A Picnic Adventure

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We launched our boats in a lingering morning fog.

Some days just call for a picnic, and some picnics call for adventure. So went my thinking when I invited my friend Cal to join me on my favorite six mile paddle down Estero Americano to a remote beach on an unseasonably warm day in late February. Like so many intrepid leaps into what lies beyond, ours began at the end of a dirt road, where we launched our boats in a lingering morning fog.

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The rugged shore at the mouth of the Estero, looking towards Bodega Head.

The day warmed as the fog lifted and the slough opened up. We bucked a strong headwind on the last leg and beached our boats to find the waterway’s mouth closed to the Pacific despite the high tide. Finding shelter from the wind in the dunes, we spread our picnic on scraps of driftwood and enjoyed a delicious repast of boiled duck eggs, salami with cheese, olives and walnut bread, finished off with apples and strong tea with honey. Weary from the long paddle, we laid on our backs in the sand and watched the gulls drift by in the wind and a solo hawk hover uncannily still.

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We used our paddles as sails on the journey home.

With a strong wind at our backs on the voyage home, we were able to use our paddles as sails for long stretches. Our plan was to find a protected cove on the way to stop to try a little drawing and painting, but the wind was too persistent so we opted for an early return.  I look forward to breaking out the art supplies next time, but was happy enough to have the company of an old friend on real picnic adventure.

Reviving the Garden (+ a recipe)

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Ene builds towers for her peas to climb.

With help from friends we’ve been reviving our vegetable garden over the past few weeks. It’s been about 5 years since we built the raised beds, and with the demands of projects and travel over the past couple of years, the garden has been sorely neglected. The grounds are now weeded, paths mulched, beds topped off with close to ten yards of compost, and Ene has been busy planting. By spring we’ll start to see lettuces, spinach, peas, strawberries, blueberries, asparagus and greens. Meanwhile, we’ll enjoy the bounty of kale that survived our neglect.

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Kale and other cabbages thrive in the cool maritime climate of the Sonoma Coast.

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Scott’s Sake Greens:

Pick and rinse a few handfuls of dino kale, collard or other leafy cabbage. Shake off most of the water. Remove the spines if they are too tough and chop the leaves into 1″ strips. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over a medium-high flame and toss in the greens, mixing them constantly as they cook, about one minute. Salt the greens, add a little more oil and toss in a few cloves of finely chopped garlic. Continue mixing over a medium flame for another minute and sprinkle in a little chili pepper (I like nanami togarashi) and/or dried seaweed (I like nori komi furikake). Pour about a half cup of dry sake into the pan and deglaze it by mixing the ingredients with a large spoon or spatula. Add a little water if the greens seem too dry. Lower the heat, partially cover the greens and let them simmer a few more minutes until they are tender but retain their glossy green color. Serve as a side dish with rice and black-eyed peas or with grilled fish.

Fluke Site Progress

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The Diamond D crew builds forms for our curvaceous hardscape. (photo: D Pettigrew)

Ene and I recently made two site visits to Santa Cruz to inspect form-work for the hardscape beneath our Fluke sculpture at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center. Our bronze whale tail sculpture will sit at the edge of a courtyard at the building’s entry, and we designed a curvaceous pattern mimicking the motion of waves to be cast in colored, glass-embedded concrete with integral pigment. When the concrete is adequately cured after two weeks, Artworks Foundry will deliver and install the giant bronze sculpture.

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The first forms are poured (photo: C Birns)

We’ve especially loved working with Crystal Birns, City Arts Program Manager, who introduced us to Dave Pettigrew, whose Diamond D Company we’ve contracted to do all the concrete work on site pertaining to the sculpture. Dave and his crew have made lovely curves in bent wood and are doing a beautiful job pouring concrete, stamping patterns and dusting in the glass. Once cured, the concrete/glass mixture will be sandblasted and ground to a terrazzo-like finish.

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Entryway to the new Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz (photo: C Birns)

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The Diamond D crew trowel fine colored glass into the wet concrete (photo by C Birns)

To learn about the development of our Fluke Project, please click here and scroll down.

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It’s always refreshing to stop along route 1 to check out the tidepools on the long journey down the coast.


Gabriel’s Indigo Jacket

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Indigo Jacket by Gabriel Russo

I love the Indigo Jacket by my good pal Gabriel Russo, especially its ‘ghost pocket’. Gabriel sews and dyes these himself and each one is unique. Check out Gabriel’s wonderful website and blog to learn more about his thinking and process behind the jacket and other textile constructions. Gabriel’s work has truly hit its stride since I visited him in 2009 and posted a story on these pages. We’ve recently begun to talk about collaborating on a garment project under the ‘Deep’ brand that I hope to offer for sale soon.

Destination: Boredom

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Sure enough, I saw a few egret and chased a flock of bufflehead six miles to the coast when I paddled the navigable length of Estero Americano the other day, but saw no sign of coot, loon, mergenser, pelican, scaup, hawk, heron or grebe. The fact is mid-February is a relatively dormant time along the Sonoma Coast despite the recent fair weather and early arrival of spring, and most migrations have been made.

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With a light wind at my back on the outbound journey, I tested my paddling skills for a while by trying to sneak up on a floating flock of bufflehead a few hundred yards off my bow. ???? ???? ??????? ???? They’d inevitably start, take off to windward and fly overhead before circling around for a water landing about a quarter mile further down the slough. With no other diversions I teased the birds for a few miles until the Estero opened up and I took a break from paddling to just drift on the current I felt tugging the boat as I neared the shore on the outgoing tide. I was sailing now, and shifted my gaze to the water itself, which seemed motionless, my boat in sync with wind and tide.

Knowing I’d have a tough return paddle, I spent the remaining outbound leg drifting, thoughtlessly steering the boat and staring at the water, lost in a reverie of pure boredom. I let myself be hypnotized by the stillness of the water, the boat’s gentle bobbing and the slowly amplifying fade of pounding surf as I neared the beach.

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It’s a rare delight to find oneself in a state of genuine boredom these days, and I had forgotten how it frees the mind. ??? ??????? After drifting for about an hour, I found I could generate mild hallucinations by staring out at the water with unfocused eyes. The constant motion of glassy waves reflecting the surrounding land and sky animated my daydreaming, like falling asleep but remaining awake. It’s kind of funny to rediscover boredom while seeking stimulation, but refreshing to know it’s still possible; Destination: Boredom, an apt motto for exciting times.

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I was greeted by some curious cattle upon my return to the flats where I launched. ????? ???? ?????? ?? ???????

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Tsuru Progress

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My wooden crane sculpture is ready to be cast in bronze at Berkeley’s Artworks Foundry

I spent the past two days at Artworks Foundry putting final touches on my crane sculpture for our Tsuru project. After permanently connecting the 9′ wingspan to the 8′ body, I focused on patching seams, shaping final contours and finessing surface textures. Coating the entire surface with flat grey metal primer helped reveal any inconsistencies, the primer doubling as a leveling agent on the sculpture’s raised grain. A light sanding over the entire surface softened remaining sharp cuts, burnishing high spots in anticipation of the sculpture’s patina in bronze. I’m especially pleased at how the finished form reads as a clear, clean silhouette from a distance, but reveals more primitive hand-tooling upon closer scrutiny.

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