(Post-post point: I’m adding some more comments & galleries here on Oct. 2nd since the original post on Sept. 10th [BTW my bro’s b-day] since my summer jammed up until the SoAm trip I’m on now.)

I’m still working on alternatives to this here lil’ ol’ blog – randomvail, but as one does in the summer (retirement!), I’m not working very hard. But I have been phoning in the photos, so here goes (again!)…

After PAFF, I delivered one of my raffle pieces to Veronica & Cole Mazariegos-Anastassiou at Brisa Ranch. (They each put a raffle ticket in my pot’s envelope writing their entire last name twice – earned it!)

Right after that, I met my precious sister Nancy at Pie Ranch and we frolicked from the farm stand straight out to the beach (perhaps not seeing some signage in the process).

BTW, the headless barn owl was likely the victim of great horned owl. The Google Maps screenshot shows our route, and I’m showing this beautiful, seldom seen, slice of the Cali coast. For my foreign friends, the houses on Año Nuevo island have been unoccupied for decades, and the old ranger house is more recently unoccupied. Then, we went for dinner – did I mention it was my birthday…?

One day, Charlie and I drove to Alameda to return a drum set to his buddy AJ. Turns out he lives in a charming Victorian with a wonderful library and lots of cool furniture (his Dad – immigration lawyer & malt maker – must rock!). Then, we went to lunch at Homeroom, an all mac + cheese restaurant in Oakland started by a former HGM student, Erin Wade. Slammin’…

This summer of 2025 includes another bridge project to make the Roquena mountain bike trail a bit safer. (Actually, it’s known to older-timers as Brian’s Trail, designed and spearheaded by former LH resident Brian Simon, who returned the family to Marin years ago.

This project, spearheaded by Liam Hussey and a crew of volunteers, required several days to assemble, then move, then more assembly of an aluminum truss bridge to go over the scaffolding that I’ve crossed dozens of times without incident (but always thought I was going to die)…

On a lark, I went to the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts, since it came right after PAFF and right before the King’s Mountain Art Fair. Summer = art season? Anyway, I had two or three good conversations with some of the artists and captured the following images…

More of the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts…

This batch is PDR (pretty damn random)…! It starts with my paternal grandmother’s dad, Harry Perry (not to be confused with the Harry Perry of Venice CA), who was once a member of the Pennsylvania state legislature, and who scrutinizes me with that steady eye daily.

I like great blue herons, but not bans on ebikes! I like beautiful motorcycles and giving ceramics to friends. A bar in Ben Lomond? An old Slow sign I made. The newly resurfaced tennis court and an attractive fence. An even more attractive old school lowrider Chevy with a utility bed – so cool!

This batch starts with another nice picnic dinner with Ruby & Boman overlooking Pescadero State Beach. It proceeds to capture some snipets of the King’s Mountain Art Fair…

Dr. Burr suggested we go sea kayaking to see some whales off the coast of Pacifica. No whales that day, but it was a great paddle and we experienced the majestic San Pedro Rock frosted as it is with millennia of guano, lots of sea birds, a couple of sea lions, and a nice cuppa at Soul Grind when we were done (without tipping over!). Note the abandoned beach pads, honoring old locals, and home through the tunnel around the Devil’s Slide. Here’s a useful site for sea kayaking: https://www.bask.org/!

Retired now, summer is really never over, but that’s enough for now. I’m gradually getting ready for my next trip to South America, but I might squeeze in one more before then. Thanks again for your patience…

Now, thanks for experiencing more! I’m adding to this post three weeks later…

This new batch is mostly from a bike hike I took up Old Haul Road from Memorial Park to Portola Redwoods State Park and back with a detour.

Starts with the Loma Mar Store, notes some redwoods & redwood stumps with the notches left by the lumberjacks, includes some signage at Portola, then some unauthorized shots taken on the Butano Ridge Trail (parallel to Old Haul from a connecting, but closed, hiking trail).

