Monthly Archives: September 2012

The World’s a Fair, Part IV; The Celtic Lurchers

Celtic lurchers are a mix of Irish deerhound and greyhounds. Of this particular line, there are six dogs here, and some in Connecticut. “Lurcher,” comes from a Romany phrase, “Lur Cur,” or “Thief Dog.” The dogs were used by peasants … Continue reading

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The World’s a Fair, Part III; Falcons of the Queen

I never did get the name of the group who had the birds of prey, but I think they were the Guild of St Tibba, a non-profit group who works to protect birds of prey and educate people about the … Continue reading

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The World’s a Fair; Part II, In Which Doctor Who Helps a Lady

I realized that one of the simplest and most practical costumes for any period event is a tan trenchcoat, a pair of sneakers and a sonic screwdriver. Doctor Who, after all, is a Time Lord; he is perfectly dressed for … Continue reading

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The World’s a Fair: Part I

From silver dawn to autumn dark, The revelers romp in Ives Park, They pause a bit and hoist a beer, To toast that famous bard Shakespeare. From across the ripened countryside, Our beloved Queen did ride. With raindrops in her … Continue reading

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Book Festival 2012

The Sonoma County Literary Arts Guild hosts the annual book festival each September. Saturday was the 13th Book Fest. Often it conflicts with my writing group, but not always, and this year it didn’t. They cordon off Mendocino/Santa Rosa Avenue and … Continue reading

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Riddley Walker

My review of Russell Hoban’s classic post-apocalyptic novel is posted at Fantasy Literature.

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All the Words in the Alphabet

At the farmers’ market I stopped at the coffee truck. From the order window, a twenty-something man with curly brown hair and bright blue eyes gazed down at me. “Medium decaf mocha, with no whip,” I said. He nodded. “Medium non-fat … Continue reading

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The Efren Question

The Fifth District County Supervisor is named Efren Carrillo. Efren turned 31 this year. His parents came here from Mexico before he was born; he grew up in Santa Rosa. The Fifth is my district and I have voted for … Continue reading

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Daytripper; Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba

Spoiler Alert: Bras de Oliva Domingos, main character of the lushly drawn graphic novel Daytripper, dies in the first chapter, on his way to a party honoring his father. It is Bras’s birthday. He is 32 years old. He dies … Continue reading

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The Hornet; Part Two

Second Deck We saw the wardroom, the Chief Petty Officers’ pantry and mess, with its perpetual POW/ MIA table to honor those still imprisoned or missing, the crew berths, sick bay and the galley. The cots in Sick Bay actually … Continue reading

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