwriter named Dave Morrison who acted as emcee for the show and performed some of his own material.
We learned from folks at the FFG concert of the existence of lots of similar informal live music concerts at peoples houses, called, well duh, house concerts. You google "House Concert" and they just pop up all over the place. Plus we added ourselves to an email list here or there. SO, off we went to one, in West LA at the home of Alexia Salvatierra. Here was Dave Morrison again, setting up the concert, supplying the food (Albondigas soup, very tasty), emceeing for performers Ange Boxall and Katy Boyd, both were terrific. I don't think Dave was on the bill to perform, but of course he did anyway. AND, there was this great song circle in the living room afterword, with some great talent, including guitarist Michael McEwan, harmonica and ukulele player Ken Leiboff. We were hooked.
We went to at least three more Morrison-sponsored concerts, one at the Topanga Community House (great venue on a hill in Topanga canyon), another at a small condo in Pasadena, yet another in a backyard in South Pasadena. Huge difference in size and type of venues, kind of food, but they all worked well. Each time there were new musicians that we liked a lot, more of Dave's fine music, great food, and song circles with some real interesting new talent. Each time Alexia was there with Dave sharing the logistical chores, and kept us up-to-date on the upcoming shows.
So I finally asked Dave and Alexia, would you be interested in putting on a House Concert at my place? After meeting at our house they were enthusiastic, we have a big back yard with a view, and a large "great room" for serving/performing, and, well, we are just crazy enough to give it a go. We set a tentative date at least a month ahead of time. Dave offered to cook and bring food, all the stuff to turn our backyard into a stage, and to send around invites to various email lists. There was almost nothing for us to do but bite nails, clean up the place a bit and invite our neighbors and friends. In the meantime Dave added Cindy Kalmenson and her band to the playbill, and recruited Annie Boxell, a talented songwriter and keyboard player, to join his band for the show.
So the Big Day arrives, we are nervous as hell, and Dave Morrison arrives with his pickup in the afternoon, neatly packed with what he calls the Traveling Circus. Stage, PA system, chairs, guitars, amps, all neatly tucked into the bed of his pickup.
Dave Morrison's Traveling Circus Kit, partially unloaded
Traveling Circus Kit includes stage pieces stacked as sandwiches with folding chairs as the filling. Above you see with first stage piece removed, and as you see below, on its way to the back yard via DM himself, who I believe has done this before. Actually he built the stage pieces himself long ago.
Dave ferrying one third of stage to The Spot
Two more trips of stage pieces, and viola we have essence of stage, this one with a view. Well, the audience has a view. The performers will be cautioned not to step backward ;)
Stage in position.
Stage in Position
Meanwhile, Dave brought two large pots of his special recipe chili and fixins, stashed in the kitchen for now. Flash forward - it was delicious and there was plenty. I sheepishly admit to consuming four helpings, yet there were leftovers.
Chili ready to heat up.
Alexia picked a good spot for a folding table to be used for food, near the door to the backyard, in sight of the stage.
Food table being set up.
And, quite important, a table by same patio doors for Alexia to welcome folks, offering CDs for sale, and accepting donations for the musicians. Good spot, right when they see the food and the stage for the first time.
Welcoming table at entrance to back yard/stage area.
Meanwhile we set up the chairs using a much-discussed design taking into account involving angle of the stage, the sun and its projected path, traffic patterns, etc. Engineers present were having way too much fun.
Chairs set up.
Fabian, Georgia, and Alexia. Dave hidden at left in the bushes
Now it is getting exciting with sound equipment being added to the stage.
Adding sound equipment to stage.
And guitars!!
And personal sound equipment, i.e. instruments
Tuning up:
The concert begins!
Concert starting up!
And we are in business. The videos here are a small sample of the great music we enjoyed.
Annie Boxell is new to Dave's circle, and new to us. Here she is performing "Superman" from her new yet-to-be-released album "Superheroes and Beauty Queens". She does a marvelous job in spite of the handicap of having a too-short chair, and improvises an extra verse on the subject as an intro.
