HomerCafe.com

Spitfire Grill serves it up with flair

2008-07-24T15:02:00.004-08:00

Fresh red salmon steak and scallops served over fresh local greens. Delicious! Earlier that week in June I enjoyed the grilled king salmon. Those mean-looking fish have the most buttery, rich flesh of all salmon.

I react to seeing an eagle 2006

2007-11-30T12:33:00.000-09:00

Typical sight in Homer, but shooting my own reaction to seeing a neighborhood eagle was an unexpected bonus. Having it land after I zoomed in was icing on the cake.

Crusty Berring Sea Crab Fisherman

2007-11-29T14:03:00.001-09:00

This crabber has an attitude, and an appetite.

Water Waste Treatment

2007-06-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

The City Of Homer's advanced technology for environmentally conscious waste water treatment was featured on World Business Review. The environmental and city images appear to be generic Alaska stock, but the behind the scenes information provides a glimpse of our underground water treatment system.

Horse & Rider On Kachemak Bay

2007-06-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

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The incoming tide would hide the octopus released by beach walkers. Bishops' beach had emptied when a couple more visitors apeared. The clouds over Kachemak Bay dramatized the setting. (40 seconds)

Fieldcasting With Lynn Naden

2007-05-29T23:53:00.000-08:00

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Lynn Naden knows how to create molds and cast forms, and generously shares some of her process with HomerCafe.com viewers!

At Anchor Point Beach, Lynn finds a suitable natural form for creating a mold. Later, she will press pulp into the mold, casting paper shapes in preparation for her showing, opening Friday, June 1 at the Pratt Museum.

Like a photographer, Lynn goes into the field to capture an impression, returning to the studio for developing. In contrast with photography, her cast paper takes on new qualities depending on lighting, or may instead be experienced by touch.

In art, is innovation relevant? I tend to suspect that the label of innovative misinforms, or worse, points to works deficient in skillful execution and aesthetic value. Reflecting natural objects in cast form is certainly a classical pursuit, but this process of field casting strikes me as novel. Perhaps this exists as a tradition I am unaware of?

Lynn was a help to me back in the day of WKFL TV. She bravely appeared last minute on camera as a panelist representing artists, fielding questions about community values in front of a full theater audience. Her off the cuff, heartfelt observations about war and soul reverberate in memory.

Stranded Octopus Rescued, Liberated

2007-05-22T18:24:00.001-08:00

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An extreme low tide of august 2006 stranded an octopus, delighting a curious group of tide-poolers organized by the Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center. The beaked mollusk seemed unharmed and pleased to be freed from the confines of a bucket of water, as it clambered out and into rising waters. A dramatic moment for all of us who had gathered around.

Barbra Davis, Wired Women Designs

2007-05-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

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Since this November 2006 interview, Barbra Davis has gone on to show her wire and stone creations in galleries stretching from Alaska to North Carolina. See her work on display at Fireweed Gallery, and
visit the online shop Barbra shares with her sisters, Brenda and Debbie. Hi, ladies!

Two Pocketable HD Camcorders!

2007-05-12T20:11:00.000-08:00

The ideal candidate for upgrading from my Xacti C-6!
Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD2 7MP MPEG4 High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
Order one at my Amazon-Associate Store!

You might also be interested in the new low cost Aiptek GO-HD High Definition 720p Camcorder with 3x Optical Zoom

Homer Skateboarding Competition 2006

2007-05-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

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Guts `n glory! Skateboarders show off their best tricks and some pavement-munching too, at the Homer Skatepark, in front of the Homer Boys And Girls Club.

Skateboarders can video their point of view with the
Digital Blue Tony Hawk Helmetcam.

Brown bear kills moose in driveway via YouTube

2007-05-10T00:24:00.005-08:00

Locals discover a brown bear dispatching a moose on their driveway. This event has made news in Homer, and even nationally. I think the documentation of the event, and the world-wide broadcast/sharing is part of the news-worthiness. Submitted to YouTube under account name Bonzerrific.

Gruesome!

The moose will birth their fawns on June 23rd, typically. They are all gemini. That birthday is shared by Homer-raised Jewel Kilcher, incidentally.

BEASTFISH: 287 `Pounder

2007-05-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Part 1 (part 2 below)

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This episode features a 287 pound fish being weighed and admired, then the start of filleting it. Halibut are known to grow to "barn door" proportions, weighing as much as 600 pounds! The meat is white and delicate, but these old cows are the breeding stock. It's the younger fish that taste best, and contain fewer parasites. Instead of scales for protection, halibut secrete a thick mucus, making them tricky and messy to process.

Part 2

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Flipside of the BEASTFISH video, featuring a 287 pound halibut.

The earbones are saved for the fisherman, who reeled in his catch from his wheelchair. Earbones provide clues about the age of the halibut.

Homer offers excellent halibut fishing, and a competition, the Homer Halibut Derby. The 2006 Halibut Derby Jackpot Prize was $43,612.

