Ambulando Discimus

Competitive Résumé 2012

2012-01-31T10:07:00.000-08:00

Placings are generally for men age 60-64, except where noted as "overall."February 5, 2012Fiesta Island Time Trial1st place29:17 (25.46 mph)February 4, 20112Boulevard Road Race5th placeJanuary 29, 2012Tom's Farm Time Trial1st place20:21 (25.1 mph) - new P.R. for this courseJanuary 21, 2012Ontario Mills 5K1st place 22:19 (7:10 pace)January 8, 2012Piru Time Trial1st place32:27 (23 mph) - very windy

Photos of the Day

2011-12-16T11:12:00.001-08:00

Photo of the Day

2011-12-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

Photo of the Day

2011-10-22T13:29:00.001-07:00

Photos of the Day

2011-10-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Competitive Résumé 2011

2011-10-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

Placings are generally for men age 60-64, except where noted as "overall."December 11, 2011Tom's Farm Time Trial1st place20:28 (25.0 mph) - new P.R. for this courseNovember 13, 2011San Diego Duathlon2nd place (6th overall among 102 men in time trial)1:08:33November 12, 2011Santiago Canyon Time Trial1st place27:47 (23.8 mph) - new P.R. for this courseNovember 6, 2011Piru Time Trial1st place30:13 (

Photos of the Day

2011-10-01T10:14:00.001-07:00

Photos of the Day

2011-09-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Day

2011-09-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Day

2011-09-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

Photo of the Day

2011-09-03T07:56:00.000-07:00

Nothing Lasts Forever

2011-08-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing lasts forever Sunshine, rain Joy, sorrow Pleasure, pain Just when you think they're gone They come around again

The Gentle Barn's 12th Anniversary Open House

2011-08-28T17:06:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos from today's open house at The Gentle Barn, which was my first visit there. (Click on the photos to see full-size.) What an amazing place! I really admire Ellie, Jay and the many people who work and volunteer for this organization for the important work they do for the animals and for children. More of my photos can be seen at Picasa. It takes a lot of people and costs a

Photos of the Day

2011-08-27T16:53:00.001-07:00

Photos of the Day

2011-08-26T11:42:00.001-07:00

Photos of the Day

2011-08-24T07:14:00.001-07:00

Photo of the Day

2011-07-12T08:23:00.001-07:00

Photo of the Day - Pip's Domain

2011-07-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

I came across this card that my friend and fellow photographer Larissa sent me a while ago and realized, "This is where Pip lives now." Pip is the red-tailed hawk that thousands of people -- Larissa and me included -- watched as she incubated, hatched and fledged into these trees of Washington Square 57 years after André Kertész took this brilliant photo. All of this Pip-watching was possible

Lemon Drop

2011-06-29T18:45:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

Photo of the Day

2011-06-29T06:21:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Photos of the Day

2011-06-28T07:08:00.001-07:00

Rodrigo y Gabriela

2011-06-27T15:15:00.001-07:00

I discovered Rodrigo y Gabriela while researching Flamenco-style acoustic guitars and this song and video totally blew me away. Gabriela's rhythm style and technique are absolutely amazing. I want to be Rodrigo for a day -- or a year. Their story is equally amazing. There is an excellent music sampler on the PBS web page of their 2009 interview. Their album 11:11 features 11 songs dedicated to 11

Photos of the Day

2011-06-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Day

2011-06-26T11:24:00.001-07:00

Photos of the Day

2011-06-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

Photos of the Day

2011-06-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

Photo of the Day: Winter Bloom

2011-01-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

Photo of the Day

2011-01-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

Grandpa George

2010-12-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is my grandfather George Swanson's grave at the Los Angeles National Cemetery, which I visited with Deena, Chris and Dean on Dec. 28, three days after the 45th anniversary of his death. I'll never forget Christmas day in 1965, when my mom got the call that he had died at the Sawtelle Veterans Home, a facility run by the Veteran's Administration not too far from the cemetery.I'll also never

Family History

2010-12-26T07:33:00.000-08:00

After my dad died in 2007, I was spent a lot of time going through the many things he left behind in drawers, cabinets and a shed next to his house. Among them, was his duffel bag (photo below) from his military service on board the ship LST 23 in the south Pacific during World War II. In addition to his uniform (pictured here) was a journal of those years. Before being deployed to the war zone,

Hello, Sunshine!