Here is Dave Morrison performing his song Precious One, from his album "A Little Farther Down The Line". Accompanying are Greg Krueger on guitar, and Annie Boxell on keyboard. Note my piano bench has been fetched and adjusted to its maximum height, thanks to Fabian, so Annie has the circulation going in her arms and legs again.
Here Dave performs one of my favorite songs of his, "Still An Hour Out", not on an album yet that I know of. Dave Krueger on mandolin, and Ken Leiboff on harmonica:
Dave invited Cindy Kalmenson to the festivities, and she came down from Ojai with her bass player and pedal-steel guitar player. Here she is performing her song "Coulda Been You" that I like a whole lot. I still have this guitar to hold onto; it coulda been you:
And a fun song called "Good Bad Habit".
Good song and title: Let Me Out Here:
And a song Cindy wrote for her daughter before she was born: Hold On.
This magical event brought to us by Alexia Salvatierra and Dave Morrison moved inside the house as the sun went down, turning to the next phase, a song circle. We put chairs in a big circle, and invited anyone with or without an instrument to sing and play. Great fun, and some wonderful surprises. Often those listening would slowly add accompaniment on guitar, harmonica, violin (yes! we had one who was very good). Great support and encouragement by Dave and Annie. In spite of our plans to leave the next day on a car trip to El Paso, we kept it going until about midnight, it was just too much fun.
The next morning here is the stage surrounded by morning fog:
Next morning, stage in the fog.
Dave was staying nearby, so he and Alexia came back in the morning to pack up The Circus once again, and we were happy to feed them breakfast.
Dave Morrison Circus Packed Up Again
Dave Morrison Ready for the Next Adventure.
OK, so now it is 11am and we started packing for a 10-day road trip. We were on the way shortly after noon and made it to Tucson by about 8pm. All around, a great success. Once again, thanks so much to Dave Morrison for his fine music and to Dave and Alexia for making this happen.
Beautiful day. Wandered over to Pioneer Square after a jolt of great coffee from the new "Public Domain" coffee shop (today's selection: Prometheus, one of their trademarked blends, from the god who stole fire from Zeus and was treated rather badly for it; which reminds me there is a place in town that prepares flaming coffee at your table, but I digress).
Georgia was enthralled of course with the mythology lecture, yet was somehow snared by the tractor beam of a boutique shoe store across the street. When I joined her toting my pricey firewater, I chatted the young lady minding the store about what a fun place this city is. Reaction: "... If you can get past the weather. I hear it will finally be warm and sunny and dry for a week and I am leaving town!". Yes, sometimes timing is everything. Beware "This is a great place. Let's move here." Austin in March. Chicago in April. Add one to the list.
We strolled through Pioneer Square and were pleased to find live music and a stripper, well sort of, no X rating here and pretty entertaining. Chatted with the young piano player who was doing fine stuff from music sheets of only melody and chords. Dang, I wanna do that. A fine start indeed for Day 2.
Back at the hotel my cellphone rings, and YES I can grab two of the last tickets for tonight's Blues Cruise, 10:30pm until 1:15am on a boat with 3 bands and 3 bars. The day is now nicely framed, except for anything resembling sleep. The Plan: stop at the blues festival early afternoon (we have 5day tickets to everything), then come back to hotel for a nap before evening revelry leading up to the Grand Boat Finale.
The Reality: after a healthy moderate lunch (pacing is everything too), and a quick tour of festival grounds to find not much exciting happnin, we returned to The Monaco for recharge. Well, Georgia got a nap, I was to wired thanks to Prometheus and spent the time obsessing over Portland restaurant reviews.
Research product: after Georgia revived, we headed off to Dan and Louis Oyster Bar. On the way, noticed the Keep Portland Wierd Wall, and this long line of very young kids wrapping around the corner from a donut shop, how crazy is that. Voodoo donuts, open 24 hours, they say there is a line at all hours, go figure.
