New Jersey’s finest guitar player, Al Di Meola, ventured to Washington DC for a club performance near the waterfront. I enjoyed the unusual configuration of the band. He brought along a unusual band: Tabla player Amit Kavthekar, Drummer Richie Morales, and another classical guitar player. I was lucky, because I showed up late and still found a seat only about five feet away. Perfect to watch a master guitar player in his art. ...

For a delayed Father’s Day outing, Micah and I attended Bill Frisell & Trio at Berkeley’s historic Freight & Salvage club. The music was mostly quiet. And you could have heard a pin drop. Frisell’s virtuosity was on full display. In any minute of music, he conjured up more tones and textures than most guitar players find in an entire set. The final song was “What the World Needs Now (is love sweet love)” by Burt Bacharach. After a thunderous standing ovation, the trio came back and played their rendition of “We Shall Overcome.” ...

Devil’s Postpile National Monument is a natural wonder. It features tall columns of basalt. And they twist and bend in impossible contortions. A short hike a way brought us to 100=foot tall Rainbow Falls. Micah and I visited the day before starting our backpacking trip. It was convenient, as there was a shuttle from our campsite to the Monument, including both destinations.

My first time backpacking trip, 35 years ago, featured some High Sierra drama. Recently I took the same trip with Micah and was able to take the photo above, showing the route that accompanies the infamous tale. When I got home, I marked the route in red on the photo, with the key theoretical discussion. The Story of My First Backpacking Trip As a graduate student in about 1987, I was invited on a backpacking trip by my fellow student and experienced trailblazer, Mike Sipusic. It started innocently enough with a hike from the trailhead to a campsite beside Lake Ediza, at the bottom of the red line in the photo. ...

What would a backpacking trip to the Ansel Adams Wilderness be without black and white photos? Two lakes are featured, Ediza and Iceberg. John Muir called the Sierra Nevada The Range of Light. Here’s an original photo by Ansel of the same location. Enjoy the photos below, clicking to enlarge.