R&J Pt Reyes

Finally, I present to you the much anticipated, oft requested pictures of us together. Well, two are just of me, but as it's my blog I get to put them up too if I want. Besides, I wanted to show you the Oyster Farm.

But more on that later. On with the show!



We set the camera on one of the rocks as a tripod for this one. Yet another gorgeous day at the beach. This is Drakes Beach in Pt. Reyes. A full length shot too - you don't see those too often.



In the meadow we hiked to the last day. I've borrowed Ricardo's hat (which he so graciously offered) because I've forgotten my own. Don't we look lovely?



I am standing next to heaps and piles of Oyster shells. They are dumped there as they process the oysters, then they are bagged up in net bags and carted away. We are at the Oyster Farm in Pt. Reyes. I believe it predates the sanctuary. They use low impact methods of farming and harvesting. Really quite fascinating.



Another one of just me. I'm shielding my eyes from the harsh sun. I think I didn't realize the picture was being taken right then. Such a gorgeous beach, Drakes Beach, and beautiful weather.



Drakes Beach in Pt. Reyes at sunset, with R&J in the front. This is my favorite of us from the trip.

There are more pictures from the trip down below if you haven't had a chance to see them yet.

Pt. Reyes (Reprise)

Well, Ricardo and I returned to the scene of our earlier storm drama to make another attempt at a lovely Pt. Reyes vacation. I'm happy to report that this time we were entirely successful. Gorgeous sunny yet cool weather, pleasant fellow weekenders at the breakfast table each morning, scrumptious food, just a delightful time all round.

As usual I have some pictures for your viewing pleasure. The one of the two of us is on Ricardo's camera and is not available yet. Here are the scenic ones. Enjoy!



The iconic Northern Californian Coast shot. This I believe is near Bodega Bay.



A beached boat in Tomales Bay. You can't see it at this size, but the name is "Point Reyes"



Another popular shot, looking down all 303 steps to the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse. They had to put it further down the cliff to be under the usual fog bank. They claim those steps are like a thirty story building. I don't believe it. I think it may be the right number of steps for 30 stories, maybe, but the steps are so shallow it only amounts to nine or ten stories in height. Oh, and that 303 figure does not include a long sloping section where there are no steps, just the paved path. So they do fit in a little more height that way.

More second Pt. Reyes trip pictures below.

More Pt. Reyes

The remaining photos I wanted to share from our four day excursion:



One of the rocks on Drakes Beach, Pt. Reyes, just as a wave had rolled in. Drakes beach on Drakes Bay facing the Pacific is gorgeous, especially as the sun set on us.



Compare to the one below in the other post of the flooded creek. This is the same creek, taken from the same point. As you can see the creek doesn't even cover the bottom of the channel. All that remains of the flood are the logs that got caught on the trees.



Taken from near Spinnakers in Sausalito. The San Francisco skyline and sail boat.

An Exact Count of Lies

We all know Bush and the rest of the administration lied in the run up to the Iraq War. But do you know exactly how many times they lied?

Two non-profit journalism groups, The Center for Public Integrity and the Fund for Independence in Journalism, counted every time Bush, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, and the rest of the representatives of the administration, said that Iraq and Al-Qaida were linked (lie) or that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to get WMDs (lie).

In total during the two years before the war the administration lied a total of (get ready for it) 935 times. That is 1.3 lies a day, every day, for two years. The implication (as reported in the San Jose Mercury News on 1/23/08) is that the administration knew these were lies, even as they propagated them by every means possible. This number came from a review of a database of public statements made by the administration, in interviews, press conferences and the like.

The study also faults the press for believing these lies, as well it should. There was no independent verification. Bush and his cronies got a free pass after 9/11 and they have been making the most of it ever since. It makes me ashamed of my profession. The article by Douglas K. Daniel quotes the study as saying: "The media coverage creat[ed] an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war." The press fell for it, and so we all fell for it.

You all know I am no fan of this administration. But knowing they lied almost 1000 times (and that is just before the war) on top of their incompetence (as see in Iraq and Katrina) and corruption (Haliburton) makes me even more heartsick for this country. How long will it take us to repair the damage? Both at home and abroad, in our wars and in global perception of the United States. I pray we get a Democrat in the oval office come November.