Sander Roscoe Wolff

Sheesh! I try to play my electric guitar when I’ve got the house to myself, but our dog Django sometimes feels moved to protest my lack of instrumental prowess:

Photo by Lauren! (Great Job, Lauren!!!)

Here’s a shot of our dog, Kapu, looking out over the wilds of Flat Top Mountain near Julian.

I was rummaging through some of the endless photo folders on my computer and found this:

Since I was travelling North to celebrate my father’s birthday, I wanted to give him a gift that he’d find both practical and a bit luxurious. I pressed him for suggestions and he confessed that he needed a new “crook’s” cap. I did a bit of research and discovered that the British Ivy Cap was what he wanted but, when I began to explore the marketplace, I didn’t find anything that knocked me out. Long Beach, my home town, is fortunate to have a fairly good hat shop, and they stocked something similar to the Ivy caps my father favored, but from Italy. The brand was Borsalino, one I’d never heard of, but the hat I found was really nice so I got it.

When I gave it to him, he was thrilled. He explained that, as a kid in Brooklyn, all the Italian ‘made’ men wore Borsalino hats.

At his birthday party, he enjoyed a moment with his grandson, Max Hardgrave.

I’ve loved photography since I was a wee sprout and, despite the inconvenience, find myself dragging my camera just about everywhere. My recent trip to Washington, on the occation of my father’s 80th birthday, was no exception. Here are a few shots I took while there.

Seattle has some rather steep hills.

Although I take skyline shots, I’m not often enamoured of them. This one, however, appeals to me for some reason.

Washington State is known for its natural beauty, and bountiful wildlife. It is surprising, though, to discover some in the heart of the City.

I’ve always loved trees, but this winter began photographing leafless ones.

And another.

When I can, I love taking pictures of my friends and family. This post will be, from now on, where I post nice shots of Lauren. For example:

Lauren, Shari, and I went for a walk this morning along a reclaimed area that runs beneath some power towers. We love the walk, and the City of Lakewood has done a wonderful job of planting lots of native and drought-resistant species. Prompted by Lauren, I paused for a moment to snap a few pictures.

Lauren’s been taking riding lessons, and I go with her and hang out with the horses. One, in particular, is my bestie. His name is Rodeo. I’ve taken a bunch of pictures of him, and here are some:

As I’m sure you know, when a parent saddles a child with an unusual first name, it is considered good form to provide the child with a fall-back middle name, one that, if the first proves to be too problematic, can be used safely and without controversy.

As you now know, my first name is Sander. Although not entirely unknown (younger people tend to associate it with Xander of Buffy fame), it isn’t exactly standard. Also, because it confuses people, I am often called strange variations, like Sanders, Sandler, Sandlers, Saunder, Saunders and, more meliciously, Slander.

So, keeping all that in mind, care to venture another guess for that ‘R’ middle name?

Ok, so I won’t keep you in suspense any longer… The middle name for the Jewish lad from Manhatten is:

ROSCOE!

There were two especially problematic things with Roscoe. First, when I was very little, my mother called me Sander Rascal Wolff. As a result, I adopted my Father’s sister’s married name: Katz.

So, from the ages of about 3-7 I was Sander Katz Wolff. The other problem was The Dukes of Hazzard. That TV show featured a character by the name of Roscoe P Coltrain. The association was inescapable so, even though I recovered from the Rascal issue, my middle name remained a deep dark secret.

It wasn’t until my late 20s, when I started doing some journalism work, that I decided it was necessary to ressurect my middle name. If you want to know about that, go here. Be prepared, though. It is Twilite Zone freaky.

I love my wife dearly, and am especially grateful when she poses for me, as in this picture: