Nightnote Kentucky correspondent and friend Janice felt it! The big midwest shaker shook her area and she sends us this report:
You Californians might think this is normal but I was awoken at 5:30 this morning with my house shaking and a making all sorts of noise! We had a 5.2 quake and an aftershock of […]

The vine is going to town! And …

Ajax is getting into his daily summer sunbath routine.

We have found the first sign that the vine has restarted its annual journey! The first growth of the vine means happy Spring! Here’s to the grapes of Fall, 2008.

To see another picture of the vine, click

There’s a lunar eclipse! Right this minute! Here’s a pix of how it looks from Covina Avenue. [thx for the heads up, Laur]

A picture from today’s walk along Alamitos Bay. A pelican settled on a street lamp catches the low winter sun after 3 gray days.

The days are so short now, you can turn on your holiday lights at 5 p.m.! It’s Solstice time, the year is long in the tooth, the new year is coming. Hooray. Here is our beautiful and big Solstice wreath — made from our own vine! What a warm reminder that the days will grow […]

.. cutting back the grape vine. Here is a before picture.

… I’m just reporting: It is actually hard to breathe in my house right now. Nose, throat and eyes are burning. Ajax just had a snorting fit. The Cohens are going to dinner at Laurie’s — she’s got AC. The photo below is a grab from the ABC weather cam in Long Beach. Click […]

And the Los Angeles Times gets a double plus good for their great use of often updated Google Maps to give us an answer to the crucial question of the moment: am I surrounded in a burning ring of fire? They are actually delivering updates via the map — click one of the fire markers […]

… and finds neither grapes nor Val’s first installment. The grapes are safely harvested and done for the year, but Val’s first post is still to come. (Patience dear readers, we’re taking a rest after mom-in-law’s visit, so tonight was all about lounging around and disc 3 of Heroes.) Poor possum, too late and too […]

It’s grape preserve-making weekend at casa della vite grande. More images — and a recipe — to come.

It was 103° in Long Beach today, the hottest day since I moved here in 1989. [It tied the 1988 record temp.] It is still 89° at 8 p.m. Just too damn hot to say more.

Val takes in the first of our grape harvest. Click play to see him pick some grapes. If you cannot see the slideshow above, or wish to see a larger version of this slide show, click here.

arrives in Long Beach, CA.

Lick yourself a swamp cooler and hunker down. Mid 90s in LBC today and Ajax has the only AC in the house.

• The National Hurricane Center
• Times-Picayune Storm Watch
• WWL-TV
CNN reports temperature of Gulf waters today: 86°