World Ocean Day

 A Not So Deep Dive

A Dive Watch: photo by Cliff Hutson

World Ocean Day is an international day that takes place annually on June 8.  The day is supposed to  highlight the ocean's vital role in life, this year's theme focuses on reimagining humanity's relationship with it.  Oceans form an integral part of the Earth’s ecosystems as well as human culture. 

Casio Duro (MDV106-1A)

Some might think it strange, given my background, that I have long had a love of the ocean. For many years, I once spent as much time as I could near it, in it, and on it as I could. However, it has been a while since I have the ocean. It was May 19, 2024 to be exact. It has longer since I did any diving. That may be as far back as 1979.

Bulova Snorkel: photo by Cliff Hutson

Back then, we called it "skin diving".  Wearing just flippers (or fins), a swim mask and snorkel it was fun to swim with the fishes down at the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  There was no need to wear a watch as there was no air supply to track nor decompression time to calculate. 

Today, I have even less excuse to have a "dive watch"; yet, somehow I own two of them as pictured here.  However, I am not alone in this. I have read that arguably dive watches are almost certainly the most popular style of traditional men’s watches today, and it’s an open secret that the vast majority of those who own one don’t actually take them diving.. Some refer to them as “desk divers”, as that is where they are more likely to be worn.

So, at my age, while I have no plans to go diving again, it's been so long since I've seen the ocean I guess I should.

Reading Log: July 2025

 The books that I finished reading in the month of July 2025:

July 2025 Books: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Celtic Empire," Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler

"The Art of Trader Joe's," Julie Averbach 

"All Systems Red," Martha Wells

"Bat Out of Hell," edited by Don Bruns

"Artificial Condition," Martha Wells

Musical Coda:

Speaking of a Bat Out of Hell:

Feeling the Rain

Gray skies are gonna clear up

Raindrops on Freesia: photo by Cliff Hutson

"Some people feel the rain; others just get wet.” - Bob Marley

While I attribute the above quote to late, great reggae singer, Bob Dylan and Roger Miller have also been given credit. I am going to stick with Marley.

I have griped about rainy days in the past. But, I understand that, in life, feeling the rain allows me to appreciate the sunshine. Which I feel is the point of the quote.

A Rainy Day and a Monday

Talking to my cat and feeling old:

The astute reader of this blog might have realized that I often borrow from song titles, or lyrics, for the titles of my photographs and topics. Today underscores that. We have  had several days of rain and today is a Monday. And, I am down.

The rain is appreciated as I live in a state that has recently experienced a. spate of droughts. But, I used to the dry weather and the recent series of storms makes me realize that I would probably not do very well in the PNW or similar climes. 

Raindrops: photo by Cliff Hutson

But, this has presented some interesting opportunities for photos. The grey skies allow me to experiment with different lighting than I am used to, venturing no further than my patio. 

Rainy Day #12 or #35: photo by Cliff Hutson

Even when the raindrops keep falling on my head.

More Raindrops: photo by Cliff Hutson

National iPod Day

 National iPod Day is celebrated on October 23

iPod classic: photo by Cliff Hutson

National iPod Day is observed annually on October 23, in recognition of the portable music device. 

iPod shuffle: photo by Cliff Hutson

The first version of the iPod was released on October 23, 2001. Apple discontinued the iPod product line on May 10, 2022. They are gone, but not forgotten.

iPod nano: photo by Cliff Hutson

I owned quite a few iterations over the years. Oddly, I can not find any photographs I made of the two or three iPod touch models I had before switching to an iPhone.

[Note: I once shot a video with the iPad nano.}

All writing and images ©Cliff Hutson unless expressly noted. Do not use without permission.

Life in the Time of Corona: Sometimes, there's a man

Bad Moon Rising: photo by Cliff Hutson

"I see a bad moon a-rising

I see trouble on the way

I see earthquakes and lightnin'

I see bad times today"

- Creedence Clearwater Revival

Sometimes, there's a man for his times.

And, sometimes, there isn't

I have just a few words to illustrate my point:

• Person
• Man
• Woman
• Camera
• TV

A Man with a Camera: photo by Cliff Hutson

Where's Cliff?