2010-12-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

The rain has finally ended -- for a few days. Another big storm is expected to arrive tomorrow (Christmas). I emptied another one and one-half inches from my rain gauge Wednesday evening and tallied it up: 12 inches in four days. As my friend Bob Bottomley reminded me, that's a year's worth of precipitation in less than a week! It's hard to imagine one foot of water being added to the surface of

The Zanja

2010-12-22T12:27:00.000-08:00

I posted this as part of a series of iPhone photos on Facebook this morning, with the album title, "The Zanja at Flood Stage." I also uploaded them to Picasa if you want to see them all. My rain gauge at home has measured 10 1/2 inches of rain in the last four days and we were pounded with three inches overnight, which contributed to the torrent in the photos. For non-Redlands people, the Mill

Photos of the Day: Rainy Day Lunch-time Walkabout

2010-12-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

Since we're in the midst of the most intense series of rain storms in a decade here in SoCal, most of us at the college opted to stay warm and dry and eat lunch at our desks today. Since I'm a little behind on my photo-a-day project, I grabbed my iPhone and my umbrella and took a 30-minute photo safari around the engineering buildings. Here are the results. The last one is looking toward the "C"

Photo of the Day: Foggy Mountain

2010-12-18T17:32:00.001-08:00

I keep falling behind on this photo-a-day commitment. This one is from yesterday, taken with the iPhone while on my way to a holiday party at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology on Columbia Ave., north of UCR. I really liked way the fog drifted over the mountaintop. I hope you do, too.

Photo of the Day: Happy Birthday, Dad

2010-12-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Today would have been my dad's 86th birthday. This photo was taken at the house where he was born and grew up in San Bernardino. He was the world's greatest father and I miss him a lot. There is a lot to say about him, but that will have to come later. Happy birthday, dad!

Photo of the Day: Christmas 1986

2010-12-15T20:48:00.000-08:00

The technical quality of this composite of two iPhone photos is about as poor as anything I'll ever post, but I love it. These two Christmas tree ornaments with photos of Chris (top) and Dean (bottom) are from 1986, when they were six and three and one-half years old. Those were good times! I have lot of friends with young kids and it's a treat to watch them experience the joys of parenthood. I

Photo of the Day: Stand for Peace

2010-12-14T14:15:00.001-08:00

I thought it would be appropriate to take a photo of this rock during my lunch-time run to the "C" at UCR today. To me, it says, "Stand for Peace," which is what I heard Richard Holbrooke say about the United States in a taped interview on NPR this morning. A career diplomat, Holbrooke died yesterday. He was a regular on Charlie Rose's interview program and always impressed me with the depth of

Photo of the Day: Chemical Sciences

2010-12-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

Chemical Sciences Building, University of California, Riverside

Photo of the Day: End of Day

2010-12-13T06:46:00.000-08:00

This is a quick iPhone shot I grabbed while on my way back to my mom's house in Calimesa after doing her grocery shopping yesterday. I would have posted it yesterday, but I spent most of the afternoon and evening installing a new garbage disposal at her house, which was a colossal fail. This location in Calimesa provides a great evening view to the west and I've shot a lot of pics from here on

Help Save Jeté

2010-12-11T07:19:00.000-08:00

Meet Jeté, the subject of today's Photo of the Day. It was taken by her owner and my good friend Andrea. Sadly, Jeté is sick. Very sick. With cancer.Andrea moved from Redlands to Portland a few months ago and learned the bad news shortly after she got there: Jeté has vaccine-associated sarcoma. And the treatment is very costly. Thousands of dollars costly. You can read the saga of Jeté and how

Photo of the Day: UCR Sunset

2010-12-10T16:52:00.001-08:00

Here's another iPhone photo, taken about an hour ago from the landing on the fourth floor of my building at the Bourns College of Engineering at UC Riverside. My Facebook friends will recognize this view because I've posted many shots from this location. The "smoke stacks" are vents for the fume hoods in the labs in adjacent Bourns Hall. This photo was processed with Pro HDR, an outstanding

Photo of the Day: View from the "C"

