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
River Meditation
Here at Riverfront Park, the Russian River carries small pieces of the forest with it on its slow journey to the sea. Leaves, twigs, bits of fluff, bird feathers and who knows what else. The river’s main current flows close to the bank opposite me in an unending...
Chickadee, Crow and Jay
Crow How black is that crow sitting way up there near the top of that Dr. Seuss-like eucalyptus tree? So black that it looks like negative space; like a perfect crow shape has been cut out of the blue sky to reveal the blackness of outer space beyond. Black licorice,...
Dicky Betts and The Allman Brothers Band
I can’t recall for sure exactly when I first heard the Allman Brothers, or who turned me on to them, all I know is their music has been part of my life for over half a century. The Allman Brothers, it seems like they’ve always been there. It was sometime in high...
We’re In Love With Everyone And Everyone Is In Love With Us
Mitch, Andy and I are as close as friends can be. We’ve shared countless blissful times together over the course of our more than three decade friendship. Our annual boy’s weekends are much anticipated touchstones in our lives. The following is an account of one such...
Great Blue Heron Rookery: My Secret Place
In a world thoroughly trampled on by humans, “secret” places are hard to come by. A couple of months ago I found one such spot just off the trail here at Riverfront Park Riverfront is one of the more popular of the regional parks in Sonoma County. The location of my...
A Reimagined Tree
Our plum tree is almost completely dead, but instead of mourning its loss, we’ve reimagined what a tree could be. Somehow a small cluster of branches at the center of the tree have managed to bloom this spring. Tiny white blossoms have given way to slender green...
Blue Mug
Four mugs hang like silent sentries, standing guard over the coffee maker. They are led by my long time morning companion Blue Mug. Blue, sturdy and thick walled, is the leader of the pack. Its handle spans the entire length of the mug from lip to base. This mug is...
Spring Is Here!
Carol and I left for the Sierras on a rainy Wednesday before dawn, returning home after three days of snow and bitter cold to brilliant sunshine and a warm breeze that said, “Spring is here!” with every jingle of our wind chimes. To finally get a clear, dry day after...
Twenty Years On
On March 6th our precious twins turned twenty. I wrote them a letter. Dear Sam and Denali, So how on Earth did you both manage to turn twenty? The moment of your birth was a watershed event for your mom and I and without a doubt the greatest day in our lives. Two...
The Serendipity of Beach Structures
The serendipity of a beach structure always makes me smile. I can see the spontaneity in its design, the helter skelter randomness in the way the various materials were used to construct it. There may have been a conscious effort on behalf of the builders to come to...
The Language of Waves
I’m sitting here at Doran Beach with my eyes closed, deep in meditation and listening to the waves in stereo. In the absence of sight, sound is all I have so the sounds of the waves become intensified. I’m hearing four distinctive sounds. First there’s a woosh as the...
A Haven For Birds
I’m watching the birds come and go, they flit and flutter from tree top to branch to feeder. The titmice peck contentedly at the seed feeders until they are supplanted by a larger species like the towhee or golden crowned sparrow. When the magnificent scrub jay with...