The Adventures of Sheldon: A Handsome Devil and He Knows It!

This past weekend Sheldon went to the groomer for his monthly wash, trim and fluff. We splurged for the full service extras: nail trim, an herbal conditioner and teeth cleaning. Sheldon loves going to the grooming salon; his groomer fawns all over him, lavishing Sheldon with praise and hearty doses of petting and belly rubs along the way. Anyway, when he finally returned home he was so excited about his haircut that he ran over to the mirror to check himself out. He is one smart poodle. As he admired himself in the mirror, I swear I could hear him thinking: "I look really handsome". You see, Sheldon looks good and he knows it! Later in the evening I sat down for a few minutes, and he ran over and posed for this picture with me, turning to the camera at just the right angle. He is a handsome devil, isn't he?
-Rick Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: Photography of Seth Hoffman

My weekly Sunday Art Review feature has become a popular favorite with regular readers of this blog. Each week I attempt to showcase various forms of art across a multitude of mediums. I never profess to be an art expert or art snob. (Although I did study Art History in college). Regardless, the Sunday Art Review is never pretentous, rather a place for people to be exposed to something different each week. Art is subjective- what one person finds appealing may not be another person's taste. Art can be oil on canvas, sculpture, carvings, glass, clay, architecture, jewelry design, photography and many other forms. This week I am pleased to present The Sunday Art Review: Photography of Seth Hoffman. With Seth's permission I am featuring three examples of his work here on this post. His next exhibit is in LaQuinta, CA on May 3, 2009. click here for details. Seth's work is painstakingly handcrafted in darkrooms in thiocarbamide toned silver gelatin prints. I hope you enjoy his unique work:

above: these palm trees against the sky are beautiful, aren't they?

above: "La Quinta Storm"

above: Big Sur ocean seascape

Thanks for stopping by this week's Sunday Art Review. If you enjoyed Seth's work, please stop by his site and let him know.

-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Favorite Paula Abdul Songs

Like millions of others, I am a faithful fan of American Idol. Each season I follow the auditions across the country and eventually begin rooting for my favorite contestants when it gets down to the top 10. This season is no exception- there are plenty of good singers on the show this year! As a side note, one of my favorites was Jennifer Hudson from season three. A few years back I had the chance to meet Jennifer Hudson at a private party here in in Palm Springs. But I digress). I can honestly say that I also watch because I am a fan of Paula Abdul. I have always liked Paula, way back in the 80's when she was on the radio constantly. Despite some of the grief people give her I think Paula is awesome. She is the inspiration for this week's scintillating edition of The Saturday Seven: Favorite Paula Abdul Songs
#1 The Way That You Love Me
#2 Opposites Attract
#3 Forever Your Girl
#4 Dance Like There's No Tomorrow
#5 Straight Up
#6 Cold Hearted
#7 Knocked Out
Here's a YouTube video of Dance Like There's No Tomorrow:

Thanks for stopping by this week's Saturday Seven post. I'll have more news about Paula Abdul very soon....if you want a sneak peak, click here...or here.
-Rick Rockhill

Philatelic Friday: Stamps of Noteworthy Women

Welcome to another edition of Philatelic Friday, this week's topic is Stamps of Noteworthy Women. I've featured stamps of other women in prior Philatelic Friday posts, so I won't repeat those. Instead, I've searched low and high, near and far and all around for an interesting variety of women to include in this post. The feature stamp here is of Eva Peron, former first lady of Argentina and later immortalized in the Broadway musical, Evita. Controversial, idolized, vilified and admired by millions, she remains an interesting figure to this day, even 57 years after her death. The rest of the women featured on stamps below are a true cross-section of society. I hope you enjoy this edition of Philatelic Friday...

above: Eleanor Rathbone, Great Britain

above: Anna Julia Cooper, USA

above: Margaret Mead, USA

above: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, USA

above: Martha Washington, USA

above: Women's Progress: Elizabeth Stanton, Carrie Catt and Lucretia Mott, USA

above: Princess Ka 'iulani, from Hawai'i (pre US)

above: The Queen Mum, Great Britain

above: Blues singer 'Ma Rainey, USA

above: athlete Wilma Randolph, USA

Thanks for stopping by another edition of Philatelic Friday, have a great day!

-Rick Rockhill

Hangin' With Ben & Nat

I've been super busy this week, with scarcely any time to breathe, never mind blog. This photo is from last weekend, when we met up with my friend Ben and his lovely wife Natalie for breakfast. They were in the desert for a few days, visiting from Indianapolis. Ben and I are old buds...we used to work together but still keep in touch. The cool thing about this dude is that even though we don't talk that often, when we meet up we just jump back into it like we saw each other a day or two ago. We have a special bond through someone who is no longer with us, but I won't get into that now, it is still too painful to think about. This day was a happy occasion. We joked. We laughed. And most importantly, we ate. I had some delicious pancakes and cawfee...gosh I love breakfast. Oh check out the SWEET Stevie Nicks t-shirt I am wearing in the photo above. Look below for a close-up of it...

above: Here is a zoom up of my Stevie Nicks t-shirt. This is one of my favorites. Well that's all for now. Have a great day.
-Rick Rockhill

An Evening with Buddy Greco and Lezlie Anders!

