Ocean Beach   6:08 p.m.

from the Coastal Trail   5:46 p.m.

Leonard Nimoy and his dachshund

Since Leonard Nimoy died today, I wanted to post a photo of him with his dachshund. The only info I could find about it was this by Leonard: "I was raised in a tenement neighborhood, where you couldn't have a dog. The first time I bought a house, I bought a dog."

Picasso and his dachshund

The sequence starts on April 19, 1957, the day that Lump met Picasso. Mr. Duncan, who had first photographed Picasso a year earlier, brought Lump along for the ride, largely because the dog did not get along well with Mr. Duncan’s other pet, an Afghan hound called Kublai Khan.

“Lump immediately decided that this would be his new home,” Mr. Duncan recalled in an interview on a visit to Paris, noting pointedly that “lump” means “rascal” in German. “He more or less said, ‘Duncan, that’s it, I’m staying here.’ And he did, for the next six years.”

Picasso was apparently equally entranced. That very day, he did his first portrait of Lump, a signed and dated portrait of the dog that he painted on a plate while having lunch with Jacqueline Roque, his new partner, whom he would marry four years later.

(via The New York Times)

David Hockney and his dachshund

"From September 1993, I painted and drew my dogs. This took a certain amount of planning, since dogs are generally not interested in Art (I say generally only because I have now come across a singing dog). Food and love dominate their lives.

"I make no apologies for the apparent subject matter. These two dear little creatures are my friends. They are intelligent, loving, comical, and often bored. They watch me work; I notice the warm shapes they make together, their sadness and their delights. And, being Hollywood dogs, they somehow seem to know that a picture is being made."
-David Hockney, from his book David Hockney Dog Days.

E. B. White with Minnie.

While I work on pictures for a book about a dachshund named Rosie, I love reading E. B. White's stories about his dachshunds Fred and Minnie (E. B. White on Dogs).

White made no secret of his servitude at the hands of Fred, an irascible dachshund who lived in the household for 13 years, dying on New Year's Eve, 1948, "of his excesses and after a drink of brandy."

Very Windy Ocean Beach   6:11 p.m.

Since I'm scared of plants, we're considering filling our side alley with rocks instead. We found some we liked today at Broadmoor Landscaping in South San Francisco, and might buy a ton or two.

After looking at rocks we walked at Devil's Slide, formerly part of Highway 1. We used to drive on it to get down the coast to Barbara's Fishtrap and Half Moon Bay. Now that the new tunnel is finished, this road is closed to cars––but open to hikers and bikers. Such a great idea.

A cake J. Otto Seibold painted for the front window. Giant rhinestones are glued onto it.

Today I took the most incredible field trip. First I visited the Contemporary Jewish Museum to see J. Otto Seibold's exhibit.

Then I zoomed down to 3rd and Bryant to see another show: new paintings by Tucker Nichols at Gallery 16. Inspiration overload!

Tucker Nichols / Gallery 16

Tucker Nichols / Gallery 16

Isn't this a great t-shirt? I'd had my eye on it for weeks. Pacific View Cleaners, where I have my jeans hemmed, sells very odd (and wonderful!) clothes and shoes. Today in honor of Chinese New Year's Eve, they were selling all their t-shirts for $10 apiece, so I snagged it.

Since we both worked on February 14th, Tom and I celebrated Valentine's Day today by driving down the coast. We had lunch at Barbara's Fishtrap, and then stopped by Creekside Smokehouse to buy smoked salmon and smoked cheese. The Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is in the same area, and that's where I took these photos. The tide was lower there than we'd ever seen it. When I woke up this morning I didn't feel rested or in the best of moods, but as I took these photos my mood and physical being changed. (For the better.) I've noticed this good change happening once or twice before as I've looked at things close up through a lens.

Ocean Beach   6:03 p.m.

The Pacheco Steps at Ocean Beach  5:29 p.m.

Uncle Albert is coming to visit all the way from Japan.

Ocean Beach   5:46 p.m.

Jamie and Me

We were professional colleagues––we worked for the same publishing company in TN.
It's now 30 years later and Jamie's in NY and I'm in CA, but we're still colleagues and we're still just as professional.

Drawing in Photoshop

Before the Rains Came

Ocean Beach   5:55 p.m.

Field Trip

There is a fascinating African exhibit at the de Young.

I looked everywhere for Mary Ann. I didn't find her. But I did find this.

We had one last look at the incredible Keith Haring show.

Then we sat by ourselves in the Turrell skyspace until this crew joined us!

Funny Flower

walking down Balboa Street

Ocean Beach   5:46 p.m.