Welcome
Thanks for tuning into my latest Deep Dive. These essays are a labor of love. I never know where my next inspiration will come from or where it will lead me, I just try and go with it, letting the words flow from my brain, through my fingertips and onto the page. Sometimes these stories write themselves, other times it feels like pulling teeth. I’m glad you found your way here. Pull up a chair, sit back, relax and enjoy!
~ Louie
Phantom Trees
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound? If a tree is cut down in your neighborhood and no one notices that it’s gone was it ever there? Trees take up a lot of space, especially large ones like oaks or redwoods. The energy...
Hope Is A Hooded Oriole
Spring arrived in my neighborhood this morning in the form of a brilliant orange jewel. Perched at the very top of our neighbor’s towering coast redwood tree, the Hooded Oriole seemed to glow from within as it basked in the rays of the rising sun. My calendar told me...
Whale Magic On Maui
It’s one thing to watch a nature documentary with incredible close up images of whales frolicking in the ocean while David Attenborough intones about their majesty and splendor. It’s another thing to stand on shore and observe actual whales through binoculars. But...
Musings On Technology
Novelist Kurt Vonnegut once said, “Computers are robbing us of the ability to be human.” This was decades before personal computers, smartphones, Siri and artificial intelligence became a normal part of everyday life. Vonnegut looked into the future and didn’t like...
An American Villain
My country is enveloped in a miasma of fear, anger, hatred and cruelty and one deranged narcissist bears sole responsibility for it all. Like the villain in the Harry Potter books whose name dare not be spoken I too will not speak the name of this modern American...
Lights, Camera…Action!
Floating down Alberta St. we’re in the flow amidst a slow moving stream of humanity all of us lazing on a Sunday morning. We have a vision: drinks and pool and extras willing to be in our movie but it’s got to happen organically so when we stop looking that’s when we...
Weir Everywhere
Well here I am again, writing yet another tribute to one of my fallen musical heroes. Bobby Weir, the guy who stood between Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh for 30 years while their band created musical alchemy, the likes of which the world had never known before the...
A Letter To Myself
Every New Year’s Day I write a letter to myself. The first section is a short recap of the previous year, the bulk of the letter is focused on the goals, hopes and dreams that I have for myself and for my family in the coming year. When I’ve finished writing I read...
Christmas Traditions
At this time of year I try my best to tune out the static and noise of overt commercialism that is nearly inescapable and focus on what I really like best about Christmas: the traditions. As a kid growing up in New Jersey, my family had time honored traditions that...
My Wild Neighborhood
On any given day I can watch river otters frolicking in a nearby creek, see a flock of turkeys parading across our yard or hear the distinctive whoo whoo of a Great Horned Owl. On occasion a stealthy grey fox will even make a rare appearance. You may be wondering, do...
Autumn Morning Rain
It’s a glorious grey dawn and autumn is at its mid-point. Pounding rain rat-a-tats on the plastic roof of our backyard deck. This is such a sanctuary for me, it’s the ideal place from which to watch the seasons change. Wind and rain rush through the trees with a...
Crosby, Stills and Nash Reimagined
I could tell the story of my life through the first Crosby, Stills and Nash album. Of course this record has a history and a story all it’s own. Here’s my take on it, song by song, Side I to Side II. Side One Those first notes, ringing like the crystal light of dawn,...