Shadows

In a transcendental reflective moment between dream and waking, Finn of County Santa Cruz has a lucid shadow of an insight into what life might have been like before his birth.

Hey, Mack, I need a shave

An un-identified companion poses with Finn of County Santa Cruz as the duo prepares for a shave.

Experience-based wisdom

Finn of County Santa Cruz, impelled to achieve wisdom beyond his years through experience-based learning, pauses to consider a bend in the undergrowth.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Monsieur Georges qui vien de France

It's important for a young lad to have a wide view of the world--to see it through the eyes of others who have seen things both far and wide. Finn was fortunate enough to encounter Georges this weeks, who was in town to see his own daughter and his new grandson, Peter. Georges is a painter (mostly of nude women it would seem), and in this shot he is exposing Finn of County Santa Cruz to some of the finer points. Finn will have to thank Georges later, once he has mastered more than "mama" and "dada."

If the slipper fits...

Pop--

Sabbatical has offered many amazing opportunities to me to spend time with Finn. This morning the two of us went outside the front gate to see what was happening. We were both still in pajamas with bed-head, but he had his elephant slippers on. At first we kind of hung around the flower beds in front of the house, but after a few minutes, he lit off toward the park with me in tow. The sun was bright and hot and the dirt-stone trail was warm and dusty and smelled of drying cedar wood and cypress needles. I stayed two steps behind Finny Boy, and he led us on a trail-walk for 45 minutes. Without exception he always took the less-trodden trail--ones where the flower-stalks were so high they towered over him like giant trees. The more we walked the more worked-in the slippers became, until finally I believe they became truly worn-in (see attached). It was a good morning.

From the Sea

Finn of County Santa Cruz got up-close and watery with an orange jelly and a furry otter today at Monterey Bay Aquarium. A young observer of Nature in the making, it was a big day.

Inside Joke

In this shot, our Heros, Halibut and Finn of County Santa Cruz, share an inside laugh as they meander home after a long walk along West Cliff.

Colombian Gold

There's no time like the present for a young lad to learn something about coffee. Today, Finn of County Santa Cruz learns how to taste and cool hot Jo.

Farmers' Market

The Capitola Farmers' Market is a famous hangout of Finn of County Santa Cruz. In these shots, he can be spied mingling among the other peasants in search of the makings of a simple yet tasty meal.

Finn meets Ray Barbee and G Bones

Finn of County Santa Cruz inherited a family heirloom today: Now the proud custodian of a Ray Barbee (Powell/Peralta) deck, he's ready to skate the West Side.

The setup: Ray Barbee (Powell/Peralta) Rag Doll re-issue deck (Canadian maple); a pair of Independent 149s; and a set of G Bones (re-issue--97 A), packed with Bones Swiss bearings.

Hara-Sippy

Reminiscent of the elegant Japanese hara-kiri motion, Finn of County Santa Cruz demonstrates the signal of end-of-breakfast with a swift downward motion of an inverted sippy cup while bellowing the triumph of warriors. Note the characteristic intensity of focus denoted by the riveting eye-contact.

Daily Shot #1: Finn of County Santa Cruz

See Finn of County Santa Cruz manipulate his shiny Teleporter. He is speaking in the the tongue of the foreign land from where he has just returned.