2010-12-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

My Facebook friends have seen plenty of images similar to this on my wall. It was taken with my iPhone from the trail to the concrete letter "C" on the mountainside east of UC Riverside's campus, where I work. I've been trying to run there at least twice a week during my lunch hour. It's a great workout, and today was no exception. I broke in my new Brooks Cascadia trail running shoes and they

Photo of the Day: Mantitude

2010-12-08T22:41:00.000-08:00

I'm back. We'll see for how long -- it's been a year since my last post. I've been thinking it would be cool to commit to shooting and posting one good photo every day. That would make for a pretty nice body of work -- and an interesting look back at the places and events of a year. So...here is a prelude to my New Year's resolution for '11.I first saw this praying mantis on the message board we

Photo of the Day: Barking Up a Tree

2009-11-23T23:23:00.000-08:00

This shot of peeling orange tree bark was taken in an abandoned, dying grove in northeast Redlands. It reminds me of a time when we had seeming endless groves of citrus trees in this town. Now, we have Citrus Plaza -- a giant shopping complex with seemingly endless blacktop and concrete. I much prefer the trees. You can view the original image at SmugMug.

Photo of the Day: Door Decor

2009-11-22T20:57:00.001-08:00

Actually, Photo of Day for tomorrow, but since I won't have time then, I'm posting it today. The full-size image can be seen at SmugMug.

Photo of the Day: Rays of Hope

2009-11-22T07:25:00.001-08:00

This image speaks to me about hope. You can see the original at SmugMug.

Photo of the Day: Gatortude

2009-11-21T08:51:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted anything here for quite a while, and rather than subject my friends to my usual "croc" of useless drivel, I'm stealing an idea from my good friend Andrea Anthony -- Photo of the Day. Hopefully, it will inspire me to expand and improve my SmugMug gallery. Thanks for the inspiration, Andrea!

Nine Peaks Challenge

2009-06-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last year, when I rode my bike to South Fork, hiked to the peak of San Gorgonio Mountain, then rode home (all in one day), most of my friends told me I was crazy. Given that most of my friends are a whole lot smarter than me, I should probably listen to them and stop this nonsense. Not! This year was no exception as I made it my goal to do the 26-mile Nine Peaks Challenge on my birthday, which

Award-Winning Design

2009-06-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

I've posted a lot about Chris's Air Force awards and realize I'm seriously past due on recognizing Dean's accomplishments. It wasn't that long ago that, after an arduous stint as a student, he was graduating from Art Center College of Design and trying to figure out what he was going to do with his BFA degree in graphic design. After a lengthy time living in Vancouver, B.C., with his wonderful

San Bernardino East Peak

2009-06-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

I realize how redundant it is for me to say this, but yesterday was another perfect day in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. I've ventured up Momyer Trail four or five times this summer and it's become one of my favorites. It offers a little bit of everything in just the three miles before the wilderness boundary: cacti, yucca, a variety of flowers of all colors, thick oak, tall pine and beautiful

Ain't No Stoppin' This Guy

2009-05-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

Well, he did it again. Chris won another award! This time, it's the Jimmey Morrell Award for the 50th Operations Group Standardization and Evaluations Division. Yep, his dad is plenty proud. Here is a video of the announcement at the ceremony:

Farewell, Deborah Digges

2009-04-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

I was saddened to read the obituary in today's Los Angeles Times about Debora Digges, the brilliant poet whom I met when she visited Claremont Graduate University to accept the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award in 1996. She was a warm, humble person with an inviting smile whose writing had a profound effect on me. When the Tufts award judges announced her selection, I immediately bought a copy of her

Vivian Creek Trail Hike Redux

2009-04-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

Unlike last week, when I snoozed with the cats after breakfast, wimped out and drove to Forest Falls to hike up Vivian Creek Trail, today I saddled up my Litespeed and rode the 17 miles to the trail head. Laden with the customary trunk rack and saddle bags on the bike, along with the Camelback back pack with three liters of water, the ride was really hard, but I made it in under two hours. I

Vivian Creek Trail Hike

2009-04-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

My goal on this day, Sunday, April 19, was to ride my bike to Forest Falls, lock it to a tree and hike half-way to San Gorgonio Peak via Vivian Creek Trail (about 8.5 miles, round trip). I awoke feeling really good and without any muscle soreness from the big ride to Big Bear and Crestline the day before. I had breakfast, a couple of cups of coffee and read the Sunday newspaper. After I made the

