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billzarchy

Writer • Photographer • Storyteller
My debut novel —
FINDING GEORGE WASHINGTON:
A Time Travel Tale

Suddenly … our sweet pooch Molly is gone. She s

Suddenly …
our sweet pooch Molly is gone.

She seemed fine last Saturday, but on Sunday she stopped eating and began to look extremely uncomfortable. We took her to the hospital on Monday. They discovered that her chest was full of fluid, pressing on her heart and lungs.

They drained the fluid, ran some tests, and discovered, to our horror, that (besides some heart problems we were aware of) she had a lethal form of cancer that would soon take her life. We brought her home for hospice on Tuesday, and she passed away on Wednesday.

Molly was a gentle, loving pet who came to us through the Milo Foundation, a pet rescue organization near us here in the East Bay. They specialize in rescuing captured dogs and cats from the “high-kill” animal shelters, especially in the Central Valley.

The first time Susan and I saw Molly at Milo, she was strutting her stuff, full of good cheer and enthusiasm. We loved her honey brown and white coat and enjoyed the fact that she had some white on her muzzle, which was also not as pushed in as in many Boxers. We knew immediately we were destined to have her and give her a good home, surrounded by love.

We adopted Molly in late October 2015. The good folks at Milo estimated, at that point, that she was eight months old. That meant she was born around the time of my 68th birthday in February, the same week I retired. So I’ve always been able to track Molly’s age. She lived with us for nearly ten years.

And yet she wasn’t housebroken when we got her. Years later, we tested her DNA and determined that she was 100 per cent Boxer. We’ve always wondered how and why a beautiful, purebred dog like her was running around in the feral streets of someplace like Fresno.

Known to us as Molly Wolly (or sometimes Molly Wobbles), she was predeceased years before by Sophie Dophie and Montana Banana, as well as her BFF Lillie Rose, a white Golden Doodle she adored. She is survived by our granddogs Kyle and Indigo (aka Gogo).

But ultimately, she had the same design flaw as all dogs: their lifespans are so much shorter than ours that loving them can break your heart multiple times. For Susan and me, this was the third time. Molly was a good dog.

Don’t call it Frisco

Don’t call it Frisco

Bumper stickers on a Tesla in my neighborhood

Bumper stickers on a Tesla in my neighborhood

Tonight we saw “Merry Wives of Windsor“ in the

Tonight we saw “Merry Wives of Windsor“ in the Allen Elizabethan theater at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Sir John Falstaff dominates this slapstick farce in a wild and colorful production.
That’s seven plays in five days. We’re done!
—with Susan Zarchy

This afternoon we saw “Julius Caesar“ in the A

This afternoon we saw “Julius Caesar“ in the Angus Bowmer theater at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. It has always been a powerful, creepy story about a political murder and civil war. But perhaps it resonates more in these troubled times as a statement against tyranny.
—with Susan Zarchy

Tonight we saw “Into the Woods” outdoors in th

Tonight we saw “Into the Woods” outdoors in the Allen Elizabethan Theatre at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.
The cast was spirited, the singing and dancing marvelous, and it’s fun to be outside, but a 40-minute delay to fix a ‘small technical glitch’ sapped our desire to stay for the second act of what was already slated to be a three-hour performance.
I’ve never really liked this show anyway. Always seems a bit hodgey-podgey.
—with Susan Zarchy

Tonight we saw a hilarious production of “The Im

Tonight we saw a hilarious production of “The Importance of Being Earnest“ by Oscar Wilde, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Brilliant writing, fantastic acting, awesome pacing. What better way to make fun of the rich? Side splitting!
—with Susan Zarchy

This afternoon we saw a production of “Fat Ham“ in the Thomas Theater at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. It’s a clever take on Hamlet, though it flips that story on its head. Replete with difficult family dynamics and issues of acceptance, murder, and love.
It’s also very funny!

