A bit to last month...A November Moment

Me, My Dad, My two older brothers...Frank and Steve. The first time we stand together for almost 40 years!

--Dan

Christmas present, music, and Christmas past

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

An usual painting of the Nativity, since Christ is not centered. It is a different perspective, though He is central to the whole story, nontheless.

It is Saturday. I was in a fabulous little music store this evening. I came home with a ukelele for my wife! As these pictures were snapped off with my cell phone camera, my dinner was on the table at a restaurant a couple of blocks away, wife and daughter waiting for me and another daughter. I made it back OK. Christmas is fun!

The site of my Dad's birth in New Orleans (French Quarter), this photo was taken by me right after Christmas in 1984. The property is longer in the family, as his parents (my Grandparents) are long passed on, and it was their home. I enjoyed visiting there on several occasions, and miss the old days...though I would never wish to live in that part of the country.

--Dan

December happenings & other moments PLUS a LATE ENTRY...

As of November 3rd, the little boy (grandson of me) has been 2 years old. Here he is with my oldest daughter (his mom), Serena, just this very month.

A blurry image of my wife, Cruz, with her Mom, sometime in the 1970's. Her mother passed on in 1977. She would have LOVED that grandboy.

Cruz, this very evening, by the tree for Christmas.

The Kinks.

I only just now went to Virgin music (or whatever the name is) and got a substitute for my old LP. I wanted "Apeman" (studio version), not available on ITunes.

Let's retro to about two years ago on my blog, eh?...

Justin Kreutzmann and myself were fiddling around to each others email one night, and he invented this from an image of me, and one of Pete. That was fun. As you can see, Pete and seem quite happy, all strapped in on the front seat, but in reality, we fight over the car radio a whole lot.

12/17/07 article in CALENDAR section, L.A. Times....about VH1 Classic Channel episodes to air about the history of rock.

--Dan

Preparing for Christmas, and the Pumpkin Past

Here, in our home, we are preparing for the celebration of Christmas. Click on it for a larger image.

Reference:
Philippe de Champaigne

The Annunciation, ca.1644

oil on panel28 x 28.75 inches (71 x 73 cm.)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

photograph courtesy

Michael Weinberg Photography,

Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania

Though as Catholics, we here celebrate the Immaculate Conception on this day (Dec. 8th), I post an image of the famous biblical event known as The Annunciation, because it is on my mind.

In another light...

Our little Rachel (not so little anymore), on a Halloween seasonal romp among the pumkins, many years ago. She is running with the eternal joy and innocence of youth.

--Dan

Much stuff again

US LST 1101 in dry dock, Kobe, Japan, 1945. My Dad was an officer on that ship as this photo was taken, though he is not in the picture.

The reason for drydock repairs...a bent propeller! That can be a BIG problem!

Dad, at sea to Manila, 1945.

"CLICK" the mouse on the pictures....they will be bigger and better!

--Dan

Where in the world is Dan?

My high school basketball team photo, 1973. I was a junior (3rd year). I was about 16-ish years old. Which one do you think is me?

Here is a hint:

Me, Dan, with two oldest kids, around 1989. No, I don't look the same, but it gets closer to the day than if I put my present mug up on the screen! This photo with the kids was when I was in my 30's.

As in present mug:

Hey!...How'd Pete sneak in here again?

Don't forget to "click" on the photos to see them better!

--Dan

It's a Quadrophenia Thanksgiving this Year!

Quad

My wife, Cruz, now in the kitchen as I type, with the Quadromakings of our feast to be.

Note:

One of my all time favorite lyrics from Quad: "Breathe the air we have blown you". The ultimate in arrogance, I'd say!

My my my my

T-t-t-turk turk ey ey!

Birds around the world (B-1B Lancer, USAF, in Egypt)!

A frozen bird, the Sr-71 Blackbird.

Note again:

The only photo taken by me is the one of my wife.

Have a great day, everybody!

--Dan

It's coming again!

I saw this on some blog somewhere. It was entitled "Turkey Census".




A very feathered scientist.

A great big Blackbird leading the way.

--Dan

Been scannin'

Sierra Nevada, May, 1978-ish. That is my tent. The level area down behind and below is a frozen lake. I was with a group that was attempting a climb up the wall of Mt. Darwin, a nearly 14,000ft. peak.

