The focus is red wine and to get right to it without distraction, click The Wine Commonsewer Speaks. The rest of the enchilada is just enough of an eclectic mix of commentary on culture, food, tax, and econ 101 to distract from the focus on red wine.
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Good Morning Gentle Readers,
Happened to glance out the window Monday morning and thought the light was kind of interesting. You are looking at the Lake Mathews Estelle Mountain nature reserve, which encompasses most of the open area and then arcs around to the left. several miles further out, at the base of hills, lies Corona, California.
As Always,
TWC
Photo Credit: TWC 01-16-2011 ©
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
Box Spring Mountain is at the east end of March Air Force Base near the intersection of I-215 and I-60 in Moreno Valley. The mountain is only red in the setting sun for a few minutes on certain clear evenings. It is about fifteen miles southeast of Casa de las Rocas Grandes, humble abode of TWC.
As Always,
TWC
Photo Credit: TWC 01-14-12 ©
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
The Disney Wonder (Dude, that's a stupid name for a ship) is 964 feet long with 11 decks. It takes 950 crew members to keep 2,700 passengers happy.
The Diz is cruising out to open sea from the Port of Los Angeles. We happened to be in the bar at the Ports O'Call restaurant with my old buddy Chuck and his better half, waiting for El Jeronimo de Crow to take the plunge. Again. And, there it was. An impressive sight.
Decks crowded. Music playing. When the escort boats called out their well wishes, a deafening cheer went up. Apparently it isn't really 1933. Either that, or these guys plan to just keep dancing.
As Ever,
TWC
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
The last ten minutes on the stairmaster is all uphill from here to where the politically incorrect foreign pickup truck (that's made in America) is parked.
As Always,
TWC
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
Yesterday it was still summer. Mr Sun convinced TWC that the shirt needed to come off for the duration of his morning constitutional. This morning it looks like rain in Cherry Blossom Lane. Tomorrow winter will arrive. Not real winter, but So Cal winter with blustery winds, some driving rain, and temps in the forties. It's early but welcome.
That's not a polo field, it's algae. Pond scum, if you will. And Daisy Doo was sweltering and went for a swim. I was against it but she didn't listen. Stubborn dam dog sometimes. She came home green and slimed the back end of the politically incorrect pick up truck that's made in America. Took moi a good twenty minutes to hose her off. Apparently algae is composed of thousands of little leaf-like green things that are about the size of thyme leaf. For a dog who loves water, she sure hates the hose.
You can buy that lake and the surrounding 38 acres for a mere 1.5 million Simoleons. Course it will be your problem to keep the off roaders out. Good luck with that.
Bonus:
As Always,
TWC
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
TWC understands why people use a treadmill, he spent an hour on the treadmill this morning hisself. I'm thinkin' yours may be more hi-tech.
Though not oppressive, the heat was evident early. Hot and silent. No off-roaders, no shooters, no booming bass, nobody. Except for a few industrious water bugs and five or six straggler bees, none of the local wildlife disturbed the cool quiet of the creek bottom, which lies in the shade cast by sixty foot sycamores and spreading oaks that were already old a century ago
Over there in the light is mostly poison oak. Hot tip: don't go to the light. My dad is so allergic to poison oak that if he even looks at it he ends up doing a very believable impression of a third-degree burn victim
Best thing about my gym is that Blackie can use the treadmill right near the drinking fountain.
As Always,
TWC
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
The view is west, the mountains are in California, the right hand shoreline is Arizona.
As Always,
TWC
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
Whenever TWC makes the trek to Lake Elsinore for business or to check in with an old friend who don't get around that well anymore, he stops by this restored wetlands just in case anything interesting might be happening.
Last time I caught a guy dumping a truck full of junk mattresses and appliances. I was about to confront him when I realized that he was about six three and thirty years younger than moi. Plus I didn't have my umbrella with me. Instead, I dropped a dime. I mean I called 911 and they told me I had the wrong 911. How can you have the wrong 911? Call was transferred and I had to tell my tale all over again. In the meantime, a CHP cruised right by and never even glanced in the general direction of The Guy. Don't know the outcome, but the place was clean when I left for home.
This is a deceptively large expanse of water hyacinth. The snow is pollen wafting from a tree directly behind me.
Aimee's Castle is a Moorish-meets-Art-Deco style mansion built in Lake Elsinore's glory days. With abundant natural hot springs and a beautiful lake, the city was a playground for well-to-do Angelinos long before Dino and Sinatra put Palm Springs on the map.
From the wetlands, Aimee's Castle is maybe a mile away. Lake Elsinore is beyond the ridge.
Built by charismatic evangelist, Aimee Semple Macpherson, the property is currently offered by the church for 1.2 million. The real estate broker created a stunningly gorgeous website to showcase the property. Well worth a moment of your time to click through.
Bonus: discovered a wonderful Italian place downtown.
As Ever,
TWC
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
When we lived on the hill in Lake Elsinore above Four Corners, the view out back included this restored wetlands area. Many locals don't realize it, but Temescal Creek is born from the outflows of Lake Elsinore which meanders through this riparian habitat.
Lake Elsinore is a natural lake and is a popular stopover on the Pacific Flyway. It isn't unusual to see some pretty exotic birds.
I have no idea what kind of bird this guy is but I am pretty sure he's having a non-native crawfish for lunch.
As Always,
TWC
photo crediit: TWC 04-18-11 ©
Good Morning Gentle Readers,
TWC had a hot date Friday night (which was exceptionally clear here) and on the way up the hill (no civilization, no lights, no houses for 6-8 miles) the moon was very, very bright and seemed quite large in the sky. I don't think I would have known it was a rare event just by looking at it, because sometimes we get some pretty spectacular moons.
Of course, I didn't take a picture, because Saturday night was to be the Big One. The moon would be closer to the earth than it had been in some time. Decades? I dunno.
By Saturday night the storms had begun to roll in, but I managed a picture of the Jumbo Moon filtered thru somewhat minimal cloud cover between storm surges. Without a frame of reference it doesn't seem particularly special. It was much brighter than the photo would imply.
In this pix you can feel the brilliance of the moon, but the striking feature is the moon, apparently reflected back from the camera lens onto the thin, gauzey cloud cover. You can also see some of the moon's halo, which was prettier to the naked eye.
My friend Warren thinks maybe the reflection took place within the layers of the camera lens itself.
Yes, the pop culture reference refers to Tom Cullen's obsession with The Moon in The Stand, Stephen King's epic tale of the apocalypse.
As Ever,
TWC
photo crediit: TWC 03-19-11 ©
