Smiling Phases

I've been thinking of my baby brother a lot this week. He turned 48 last Saturday. Wow. I sent him my fond wishes, and he had a fine dinner at my dad's place in San Francisco. Bro also lives and works in the city. That's where this picture was taken-at our flat in North Beach, where we did much of our coming of age. Taken in December 1974. Dig that modern art! And my cool shag cut! Yeah,I know... my eyes look 'funny'.

One And Twenty

Age Six, with the trademark smile that makes life worth living.

All grown-up, and still with that smile!


Older daughter turned twenty-one at 1:34 a.m. today. I recognized her birthday here (2006), here and again here(2005) To this very day, her birth remains one of the greatest experiences in all my life. She's heading homeward today! Happy birthday to my wondrous "earthquake girl" !!!


WHEN I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
‘Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free.’
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
‘The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
’Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.’
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

A.E. Houseman (1859-1936)

We All Shine On

Have you read this Dick Cavett column? He writes about John Winston Lennon, who would be Sixty-Seven today. Why do I remember his birthday every year? That's just weird. Oh, that's right. He rescued me from a life of depressing banality

I was reminded of John recently because we saw some of "Give Peace A Song" on PBS. Before then, I had no idea that Tommy Smothers participated in the recording of Give Peace A Chance.

It all feels quite distant now. That belief that we had the power to change things. We did, to some degree. Now it's as though nobody has the will to fight for their (remaining) rights. Too busy accumulating and amassing. Besides, if it doesn't impact their day-to-day life directly, why should they care?

All The Years Combine

What is life? A madness. What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story. And the greatest good is little enough: for all life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams."--Pedro Calderon de la Barca (1600-1681), in Life is a Dream.