I enjoy beachcombing for many reasons but walking in sand isn’t one of them. So I hired an out-of-work circus monkey named Frank to help me. He’s super cute in his clown suit, doing tricks on his tiny dirt bike, and he’ll do anything for some banana. I couldn’t understand why the circus would fire […]
cormorants
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Surf Smelt Crime Spree
I’ve noticed recently that once a person commits enough crimes in plain sight, all their subsequent crimes are basically freebies. One life sentence, 12 life sentences … who cares? And there are only so many times you can be executed. I’d like to achieve this exciting state of crime freedom. So I’m going to start […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Magnificent Frigate Birds
Frigate birds are a surprising study in contrasts. On the one hand, I admire them gliding effortlessly high overhead, following the updraft above a Pacific beach in southern Mexico. On the other hand, here’s a male “magnificent” frigate bird on the Galapagos, perched clumsily with his ungainly red gular pouch inflated. It’s a chick magnet: […]