[Leica] Re: Jim Brick: Stay-at-Home

[Jim Brick <jim_brick@agilent.com>]

History of where I've been other than Santa Cruz:

Four years at Oregon State College, Corvallis, OR. (55-59), two years at
Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, CA. (60-61), six months
active duty (7.5 years reserve) US Coast Guard, Alameda CA, and Hawaii, six
year contract with Omnipoint in Colorado Springs, CO. (commuted 200 times
from CA). Worked in Darmstadt, Germany, summers for six years (European
Space Agency - ESRO back then).

Things I learned while in California:

Started surfing at age 12. Taught my kids how to surf when I was 45.
Started skin diving at age 12. Was one of the original CA coast divers.
Made an underwater movie while at Brooks.
Started skiing at age 14 at Soda Springs, CA and worked on the ski patrol
through college (OSC) at Hoodoo Bowl and occasionally Mt. Hood. Worked on
the ski patrol at Mammoth Mt. CA while attending Brooks.
Taught my daughter how to ski at age 55. All four kids now snowboard. I can
still cruise with the best of them. Next I take up snowboarding (with hard
boots.)
Published four books of the CA coast areas.
Made and sold dozens of MF & LF landscape photographs, printed 30x40 and
up, of the CA coast area. Will soon be represented by a gallery in Pacific
Grove, CA.
Working on eastern Sierra fall colors and coastal wildflowers photographs.
Working on a Napa Valley Wine Country book.
Working on a scenic quilting book.
All within a few hours of home.

Other than this state being run by politicians of the brain dead ilk, and
bug huggers (why we now have no electricity) there is everything from
mountains (14,494 feet, highest in the US), to desert (-282 feet, lowest in
the US), picturesque sand dunes, gorgeous ocean coastline, seas of
wildflowers, giant redwoods and sequoias, active volcano (Lassen), lake
Tahoe, Yosemite, San Francisco with the Golden Gate, sailing on the bay,
wildlife sanctuaries, clear sky, rain, fog, thunder heads, freezing
weather, boiling weather, windy weather, perfect weather, sun, rain, hail,
lightning, snow. And enough space so that it can all be happening, in CA,
at the same time.

And a plethora of LUGgers.

I wonder why I have never moved away?

:-)

Jim

At 07:28 PM 2/1/01 -0500, Marc James Small wrote:
>At 03:53 PM 2/1/2001 -0800, Jim Brick wrote:
>>I was born in Santa Cruz. My dad's business encompassed Santa Cruz,
>>Monterey, Carmel, and Salinas so I have spent my 63 years right here.
>
>Bless you, Jim.  THAT is what is wrong with you.  You have NEVER been
>outside the State of Horror, that is, California?  Gosh!
>
>I was born in LA, moved East at age 5, West at age 17 and finished high
>school in the Bay Area, then moved East for college and have been here ever
>since, in a few states (of confusion, as Rabiner would say!)  Trips
>occasionally to areas as bizarre as Toronto and New Orleans.
>
>The East has a slew of advantages over the Left Coast, the greatest of them
>being an occasional splew of snow to remind us what decent weather can be.
>You cannot be alive at 70 degrees.  You positively HUM with life at 10
>below ...
>
>Marc
>
>msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
>Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!