Hey Scholars, we start with a great Dan Newitt poster for his band, Pathetic Honey. A great musician, gifted artist, and nice guy – we gotta get him to put stuff in the SCAA Art Show!

After a nice sunset from our porch, two shots at the Geraci’s house, including Dan’s garage – another in my “man cave” series of my old buddies’ collections of stuff.

After parched earth, a pool party near the end of the season. Then, more this summer’s projects: solar panels on our new roof and lots of tree trimming.

Daddy Bob gave me this awesome mini-chainsaw used to sculpt some oak trees. Lunch in SC w/da kids, and my passport – a picture I need for my Uzbekistan visa – more on that in a subsequent post…

This next batch are all from summer ’23’s King’s Mountain Art Fair – a great local event that should inspire PAFF & SCAA. Included are some great collages (ceramics & objets trouvés) featured previously, and the extraordinary paintings of Rebecca Holland, all local artists.

Gratitude to you! Me, thanks to Covid, no haircut since Christmas 2019. That’s almost three years of hair, finally realizing my teenage dream, thwarted by parents, then cut short by new wave.

Next, a pine tree in the corner of our property about to get a haircut (eventually completely felled), and a dinner we had with Ruby & Boman, Dawn & Jason at Costa Noa (boys comparing hunting shots).

Then, next to two photos from San Francisco – a great view from a community garden and a raptor thereabouts – is Ryan, the guy who pumped our septic tank (another big job).

Next, our precious pool getting a new liner and steps to code. And this batch ends with Veronica & I kayaking in the Pescadero Marsh – something I’d done with Charlie, and newly relevant as she’s taking a course about Wetlands Ecology…

This summer’s art events included Pie Ranch’s “Joy Jam” which featured, in addition to great food & music, an art show. In addition to some student work – Corazones & Mariposas (shown previously) – a couple FLW stained glass paintings, other stuff not shown, and just for this gig, cuddling carrots. As well, are works by Delma Soult, Chuck Clark, Denis Shaw, etc.

The swirling specks obliterate a huge harvest super moon, and there’s a shot of our deck before I cleaned, powerwashed, and restained/sealed it. One shot of Veronica’s new room in Santa Cruz, the new farm house at Pie Ranch, and one each of a pelican and a whale, although that day there were a great many of both magnificent creatures…

Speaking of kayaking, here’s a clip of Veronica in the marsh…

Here’s Colin Williams (one of Teacher Carole’s sons) working on that pine tree. (Another guy went up taking off the branches, the next day he came down round by round)…

Another great birthday party for Terry Adams, his 80th! A poetry reading, and a bit of the band…

There may be a Part 5 of ’23 & me (I trust), but the next several posts will be about my long awaited trip to “the Stans” – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, & Uzbekistan (with a little Turkish dessert). Of course, I’ll save those details for now, but I am posting this from my first destination in Almaty (love the fast wifi!)

Much, much gratitude…