Today we saw “As You Like It” in the Thomas Th

Today we saw “As You Like It” in the Thomas Theatre at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. It was hilarious, musical, and engaging, the language accessible to 21st century ears. The show started with the cast dressed in white on a minimalist all-white set Then, halfway through Act I, when Rosalind and Celia enter the Arden Wood, this fantastic woodland set unrolled from the back wall of the stage, in a dramatic and colorful surprise! And the costuming became more fanciful and outlandish as well. Fun!
— with Susan Zarchy

These are some big fish! And no, I’m not trying

These are some big fish!
And no, I’m not trying to be coy …
😉

We are in Ashland, Oregon, for a week of plays at

We are in Ashland, Oregon, for a week of plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It started with a bang today, when we saw August Wilson’s play “Jitney.” Brilliant production, beautifully written, powerfully acted! At the Angus Bowmer Theater.
—with Susan Zarchy

Clearly, Molly is feeling much better after her or

Clearly, Molly is feeling much better after her oral surgery last week! ❤️🤟💕🥰‼️

HOME after dental surgery! A tough day for our Mol

HOME after dental surgery! A tough day for our Molly, but she knows there’s no place like home!

First Giants game of the year. With Peter Logan. T

First Giants game of the year. With Peter Logan. The Giants anemic offense couldn’t put across more than one run, and the Dbacks scored two. Bad math. Sparsely attended.

Happy Mother's Day to these three wonderful women:

Happy Mother's Day to these three wonderful women: my lovely sister Sue Zarchy Prouty, my mom Jeanette Zarchy (who passed away in 2012), and my beautiful and brilliant wife Susan Zarchy. This photo is from Mom's 95th birthday party in Scottsdale, AZ in 2009. I love them all!

Your Moment of Zen

Your Moment of Zen

Harbor seals: mom and pups

Harbor seals: mom and pups

My happy place.

My happy place.

🔴 What's Your Story? At the Monkey House! 🔸

🔴 What's Your Story? At the Monkey House!
🔸 Theme: Spring Fever 🔸
➡️ Sunday, May 18, 2025 ⬅️
Show at 2:00 PM, Doors open at 1:30 PM
💙 1638 University Ave, Berkeley
🟪 Tickets: sliding scale donation $10-$40.
🟧 Reserve your seat - email iramarlowe@gmail.com No credit cards. BYOB. https://www.themonkeyhouse.org/
☑️ Open Mic at the end of the show.
🔷 Produced by Ben Tucker, Claire Castell, Bill Zarchy, Albertina Zarazúa Padilla and Ginger Parnes.
~~ Storytellers for May 18th:
BEN TUCKER
Ben is a nationally recognized storyteller. Brother Ben specializes in personal stories, historical figures, fairytales and folk tales.
BILL ZARCHY
Bill circumnavigated the globe many times during his 40 years as a cinematographer. Now he likes to write novels and tell tales about his work and travels across six continents
CRAIG BYRNE
Craig has been storytelling using puppets at schools and libraries for 20 years. More recently he has performed at the Moth and other local events such as the Monkey House and StorySlam Oakland.
KYLE BYRNE
Kyle currently coaches track and field at his old high school. He is working on getting a master's degree as a therapist. He enjoys telling stories from the heart with humor every step of the way.

View from Sea Ranch

View from Sea Ranch

Iris very purple

Iris very purple

Breezy Bay #unfiltered

Breezy Bay #unfiltered

Happy birthday to my dad, Harry Zarchy, born on th

Happy birthday to my dad, Harry Zarchy, born on this date in 1912. Pop passed away in 2002, just a few days before his 90th birthday.
He taught art and related subjects in the New York City schools for 30 years. In his spare time, he cranked out over 30 books on crafts, hobbies, and the outdoors.
He was a huge influence for me, in terms of his work ethic and his creativity. And his sense of humor, riddled with bad dad jokes. He painted this watercolor when he was just 19 years old.
I still think of him and miss him every day.

Telling the story "Anansi and the Moss-Covered Roc

Telling the story "Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock" at Books Inc in Alameda, CA on Saturday. I love the golden rays emanating from my hands. Thanks to Ben Tucker for the photo.

I took the ferry from Jack London Square to see th

I took the ferry from Jack London Square to see the Warriors play last week. Fun ride!

First visit to Chase Center. Ginormous video displ

First visit to Chase Center. Ginormous video displays.
And ... The Talented Mister Curry!

Rare plants spotted! Pinwheelicus Americannabis.

Rare plants spotted!
Pinwheelicus Americannabis.
Shown here in their natural environment, native to the East Bay.
What a find! They’re going on my Life List.

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