Saturday evening we had a fabulous night out on the town. We went to a place that has quickly become one of the hottest tickets in the Palm Springs area, Buddy Greco's Dinner Club. Founded by the world-renowned artist Buddy Greco and his lovely and talented wife Lezlie Anders, the club is reminiscent of the old supper clubs from the early days of American Jazz dinner clubs across the country. Buddy Greco has recorded 69 albums and 100 singles in jazz, standards and pop format similar to the style of Frank Sinatra or Bobby Darin. This past year he toured with the BBC Big Band performing the great jazz standards. Both Greco and Anders star in the show at their club, an intimate setting that has the energy and feel of a jazz club in Manhattan.

I borrowed this photo below from their website, showing the lounge/bar area:

above: From this photo on their website, here are Buddy Greco and Lezlie Anders enjoying cocktails at their lounge.

above: the club has a wonderful old Hollywood club feel, complete with dramatic black draperies and this fab chandelier....

above: inside the club, the walls are adorned with memorabilia of Buddy Greco's long and illustrious career. On the right wall are album covers from some of Buddy's 69 albums.

above: I took this photo just before the show began. Being the Palm Springs Savant, we had front row seats...

above: before dinner we enjoyed wine amid soft candle light, accented with fresh white roses on the table.
A Delicious Pre-Show Dinner

above: I had Chicken Marsala

above: Cousins Peg and Rich had Osso Buco

above: John had the Salmon, with fresh raspberries

above: and for dessert, chocolate raspberry cake! (Bee it was delicious too)

above: Once the show started, I enjoyed a delicious Pomegranate Martini to get in the mood.

above: the club has great old photos of Buddy Greco, here is is with Dean Martin (left) and with Frank Sinatra (right)

above: These photos are of Buddy Greco with Marilyn Monroe.

above: I didn't snap any photos during the show myself, but this photo is from their website. Lezlie Anders performs with Buddy Greco.

above: a very blurry and disappointing photo of me with Buddy Greco. I'll have to swing by for a new photo sometime...I saw this site of the Buddy Greco fan page. Here is an old clip on You Tube of Buddy Greco singing his siganture song Lady is a Tramp

If you are ever in the Palm Springs area, I recommend a visit to Buddy Greco's Dinner Club, you'll be glad you did.
-Rick Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: Study of Grapes

It has been a relaxing weekend at home in the desert, quiet nights outside, enjoying the crisp dry desert air with a nice glass of wine. Last night we enjoyed a bottle of St. Clement Oroppas, a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon which was delicious. As I stared at my glass of wine, I found inspiration for this week's Sunday Art Review: A Study of Grapes. Regular readers of this blog know that I enjoy wine. While primarily a red wine household, we have been known to have our share of white wine on hand, especially for a warm afternoon when something cool, light and crisp is a refreshing way to pass some time at home. I thought it might be interesting to feature a few images of grapes and their relationship to wine. Enjoy...

above: "Feeling Wine", by Sommers, oil on canvas

above: "Grapes" by Karen Wright, oil.

above: "Pinot Noir Grapes" by Anna Knights

above: "Cabernet Grapes", photograph. Artist unknown.

above: "Grapes" by Tsunetomo Morita, oil on canvas.

above: "Grapes" by Vivian Hershfield, painting

I hope you enjoyed this week's Sunday Art Review: Study of Grapes. Which do you like best and why? Please leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you. Enjoy the weekend!

-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Famous Sidekicks That Matter

The other day I was driving to work listening to the Howard Stern Show, (as I've done for easily 20 years) when I started thinking about Robin Quivers, who is Howard's sidekick on the show. She is more than a sidekick, really, but that's the role she plays. It occurred to me that she is an integral dynamic of the show. On her own, she might not be as strong, but without her the show would be missing an important element: balance, reasoning, women's logic, etc. The point is that while she is a sidekick, she is part of what makes it work. You know, it's the old "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". This was the inspiration for another scintillating edition of The Saturday Seven: Famous Sidekicks That Matter

#1 Robin, the Boy Wonder: I don't care what anyone says, Batman is always better with Robin.

#2 Dr Watson: The great Inspector Sherlock Holmes was saved many a time, by Dr Watson, who often helped with a critical piece of evidence to crack the case every time.

#3 Rocket J Squirrel, also known as Rocky, The Flying Squirrel. He was the brains and common sense to Bullwinkle, the mouse.

#4 Ed McMahon: The intro voice of the old Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He was corny, old fashioned and had a guffaw of a laugh, but he was the jelly to Carson's peanut butter.

#5 Tattoo: Of Fantasy Island. Mr Rourke ran the joint, but Tattoo sure did a lot for his "Boss"

#6 Woodstock: For a tiny bird that couldn't speak, he sure had a lot to do with Snoopy.

#7 Sonny (Bono): For many years Cher was with Sonny and they were a great pair. Cher of course went on to have a huge career after she and Sonny split, but I had to include them since Sonny was the former Mayor of Palm Springs and went on to be our Congressman.

What other famous sidekicks can you think of? Go ahead, leave a comment I'd love to hear from you.

-Rick Rockhill