The Mall: by Cliff Hutson

Lost

No post again this week. This time, I got lost at the mall.

Stuck

Or, was I stuck on the MTA?

Covers

Bedding: photo by Cliff Hutson

The Bottle Boys:

This is worth another listen:

Betty IPA: photo by Cliff Hutson

Something Completely Different:

Leo Moracchioli feat. Mary Spender

Birth of the Cool: photo by Cliff Hutson

Musical Memories

Birth of the Cool: photo by Cliff Hutson

Some months ago, one of my nieces put forth a challenge on Facebook for her friends to list famous musical acts that they had seen live and in person. I demurred at that time as most of the acts fell in the category of "some that I recognized, some that I had hardly even heard of".

But, I really could not let go of the idea, as over my lifetime I have had some memorable experiences.  and, needing a topic for this week's post have come up with a list that I have divided into three categories.

Jazz

Bud Shank

Charles Lloyd

Don Ellis

Frank Capp

Gearld Wilson (and his orchestra)

Laninie Kazan

Shelly Manne

Sonny Rollins

Willie Bobo

I was in my late teens and early twenties (and still am to some extent) an aficionado of jazz. Many a happy hour was spent listening to the MJQ, Wes Montgomery, and others - who I never saw in person.

But, I did see some truly great acts at Shelly's Manne Hole and The Baked Potato, among other clubs and other more less famous venues. However, the most moving was when Don Ellis, a family friend of one of my college classmates, did a solo performance in a small church in Westwood when my friend and his wife renewed their wedding vows.

Rock/Pop

Buffalo Springfield

Country Joe and the Fish

Elton John

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention

Grateful Dead

Jefferson Airplane

Jimi Hendrix

New Riders of the Purple Sage

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The Turtles

This is presented in a more or less alphabetical order. Although, by chance, the first of these groups that I saw was Buffalo Springfield which gave a free concert at Cal State LA when I was a student. 

I also first saw the Jefferson Airplane for free at an appearance in LA's Griffith Park that was basically just publicized on the underground radio station I listened to at the time. (Perhaps KMET - who can recall.)

Speaking of "I can't recall", I was tempted to add The Doors to this list. But, that is a very hazy memory. However, as someone once said - "If you can remember the sixties, you were not really there.

Oddly, the most disappointing of these performances was by Jimi Hendrix. I say most disappointing as I was a huge fan, and think that I still have everyone of his LPs - including the "Band of Gypsies" stuff which I do not care for, and the controversial UK issue of "Electric Ladyland". But, the night that I saw him at The Fabulous Forum he just did not seem to be even close to his best.

Blues/Country/Folk

B.B. King

Doc Watson

Joan Baez

John York

k.d. lang and the Reclines

Willie Nelson

Some readers might be surprised by my listing k.d. lang in the Country category. But, I saw her at the world famous Palomino Club when she was touring for the release of  the "Angel with a Lariat" album.  Albeit, she did the first set dressed like Dale Evans and the second in a simple black cocktail dress. Her rendition of "Three Cigarettes in An Ashtray" was unforgettable.

However, the most memorable of these performances was that by Joan Baez - almost fifty years ago, give or take a month or two. That was an afternoon that I shall always treasure.

It just so happens that Willie Nelson, who is listed last is also the last famous act that I saw in person. That was in February 2013 at Pomona College's Bridges Auditorium. And, since I don't get around much anymore, he might be the last.

Anyone else care to share?

Note: The astute reader will notice that this post is headed up by an image of a Miles Davis CD, yet he does does not appear on any list. I never saw him in person, but as this blog os called "Pictures and Words" i felt that I had to include an image and that was the most musical one in my archive.

Nature vs the Folly of Man

“History shows again and again how nature points up the folly of man . . .”

