Whooping Cranes

 There is a beautiful essay in the New York Times today about whooping cranes. LINK

Whooping Cranes were one of the first animals I visited because we were saving them. The article discusses how, after WWII, only about 20 Whooping Cranes remained in the wild. In the early 1980s, I visited a wetlands site in Texas to see them (the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge). We did, in fact, see them, and they were magical.

Here is just a small quote about them from the article:

Those majestic white birds are the tallest in America — each standing five feet tall, with a wingspan of nearly seven feet — and we almost lost them forever. Never known to exist in large numbers, whooping cranes were nonetheless geographically widespread in North America until farming and hunting pushed them to the brink of extinction. By 1941, the worldwide population of whooping cranes numbered barely more than 20.

Even after decades of intense effort to help the species rebound — through a combination of habitat conservation and an innovative breed-and-release program — the total population of whooping cranes today is only around 800. So if you’re a whooping crane, and you need a flock for safety, you throw in your lot with the much more numerous sandhills.

An interesting Slot Canyon Hike in Anza Borrego

A View of the beginning from the parking lot.

Ed heard of a slot canyon in the Anza Borrego State Park, and we went on the hike with John and Sue.

It was a really cool hike that got super narrow in parts. Kind of a science hike that was nifty.

A bit of a photo dump from Hawaii Part 1.

 

Advice for the ages

 

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Palm Springs Fun

 (I am not mentioning the colossal cluster-fuckup in Minneapolis. You can read about it everywhere.)

Palm Springs has some interesting things to do. Right now is the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Eddie and I saw 2 of the shows so far, one on Monday and one last night.

The Soundman

May 1940. As the world teeters on the brink of war, in the iconic Flagey building in Brussels - from which the national radio broadcasts - the paths of Elza, a young actress taking her first steps in the radio play studios, and Berre, a novice sound man with an almost magical hearing, cross. He is looking for a foothold in the elusive power of sound, in the enchantment of the radio plays. Their meeting ignites a spark of love that lifts them above the threat of their time. RADIOMAN is a compelling love film about passion, imagination and the search for humanity in dark times. In the wondrous world of Belgian radio in the 1940s, their love sounds louder than the roar of the approaching war - an echo of hope in a world that is about to lose its innocence.

HoneyJoon

Persian Lela and her sensual daughter June take a trip to the romantic Azores after loss - with opposite ideas about how to grieve, how to live, and tiny bikinis. A hot philosophical guide helps them find each other ~ coming back to life.

Other Venue - the Palm Springs Cultural Center is running a new retrospective after the Film Festival ends

Yunlu Wetland Museum

 

China has built a museum in the Pearl River Delta that focuses on a restored wetland and egret refuge. It is a cool space that uses shifting volumes and sight lines to highlight different views across the wetlands. It is cool.

Hockey?

Yes, indeedy, there is hockey in the desert. We are going to a Coachella Firebirds game this week. But this past Saturday, we went to "The Cactus Cup", which was a 4-game college tournament. We saw Yale play the University of Minnesota at Mankato.

Mankato is where Ed's step-dad, Donald, was the Athletic Director for years. In fact, he got Mankato, which was Division 3, bumped up to Division 1 Hockey. So we had to go root them on.

It was fun. But Mankato / Yale was the consolation game, so it wasn't very crowded. And Mankato won, 5-3.

Some Good Climate News from California

I spotted a story from The Guardian newspaper about a California initiative. This year, California launched a new satellite that spots methane leaks.

It is important because methane is a very strong greenhouse gas contributor to climate change. It pops up often around oil and natural gas extraction (which California still has a lot of). Here is a blurb from California:

What you need to know: California steps in as federal administration moves to eliminate climate data-gathering satellites. The state satellite project has already helped resolve 10 large methane leaks, equivalent to removing about 18,000 cars from California roads for a year. 

(On a Lighter Note) Speaking of a sad good-bye

 Well, 2025 brought in the end of an era. The Tivo Era. Eddie and I had one of the first ever Tivos. And kept them forever. There is still one in our upstairs closet, even though it didn't work out here.

But now they are gone. The "boop boop" sound is history. Oh, the company rolls on. They still have the DVR patent and even have some streaming systems in Europe. But the happy little Tivo is gone.

sniff

A Sad Good-bye

Juni, the little pup I walked during COVID and after, has passed. She was old for a dog (16 or 18) but was great for Lori - her owner. Lori is disabled and Juni was perfect for her.

Anyway, nothing I can say doesn't sound trite, so I won't say more except to say I miss her.

Scooter

Juni, when we visited New York in October.

Astrology for the Anthropocene: December Dog

Let's face it, time for the star signs to be updated. Mankind has upended the traditional seasons, replaced stars with movie stars, and changed the nature of time. So it is about time to put the old symbols behind us. 

(FYI: The Anthropocene is the current epoch where mankind has changed the planet.)

I have helped create the new astrology signs based on human interaction with our moods and the planet.

In December the Dogs rule.

Positives: 

• Happy
• Loveable
• Cute
• Loyal

Negatives: 

• Kind of dumb
• Can be aggressive if crossed

Astrology for the Anthropocene: November - Capybara

 Let's face it, time for the star signs to be updated. Mankind has upended the traditional seasons, replaced stars with movie stars, and changed the nature of time. So it is about time to put the old symbols behind us. 

(FYI: The Anthropocene is the current epoch where mankind has changed the planet.)

I have helped create the new astrology signs based on human interaction with our moods and the planet.

In November, the gentle Capybara wanders in.

