'California's Gold' Host Huell Howser Retires

The enthusiastic and curious host of public television's long-running show "California's Gold" has retired. Huell's rather sudden exit has caught a lot of people by surprise, including me. As both an ironic and non-ironic fan of Huell Howser, I was surprised because I always thought Huell would keep mining more Cali Gold (which by the way, is also the stage name of a male escort that Huell once ordered from Craigslist) until late in his life. To say he appeared to enjoy his hosting duties would be quite an understatement. As the the LA Times article says, some in the entertainment industry have speculated that Huell is suffering from an illness, which I hope is not the case. Best wishes for good health go out to HH!

Huell has provided viewers with many entertaining moments over the years; here is what happens when Huell finds out that a dog living on an avocado farm eats avocados (also note Huell's amazement at "a bed of leaves".