Blue Oyster Cult, "Godzilla" 

Monarch Caterpillar: photo by Cliff Hutson

A Book

Last night I finished reading "Career of Evil," by Robert Galbraith. This author is better known as J.K. Rowling, of Harry Potter fame. It is the third book, written under this pseudonym,  about Cormoran Strike, a private deceive, and by far the worst in my opinion. I very much enjoyed "Cuckoo's Calling", the first in the series. The second "The Silkworm" was just adequate, to my mind. This last book stinks, in my opinion.

A more discerning reader might take exception to that. Which is cool by me. But, I found the descriptions of the crimes to be far too grisly for my taste. I feel that detective stories can be well done without this nonsense as proven by Robert Crais, Agatha Christy, and Edgar Allen Poe, whom many contend to be the progenitor of the genre.

However, I was very much intrigued that "Career of Evil" has an interesting conceit of heading up most chapters with lyrics from songs recorded by the band Blue Oyster Cult. Now, I have long considered myself to be a BÖC fan, but was not familiar with hardly any of these lyrics. And, after having seen them in this context, may never be able to enjoy listening to the band again.

  

Milkweed in Bloom: photo by Cliff Hutson

The Music

Even so, I will hold on to my second favorite BOC song, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper".  And, the one I like the best, "Godzilla". 

Just like the the novel, I started off this post with a snippet of actual lyrics. However, I have always thought of them as, "nature must pay for the folly of man." 

I, for the purposes of today's lesson, relate this conjecture to the decline of the Monarch Butterfly. As the referenced article states - "Across North America, the number of monarchs has dropped 27 percent in the last year alone, and by four-fifths since the 1990s. Habitat loss, especially in midwestern farm country, is a big reason. Farmers have plowed up most of the nation's milkweed patches to plant GMO soy and corn, much of it for ethanol fuels. But monarch caterpillars can only eat milkweed. And less food means fewer butterflies."

Asclepius fascicularis: photo by Cliff Hutson

The Pitch

Monarch caterpillars rely on milkweeds for food.  Fortunately, many California native species are quite attractive in the garden — and unlike milkweeds from elsewhere, they've evolved to bloom right when California monarchs need them.

Thus, I propose that many of us are in a position to give these little guys a hand. Please consider giving some space to help out our fellow creatures.

An Aside

The California Wildflower Show runs at RSABG from April 22 - 24, and the Butterfly Pavilion opens May 13, 2017.

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Movie Log - 2016

All the Movies I Watched in 2016

On Location: photo by Cliff Hutson

I watched eighty-eight movies in 2016. This works out to about 1.7 per week; I am unclear to me if that is a little or a lot. The list, in chronological order is as follows:

1. Life Itself
2. Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's
3. Bill Cunningham New York
4. Iris
5. RocknRolla
6. Pride and Glory
7. Maltese Falcon
8. Fargo
9. Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman
10. The White Diamond
11. Romancing the Stone
12. Strangers on a Train (British version)
13. The Wrecking Crew
14. The September Issue
15. Exit Through the Gift Shop
16. Inside Llewyn Davis
17. Between Heaven and Hell
18. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
19. Dog Day Afternoon
20. Deep Impact
21. Armageddon
22. Burlesque
23. Dog Soldiers
24. Body of Lies
25. Conagher
26. The Red Violin
27. Inception
28. Blazing Saddles
29. Fame (1980)
30. Coffee and Cigarettes
31. Stranger Than Paradise
32. Down by Law
33. The Italian Job (1969)
34. My Dinner with Andre
35. Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
36. Black Angel (1946)
37. Flashdance
38. Trees Lounge
39. High Anxiety
40. A Chorus Line
41. Jaws
42. The Postman
43. They Were Expendable
44. Mr. Majestyk
45. They Died With Their Boots On
46. Finding Vivian Maier
47. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
48. Spotlight  
49. Cabaret
50. Young Frankenstein
51. Twister
52. The Producers (1968)
53. Adaptation
54. Blade Runner (The Final Cut)
55. Tangerine
56. Trumbo
57. Take Out
58. Fed Up
59. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream
60. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
61. The Girl Who Played with Fire
62. Anchors Aweigh
63. The Fifth Element
64. Battle: Los Angeles
65. Take Me Out to the Ball Game
66. Pal Joey
67. On the Town
68. Cat People (1942)
69. Waiting for Guffman
70. Best in Show
71. A Mighty Wind
72. This is Spinal Tap
73. I Walked with a Zombie
74. The Body Snatcher
75. The Curse of the Cat People
76. The Shawshank Redemption
77. Art House
78. Lo and Behold
79. Tiny: A Story About Living Small
80. Hell or High Water
81. Wall E
82. The Dark Knight
83. Open Range
84. Die Hard
85. Sour Grapes
86. SOMM: Into the Bottle
87. Minimalism
88. The Hunter (2011)

