David Michael Bruno

Piper's Dream Come True - A Bunny

A neighbor of ours is traveling for Christmas and, since bunny rabbits don't do well on car trips, we have volunteered to bunny sit. This is a thrill beyond measure for our eight year old, who has longed for a rabbit for years. Unfortunately some very close family friends have Leporidae allergens and would explode when visiting if we owned a hairy rabbit (or furry hare). So grief-upon-grief, we've never actually bought a bunny.

Piper, the mutt we rescued from the shelter a few years ago, has been quivering since the bunny (named Mo) came over to stay with us. His issue is this. For years he and I have been going for romps in the fields behind our house. He runs like a lunatic, chasing every smell he can sniff -- coyotes, mule deer, gophers, and rabbits. Piper loves chasing rabbits more than life. I know this because he has several times nearly killed himself leaping headlong through thicket and over boulder in his reckless pursuit of a bunny. He's not stealthy enough to actually catch one. Great dog. Not smart. In fact, I question if he's ever even been close to catching one. I think he has just smelled bunny and seen dashes of cottontail disappearing among the shrub, then chased a phantom of his imagination hundreds of yards to nowhere. Piper isn't a strategist. He's mostly instinctual.

Anyway, he's been quivering, literally shaking in his boots and licking his chops. He whimpers and whines. He just cannot believe that one of these mysterious creatures has actually come to live with us!

We have high hopes for their relationship, though. We locked up Piper and let Mo play with our guinea pig Ebony. Watching those two buddy around the living room was like seeing a promo for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Since Piper and Ebony are friends (Ebony sits between Piper's front paws and let's Piper nibble her back and belly), we think that eventually Piper's disposition will overcome his instincts. Then he will have his dreams come true in time for Christmas: bunny play time.

From One Republican to Another - Get Right With Nature

I've been advised not to write about politics. This recommendation comes from those who see my blog as being about consumerism. Well, of course it is. But that does not mean it is not about other issues. Moreover, it's my feeling that a healthy perspective on any one issue usually involves a balanced perspective on other issues. So this is a political post. I'm not offended if you don't care to read.

On the way into work today I heard that California state legislators and the governor are getting closer to a budget compromise. It turns out that Republicans and the California business community have seen the light -- there simply is no way out of the budget mess without raising some taxes. There's a lot to be said about that. This is not my point here, but let me summarize the financial situation California is in: you reap what you sow. Lower taxes without fiscal responsibility always leads to budget crisis. Republicans and Democrats are both to blame for this lousy financial crop.

But that's not what I'm writing about this morning. What bothered me about the compromise legislators appear to be moving toward is that Republicans, accepting that taxes must be raised, want to get something in return. Turns out Republicans are seeking to roll back several environmental protections. Ironically, California Republicans are loosening environmental protections even as the new Obama administration and career EPA staffers (free to speak, now that the Bush administration is gone) are praising California's environmental laws as forward-thinking and an example for the rest of the nation. Thus, as the nation's environmental policy follows California's lead, California Republicans are seeking to go backwards.

The reason is that California environmental protections are "unfriendly" to business and, of course, Republicans are pro-business. Now follow me here. This is where, as a Republican myself, I get really frustrated with the current state of the Republican party.

The primary Republican argument against the Democrats goes like this. Republicans accuse Democrats of seeking higher taxes so that people can receive services as state welfare. Allegedly Republicans want to work hard for their money, keep all their money, not let the state waste all their money, and use their money however they see fit. Republicans don't want loafers living off of their unnecessarily high tax dollars. Essentially, Republicans don't believe in handouts.

Well, at least handouts that don't benefit them. Remember, I'm a Republican. But let me say something to my party. Republicans are not willing to pay the price. They're loafers. In fact, the most dastardly loafers. They want handouts, not as a flawed charitable policy. Republicans want handouts in order to be selfish and irresponsible and harmful. The Republican leadership in California and in the federal government are seeking environmental handouts. In order to be "friendly" to business, Republicans advocate being irresponsible to the environment. Instead of a handout of welfare dollars, they want a handout of environmental blindness. And for what? The opportunity to generate more personal (don't tax me!) wealth.

Look, there is a lot of good things about the Republican party. I know I have many Democrats who read this blog and will roll their eyes. It's true, though. Republicans have done some amazingly great things for the country and the world. But the Republicans are nearly dead wrong on environmental policy. Despite what many of my conservative readers will say, Republican environmental policy is not based on science or social concern. It's based on selfishness and greed and an unwillingness to steward the earth responsibly. And that frustrates me.

Trip Report - Rabbit Peak

January 18-19, 2009

Trip Report - Rabbit Peak from Dave Bruno on Vimeo.

[* see end of article for correction]

The plan is to accomplish nine solid adventures in 2009. Ten in 2010. Eleven in 2011. And so on. It's a great plan, until the turn of the next century. This year we decided to start with a challenge, Rabbit Peak. It's a 6,640' desert peak in the Santa Rosa Range near Anza-Borrego State Park in California. It is also the highest southerly-most peak in California. And, it is considered to be among the hardest treks of the Sierra Club Hundred Peaks Section. In other words, the first adventure was meant to be a kick-in-the-pants.

Originally we considered making it a day hike from the east. Allegedly that is a fifteen-mile broken-escalator trudge from below sea level, near the Salton Sea. But we read the eastern route is closed in January out of respect for modest big horn sheep who prefer to make hay during the wintry months. So we adjusted, and hiked the more traditional southerly approach, which adds an extra seven miles and an overnight bivy on top of Villager Peak. Since we didn't spot any big horn sheep on our trip, I have to assume they were, in fact, reveling out east.

Back From Rabbit Peak

Got back from hiking Rabbit Peak via Villager late last night, and this morning it is back to work (with a short break for the inauguration). I'll post a trip report and a video later this week as time permits.

What was most satisfying about the trip? Getting home to my wonderful family. The kids and dog were beside themselves to see me. The cats didn't care a twitch of their tails. And my lovely wife was thrilled for my safe return. Also, she was impressed with my rugged looking hair and new tan, thinking I looked really cool. That lasted a few minutes until I took a shower and washed away all the "tan" (that is, dirt and sun block) and got all the grime out of my hair so that it did not stick up all rugged anymore. Which brings up an interesting fact about accomplishments. The "look" of accomplishment only lasts so long, even while the real thing lasts a lifetime.

Adventure #1 - Rabbit Peak - New Route

Prepping for adventure #1 is coming along pretty well. I walked a couple of miles today during my lunch break. And I got some stretching in too. The plan is to put in a couple more miles tomorrow, do some running on Thursday and Friday, and then a nice even-paced hike on Saturday morning.

The big news is that we've had a route change. Turns out the eastern approach to Rabbit Peak is closed this time of year in order to let big horn sheep mate. Cannot blame them that they want privacy. So we are going at Rabbit from the south. This makes it a leg-numbing 22+ mile hike over about 8,000+ feet of total elevation gain. It also will involve a one night stay on top of Villager Peak in route to Rabbit. The weather is looking so nice that I've changed my mind and plan to bring my own 40 degree bag instead of my wife's 15 degree bag. Will it be a shiver fest?