tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22174169467277563982011-07-07T13:55:45.282-07:00This is a modest attempt to talk about my work as a Photographer/Multimedia Designer and life in general. William Zinsser has said that writing is a form of thinking. By trying to write regularly, perhaps I can improve mine.Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-28699544832881461782010-06-04T10:49:00.001-07:002010-06-04T10:52:57.107-07:00

Walking the DogOriginally uploaded by The MarmotEven the most casual of observers can see that I do not update this blog on a regular basis. So, working on the theory that not posting to two blogs is as easy as not posting to one I have started "Rambles With Holly" at http://rambleswithholly.blogspot.com/The “ramble” is a classic form of nature writing marked by a “perfect balance” between the

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-17330845314706821272009-06-21T00:38:00.000-07:002009-06-21T00:49:25.232-07:00

Swertia is a genus in the gentian family. I know this as Swertia parryi, but I have also seen it listed as Frasera parryi.Taken at RSABGSee more:Wildflowers and more at http://www.pbase.com/themarmot/rsabg

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-62388304718075267912009-02-22T00:34:00.000-08:002009-02-22T01:05:02.586-08:00

SCHOOL FOR SACKING | More Intelligent LifeThe above link takes one to the "The Economist" More Intelligent Life web site and an article that uses one of my photos (from my "A Day In Los Angeles" series) for an illustration.It is an interesting read. I am glad that I shall not be put in a position where I will have to sack anybody before I retire in about nine months. Hopefully, I will not get

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-58924147547063746052008-09-03T05:37:00.001-07:002008-09-03T15:28:38.184-07:00

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)Originally uploaded by The MarmotMediterranean and Indochinese cuisines often use basil, the former frequently combining it with tomato. Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto—a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce from the city of Genoa, its other two main ingredients being olive oil and pine nuts.This photograph has become one of my most popular. It was first picked

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-12590086620217378082008-08-24T23:56:00.000-07:002008-08-25T00:10:25.744-07:00

Картичка - Любов - Флирт - Червен портокал - pozdrav.netYou can say that again!

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-84256642964613666352008-08-01T13:24:00.000-07:002008-08-02T06:38:43.209-07:00

This Father's Day, give the old man a great meal - Worldnews.comAnother fun article that used one of my photographs. This one was credited to my real name so the "Marmot widget" did not pick it up and so it was well past Father's Day by the time I found it.

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-65491247795188726122008-07-20T22:55:00.000-07:002008-07-21T11:12:13.429-07:00

I use a tool called "Google Blog Search" to alert me whenever someone uses a photograph of mine from my Flickr site; where I am known as 'The Marmot'. This is a recent occurrence.The gist of this post, I am told, is that seeing my photograph reminded the author of a great meal the he had in Marrakech (or Marrakesh, as I know it). The post describes the restaurant and notes that it is owned by a

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-3082726034643051342008-07-01T15:32:00.001-07:002008-07-01T15:45:55.328-07:00

Flor de SucculentOriginally uploaded by The MarmotProof of ConceptThe other day I was sitting in a seeming endless meeting. It was apparent early on that I would neither have anything to contribute nor to learn as it was a rehash of ground that was covered last week and will be gone over again the next as well. Therefore my mind began to wander and I began to reflect up the virtues of my recently

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-55294291882824727722008-06-17T14:47:00.000-07:002008-11-13T03:24:29.454-08:00

iCopyright: Associated Press Content ServicesI wonder how much I should offer them for this use of the form? Let them come and get me!

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-35124145832165152782008-06-10T18:05:00.001-07:002008-06-11T10:34:30.431-07:00

How to Cook EggsOriginally uploaded by The MarmotHow to Scramble EggsMost people feel that they know how to cook eggs, and I am sure that they do a pretty good job. However, I have discovered a few refinements over the years which can push scrambled eggs into excellence.Eggs ala Cliff• Start with decent eggs.I currently use locally grown, organic, brown eggs. The choice is yours for the making.•

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-4865524928738720802008-03-26T17:42:00.001-07:002008-03-26T18:03:37.717-07:00

Fay's MeadowOriginally uploaded by The Marmot This is my favorite time of the year. The wildflowers are in bloom, and as a tour leader I have a built in excuse to be at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden almost every weekend.RSABG, as it is known in shorthand, is one of Claremont's best treasures. A hidden treasure to many people. Tucked away at the very end of College Avenue, north of Foothill, it

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-91341950351443604022008-03-21T15:32:00.000-07:002008-11-13T03:24:29.688-08:00

From ETech to Where 2.0: Disaster Tech and Activist Mapping - O'Reilly RadarPart of my interest in the internet and blogging is they way that they can be used to reach people for a variety of reasons. I blog, mostly, for the fun of it, but I fascinated by the concept of public journalism.A story from the Center for Social Media had this to say about public media: “Over at the O’Reilly Radar site,

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-24427759968784037372008-03-14T00:55:00.000-07:002008-11-13T03:24:30.136-08:00

I may have a liberal point of view, but I have always thought of NPR as being rather unbiased in its news coverage. However, this belief was shattered on March 11 while listening to Marketplace Morning Report. Someone involved in its production must have a bone to with Eliot Spitzer. A story on Wall Street's reaction to his peccadillo ended with the playing of "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-13804026521853545512008-03-10T14:32:00.001-07:002008-03-10T14:56:49.867-07:00

PeppersOriginally uploaded by The Marmot I have been reading a lot of Michael Pollan. I found his The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World to be worth picking up just for the section on apples. His discussion on the potato was fascinating to me as well. This video, from a TED conference, touches on the main theme of the book.I just finished In Defense of Food: An Eater's

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-41784755448041770792008-03-02T01:02:00.000-08:002008-03-02T01:11:14.219-08:00

Merv at the Movies: Porcupine Parergy: "Stachelschweine"I found this blog, to be very amusing.There is nothing more to see here, so why not take a look at this piece about hedgehogs (one of my favorite creatures) and porcupines.

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-21273730105516985082008-02-27T13:22:00.000-08:002008-11-13T03:24:30.420-08:00

I previously wrote about my commitment to buying much of our food from local sources. Now, I have discovered a group of people who have pledged to obtain 80% of their diet locally. My initial reaction is that it can not be done except in very rare circumstances.First of all, in the reading that I have done so far, there does not seem to be an established standard as to how determine the

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-69599640850832879592008-02-18T10:40:00.000-08:002008-02-18T23:46:10.518-08:00

Cleveland feels right at home - LA Daily News: "Becca Verstraete"It looks like that I am doing a lot of bragging this week.Becca Verstraete is our granddaughter and we think that it is pretty cool that she got this recognition. She is an outstanding student as well as a terrific athlete.The link at the top is a story in the Daily News. Below, both of her goals can be seen in this video. She is

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-25402488233103436702008-02-15T06:50:00.000-08:002008-02-15T07:04:05.454-08:00

Inspired to Flower: Different Flower MeaningsThis just a quick puff piece. KaBloom of Sandy Springs, recently voted as Atlanta's best flower shop, is using my photo of Stock in its blog "Inspired to Flower". This article talks about the meaning behind some of the more popular flowers.

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-10062765650605051082008-02-11T22:14:00.000-08:002008-11-13T03:24:30.682-08:00

Free Mukmuk: the 'other' Olympic mascotI am one those people who likes to do a vanity Google search from time to to time. If I were to be perfectly honest I will have to admit that I actually use "Google Alerts"to let me know when "The Marmot" or "Cliff Hutson" is mentioned in cyberspace.Most of the hits I get on "The Marmot" are for the clothing company or some guy in Korea. Depending on how

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-56957729832137282232008-02-04T13:23:00.000-08:002008-11-13T03:24:30.785-08:00

Yesterday my local NPR station managed to tear itself away from its post-Super Bowl coverage long enough to once again beat the drum about the dilemma that has befallen people of color and women in having to decide between Clinton and Obama.It would seem that the majority of Democrats have already agreed on one thing - they do not want another Southern white male to be president. The media

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-2900897190398589492008-01-30T18:17:00.001-08:002008-11-06T12:43:04.651-08:00

Self-PortraitOriginally uploaded by The Marmot This morning’s LA Times had a column by Steve Lopez talking about next Tuesday’s primary election. It was titled “Figuring out who's the better candidate.” Its theme was much the same as mine last Monday – how should a black person choose between Hilary Clinton and Barak Obama. It should be easy - vote for the candidate who will make the better

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-82364360587291566562008-01-28T23:06:00.001-08:002008-02-06T15:00:25.289-08:00

