800 miles?!

That's quite an adventure for a 14-year-old! And an impressive use of paper route money.

It’s a nice feature, and more photographable than our rooms usually are because we litter them with all our junk immediately.

Quite a charming decor, really.

Yup. Juvenile, in his first winter coat.

One of those gulls is not like the others, or doesn't seem to be: the one at the lower right has different colors on the wing feathers and a dark beak rather than yellow. Is it a different species, different gender, or different age (juvenile), do you think?

Yes, that’s a great story about running away from home. And Vallejo - sheesh. What an odd place to get off during an adventure.

(psst - this is San Francisco)

It's a great story. I never would have been brave enough to do such a thing when I was 14. It was like you had your mid-life crises at 14!

I’m sure it didn’t seem like the right thing to bring up, as he definitely would have disapproved and I was in hot water enough already. I’m pretty sure I threw the book away in Vallejo, for fear that I’d be found out.

Great story about running away from home. I simply can't understand why you and your Dad didn't discuss the book on the long ride home. You had so much time!

I'm here now. It's suppose to be 80 degrees this week - that's a fine temperature after the weekend rain/cool down. Jacinto was here for Thanksgiving and will be back for Christmas. He just went back to work last week and was VERY happy to be there. I don't think I'm going to get him to retire any time soon. He is now talking about having his other shoulder done this coming summer, which would nix any touring plans at all. So . . . .

It was pretty great, alright. Say, when will you be coming back down to Tucson again?

Thanks! Good so far!

Yes, and you might have noticed and that some are waving at me.

Oh, shoot. I didn’t think to do that when I whipped this thing together for the shot.