A biker event was happening in Memorial when I got back, including the orange pickup (which goes with those Banana Slugs, no?). After that GPS admission (screen shot), I include a map that I bought in Portola Redwoods (again) that has “Pie Ranch” on it…

After a successful kayak in Pacifica, Allen & I did another short run up and down the Santa Cruz Harbor…

On September 20th, we went to the Pie Ranch Harvest Dinner. But first, I stopped by the Pescadero Barn Sale, seeing this cool Riviera. Included here is the “circle up” before the dinner, then some dishes, the symbolic pie making ceremony, the crowd, and a parting shot of the new farm house…

This last super-random batch starts with our precious pool, a cool Triumph in town, and a frisky squirrel. Thanks for reading more then looking closely…

Please check out my friends Greg & Shawn at the latter’s 50th birthday party pickle ball event (on our newly redone CLHG tennis court)! Then, check out the new barn window/artwork featuring the family and a frame given to me by our neighbor Hillary.

Dramatic clouds one day, and a dogtag I found in our yard! Kerry Wing, Alan, and Rob playing at Alice’s one Thursday, a heron at the pond, and Ruby & Boman’s house up in the Middleton tract. Four versions of new art strategy – drawing on paintings, and a horse in the ring.

Veronica came home after her Alaskan adventure and Charlie did too, for a hot second, so I got this great pic of the kids together in the kitchen. And this batch ends with a sign on Highway 1, which I’ve noted over the years and finally got a chance to capture it when stopped for roadwork one day…

OK, now I’ll stop. You are my hero! And soon, there will be more as I’ve just taken a bunch of cool shots here in Montevideo Uruguay.

Enjoy! Be well! And HAVE FUN!

Happy Birthday to Catharine of Bohemia, Orville Wright, Ogden Nash, Coco Chanel, Malcolm Forbes, Frank McCourt, Bill Clinton, Kyra Sedgwick, Satya Nadella, & me. :(I’m 66): Like Barbie, the Cuban Revolution, the states of Alaska & Hawaii, Nepalese women’s suffrage, Lee Kwan Yew’s Singapore, UNCOPUOS, and the end of Billie Holiday, the Marx brothers TV show and the Dalai Lama’s Tibet back in 1959.

Here’s some stuff I’ve snapped since returning from Armenia earlier this month (the day my Uncle Byrns would’ve been 100 – August 4th). First up, a hike with Dr. Burr in the La Honda Creek Open Space…

A trip to the beach, naked ladies, signage, etc…

The Pescadero Arts & Fun Festival & the South Coast Artists’ Alliance show happened! Here are some signs, this year’s actual offerings, and art lover friends…

Here are some pix of the SCCS Fashion Show hosted by Ben & Dave…

A recent haul from the library and me sporting some B-day presents…

Hopefully, I’ll figure out how to add some videos (that aren’t time lapses) to show Charlie’s fiddling with Bundy Browne at PAFF, etc.? In the meantime, I’ll go ahead and post to mark the day.

In fact, I’m considering bringing RandomVail.com to a close. It has been a decade since I started this blog, and it may be time to wrap it up? If this is the end, thanks for coming this far!

I’ll letchy’all know what happens next…

While on my tour to Garni Temple, I met a Romanian guy, Alex, married to a Russian gal, who recently moved from Buenos Aires to Madrid. We seemed to have a lot to talk about, so we did over dinner. He wanted to go to this restaurant, Dolmama, visited by a variety of celebrities, and it was excellent (and not unreasonable). Once again, this experience was proof that it’s not just the places you go and the things that you see, it’s the people you meet…!

I should do this in every country, but I had the time and most (but not all) the bills to take pix of Armenian Drams (not be confused with all the other meanings of “dram”). I was particularly moved to do this having learned the story of the guy on the 10,000 dram note: Komitas, a sensitive soul and famous musician who personally archived a whole lotta Armenian folk songs. (Here’s more about Komitas.) Doubtless, the other people on other bills have meaningful stories as well…

The next day, my last in the Caucasus before flying home the next night, I went to Erebuni Fortress. Like Garni, this was suggested by Chris Melekyan, Harut’s Dad. Unlike Garni, which was very well cared for, Erebuni, and the accompanying museum, need a little more love.