Positives: 

• Thrifty
• Protective of home and family
• Loud 
• Funny

Negatives: 

• Often introverted
• Standoffish with outsiders
• Possessive of their domain

Merry Christmas

 It's Christmas, everyone. Have an excellent day.

Astrology for the Anthropocene: October - Horse

 Let's face it, time for the star signs to be updated. Mankind has upended the traditional seasons, replaced stars with movie stars, and changed the nature of time. So it is about time to put the old symbols behind us. 

(FYI: The Anthropocene is the current epoch where mankind has changed the planet.)

I have helped create the new astrology signs based on human interaction with our moods and the planet.

In October, the Horse strides into view.

Positives: 

• Powerful emotions
• Swift decisions
• Stunning personality

Negatives: 

• Willful
• Stubborn to release the lead

Astrology for the Anthropocene: September - The Penguin

Let's face it, time for the star signs to be updated. Mankind has upended the traditional seasons, replaced stars with movie stars, and changed the nature of time. So it is about time to put the old symbols behind us. 

(FYI: The Anthropocene is the current epoch where mankind has changed the planet.)

I have helped create the new astrology signs based on human interaction with our moods and the planet.

In September, the penguin pops up.

Positives: 

• Fun loving
• Clean
• A good hang

Negatives: 

• Capable of wild emotional swings
• Ghosts people easily
• Too fastidious

Astrology for the Anthropocene: August Mountain Lion

Let's face it, time for the star signs to be updated. Mankind has upended the traditional seasons, replaced stars with movie stars, and changed the nature of time. So it is about time to put the old symbols behind us. 

(FYI: The Anthropocene is the current epoch where mankind has changed the planet.)

I have helped create the new astrology signs based on human interaction with our moods and the planet.

In August, the Mountain Lion prowls to protect

Also known as the Puma or Panther

Positives: 

• Highly adaptable
• Protective
• Calming
• Self-assured

Negatives: 

• May be highly rigid
• Blunt
• Can hold a grudge

Our New Art

We purchased some new art. It is a poster by Shag. We love his stuff, although it is very midcentury modern, and our house isn't. But this piece is perfect. It has the Aluminaire House in the front and the Frey House #2 in the background.

We have visited these houses with Lynn when she was out here and Jane and David when they were here. Here are the details on the two houses.

Frey House #2

Albert Frey (1903-1998), one of the most important modern architects of our time, lived and worked in Palm Springs since 1934. 

Over a long and prolific career, he produced more than 200 building designs, including such notable local landmarks as the Palm Springs City Hall and the Aerial Tramway Valley Station with John Porter Clark. 

Frey House II, his long-time residence, is perched on the hillside at the west end of Tahquitz Canyon Way.  Frey House II, architect Albert Frey's second home in Palm Springs, was completed in 1964.

Aluminaire House

The Aluminaire Houseis a three-story house designed as a case study by architects A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey in April 1931. Made of donated materials and built in ten days, it was the first all-metal house in the United States. After being displayed at architecture shows, it was installed at multiple locations in New York, and was later transferred to the Palm Springs Art Museum, where it is currently on view as an exhibit.

That is what makes the art special to us. Also, The Frey House has giant Swiss Cow Bells downstairs as the door knockers. This is because a) Albert Frey was born in Switzerland and b) because he loved to be naked and wanted plenty of time to be respectable to receive guests. If you look at the poster, he is up there by his house, naked.

William Haines: Crazy Life

I read Wisecracker, The Life and Times of William Haines, Hollywood's First Openly Gay Star. The other day. I didn't read it because he was gay, but because in his second career, he designed interiors for Hollywood and Hollywood Adjacent people.

He did the interior work for Sunnylands. That is an estate out here owned by the Annenberg family. He was the Ambassador to England, and later their house, Sunnylands, was used as a location for their friends, the Reagans, to host multiple diplomatic meetings. Every President from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama has used the house for meetings, conferences, and international negotiations.

I learned that William Haines, an interior designer out here, did it. I wanted to know more about him and the story.

Turns out he was born in 1900. He was an artist with the Bohemians in New York in the early 20's, then went to Hollywood. He was a big deal for a while. He was the top box office earner in 1930. He was also gay and open about it. The book is interesting in that Hollywood, before the production code and Catholic League, was very accepting of gay couples. Many of the biggest stars lived rather openly as gay or bisexual (although those labels weren't really used).

With his best friend, Joan Crawford

It's a fascinating story of what changed and who was in same sex relationships, but that isn't the point of this post. What is more germane here is that William Haines refused to go into the closet. He lived with the same man from the late 1920s until he died in 1973. Since he refused to conform to the new Hollywood standards, he was blackballed from the movies. He moved on to a second love: interior design.

He was great friends with Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst. Hearst and Haines used to talk about design at San Simeon / Hearst Castle a lot. He was one of the few consistent Hollywood visitors to the castle who got along great with Hearst.

He was a big believer that interior design worked well only with an architect and landscaper to create a home. In Hollywood, stars had the money to do this. He did lavish homes of stars - the example of Jack Warner's House is included in pictures below.

Starting in the 1960s and 70s, he worked with a few women who aspired to move into the upper reaches of society. These were Nancy Reagan and her friends, including Betsy Bloomingdale and Leanore Annenberg. That is how ultimately he scored the Annenberg Estate, Sunnylands, gig. This is a very different vibe of house.

His last design was for the Annenbergs as they redid the Winfield House - the official residence of the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Again, a completely different style.

Jack Warner's Home - Hollywood (more pics)

Sunnylands - Palm Springs

Formal Atrium and Living Areas

Game Room and Theater

Winfield House - London (more pics)