111 | Procrastination

1993 | Port Orford, Oregon

Some things I drive by numerous times, telling myself that someday I should stop and try for a picture. I do remember thinking this several times over the years, and I was surprised to find that the date on this negative was as early as 1993, only the second year that I had driven past this spot between the Steelblue Lodge and the ocean; in fact, I had only been putting it off for a year or so.

But the best way to see this canyon is from a boat, drift-fishing with my dear friend Mark Kimball, as he tells stories of his adventures on his beloved Elk River.

110 | No

2004 | San Marino, California

109 | Foreign Language

2002 | Tokyo-Ikebukuro

My institution allows its customers to design the faces of their bank cards. I thought I would use this picture – simple, universal in a way, a little bit of fun and color to pull out of my wallet.

But my proposal was rejected, because it was seen as a “logo” and was therefore protected by copyright. I tried to explain that “ICE CUBES” is all over the place without the © and that the characters were katakana, a direct translation. To me, it seemed to be a public domain slam dunk. I was refused again, so I went off in another direction using a view of San Diego’s Mission Bay© and a Torrey© pine tree.

You just never know.

108 | Say, Can You Still See?

1975 | Washington DC

107 | Southwest Grove

1989 | Southwest Grove, Anza-Borrego

106 | Smoke Tree

1998 | Smoke Tree Wash, Anza-Borrego

105 | Love

2006 | Port Orford, Oregon

104 | Lincoln

2013 | Berkeley

We became good friends with Paul Ole Kitesho on our adventure in Kenya’s Chyulu Hills. The next year, we gave him a tour of California. In an LA shoe store, he asked, “Who owns this store?” The answer was corporate, so we made sure to take Paul to a familiar little town in Northern California, where we could introduce him to many of the proprietors. We also got to share the Pacific Ocean (his first view ever of salt water), his first hearing of the deep rhythm of the surf, and in a nearby inlet, his first feeling of a tidal current around his ankles. Fortunately, as part of the wildlife exchange, an elk herd came by for a look back at us.

Paul had been continuing his studies in Nairobi to qualify as a certified naturalist guide, so I thought he’d enjoy visiting the Cal campus, so he could say he had “gone” to Cal. I had never been around the back of the Campanile. Paul looked up and said, “Your best president!”

103 | Bill Williams River

1991 | Arizona 95 Bridging Bill Williams River, Arizona

Whenever I take a break while driving, I look for a spot with shade, or privacy, or a comfortable rock outcrop to rest for lunch.

In many of these places, after I sit still and shake the car’s movement out of me, I find myself in a picture.

102 | Tree of Heaven

1994 | Klamath River Drainage, California

That’s the name of the campground near here. Below is the Klamath River, running fast, cool, and turbulent for a jostling downcurrent swim. I was curious, so I warmed myself with a sun-baked climb up the paved road for a high view across the river.