However, it is important in Armenian history, and hearkens back to the 8th century BCE. In fact, Yerevan gets its name from Erebuni and you can see that the planned city has a big street leading up to it.

Also, when I was there it was hotter than Hades which made walking through the ruins (exposed on a hilltop) a challenge. But building and ruling Urartu was probably more of a challenge…

It was tricky to find a taxi in the vicinity of Erebuni, but I managed, and went to visit Vernissage, and do a little shopping. Part tourist shops, part local flea market, it really is the best place to get some souvenirs of Armenia. The two selfies were with a couple vendors from whom I bought some items. As with many other places in the world, my favorite souvenirs are photos of souvenirs – it’s like buying everything…?

After Vernissage, I took a walk back to my hotel, stopping in the Beatle’s Pub, and then walked up into the neighborhood on the other side of the street. Nice cars next to sketchy digs…?

My destination on this mini-excursion was Lovers’ Park, and it didn’t disappoint…

A few more views of Yerevan, including my hotel and the street in the evening, before turning in. I was up in the night, off in a taxi, and home to Californa via Frankfurt…

Finally, some pix shared by Pavel post-trip – our group & his girlfriend et al. – and some last snaps heading home…

Always a relief to be home.

Next up? PAFF…

Next trip: So. Am.

Hasta pronto…

Back in Yerevan, same hotel, different room – see the view. Zoom into the second pic and read Saroyan. Blue thing = fountain (see the water frolic). Freshly carved Khachkars (BTW, every one of them is unique – even from centuries ago!)!

And, a walk to our farewell dinner, at which Pavel continued to educate us about the Caucasus…

Now that I’ve been on many Intrepid tours, I’ve had a lot of tour leaders. Here’s Pavel – thanks bro’!

My Intrepid tour over, I signed up for another one. I’d asked some Armenian friends from LAUSD advice, so I took it. Zepure Kivork said to use Hyur Travel Service. Chris Melekyan suggested going to Garni. So, I took a Hyur tour to Garni – and several other places. Just getting started that day…

Our second stop was another monastery – Geghard – featuring caves, carved rooms, and more features of the Armenian Apostolic Church, etc.

Next, we went to an amazing geological site – the “Synphony of Stones” in Garni Gorge, near Garni Temple.

After leaving the gorge, it didn’t take long to get to Garni Temple, identified as a pagan temple built by King Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mithra. It was rebuilt after an earthquake, but the adjacent Christian church was not. Also, visited a bath house built during Roman times…

Right after leaving the temple, we went to a restaurant for class on making Lavash, Armenian bread. Mostly, we ate some with herbs and cheese…!

This old Soviet radio/phonography deserved some acknowledgement…

There’s more!

Stay tuned…

After two nights in Yerevan, we drove an hour to get to Khor Virap, a monastery close to the Turkish border with a view of Mount Ararat.

The legend of Gregory the Illuminator, the founder and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He converted Armenia from Zoroastrianism to Christianity in the early fourth century (traditionally dated to 301), making Armenia the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion, and the reason that Armenians are the original Christians – apart from Catholicism and the Orthodox churches – started here at Khor Virap. Allegedly put in hole in the ground, filled with snakes & scorpions, for 13 years, he eventually survived to start the earliest Christian church here.

However, the hole in the church I went into might not have been the right one, seen here. After exploring the area – as you can too – I went back to go into the other hole, much deeper and steeper and scarier, but it was crowded and we were out of time. Check the last pic…

You can see from the Maps screen shot that Khor Virap is just across the border from Mount Ararat. After driving back through Yerevan, we went to a Molokans village to learn about their history and to have lunch. Vaguely similar to the Quakers or the Amish, these folks from central Russia started migrating here over two centuries ago, in the early 1800’s…

Here’s more of the Molokans village…

We finally made it to the mountain community of Dilijan where we stayed in a guesthouse and had our third scheduled wine tasting of the trip, after which we took a short tour of the town…

The next day, we left Dilijan to drive to Lake Sevan (the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region) for another stay in a guesthouse.

