Monthly Archives: September 2011

8 Reasons Why the Handcar Regatta Rocks

  8. Shiny things!  Shiny things!  Steampunk is filled with brass, copper, silver, glass, leather, silks, feathers; chrome, bubbling liquids in glowing colors;  gears and rivets and studs and bosses, and . . . oh, my!   7. It’s hard … Continue reading

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A Parliament of Birds (Safari West)

  The game park’s aviary is extraordinary. The owner’s first area of interest was birds, so in addition to the large cranes, flamingos and other birds in the corral, they have several varieties in cages and a large covered area … Continue reading

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Junketing with Giraffes

The cheetahs are called Safari West’s ambassadors, but the park is most famous for its giraffes. There was even a documentary made (it showed on Animal Planet, I think) about the birth of Kalula. Danny said the giraffes are reticulated … Continue reading

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Meet the Rhinos

Danny took us over several high bumps in the road.  It was what we would have called an E-Ticket Ride in the old days.  Curving around the lake, the road led us back toward the admin buildings and the corrals. Before … Continue reading

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A Drive Through Zebra Town (Safari West)

  As a guide, Danny had a lot of strengths.  He was smart, educated, interested in the animals of the park; he was funny, he liked to answer questions and debate theories. He had a weakness; he wasn’t good at … Continue reading

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The Hills and the Savannah (Safari West)

“For these animals, this is like Club Med,” Danny said. “Plenty of food and water, no predators.”  There is grass in the range area, mostly dry this time of year, that the antelopes will nosh on, but they are used … Continue reading

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Africa Down the Block

There are four hundred contiguous acres in Sonoma County that aren’t planted in grapes. Surprising, I know. Even more surprising is what they do raise there; African animals. Safari West is a game park located almost at the intersection of … Continue reading

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And Those Aren’t Wild Turkeys

I’m really used to seeing wild turkeys along the Coast Highway.  They are an introduced species that was brought here about twenty years ago, mostly for sport hunters. They adapted and thrived.  We see them frequently while we’re staying at St. … Continue reading

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“Welded Junk” by Linda Wise

Wise is a  found-object sculptor based in Eureka, CA.    

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The Last Werewolf; Not Your Ordinary Monster

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan; Knopf, 2011 Jake Marlowe is a monster. One night a month he turns into something lupine, a creature with the strength and senses of a wolf but the intelligence of an educated man. The … Continue reading

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