Marcy and Thurston

Marcy-and-Thurston
Originally uploaded by jmoule.

This is my second cousin once removed Marcia Moule Robinson and her husband Thurston Robinson. To explain the relationship: My great grandfather was John Moule of London, Ontario. His youngest brother was George Moule. Marcy is George's granddaughter.

About five years ago, they moved from upstate New York where Marcy was born to Staunton, Virginia. We visited them there last week.

The Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge
Originally uploaded by jmoule.

Yesterday, the Sage of Indiana (SOI) commented on my mention of the Blue Ridge. Here it is, taken from the site of the now defunct Staunton Military Academy. It's looking blue. The sky is looking gray. Taken on April 24, 2005.

Cousin Tommy's Dock

Tommy's-Dock
Originally uploaded by jmoule.

Before Katherine's sisters arrived in Washington, we went out to Salisbury, Maryland to visit my cousin Tommy Mace. Here he is on the dock in front of his house with Katherine and (on the far right) his wife Nancy. Not long after, we went inside and Tommy cooked some memorable crab cakes.

Our Trip to Washington, DC

Dogwood
Originally uploaded by jmoule.

We just returned from a trip to Washington, DC. The main theme was an annual reunion of the three Barrows sisters (Busy, Margie, and my wife Katherine). We visited the museums, ate dinner at some very good restaurants, and generally enjoyed the city.

After the reunion ended, Katherine and I took an extra day to drive out to Staunton, Virginia and visit my second cousin, Marcia Moule Robinson. It was a beautiful day. The dogwoods and rosebuds were in full bloom. While touring Trinity Church, founded in 1746, the oldest church in Staunton, this dogwood caught my eye.

Going Shorter

I have been in a defensive investment postion since January, holding 25% cash. I also have a short position on the S & P 500 equal to 15% of my long positions. It strikes me that the weakness in the market of the last couple of weeks may just feed on itself from this point.

Without selling any stock, I am increasing my short positon to the point that I am "market neutral" that is to say whether the market goes up or down, the value of my investment portfolio should stay about the same. I would rather do this than sell stock because I want to keep receiving dividends.

If you do not understand any of this, just ignore it or call me on the telephone. A written explanatioin would be tedious.

The Kirov, Part 2

On Sunday the Kirov Orchestra played a performance in Davies Hall, San Francisco, where the San Francisco Symphony plays. The program: Tchaikovsky's "Francesca da Rimini"; Borodin's Symphony Number 2, Mussorgsky's Prelude to " Khovanschchina" and "Pictures at an Exhibition".

"Pictures at an Exhibition" is played often, but we have never heard anything that can compare to the emotion, brilliance, and just plain beautiful sound of the Kirov. Let's face it. Pictures was written in St. Petersburg, is about an exhibit in St. Petersburg, and was first performed in St. Petersburg. This is the Kirov's home turf.

Valery Gergiev became more and more animated as he conducted it. He was really enjoying himself. When it concluded, the audience went wild. Gergiev was in great humor and gave two encores. In the second, he stopped conducting the orchestra immediately and just stood on the podium, swaying with the music.

The Kirov

The Kirov Orchestra came to Berkeley this evening, Valery Gergiev conducting. It was an all Russian program: Rimsky-Korsakov's "Capricio espagnole", Borodin's "in the Stepps of Central Asia". Prokofiev's Piano Cncerto No. 1, Balakirev's "Oriental Fantasy", and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade". We were carried away. The highlight, to me, was the first violinist in "Scheherazade". There was a light, effortless, gypsy qauality to his playing that caused the whole performance to rise above anything we have heard before.

"Coast of Dreams"

Kevin Starr is one of my favorite historians. Yesterday, I finished the most recent and probably last book in his series on the history of California. It covers the period 1990 to 2003. Starr says that it is not a history because the events are too recent to be understood in perspective. He says that it should be regarded more like a journal.

This book was given to me for Christmas. It has the most attractive and apt dust jacket of any of the books in the series. I started reading it eagerly. After one chapter, I bogged down. It was so depressing that I could hardly read more than a few pages a day. It chronicles in exquisite detail the decline in California since we left the state in 1989—the destruction of the school system, the rise in crime to the point that more money is spent on prisons than the state college system, etc., etc.

There are a few items on the positive side: the rise of the organic food movement and Alice Waters' influence on America's restaurants for example. Nothing evades Starr's grasp. Nevertheless, this is a good book on a depressing subject. After taking over three months to read it, I feel like a survivor. My recommendation: Read every book in his series except this one.

Number 11

Number 11
Originally uploaded by jmoule.

Berkeley, California is known for its wierd politics, its university, and some of the finest restaurants in the United States. (Eat your heart out, New York City.) What is not widely known is that Tilden Park (adjoining Berkeley on the east) hosts an active model-size steam railroad club.

This is Number 11 pulling into the station last Sunday with a load of passengers. After they got off we boarded the train took a ride. It went through forests, over and under bridges, and through a tunnel.

Wildflowers

Wildflowers
Originally uploaded by jmoule.

Taken in the morning of 29 March 2005, this photo gives a feel for Death Valley on that day. The temperature was slightly cool and very pleasant. The air was still. A lot of snow remained on the mountains in the background. The foreground was a carpet of wildflowers.