First however, some, but not all, of us went on a hike in Dilijan National Forest. Eric was our guide and we went to two sites of ancient monasteries, the first which was built in 1247, almost 800 years ago. Note the sign to that effect, and the fellow who was the caretaker of the place (?!)….

More from our hike in Dilijan National Forest, including a second pair of monasteries…

We went back for a shower, then set off for Lake Sevan. Here’s a timelapse from the next day – some mountain driving!

A stop at a huge roadside rest (food court and grocery store)…

We made it to the guesthouse, a funky spot on the shore of Lake Sevan. After resting and bantering with Arman the barman, who took pleasure in collecting some new jokes, I took a long swim. Afterwards, we had a nice dinner of local fish…

The next morning, calm and clear, I took another swim, jumping off the pier and going around the sailboat (in the first pic). More of our guesthouse, some flowers, and image-worthy images…

On our way back to Yerevan, we went to one more monastery, Sevanavank. Originally built on an island, it is now a peninsula (see the green part?!).

Pavel had waited until to tell us more about Khachkars, a unique “carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes, interlaces, and botanical motifs. Khachkars are characteristic of medieval Christian Armenian art.”

And, he told us about the unique depiction of Jesus as Asian with braids in the big picture, perhaps to preserve this monastery from the Mongol hordes? More of this site, ending with cops sprucing up this thing I wasn’t allowed to go to…?!

More from Sevanavank and environs…

Next, back to Yerevan, the end of this Intrepid tour, and more of Armenia – thanks to a lil’ help from ol’ friends…

From Gyumri, we took a train to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Check out the stations, and part of the ride. The worst pic in this batch was an attempt to capture the one nuclear power plant in the Caucasus.

Upon arrival, per pattern, some of us went out on an orientation walk with Pavel, and then explored from there. Here are some snaps around Yerevan – people, buildings, statues, etc…

More from my walk on day one. I wasn’t alone, as strolling in the evening seems to be a national past time. Unfortunately, will likely miss the ballet, which seems to be a big thing hereabouts…

The next morning, we started early for a more formal walking tour of Yerevan. First, we went to the Cascade Complex, a monumental feature featuring lots of art. I particularly loved the lion made from old tires! The whole thing is brutalist brilliance…

Continuing on our walking tour of Yerevan. Please note William Saroyan as the first pic, and consider Eric Bogosian, George Deukmejian, Jack Kevorkian, and of course, Cher…!

Next, we went to an Intrepid-supported non-profit to take a class in dolma making and have lunch…

Afterwards, I went to the National History Museum…

More of the National History Museum…

Right next to – part of the National History Museum is the National Art Gallery, the largest museum in Armenia, and a really impressive collection…

More of the National Art Gallery.

In this batch you’ll find Ivan Aivazovsky, whose 208th birthday was the day I visited – a point the lady at the desk wanted to explain, and said further that Turner admired his work – which was outstanding. Enjoy the first bit, then read and take my testimony…

Yet more of the National Art Gallery…

After another long day being a good tourist, paying attention to the tour guide and visiting museums, I went back for a shower and a sleep. Along the way I stopped to snap these…

We’re coming back to Yerevan in a couple of days, but the next morning we headed out to a couple other destinations in Armenia.