Big Bear Ride

2009-04-19T09:42:00.001-07:00

Because I've been so busy trying to keep up-to-date with friends on Facebook, I've been remiss in posting here, so here's a brief note about my bike ride yesterday, which was epic. At 127 miles and 19,849' of climbing, it was definitely the biggest day on the bike I've ever had. It was also one of the best -- the weather was absolutely perfect (70 degrees in Lake Arrowhead) and a mild Santa Ana

Sound Retreat

2009-03-02T15:30:00.001-08:00

Grab your bugle, friendAnd sound retreatThere's no hopeIn going forwardWe've sufferedEnough losses alreadyThere's no senseIn taking the riskI'm tired, so tiredOf dodging bulletsOf seeing my dreamsFallen, bloodied, lifelessDreams are for foolsWho raise their flagsAnd charge aheadEasy targets, allI'll just listenTo the sound of the gunsThe cries of the woundedFrom here, in the distance Copyright

25 Random Things

2009-01-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

25 Random Things has been going around Facebook for a while now. My friend Larissa Schwartz tagged me on her list, so I put my fingers to the keyboard and posted one, too. Thanks again, Larissa! It was a fun exercise.So...here is a whole lot more information about me than you will ever want or need to know:1. I am named after my dad, but he had a different middle name (Melvin), so I wasn't a

We're Number One!

2009-01-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

The chant "We're number one!" always reminds me of the episode of The Simpsons that showed Bart's dream while squirming in bed, needing to wake up to pee. It had numerous references to running water and the urge to pee, including the sound of the water as Bart traveled down a river in a boat, with cheerleaders on the shore cheering, "We're number one!"I'll get back to that theme later. I've been

Let There Be Darkness!

2009-01-18T05:54:00.000-08:00

I don't like using an alarm to wake up. It's so utterly unnatural, but it's a requirement of this work-a-day world we live in. I'm not much of an early riser, but today the alarm had its advantages.Because I had to be in north San Diego County at 8 a.m. for a training ride with my cycling team, I set my alarm for 5:15 (yes, totally ungodly). When I went outside to get the Sunday Los Angeles Times

Four Billion Trees

2009-01-15T16:52:00.001-08:00

That's how many trees are cut down each year to create paper products. One of those products, of course, is the daily newspaper, which about 1.7 billion people read every day. Each person in the United States uses 749 pounds of paper every year (adding up to 187 billion pounds per year for the entire population, by far the largest per capita consumption rate of paper for any country in the world)

National Day of Service

2009-01-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

Michelle Obama's video (above) calls for all Americans to join her and her family on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 19, for a National Day of Service. What a perfect way to kick off President Barack Obama's term as president, which begins with his inauguration the next day. For many Americans, it will be just another day in a three-day holiday weekend. I hope instead we can all find a way

Star Stuff

2009-01-09T12:02:00.001-08:00

Carl Sagan told usWe're made from star stuffTiny bits of matterBundles of energyBorn eons agoIn the center of a starSomewhere, everywhereHere, then, nowTiny, temporary galaxiesWe spin through lifeAccelerating, non-stopToward the infiniteThere is space within usMuch more than substanceAnd space between usFlying apart, we scatterUntil we feel the pullGravity takes holdAnd we dance, as partners,With

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

On this eve of Christmas 2008, I am reflecting on two important things I learned from a conversation with a friend this week. At the time, her points hit me like 1,000 pounds of bricks. Since then, the other half of the ton has been hitting me in the head, one brick at a time. They will continue to get my attention as I reflect in the days ahead on these lessons she taught me: 1) Come down from

Good-bye, autumn

2008-12-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

Winter solstice occurs tomorrow at 4:02 a.m. PST, making today the last day of autumn. Tonight will be the longest night of the year, and tomorrow the shortest day. After that, days will get longer, the sun will be higher in the sky, and my favorite constellation Orion will disappear from the night sky. It's always a bittersweet time for me. I love the cool, brisk days and nights of this time of

