DENNIS HOPPER OPENING AT THE MOCA GEFFEN

Last night we went to the opening of the Dennis Hopper exhibit at the MOCA Geffen center. Click here to see who else was there. I could easily make it a social diary moment. This had been arranged by our daughter-in-law. I was delighted to go and had a great time. I probably would not had made the effort myself, but glad I did. The event was a cross between an art exhibit and a rave.(there are a DJ playing techno music) The building lends itself perfectly to something like this. (the weather doesn’t hurt)
  Dennis Hopper’s photographs were the most interesting part of the show for me. Much more than his art, as the photographs were a sort of narrative of his life. How he saw, what he saw, what image he chose to capture.
  It was an LA moment for sure. We had driven from north of San Francisco to LA along route 1. I had long wanted to do this. I stopped every other minute to take pictures. This event was a sharp contrast to the images of the California coast.
   I had been concerned that I would be told not to take photographs, but the I phones were everywhere and  in the end I expect it is LA/Hollywood where taking or posing for photographs practically a way of life.

CALIFORNIA COAST

We are north of San Francisco, Wine country. Every turn reveals something new and startling. Yesterday we drove along the Russian River to the ocean. We drove through groves of Redwood trees, large for us, but not like the really big trees further north. The coast in this part of the world is so beautiful so fresh, so unspoiled.

It turns out that one of my ancestors moved here from Lancaster, Ma in 1870. He too wrote about being overcome by the beauty and climate.

EARTHQUAKE

several hours ago, an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.2 occurred in Mexico effecting southern California. An independent quake of 4.0 was registered in northern California. We have children in each area, and all are safe, not having noticed the quakes.

LUTHER BURBANK

I am related to Luther Burbank by my maternal grandfather. I never paid much attention to this until being in Santa Rosa, I discovered his house and Farm in nearby Sebastipol.

Revisiting his story, the contributions he made to society are remarkable. The care taken in the preservation of his legacy by the State of California and Santa Rosa are wonderful.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

I am in northern California, by that I mean north of San Francisco. I had an idea of what to expect, I was mostly wrong. It is as diverse as the rest of California, with agriculture being the dominant feature. Being from the East I always fall back to the idea of the Pacific Ocean, surfers and people in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is far more diverse and interesting than that.

Everything is big; the trees, the spaces, the vineyards. It is fascinating for me from the East. Although I am still without bearings.
My son moved here from Los Angeles, and we are here helping him settle. I had only just gotten used to Los Angeles.