Let’s go…

We left Akhaltsikhe for a long traveling day, first going to Vardzia, having a great lunch at a nunnery, then crossing the border into Armenia, and ending the trip Gyumri for short walking tour. This first batch shows our van, our driver & Pavel in the rear view mirror, and some pix out the window…

Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River started in the 11th century, and featuring a long, tragic history. In the 13th century there was an earthquake which revealed the caves that had previously been hidden from below. Later, invading Turks burned the monks to death inside the caves. However, the soot from the fires served to preserve some of the frescos for the centuries during which the caves were uninhabited. The pix in his entire batch were taken at a roadside rest across the river before we actually visited the site…

Having driven up and hiked to the caves of Vardzia, this first photo looks back at the place were I took the previous batch. In addition to some swallows, this batch features the monastery’s church and some pix, surreptious and otherwise, of the blackened frescos dating back centuries…

More of amazing Vardzia. Amazing there is a natural spring in the cave complex that provides water for the monks. You can’t get to the actual spring (behind glass), but you can sample the holy water!

While Vardzia started with natural caves or rock alcoves, much of the complex was made by years of hewing stone by hand – the tunnels and the stairs in the tunnels. Amazing to see the actual carvings on the ceilings!

Here’s just a sample of the many caves and tunnels. This batch ends with a trip down the secret tunnel back to the bottom of the cliff…

From below, down by the river side, and from the bus window driving away…

Next, we went to small convent up on a mountain for lunch. Only three nuns live there supported by other local women.

Adjacent to the site are ancient megalithic structures that predate Christianity by millennia. Pavel estimated they may harken back to 5000 BC…?!

The lunch was outstanding, local, organic, fresh, and delicious. Loved the hands-free iPhone usage by my new friend. Big dog, lots of flowers…

In this next batch we have crossed the border from Georgia into Armenia. However, got no pix because, as you know, its generally not cool to take photos at border crossings.

Random views from the road: ramshackle shacks, random castles, hay!, stork nests on power poles, kids, cows, and apparently today is water day in Armenia – Vardavar – when it’s OK to douse people!

Vardavar’s history dates back to pagan times. The ancient festival is traditionally associated with the goddess Astghik, who was the goddess of water, beauty, love, and fertility. Get wet!

Finally, we arrived at our hotel in Gyumri. After freshening up, we took an architecturally-focused walking tour with a local guide named Ashot. This batch features buildings and statues he pointed out…

More from our walking tour in Gyumri, including some fun randomness, more hijinx with water for Vardavar, some interesting police action, and the large local cathedral, restored after an earthquate…!

Inside that church, Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God. And outside: the anecdotes wall, miscellany, another church, more miscellany, more dogs, and this batch ends with the picture in my hotel room…

After a leisurely morning in Gyumri, we eventually took the train to Yerevan…

We left Kutaisi and drove in a new van with a new driver to the town of Borjomi, another place famous for the waters, unknown until popularized by the Romanov Czars (Tsars?). This first batch shows Borjomi as we walked through it up to where we officially started our hike…

This batch starts with Pavel discussing a sign as he led us on our walk along the river, including some resort amenities and waterfalls.

This batch starts at the top of our forest walk and ends with pix in and around our guesthouse in Akhaltsikhe. But it includes our bus/van driver getting a ticket from an angry Georgian cop, and shots of a castle we passed on the road.

The main feature in the town of Akhaltsikhe is Rabati Castle, a nicely restored medieval fortress harkening back to the 9th century. It features both Christian and Muslim aspects, like the large domed mosque in this batch…

More of Rabati Castle, including a trip to the top of the tower…

Of course, I went to the museum inside the Rabati Castle…

Yet more of Rabati Castle…

Some views on the walk back to the guesthouse, including a stop for dinner…

Every day is full, busy, rich!

Let us now rest.

Our only early start (7:30) took us to the train station to take four hour ride to Kutaisi – after breakfast of course. This batch ends with a lil’ time lapse – choo choo…

Arriving in Kutaisi, we first went to local place for lunch and took a tour of the town. Note the Soviet-era monuments…

One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Kutaisi is found on the Rioni River. As one does, we took a walk through the green market, in addition to checking out some public art and random critters…

More of our walking tour.

