How's Robb?

... If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you may have heard about the mysterious substance that is coating (and killing) aquatic birds in the East Bay.  The substance is the consistency of rubber cement -- in some cases gluing birds' wings to their bodies -- and it's chemical makeup is utterly baffling.  It is not a petroleum product, and every test that it has been subjected to comes back negative. Luckily for the birds, there is a wonderful network of wildlife specialists who are working to help these animals.  Folks are patrolling the shorelines, and hundreds of birds are being treated at International Bird Rescue.  There's an amazingly capable staff, and a small army of volunteers. I'm volunteering with International Bird Rescue, and will be writing about my experiences.  Today I did not take any photos, because we were far too busy. All of these excellent photos are by staff photographers at the Contra Costa Times. Best thing ever: the

It's been a difficult last few weeks.  We said goodbye to my Dad this week.  It's hard to know what to say so I'll just excerpt some of the remarks I wrote for his memorial service: Last week, on the day that Dad passed away, I was wandering …and found myself out in my workshop. I think I went out there to take my mind off what was happening, maybe a chance to forget for a little while. There a was project I've been meaning to do lately. I found a piece of wood and I reached for my toolbox, took out some tools and it suddenly struck that this was the box my father had built for me and I was holding in my hand, a tool he once used. Then I realized, why I was in there.  It was not to forget, it wasn't to take my mind off things.  It was to remember him.  When I was younger, if somebody asked me what my father did, I would tell them he was a lawyer but he was also a carpenter and an architect who built the house we lived in.  I was so proud of that.  Dad was als