I was scanning photos again. I know the scanner is messed up, but whatever.

Let the hodgepodge continue...

Me, summit Mt. Baden Powell, 9,800 ft. or so, San gabriels Mountains, Calif., circa maybe 1978-ish.

My wife, Cruz, and friends. Probably taken around 1965 or so.

Cruz, some time ago as a teen. She always loves animals.

--Dan

A Saturday night party in Los Angeles...and other things of note

Here, my wife Cruz, hams it up with "Two Jacks".

Throw in a Tom.

Me, Dan, and my wife, Cruz.

The party was here, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, in downtown Los Angeles.

We could see the famous Hollywood sign right out of the window of our room...in the hills beyond.

Part of the show.

Dan and Allen, my neighbor from the Garage. Allen is stiking a pose for our make-believe garage band, the FonTones.

...and did I say our Granboy had a birthday number two? Here he is...do you think he can tell that he is loved a whole lot?

--Dan

Halloween stuff

My neighbor, Allen, has a daughter, Violet. Here she is on Halloween! She is famous now!

--Dan

23 and counting, Dan & Cruz

October 27th, 1984. Twenty-three years ago today, this was the scene. The child at right in photo is our niece.



Only days later, Clint Eastwood was filming Pale Rider while we were on our honeymoon. We missed him by one day, as we visited a town in the Mother Lode region of the California gold country (Columbia). We did not know he was there, nor about any filming. We went into a Wells Fargo bank to look around, and were told that he was just there the day before, in that bank. He was filming a scene where he tosses his preacher's collar into a deposit box, and retrieves a gun. That was that bank. Too bad, he coulda met me! It might have changed his life. Yeah, right.



A day or two later than the "Clint Eastwood bank thing", we were visiting Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. It was early November by that time, but no snow yet (except glacial ice and higher elevation snow). Yes, that's me coming out of the outhouse. It was built to deal with a bit of snow depth, but otherwise, use the ladder...!

Altogether we toured the high desert region around Apple Valley, went to Bishop, on to Lake Tahoe (minimal gambling at Harrah's, South Lake Tahoe), Donner Pass, Grass Valley, Truckee, numerous "gold country" stops (mines everywhere), Yosemite, Morro Bay, and back home. A great road trip.



My wife, Cruz, in Morro Bay, Calif., I'm not certain of the year, but it was around the time of honeymoon days.



Long lost brothers? Dan/Pete? That's me, 1990. The other guy is a Mirror Boy.

See ya,

--Dan

My wife's birthday balloons and more

If anyone has maybe kind of noticed, I have tried to blog at least once a week, usually on Saturday. I have been a bit giddy this week, and Saturday's blog (as well as more that I lightly did) happens on this evening, Friday, right now.

My wife, Cruz, celebrated her umm, "number xy" birthday a couple of days ago. I decorated the remaining celebretory balloons with a hand marking pen for the little boy, our grandbaby. He is not quite two years, now. He likes elephants and all animals.

I like to make quickie cartoons, and kids like 'em too. In both of these photos, the Little Boy is liking the image of the elephant, though there was a dinosaur and a cat.

I hate balloons somehow...kids love them so immensely, quickly and happily, then they inevitably shrink or pop, only to bring tears.

We'll see.

Anyway, I made sure the Disney video "Jungle Book" was loaded for him to watch, and Rachel, one of my now very grown kids, forwarded the VCR tape to the elephant part. Joy, joy, joy!

There is a very long interesting story concerning that old Disney video tape, but I am not in more of a typing mood. Maybe later?

--Dan

WW II, US subs, photo by my Dad

My scanner is very abnoxious, and suspect of many things, but I managed to get this scrawly photo anyway....

A photo taken by my Dad in WW II, US subs at the ready.

I love this picture, it is a rare one. Click on it, it will "grow", but it coulda been better with a better machine scanner. I am otherwise pleased as punch.

--Dan

Something to Post

I was looking for something to put up on the blog, and I ran across this old sticker. It has never had the backing removed. I should place it on ebay for 1,000 bucks.



Maybe not.



I went to see McCartney & Wings in 1975 at the Forum in Inglewood, CA.

Now for other stuff...

My neighbor, Allen, is playing the Neil Young stuff in the garage. This was recorded on a dinky cell phone with horrible sound, but you get to visit The Garage, just the same... last April, 2007.

--Dan