Things I Love

2008-12-16T22:02:00.000-08:00

I met an extraordinary person recently who keeps a list of things she loves, which seems like really good exercise to do every now and then. Actually, it's a good exercise to do every moment of your life. If you're not doing what you love, what is the point of life?Earlier, I posted Myths of Our Time, which was about what I consider to be the misguided values of our Western culture. But what do I

Nameless

2008-12-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

I'm suddenly inspiredTo see againTo capture the worldThrough my lensTrying to show How I feelWithout the limitsOf wordsAs Lao Tzu wrote,Give it a nameAnd it's goneHidden in its boxI invite you alongTo share the viewTo see what's insideOf each of usIt may be differentPerhaps the sameIt matters notIt is nameless

Beach to Baldy

2008-10-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to get to all the photos I've shot lately, much less add to this blog, but I've been especially remiss in not posting something about the Beach-to-Baldy bike and hike I did Sunday, Oct. 5, with Joel and Darren. The three of us did the bike portion (they've done it a many times and invited me along for the first time this year). The motley crew in the photo below did the

Ride Around the Bear

2008-09-23T19:00:00.001-07:00

Joel Cinnamon's invitation to me to join his annual Beach-to-Baldy ride-and-hike Oct. 5 prompted me to post something about the Ride Around the Bear, which we rode together June 7. The Ride Around the Bear leaves from Sylvan Park in Redlands and heads to Big Bear Lake via Hwy. 330 through Running Springs, then on to Big Bear Lake's north shore (Fawnskin), returning via Hwy. 38 over Onyx Summit,

Family Additions

2008-09-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Meet the soon-to-be-additions to the Davidson household: When the stray orange tabby cat our next-door neighbor Susie named Lemonade (below) began alternating between her back yard and ours, we asked, "Whose is it?" No one in the neighborhood claimed her and she was clearly expecting a litter, so we began to wonder which of our houses would become the maternity ward. Three weeks ago, the planter

Mount Everest Challenge

2008-09-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

Because I won't be able to compete in next week's Mount Everest Challenge State Climbing Championships bike race, I decided to create my own personal version this past weekend. The Everest Challenge, which I completed in 2004 and 2005, is a two-day, 206-mile sufferfest that sends you up and down six mountains in the Sierras for a total of 29,035' of elevation gain. While the 201 miles I rode over

High Performance, Low Profile

2008-09-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Check this out: Some of Dean's most recent work for Dri-Eaz is on the web. While his work is primarily for print, he works in the same office with Dri-Eaz web dude (er...administrator) Marcus Purnell, who converted a recent piece Dean designed into a web page (click on images to view full size):Note the source code (highlighted in yellow), where Marcus gave him credit. Very cool:Dri-Eaz recently

Using Photoshop Levels

2008-09-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

I described this technique to my friend Joel Cinnamon and he said I should post it on my blog. So here is my first Photoshop tutorial, such as it is:Here's the "sitch": You have a digital image that you photographed on a very hazy day and it's so washed out, you can barely see what it was that made you point your camera in that direction. It's amazing what the camera can capture, and Photoshop

San Bernardino Peak

2008-09-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2008: I rode my bike to Angeles Oaks and hiked to San Bernardino Peak. I really recommend this hike for anyone who wants to experience the San Bernardino mountains. The view is spectacular! The valley was pretty hazy yesterday, so the photos are going to need some serious Photoshop work and will be posted later, along with video and the usual blah-blah-blah-me-me-me. Good news

San Gorgonio Summit

2008-07-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I finally made it to the summit of San Gorgonio Mountain yesterday. I left Redlands at 5:11 a.m., rode my bike to South Fork, hiked to the summit and back, then rode home, arriving at 8:46 p.m. Total time for the 52 miles of cycling and 23.2 miles of hiking was 15 hours and 35 minutes.This was probably the most physically demanding thing I have ever attempted, with the added

South Fork Ride and Hike

2008-07-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

I used to think that after I died, I wanted my sons to scatter my cremated ashes on the peak of San Gorgonio Mountain (a.k.a. "Old Greyback") and have those little "bits of me" spend future eons being washed and blown into the San Bernardino valley below, where my ancestors were among the original settlers. Climbing to the peak of San G. (elevation 11,499') has been a goal of mine for many years,

