Friday, October 23, 2026
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Prime Crime
We do not spend money on frivolous items, however, as much as I despise Amazon I will admit that we have ordered necessary items on occasion mainly because some things are just not available in local retail stores - or, if they are, one may spend a whole day driving around Albuquerque or Santa Fe trying to find what it is one needs. Amazon is an insidious business model that has driven affordable retail stores (KMart, Big Lots, etc) out of business.
Monday, October 5, 2026
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
How Did I Miss This One?
Last evening hubs and I watched "Spoiler Alert" with Jim Parsons, Ben Aldridge, Sally Field, and Bill Irwin. It's on Netflix (the only streaming service we subscribe to).
Why this movie wasn't mainstream is not a mystery...the mainstream media is still afraid of gay love stories. And this was a gay love story that portrayed a realistic relationship between two complex characters - two men with their own baggage. They are a somewhat unlikely pair, no, perhaps a very likely pair in the real world of gay men - not the "typical" pairing of perfectly gorgeous male specimens.
They navigate the difficulties and tensions in their relationship and find that despite all their hangups and differences, or maybe because of them, they really do love one another.
Highly recommended. Spoiler Alert: have a box of tissues handy.
Saturday, September 19, 2026
All in One Place
At least California has the good sense to put all the most obnoxious people in one place.
The photos do not even do justice to the size of the enclave of nomads and ATVs and dune buggies and huge TRUCKS and RVs and the mass of humanity that requires this environment to "have fun".
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Chapman Estate - a Gay Connection Here in the Five Cities
The gay connection really made the visit special for us because there is hardly any (no, none at all) LGBTQ visibility in the Pismo/Oceano/Grover/Arroyo Grande/Shell Beach/Avila Beach area. Chapman was highly respected and very dedicated to non-profit causes
Chapman wanted the home to remain a semi-public historic place for people to enjoy. The interior of the house is currently not open for tours as there are a number of issues yet pending with the transition to the nonprofit foundation and a need to comply to certain codes for it to be a public museum.
The gardens in addition to some wonderful flowers and trees (avocadoes, figs, cypress) feature a huge display of begonias that Chapman's mother had collected and stored in the basement each autumn. The tubers are lovingly planted and nursed by a dedicated volunteer.
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| Some of the many cypress are about 100 years old |
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| Clifford and Gene, Life Partners |
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| The "Cottage" |
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Chapman had the Windmill built to pump sea water into a swimming pool |
The volunteers were very enthusiastic about the future of the Chapman Estate and so very eager to share the history and details of architecture and building additions made by Chapman. Well worth going slightly off the beaten tourist path.
Some additional photos from a memorial book on premises.
Monday, September 14, 2026
Some Photos from Central Coast California
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| A Cloudy Day at the Beach is Better Than a Sunny Day at Work |
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| This is America |
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| Our True Love is PTown - Actually Cape Cod National Seashore |
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| The hat is from Sound View, CT. The shirt is from Amazon |
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Today is my husband Leon’s birthday – I wrote this when he was Forty-nine and…today he is sixty-five, but it’s all still true:
He is Italian by osmosis – he has eaten enough home cooked Italian food in 22 (38) years to maintain high levels of garlic and tomato sauce in his Irish blood. Even if it was all washed down with Diet Coke.
He loves cars – looking at cars, driving cars, washing cars and talking about cars and talking about cars and talking about cars.
He has a Better Than GPS sense of direction and memorizes every twist, turn, bump, pothole and landmark on any trip we’ve been on.
He is thoughtful and generous – always going the extra mile to help a friend or stranger. (Like when he towed a camper several hundred miles for some people who’d broken down on the highway.)
He tips the waitrons too much and washes whoever’s car is in our driveway when they least expect it.
He likes water – seems he’s always playing in it and running the well dry. (Ah, we now have city water)
He snores and denies it.
He loves TV and Movies and Netflix and
iTunesYouTube. Any electronic gadget is his friend.He laughs at TV shows that aren’t even funny.
He talks (texts) on the phone so much that I’ve suggested an implant. He is our social director.
He is the one who knows what all the wires in back of the TV are for and how to connect them to make multimedia work.
He thinks he likes Martinis but I think he just likes the olives.
He works hard, but when he stops, he sure can be lazy.
He always seems to see a situation clearly for what it is – and acts thoughtfully, honestly and decisively. He doesn’t get bogged down with internal conflicts.
He always looks out for me, and seems to know what’s best.
He is my shoulder to cry on, my buddy to laugh with, my partner to walk with. He is my rock, my anchor during turbulent times. He is my best friend, my companion, my lover…forever my fiancé and my spousal equivalent but not yet my husband. (He has been my husband since 2014!)
He is all this and more…and I love him dearly.