Planning a halibut fishing trip? Consider this book-- How to Catch Trophy Halibut: Proven Tips Techniques and Strategies of the Experts

Don Young Uses Phoney Lincoln Quote

2007-05-03T21:47:00.000-08:00

Alaska's Congressman Don Young repeats a phony Lincoln quote, calls for fellow members of Congress to be hanged for dissenting on the war. Oops.

On a lighter note, comedian Bob Newheart had fun with Lincoln attributions, too (mp3 page).

Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart available here.
Ashley Book of Knots

DJ Ted Stevens Techno Remix:

2007-05-03T17:08:00.001-08:00

"A Series Of Tubes"

Alaskan Representative Stevens net neutrality speech got a fun remix, now a cool video.

Ducks In Mist "A L'Orange"

2007-05-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

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November 2006, an early evening walk across the road dividing Beluga Lake from Beluga Slough. Creamsicle-tinted water vapor rolled across the slough where ducks fed in the long shadows of ice-encrusted grasses.

Day of Prayer, Day of Reason

2007-05-03T09:21:00.001-08:00

Today is National Day of Prayer, and also National Day of Reason. To mark both, here is an Amazon.com offering of a book, split into two parts, that I once borrowed from the collection of Brother Asaiah Bates in the early 90's. As an astrology and mythology buff, I was fascinated. I reported on this to my mom, who responded, "Why yes, it's widely understood that Christianity is of hellenic-judaic origins." Your purchase through this link supports HomerCafe.com.

The Restored New Testament, Part 1: The Hellenic Fragments, Freed from the Pseudo-Jewish Interpolations, Harmonized and Done into English Verse and Prose

The Restored New Testament, Part 2: The Hellenic Fragments, Freed from the Pseudo-Jewish Interpolations, Harmonized and Done into English Verse and Prose

Walking With Beasts

2007-05-02T18:44:00.000-08:00

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This bull moose looks both ways before crossing the Homer Bypass. Moose can achieve speeds up to 34 miles per hour when pressed, but usually we see them standing around chewing on trees or lumbering about. Video from late April, 2007.

I watched Walking With Prehistoric Beasts on DVD this week, available at the Homer Public Library, and at the link, from Amazon. Seeing those gigantic hairy beasts brought back to life on the screen felt weirdly akin to my present day alaskan surroundings.

Bootsy Is Loved

2007-05-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

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Because there aren't enough cats on the internet, here's Bootsy! With her petite, regal form and oh-so-soft fur, this queenly kitty is rarely at a loss for attention.

Lorraine Temple of Alaska Husky Spirit

2007-04-30T20:08:00.001-08:00

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We encountered Lorraine at the Homer Post Office, and she graciously took time out of her schedule to brief our viewers of her latest Alaska Husky Spirit adventures. Mush, little doggies!

Singing In The Rain - Water Under The Bridge

2007-04-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

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1991 at the Waterfront Bar.
I cast a schmaltzy spell over the audience, while they murmur about my identity. I had just cut off my long hippie hair!

Sweet video production by Reel `N Video, George and Penny Frazier. They now live in Licking Missouri, selling pine nuts from wildcraft, and promoting related environmental concerns. They appeared before the lens on FOX TV's Trading Spouses last year.

In the early 90's, not long before the date of this performance, I sat in the local food co-op's dining area, sharing thoughts on using the Homer cable access to make and share TV programs using my Amiga video computer. Brother Asaiah Bates told me emphatically, "Call it WKFL, brother," for wisdom, knowledge, faith and love.

I was barely aware that the letters had originally been associated with Krishna Venta, WKFL Fountain of the World cult, and the Barefooters who settled in Homer in the 1950's. WKFL as "station call letters" seemed charmingly anachronistic, yet edgy! The name also belongs to a Homer park dedicated to peace, on land donated to the city by Brother Asaiah. You can read about controversy sourounding that issue in the sample pages of Brother Asaiah at Amazon.com.

George and Penny contacted me when I had some recognition for Beef-- Having It Your Way. They contacted me again soon after, and presented me this edited Singing In The Rain Karoake performance. We touched bare feet, that peculiar intimacy seen on Penny-Meets-the-Zandi's on Trading Spouses.

Soon we were making a local cable access pilot. We combined my ideas, abilities and video computer with their complimenting VHS video equipment, skill sets, and brain children of their own. I lasted through the pilot episode, which presented an interview and the chant of a visiting monk from Tibet; a moderated panel on values, featuring a varied swatch of community representatives held at the Homer Family Theater; and Behind The Scenes of The Wearable Arts Show.

That was fifteen years ago. It no longer requires full-blown legal skills to broadcast, since this internet obsoletes local cable access channels. My Sanyo Xacti camera exceeds VHS. It's tapeless, fits in any pocket. My just-average PC runs my old graphics programs better and faster under Windows XP, using an Amiga emulation program. Many more locals are film-making.