Summer Solstice 2008

2008-06-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

For the last decade, summer solstice (the longest day of the year) has always had a special meaning for me. This year, it happened on my birthday, June 20. The best part was it happened at precisely 4:59 p.m. PDT, meaning the end of the work week on Friday was also the beginning of summer. How cool was that? I headed to Hanger 24 Craft Brewery in Redlands, had my growler filled with orange wheat

Ride to Morton Peak

2008-06-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a satellite view of today's ride to Morton Peak. I took some photos with my Kodak camera from the Forest Service's fire lookout tower. The three miles from the highway to the lookout tower are about the hardest three miles I've ever climbed. Enjoy the view!

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Healey: "Look at Little Sister"

2008-06-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

Oh, man, where did this clip come from? Here's a look back at the greatness of two late guitar heroes. Watch as Healey gets up from his chair and Stevie stands on his toes during their solos. The quality of the video is poor and it breaks up in the middle, but plug your computer into your stereo's speakers, crank it up and re-live a bit of history.

Jimi Hendrix: "Voodoo Chile"

2008-06-28T09:01:00.001-07:00

Here is the one-and-only doing one of the greatest songs for guitar ever written. Joe Satriani referred to this song as "the ultimate guitar statement." Stevie Ray Vaughan's version at El Mocambo is among the best guitar performances of all time, but this version is by the man who wrote it. Performing a great song really well is one thing -- having it flow from your head to your fingers for the

Jeff Healey: "See the Light"

2008-06-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the late blind guitar genius Jeff Healey playing his signature song, "See the Light." An added bonus is Dr. John (Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr.) on piano. What an amazing talent -- and technique. Watch the way Healey bends the strings and walks up and down the fretboard with his fingers. We miss you, Jeff!

Kal David and John Mayall

2008-06-26T08:41:00.001-07:00

Here is an amazing video of Kal David playing alongside John Mayall and the Bluebreakers. I wrote about Kal in my earlier post The Soundtrack of My Life. Notice he's playing the same 1964 Gibson Firebird V he hangs around his neck on stage today. This is great stuff!

Redlands Native Earns Air Force Honors

2008-02-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

May 5, 2008To: Editor, Redlands Daily FactsGood morning,I sent a message in February about my son Christopher being named by the Air Force as Airman of the Quarter for the fourth quarter 2007 and was disappointed you didn't run it. I hope you'll consider sharing with the community his most recent award (below). I have attached a photo.Christopher (Chris) Davidson was named Enlisted Airman Space

Farewell, Smokey

2008-02-07T20:07:00.001-08:00

I said good-bye to our cat Smokey yesterday. About a week ago, we noticed he had gained a lot of weight and filled out around the middle. After a couple of days, he became lethargic and wasn't eating. X-rays showed his body was swollen with fluid and blood tests indicated he had feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), which was fatal. We could tell he was feeling worse with each passing day and

Leaves of Change

2008-01-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken by Sensei Susan Perry of Musubi Dojo and the Aiko Institute. The original was part of a wonderful exhibit of her work in 2007 at Some Crust bakery in Claremont. She is also the director of Budo Zen Art, which has a fantastic collection of brush stroke artwork. I am privileged to own one of her calligraphy works. This photo contains a message about our times that I reflect on

Overturning the Tables of the Money Changers

2008-01-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

When I opened my local newspaper the week of Thanksgiving, I couldn't believe what I saw. Attached to the front page was this colorful JCPenney post-it note describing how I could be among the first to shop for Christmas and get all the great deals by being at the local store -- at freaking 4 a.m.!At first, I was offended that they would think I was so stupid and so gullible to want to march with

Davidson Communications

2008-01-16T08:41:00.001-08:00

Dean and I have launched a new consulting enterprise Davidson Communications. We're currently working on a project for the Bicycle Commuter Coalition of the Inland Empire. Check out our website and if you need the help of a couple of communications pros, fill out the online request form.

High Frontier Honor Guard

2008-01-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

Chris has been chosen to serve on the High Frontier Honor Guard, which serves portions of Colorado and Kansas. It's an amazing honor for him to be chosen and represent the president of the United States as a member of this elite team. He'll perform Honor Guard duty one week per month for a year. Way to go, Chris!