On DVD: photo by Cliff Hutson

The vast majority of these were seen on DVD; many of which are in my personal collection and the remainder from Netflix. The ones that I own I tend to watch time and again. Some of these viewings could be considered to be ritualistic. I like to revisit "Jaws" at the beginning of the Summer season, which (for me) is anytime between Memorial Day and the Forth of July.  "Casablanca" I watch every Bastille Day. It is not that the movie is really connected to that date, but the pivotal scene of the singing of La Marseillaise evokes that for me. My birthday always calls for watching "Twister", as it reminds me of my fiftieth birthday. I have had quite a few great days in my life. But, the celebration of that event was one one the best;  seeing the movie with my wife, daughter, and grandchildren; and then eating at Russell's. It is a great film, and, in an alternate universe, I can easily envision myself as a member of Jo's team.

Others I frequently turn to are the works, of the Coen brothers, Hitchcock, Mel Brooks, and Christopher Guest. 

Missing from the list this year, for reasons I can not recall, are "Silverado" and "Trading Places". The former is easily among my top ten favorite movies of all time, if not the top five. The second I usually  watch in late December.

The best of the recent movies I saw was, by far and away, "Hell or High Water". I like this movie so much that if I see any best of 2016 list does not include it I say say 'screw it', that person does not know what that are talking about.

Thanks to the thoughtful generosity of my children, who gave me a flat screen TV and an Apple TV device for my seventieth birthday, the last ten movies of 2016 were seen using modern technology. I enjoy this so much that I have a challenge for myself of watching 104 movies in 2017. That is probably achievable once I get past past binge watching TV shows such as "Person of Interest", "The Blacklist", and "House of Cards"; which are all new to me.

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Water

The Ocean

Waves . . . Peace: photo by Cliff Hutson

It has been a long time since I have seen the ocean, I think I should.

The Lake

The Lake: image by Cliff Hutson

"Water is a dependable antidote for nearly anything that is troubling, including regret." - Doc Ford

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University of Southern North Dakota

"Our true lives are lived in imagination and memory".
-- Thorton Wilder

Imagination

USND Lacrosse: photo by Cliff Hutson

My life, not unlike that of The Pilgrim , is partly truth, partly fiction. One of my fictions is that I sometimes maintain that I have a degree in Economics from the University of Southern North Dakota.

It is true that I hold a BA in that field. But, the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople, to give it its full name, is a construct of Peter Schickele. It is his fictitious "home establishment," where he reports having tenure as "Very Full Professor Peter Schickele" of "musicolology" and "musical pathology". He describes it  as "a little-known institution which does not normally welcome out-of-state visitors. Wishing to further this bit of imagination, I created a little photo essay, ten years ago this week, which purportedly is a tour of the campus. The gallery has been getting a lot of hits the past couple of weeks, which prompted this post.

Most people seem to enjoy what I have done, but some take me to task as a fraud. I guess that they can't take a joke. Others seem to take it too seriously and get a bit perturbed when they look up Hoople and find that it is actually not in southern North Dakota. Hopefully, they will eventually see the humor.

Memory

"Schickele Auditorium": photo by Cliff Hutson

Professor Schickele is most noted as the discoverer of the works of P.D.Q. Bach - "the youngest and the oddest of the twenty-odd children" of Johann Sebastian Bach. One of my most memorable musical experiences was attending a performance of the Oedipus Tex oratorio, written by P. D. Q. Bach, at one of our local colleges. I have also enjoyed many of the recordings of other works by this prolific composer over the years.