I'm ready to do art again, after having mostly dropped it since WKFL TV, to grip a personal value system that includes art, while purging mystical notions. Art need not require sacrifice, just sensible risk. I'm less easily directed by those who know the secret of manipulating personal mysticisms in others. I'm older and I've gotten wiser, at least to some notions.

Thanks to nanotech, for the last nine years I've had better nutrition. I'm fit from maintaining my boycott on the motor industry, and I'm capturing and sharing the sights. The City of Homer is catching up to my stride, putting down more paths for walking and biking, encouraging personal fitness and the reduction of fossil fuel dependancy.

"I'll walk down the lane
with a happy refrain..."

"Fascist America, in 10 easy steps"

2007-04-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

Article at The Guardian:

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
2. Create a gulag
3. Develop a thug caste
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
5. Harass citizens' groups
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
7. Target key individuals
8. Control the press
9. Dissent equals treason
10. Suspend the rule of law

Don't forget National Day of Prayer is May 3rd, a week away. Umm, Mr Bush, there's something stuck to your shoe-- the US Constitution, by the look of it.
Alternatively, you can observe a National Day of Reason.

Sandhill Cranes Taking Flight

2007-04-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

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I saw my first sandhill cranes of the season today, April 23 2007, but I had heard some days before. They blew in with many other birds. These cranes will hatch and raise large, fuzzy chicks in the fields. This video was shot late july 2006. Clobbering with wing or stabbing with beak, cranes can potentially inflict lethal injuries on an adult human.

Huge and prehistoric-looking, their morphology evokes imagery of pteradactyls, but birds are taxonomically classified as dinosaurs. An entry in Wikipedia states-- "They have the longest fossil history of any extant bird, with 9 million year old fossil recorded of birds no different than our modern Sandhill Cranes."

UPDATE: They are back in large numbers. I heard them calling this morning. They make lots of noise as they fly over, as you can hear on this video.

Moller SkyCar - Get Yours Soon!

2007-04-22T20:29:00.001-08:00

Traffic jams, road outages, potholes won't bother you again. Take off-roading to another level! Fast and far ranging, the skycar will bestow a freedom of movement once reserved for birds and shadowy figures of mythology.

"Moller International has developed the first and only feasible, personally affordable, personal vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicle the world has ever seen.

You've always known it was just a matter of time before the world demanded some kind of flying machine which would replace the automobile. Of course, this machine would have to be capable of VTOL, be easy to maintain, cost effective and reliable. Well, we at Moller International believe we have come up with the solution. That solution is the volantor named M400 Skycar."

Homer-- Erotic?

2007-04-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

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Homer was rated one of the USA’s 50 most "healthy, adventurous, sexy" towns by Men's Journal magazine. To illustrate, a runner on the Homer Spit bike path sports a tattoo of the glyph for Sagittarius, adventurer of the zodiac.

- Set to Good Boys – Blow-Up Mix, off of Blondie's Greatest Hits - Sight And Sound (CD+DVD)

Eagle Antics

2007-04-18T16:54:00.001-08:00

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At the tip of the Homer Spit, a bald eagle’s poise gets thrown off by an unsteady perch. Taken May 2006.

Big Cloud, Little Kite

2007-04-18T16:47:00.001-08:00

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Sailboat Races were held this day, but these clouds stole the show for me. 6/24/2006

Nikos Kilcher Promotes Summer Gig

2007-04-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

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Spit Sisters’ Coffee Kismet

From June of 2006. More recently I heard Nikos perform his originals at Stas restaurant back in December. With some luck I’ll post some clips of him playing guitar and singing. For now, hear his music at his MySpace page.

Beef- Having It Your Way

2007-04-18T16:27:00.000-08:00

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This animation took "honorable mention," a second-placing shared with several other artists, from the judge of the Pratt Museum’s 1991 Spring Arts Show. Their first video entry, it displayed on a TV-VCR. An emotional appeal, I made it to convey concerns in a language I knew people understood, and that I was exploring– animated cartoons. I attracted the attention of Alaskan Green Peace representatives, wanting a video pointing to oil industry produced environmental concerns. It was difficult to tease this short animation from limited computer RAM. I had maybe 5 megabytes! Now I have 100 times that. I still love Amiga computers and good `ol Deluxe Paint3.
I enjoy beef, I avoid fast food.

Library Grand Opening

2007-04-18T15:31:00.000-08:00

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Homer gets a new library! The scene is crowded with Homer area faces. We hear from the building project manager, contributing artists, and locals attending.
From September 2006

Welcome To HomerCafe.com!

2007-04-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

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FIRST FLIGHT!

Here is a serene video of a boy flying his kite on a beautiful minus-tide day on Bishops Beach, from May of 2006.

ABOUT VIDEOS:
FLV web video is generally transcoded from higher quality original available from MP4 link. Sometimes I'll generate them myself to get a higher frame rate using Super video transcoder.

Free Mp4 viewing PICKS:
VLC (WinOSXLinux) and GOM (Win)are free players with built-in codecs for most video files. To view .MP4 files in the browser or preferred media player under Windows, check out QuickTime Alternative.