Myths of Our Time

2007-11-01T11:54:00.001-07:00

Some common myths we live with today:A car can be considered beautifulIt's possible to win a war on terrorIt's better to drive than to walk or ride a bikeLeaf blowers are necessaryMeat is essential to our dietTime can be wasted, or lostWater is better if it's packaged in plastic bottlesGrowing hemp to produce the myriad products it is capable of will lead the world down a perilous path toward

Kingpin

2007-10-19T22:04:00.001-07:00

From the cartoon strip Kingpin by Dean Davidson

The Art of Peace

2007-10-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

As soon as you concern yourself with the "good" and "bad" of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with and criticizing others will weaken and defeat you. One does not need buildings, money, power or status to practice the art of peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.The divine does not like to be

The Essence of Tao

2007-10-18T22:57:00.000-07:00

Book One - IThe way that can be spoken ofIs not the constant way;The name that can be namedIs not the constant name.The nameless was the beginning of heaven and earth;The named was the mother of the myriad creatures.Hence always rid yourself of desires in order to observe its secrets; But allow yourself to have desires in order to observe its manifestations.These two are the sameBut diverge in

Launch!

2007-10-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Oct. 12, 2007, an Atlas 5 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral and carried the first Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft into orbit above earth. Shortly after launch, contact was made with the next-generation communications satellite, one of which is equivalent to the entire fleet of vehicles currently circling our globe. Guess who is working in the heart of the operation that manages

On Leadership

2007-10-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

Book One - XVIIThe best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects. Next comes the ruler they love and praise; Next comes the one they fear; Next comes the one with which they take liberties. When there is not enough faith, there is lack of good faith. Hesitant, he does not utter words lightly. When his task is accomplished and his work done The people all say, "It

Typographer

2007-10-11T17:56:00.001-07:00

My son Dean Davidson is a graphic designer living in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and he has a penchant for typography. He likes to create it, use it in his design work and lay down metal versions to print with. He created Cambie while he was a student at Art Center College of Design. Check it out: It's a beautiful font. While you're at it, check out his portfolio, too. If you need a talented

Worldchanging

2007-10-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed the opportunity to meet author/futurist/visionary Bruce Sterling when he visited Harvey Mudd College (HMC) in October 2006. During his talk (which is available in the video archive at HMC), he held up a copy of the book "Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century" and said, "Buy three copies of this book: One for yourself, one for someone 14 years older than you and one for

The Soundtrack of My Life

2007-09-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the guitar performances in my iTunes "Favorites" playlist, or often heard emanating from my DVD player. You'll have to buy, beg, borrow or steal to hear them (I recommend the first in order to reward these geniuses for what they created). There is no particular order to this list and it's a work in progress, with posts added as the auditory and expository spirit moves. If you're

A Question of Balance

2007-09-11T15:05:00.001-07:00

No, I don't mean the Moody Blues album from 1970, although it is one of my favorites. I wore out my vinyl copy the year it came out, when I lived in the Kappa Sigma Sigma house at the University of Redlands. My favorite song is "Question." Here is a sample (lyrics by Justin Hayward):Between the silence of the mountainsAnd the crashing of the seaThere lies a land I once lived inAnd she's waiting

Your Life, My LIfe

2007-09-09T23:47:00.000-07:00

Your Life, My LifeNo moreNo lessSignificantThan the otherSix billionSeeking significanceQueued upTo provideFossil footprintsYour life, my lifeGalactic, microbialThe difference?None, of courseYet it is, it doesMatter, this motion Copyright Don Davidson 2007

Beginning Aikido

2007-09-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my first night of training in Aikido at Musubi Dojo in Claremont. My instructor Alex was good in explaining the proper etiquette in bowing in and the other things we need to know. I've already forgotten most of the terminology and salutations, but they'll come with time. Ron Rubin and Susan Perry senseis, who are married and own the dojo, are wonderful people. They make Aikido seem

Peter F. Drucker

2005-11-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I found a need to write, but Peter Drucker's death yesterday inspires me to reflect on what he meant to me. I was privileged to be able to take two classes from him while in the Executive Management Program at the business school that bears his name at Claremont Graduate University. I will never forget his "lightbulb" lectures, so-named because he would ramble on for what