Afterwards, I took a nap back at the guesthouse, which was followed up with a really great dinner put on by our hosts. Incidentally, the owners of the Hotel Balanchine are related to the great dance icon George Balanchine. This batch ends with a timelapse from the little gondola in town…

The next morning, we loaded in a couple of vans again to go to Tskhaltubo, a spa resort once loved by Josef Stalin and focusing “on balneotherapy for circulatory, nervous, musculo-skeletal, gynaecological and skin diseases, but since the 1970s its repertoire has included “speleotherapy“, in which the cool dust-free environment of local caves is said to benefit pulmonary diseases.” While it still operates, and we were offered the opportunity to have a “procedure,” much of it is in ruins, having fallen into disuse after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This batch includes an old spaceship-styled spa, now in decay…
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Next we drove to another large resort hotel, now dilapidated, but still occupied be a few unfortunate (or not?) Georgians…

Again, we piled into the vans and went to another, perhaps more spectacular example of post-Soviet entropy…

The Sanatorium Medea is another example of the ghost towns of Tskhaltubo….

You know! I have a soft spot for rusty metal bits, peeling paint, crumbling plaster, broken glass, and the art of nature reclaiming its molecules…

Almost adjacent to the sanatorium was the home of the famous Georgian writer Otia Ioseliani which is also a winery/brewery which does spirits as well. That’s where we took a tour – grandpa’s salon is now a museum – with the author’s grandson, and then had a particularly wonderful wine tasting experience.

Here’s the winery/brewery and cellar and art and more…

Here’s the salon, now museum, just as Otia Ioseliani left it when he died in 2011. There were whole cases of his books translated into various languages as well as many pictures and sculptures of the writer and artist. Note the framed drafts showing his writing process at the end of this batch…

Then came the wine, beer, and spirits tasting, accompanied by appropriate nibblies. All together, a top notch experience!

We made it back to the hotel for a nice nap before heading out again for a nice dinner at Sisters. Did I mention that Kutaisi is considered a city of books? In any case, this batch/post ends with a pic of Pavel which I did not take, but merits inclusion herein…

What’s next…?

Find out soon…!

The next morning, we took a more thorough walking tour of the city, albeit we revisited some of the spots I’d visited the day before. Certainly, the breakfast was similar, as was the clock tower, but this time I had the benefit of a guide to interpret and elucidate.

Yes, again with pix of the tourist items for sale. Yes, that’s a dog’s tail. And please enjoy the pix inspired by the Bridge of Peace…

More from the walking tour. Is this wrong: taking a picture with the begger to whom you’ve just donated 5 Lari?

As you’ve come to learn, I find it impossible to choose one souvenir, so I take pix of all of them! I like the maximalism of those images! These were in a kind of curving tourist tunnel. The rest of the batch concludes our walking tour at the sulfur baths, a mosque, and another corner of the old town…

After our walking tour, two of my fellow travelers and I took the gondola across the river up the Mother of Georgia who looks down over Tbilisi (and seen previously here). We walked around a bit before parting ways to explore the city on our own…

I got my museum nerd on and went to three – two art, one history. The first, the National (Tbilisi) Art Gallery, was the easiest, smallest collection, heavily featuring one artist…

The second one, the Georgian National Museum, was more than a history museum as it spanned ancient fossils to recent revolutions – natural history, cultural history, political history, etc. This first batch focuses on the old stuff…

This second batch from the Georgian National Museum features more cultural artifacts, old photographs, and politial history, particularly the last disturbing image of dead people in the street…

Next, I went to a beautiful building (first photo in two previous batches) with a magnificant interior, the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts. Not all the art was sensational, but had it been I would not have been able to make it through the many rooms on several floors before closing time. Here’s what I thought was the good stuff, including the spectacular glass stairs in the center of the building…

More from the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts. This batch features two sculptors who were particularly outstanding, along with some collage/montage/assemblage and nice paintings…

Again, the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts…

Finally, exhausted from aesthetic athletics, I shuffled through the park back to our hotel, picking up a couple gifties on the way…

I had an adequate dinner and folded up early since we had an early departure the next morning…