Notes on Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad (2009

I got the idea for this one from NPR's story program, Snap Judgment.  The author basically did the book in 15 minutes.

It's a true story, written well, about an 11 year old kid and his dad in a plane crash around Big Bear.  The kid survives, and dad and dad's girlfriend don't.

The kid grows up at Topanga Beach in the late 1970's and it feels like the 70's with puka shells and big collars.  Dad teaches the kid to surf, ski and play hockey, which the kid later understands to be training for surviving the ordeal of the crash.

Read this one.

Note on The First Christmas, by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan (2007)

This is a great historical look at the Christmas narratives in Matthew and Luke.  It treats those as parable. It was not intended to be factual. Those stories contrast a baby king in a manger born of the dirt poor to those who rule their world and ours-- Herod, Augustus etc.-- and that contrast is the point of Christmas and the gospels generally.

It rings true and was an inspiring read. My favorite bible historians knock another one of the park.   James, read this one and any others these authors write.

Notes on We Are As Gods, by Kate Daloz (2016)

This a well written book by the daughter of a 1970's "back to the lander."  Her parents, along with many other middle class educated anglos, purchased land in Vermont and built a house and had a farm.  This book tells their stories and places them in a wider context.

One can interpret this back to the land movement as having failed.  Most of the communes died out.  Looked at another way, this movement has simply changed form and continues to this day.  Organic food and solar panels trace their roots to this period.


The book is insightful, well written and interesting and a great read.

James' birthday at USS Midway Museum

I don't know how it happened.  My wife and I are liberal.  We got a conservative son.  He likes money, he like weapons, and he likes soldiers.

We looked for some military museum for his birthday and settled upon the USS Midway Museum. It's a decommissioned aircraft carrier that was converted to a museum in about 2004.


We stopped along the way in Riverside for citrus.  We got 25 lbs of navel oranges, 15 lbs of sweet tangerines (about 10 of which for neighbors) and peanut candies.

The Museum did not disappoint. We had very nice retired vets at the Museum to show us around and answer questions. You can disagree with the politicians (which I do), but there's no questioning the sincerity of those who serve.

You can tell he liked it because he spent just a minimum amount of time in teh gift shop. he usually gets stuck in there.  And when it was time to go, he complained.



museum in the background.

cockpit of a fighter jet?

 brig

on the deck.  it's corny, but he loved it.

got a buddha hand and lime finger citrus today

We went out today and the hit the batting cage in El Monte. After, we went out to one nursery looking for exotic citrus-- buddha hand and finger lime.  To our surprise, we found both at the first place we went. I have never seen either except at the Citrus Park in Riverside.

We put them in today in the front yard.  The buddha hand replaced the guava on the east side in the center.

Then we put the finger lime in the south center of the front yard.  We put the papaya in a pot.

notes on Utopia Drive by Erik Fleece (2016)

Erik Reece describes various utopian societies in the US from the 19th Century to the present.  They differ is some ways. Some are religious, some are secular.  But they all reject some aspect of the broader culture, such as excessive materialism, excessive individualism, or racism.  They do tend to fizzle out, but it's not a failure.  There's another that seems to be there to pick up the baton.

It's inspiring to see people not only have an opinion but to back it up with a life choice and true sacrifice.

It's a good read.