Birds and coffee
The thing about travel is it reminds you how precious a day is. How does one hold onto that awareness while home? That’s the catch right? I thought this while making coffee with one of the nifty, single-serve, drip coffee packets we brought home from Tokyo. I was so confused when our hotel provided a hot water pot and coffee grounds, but no cone filter …then we looked a little closer and it turned out the filter was built in. Well cool! Then we started seeing these single-cup filter packets everywhere, sold at local coffee roasters and convenience stores alike. I bought a few to take home.
Single-cup coffee filters were some of the very few things I bought on our trip, in part because we were traveling light, but mainly because I’m not much of a shopper. This left one of my more shopping-inclined pals a little aghast; like food, or birds, or underground jazz clubs, we could have based a trip on shopping. Vintage, high end, convenience, street, you name it, Japan had a market or store. Matt had also introduced us to the HARD OFF stores that dot the country, Japan’s answer to our Goodwill, Salvation Army and Crossroads Exchange, etc. HARD OFFs are a treasure trove of stuff, from musical instruments to video games, cookware to appliances, shoes, clothes and more. If I ever moved to Japan, I wouldn’t take much more than what I brought for the 10-day visit, and just get whatever I needed at a HARD OFF. Seriously.
Stuff. Logistics, work, laundry, shows, emails, cat meds, they sure fill up time and space regardless of how much shopping you’ve done. As the coffee brewed, I thought again of how quickly time goes, the last couple of weeks having flown by, bits of gold amid the mundane.
Spring bird migration is in full force and birds are on the move. Every year I go on and on about BirdCast to anyone who will listen so here you go! I remain a fan of the ‘Local Dashboard’ feature and invite you to check it out then keep an eye and ear out in your backyard or nearest park. Saturday, World Migratory Bird Day, I got up and visited my local patch and was happy to get some first-of-season birds (hello, Olive-sided Flycatcher; hello Wilson’s Warbler).
That afternoon, we had the good fun and fortune to play a house concert in the backyard of a bird-lover’s East Bay home. A week earlier, the yard had been featured in the Bring Back the Natives Garden Tour. For those of us who missed the garden tour, the website is a treasure trove of information on making your garden bird and pollinator friendly. Bonus if that yard does triple duty for musicians! I’ll say it’s that much more fun to perform (and listen) when butterflies are wafting by.
West End Art District is hosting a fabulous, Ocean Photographer of the Year Exhibit on Alameda Point. Presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain, Ocean Photographer of the Year features a selection of winning — and truly stunning — photos chosen from 15000 submissions. Depicting multiple aspects of the ocean’s grandeaur, wildlife, threats and conservation efforts, W.E.A.D has rounded out the show with a variety of special and complimentary events and artist talks. Given my Santa Cruz roots, I’ve a long-time (mostly armchair at the moment!) interest in surf culture, and picked up tickets to a Surf Culture & Storytelling: Framing the Ocean Story panel, which provided some local context and fun insight into what its like to document Bay Area and big wave surfing. Especially loved hearing the perspective of filmmaker/photographer/surfer Sachi Cunningham at this. Inspiring.
Alameda Point continues to burble with new energy. Having slept on the Tokyo vinyl-listening bar scene, we made a point to get to the new (and first), vinyl wine bar and shop that’s now open on the Point. The owner, Chamaine, stopped by our table to tell us more about her place, including that she had sourced some of her speakers …from Japan! A nice scene (w n/a options as well if you just want to sit and listen).
“Despair is a luxury our grandchildren cannot afford. We need to look at things realistically and historically. Political systems are never as fixed as they appear in the middle of a difficult moment. Courts change. Legislatures change. Governors change. Public opinion changes. And turnout changes everything” — Heather Cox Richardson
The thing about a fascist takeover is it reminds you how precious democracy is. It is a challenging times for those of us interested in I’ve got my primary election ballot ready for my vote. I hope you do, too.
The last day to register to vote for the June 2, 2026, Primary Election is May 18, 2026. June 2 is the last day to vote in-person or return a ballot by 8:00 p.m. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked no later than June 2.
Also for California folks, the fifth iteration of 19 Voices in Solidarity is happening Saturday, May 16, 2026 at the Lost Church - Santa Rosa, 545 Mendocino Ave. Join us for this matinee performance— all proceeds from the show go to ACLU and Peace & Justice Center Sonoma.