Purple CauliflowerOriginally uploaded by The Marmot I have been thinking some more about framing since my last post. Wikipedia tells that a frame in social theory consists of a schema of interpretation that individuals rely on to understand and respond to events.Seemingly, a person constantly projects into the world around them the interpretive frames that allow them to make sense of it; we

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-84855231958487308942008-01-23T17:51:00.001-08:002008-01-24T07:06:31.983-08:00

Arborday VisitorsOriginally uploaded by The Marmot Stories, such as narratives, myths, and fables, amount to a strong medium of exchange in human relationships. Stories speak to both parts of the human mind - its reason and its emotion. They can inspire and motivate people as they provide a tool for putting vision in to words. Stories can serve as a means for learning and communicating. They

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-27411072070730652872008-01-21T19:31:00.000-08:002008-02-06T14:57:59.613-08:00

Gentle Reader (if indeed there is one of you):Blogging is a challenge for me. Part of it is I seldom know if anyone is actually reading it. Pearls Before Swine is one of my favorite comics. Sometime back Rat suggested to Goat that more people would read Goat's blog if he posted it on the refrigerator door instead of the internet.That is probably the case with me as well. I have no one but myself

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-3188245842668432622008-01-19T16:44:00.000-08:002008-01-20T14:10:09.603-08:00

Weird Al Yankovic video:

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-54560304002434976282008-01-18T23:59:00.001-08:002008-01-23T15:18:27.658-08:00

Not All WorkOriginally uploaded by The Marmot This past Wednesday I attended a class on "Motivating Yourself and Others." My boss strongly suggested that it would be better for the both of us if I did. It is true that my fervor for work has cooled off quit a bit. But , cynic that I am, I doubted that any class the job was paying for could actually give me a kick start.Much to my surprise, the

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-87777685551251047872008-01-16T20:59:00.001-08:002008-01-16T21:08:09.626-08:00

Cucamonga Peak Originally uploaded by The Marmot A typical Southern California view. The weather where I was standing, in front of the Corner Bakery in Victoria Gardens, was about 80 degrees.

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-40277218704274385672008-01-14T20:31:00.001-08:002008-01-27T01:09:11.473-08:00

Sweet CornOriginally uploaded by The Marmot My wife and I have frequented the local farmers market for years. We have done this for several reasons. There is a commitment to support the local economy (albeit no one will be sending their kids to college on the amount we spend). The products seem to be fresher and tastier than those at the mega marts. Then there is the ability to find items that

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-52360670781930393292008-01-11T20:23:00.000-08:002008-01-11T20:51:11.678-08:00

moleskinerieMoleskinerie is a blog dedicated to all things Moleskine, a brand of notebook manufactured by Moleskine srl, an Italian company.I am not sure how I first discovered these notebooks. But, I own several and admit to being a bit taken in by the hyperbole about the legendary writers like Hemingway and Bruce Chatwin used them. But, actually they are very cleverly designed. They are bound,

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-57577646922066542842008-01-09T18:16:00.001-08:002008-01-09T18:20:29.885-08:00

My Old Cook Book Originally uploaded by The Marmot I no longer remember when I began to learn to cook, but by the time I was twelve, when called upon, I could prepare a meal for the family. Once on my own, during collage and working I continued to cook, although nothing I made was very involved. When I moved in with the woman who was to become my wife we split duties in the kitchen about

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-47236390200929026472008-01-07T00:08:00.001-08:002008-01-07T07:10:45.881-08:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Jambalaya with Shrimp, Ham, and Andouille Sausage, originally uploaded by The Marmot. I cooked this back in October. It was the first dish that I had prepared in a long time. Luckily, my affinity for Creole and Cajun

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-8922727544075506322007-12-19T13:41:00.001-08:002008-01-07T07:09:57.814-08:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } sausage and peppers 135, originally uploaded by The Marmot. Cliff can cook.

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2217416946727756398.post-91849621396121792372007-09-04T01:31:00.000-07:002007-09-04T15:38:25.767-07:00

Most people have probably finished their traveling for the year by September, leaving aside the home for the holidays journeys and, for some, skiing vacations. However, my wife and I have found that some of the best opportunities for trips occur during this gap between the return to school and the start of the 'Winter Season".We have, for example, visited Taos in late October. The Summer crowds

Cliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02846423672813381005noreply@blogger.com0