Anyway, Freshly shucked oysters to order, good selection of local draft beers, Alameda Black Bear Stout is a winner for anyone that likes Guinness. Tried half dozen Oyster selection, clockwise from bottom left by index, I liked the Kamamoto best, almost s sweet taste.
Back to the festival, stumbled upon these two guys i liked a lot playing together at the small "workshop" stage. ("... What's with this workshop thing, Michael? I dunno how to build no guitar...")
Michael Burks and Lucky Peterson http://www.michaelburks.com/ http://www.myspace.com/luckypetersonmusic
Off to stand in line for The Boat! Well, we weren't the last in line, but pretty close. Picture from the I wonder whether we'll make it on board section:
Three levels, each with a band, bar, and dancefloor, how great is that? Pleasant surprise, no rude drunks, ourselves excepted, instead some kind of dancing club of young folks that are incredibly good at it, especially to 20s/30s/40s jazz, swing, charleston, etc. All good but IMHO best band, and sporting a great website:
http://bridgetownsextet.wordpress.com/
Donuts? Ah, at 1:30am I had to find out. Waltzed in with no line and snagged a bacon maple donut, plus an apple fritter that would feed 6. Walking out there was a line again, because I guess the bars were closing. Check out the amazing donut menu at: http://voodoodoughnut.com/
We arrived in Portland, Oregon last night for the blues festival and for exploring what is said to be an fun urban experience, food, music, easy to get around, etc. We walked off the plane and onto the light rail train, took us to within 2-3 blocks of our hotel. Good start!
Did some blues fest stuff first evening. John Mayall on harmonica with great bass player, doing challenge and answer stuff, real fun. Taj Mahal with his trio ok but not exciting, wandered off to small stage with Porter Davis, blues band trio from Austin, none of whom are named Porter or Davis, percussion, harmonica and slide guitar. Percussion guy interesting, he sat on a chair over top of the bass drum beating it with this and that and hitting other stuff with feet. however, real interesting part was "Blues Dancing", some terrific dancers on the grass in front of the stage, doing what apparently is a craze in this part of the woods, sort of modern dance swing, fascinating to watch. Check it out on YouTube. Knocked Georgia's socks clean off, but then she wasn't wearing any.
After hours jam in nearby hotel was Trombone Shorty and his band, if you are not familiar check him out, this was a must-see on my list. New Orleans Jazz/funk/blues fusion? He did not disappoint, although room was packed with enthusiastic drunks, some quite rude, but hey, goes with the territory. Shorty played trombone and trumpet and did vocals, band had lead guitar and bass, both electric, plus tenor and baritone sax, AND two percussionists, one with traditional trap set and another on congas. Some times the conga man would wander over to the trap set and they would both do stuff with same gear, very entertaining.
Food: instead of standup festival food, we opted for a pre-revelry meal at Jake's Famous Crawfish, indeed famous and therefore pricey but indeed good. I posted a yelp review. Would like to try their happy hour bar food, everyone says it is a wonderful deal. Have targeted an oyster bar nearby that sounds great. Lots of food, so little time.
Weather: cool and rainy when we arrived last night, but rain had stopped, now we are on warming trend for remainder of week with no rain in site!
So here I am 2 weeks later after returning home, picking up the second half of day 1 in DC, and this time using my macbook instead of the iPhone. So I return my mind to the context of that fun DC tourist trip, here we are at the west end of the DC National Mall, having visited the amazingly powerful Vietnam War Memorial aka The Wall, and we strolled south to the Korean War Memorial. Almost spooky, statues of soldiers in various positions that all seem to be looking at you wherever you are. Check this out:
Behind the statues in this photo is a black stone wall that is very shiny and reflective, but has paintings of people in it that look like reflections, again very spooky, here is a picture where you can see some of those folks in the wall and also my reflection taking the picture (dufus in brown shorts), and Georgia's reflection also.
So after a long stroll to the other end of the Mall where we had an unexciting lunch in the food court of the Natural History Museum, we decided that it being incredibly hot and being full of food and dopey, we should go watch an IMAX movie or two in the Air and Space museum. Nice movies about space and early flight, but really, cool and comfortable seats, great time for a nap. Seemed like time to start working our way back by way of the White House, so off we went on foot. Walking up 14th street along the west side of the American History Museum I noticed this obviously old gazebo on the grounds in front of the museum, snapped a photo and made a note to find out what this is, comments welcome.
Interesting, huh? Let me know if you google the answer before I do, else will come back and edit the page, which will be another first for me with the tool. Anyway, looking at the parked cars I noticed the DC license plates, hadn't spotted the text included under the number:
OK, so on we went up the street past the South Lawn of the White House, which is heavily guarded and you can't get close enough to see anything, up to Pennsylvania Ave on the north side, blocked off to vehicle traffic but friendly to pedestrians, separating the White House from Lafayette Park. Here is a snapshot from there, notice on the roof to the right of the raised center area, there is what looks like a dark antenna or thin statue. It is an armed guard, they are all over the roof.
We strolled through Lafayette Park, stopped and rested our feet for a while, and snapped a photo of the statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback there, before finding the metro and heading back to our hotel in Foggy Bottom.
Before leaving the park we called the Sea Catch restaurant in Georgetown for reservations, on recommendations from our hotel. Nice romantic restaurant, great patio overlooking a canal, a little pricey but good food and service. Here is Georgia happy to be contemplating something very different from a food court:
Here is the view past Georgia's right hand (can't wear glasses for a photo), we are really on more of a long porch rather than a patio, very nice.
Instead of going straight back to the hotel after this nice end to a long first day, I insisted we take the metro up to Dupont Circle, because I read that there is an all-night bookstore that serves food and booze and has live entertainment. How good does it get? Had to go have desert and browse the books. Here is a lousy photo inside Kramerbooks:
Turns out the music wasn't bad, a keyboard player with a large repertoire including some nice blues. OK, finally time to head home. Holy smokes, this is taken about halfway down the escalator from the street down to the metro, some of these are amazingly long, especially after a few drinks:
Good first stop Friday morning. First real travel photo with iPhone 3GS, cropped with Cropforfree iPhone app but otherwise unretouched. Have acquired some apps for photo enhancement but have not gone there just yet.
Here's the obligatory view from below Abe's feet looking back to the Washington monument and the Capitol beyond, faintly in left. Unretouched iPhone snap.
Then we walked to the Vietnam Memorial nearby, here is a memorial sculpture near The Wall:
Now for the Wall. We were totally unprepared for the scale and the power of this monument. Highest point inthe center marks the beginning and end of the casualty list in time order, proceding down to the right (east) tapering down to a point, then resuming at a point way to the left meeting Bach center. Here is a shot looking east from the center, Washington monument in the distance:
I edited the above iphone photo with an iphone app Photogene to adjust exposure and contrast, original is very dark. Now tapering down to the east...
And coming to a point down at your feet:
Here is another nice Vietnam memorial sculpure nearby, a female medic tending to a wounded soldier:
I will continue with day one on next post, want to see how this looks on a real webpage with the photos.
So here we are at the River Inn before dark, and I decide to build upon my logistical triumphs. Let's walk up to Trader Joe's, I say, only 3 blocks away, bring back food and booze stash for the hotel room mini-kitchen, and THEN go out to dinner. Brilliant. As we head off, it starts pouring down great buckets, but it would be silly to go back for the umbrellas. So there is a nice Thai restaurant next to TJ's, but of course we are soaked to the skin and have this soggy French bread, so back to the hotel. After changing clothes we head out into the clear evening armed with our umbrellas, and make it to the Thai Coast before closing. Fortunately the food was terrific. I had a green curry with chicken, and Georgia had a seafood something or other. I had a Sake-tini, chilled sake with an olive, tasted great, as any alcohol would have at that point.
