california sketches

Vernal pools

2012-02-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

LINK TO SACBEE COLUMN, Sunday, Feb. 26th

Up next in the Bee, Feb 26th: Vernal Pools

2012-02-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

Up next in the Bee, Feb 26th: Vernal Pools. Dr. Bob Holland, an expert on vernal pools, and I spent 4 hours sitting by a pool. He suggested that I spend some time on this definitive site. His passion for a subject that has obsessed him for forty years is infectious. The wonderful people at Splash Educational Center were also so helpful.

Teaching about toxic urban runoff into our watershed.

Rancho Seco Recreational Area. Stunning views to the Sierra, but creepy view to the west with the silos.

Also, thanks to Tom Biglione for his grasslands and pool advice.

The Close-up, Sunday, January 22, 2012

2012-01-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

Link to SacBee.com Op-Ed

Follow the line.

2012-01-20T11:19:00.000-08:00

I have an editor. I love saying "my editor." He's a very patient man and chides me gently. Thankfully, he doesn't fit the image of a crusty, old, nasty, demeaning, verbally abusive image that is often portrayed in movies. My most glaring literary weakness is my almost complete ignorance of the rules of grammar. I grew up in a house of proper speaking parents, and being a lazy student, never bothered to actually learn the rules, but simply depended on how it sounded. French grammar, later, was mildly more interesting. Now I must sit up and pay attention because my verbs are passive. Just joking- because I must choose active verbs, a challenge that's really part of the fun.

The American River piece required that I travel down the river in a canoe. Tom, the expert paddler, talked about how the river works and what he has to do to navigate the surface safely. Canoes can tip. The paddler has to look ahead and "pick a line." This morning, an outrageous, crazy, death defying (literally) snowboarder on TV talked about "selecting the line."
In my new writing challenges, that same idea complements my other, though trite mantra, "Keep it simple, stupid." Since August, I've interviewed Russ and Patti Solomon three times for a total of 9.5 hours. He's 86 years old, and started in retail sales at age 13. Out of a profoundly accomplished career of 73 years, and the resulting lessons learned, I had to select a line. I'm allowed 500 words and that's a perfect fit for me.

Please see my new piece, "The Close-up," this coming Sunday in the

Op-Ed section of the Sacramento Bee in collaboration with Gary Reed, Forum editor.

In the on-line edition, see a slideshow of Russ' contributions.

Oh, and comments are always appreciated.

Marin Headlands & Stinson

2012-01-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

From the porch of the Cavallo Lodge, later afternoon.

Stinson. Used to go there a lot as a kid, and now- as often as possible.

The poem is by my childhood and current "sister," Jane Mellor.

Marin Headlands/part 1 & 2- major geology- need to explore more.

From the Marin side, just under the Bridge.

Marin Headlands

Stinson

2012-01-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

Rocks from Stinson. I've been collecting them for years and theses are very different from any I've found before. The black and white striations are beautiful. What does that mean geologically?

The Lower American River: What Lies Beneath

2011-11-12T18:18:00.001-08:00

I lived on the bluff of this river, just a short walk to William Pond, for 25 years. I've spent countless hours on the banks, jogging, walking, biking, wandering. Though I grew up in Sacramento, I didn't understand the magnitude of this system until the floods of 1986, when choppers flew over, broadcasting the images on TV. I was stunned. We all know about the threats to this area, but I needed to learn more what makes this river what it is today. I joined Tom Biglione, "the paddler," who has raced canoes on this and other, wilder rivers for many years. I also talked to Chuck Watson, a hydrologist and Dr. Eldridge Moores, Geologist and Professor Emeritus, UC Davis.

And from the bow, some video.

www.sacbee.com/CAsketches

And sketches in my Moleskin.

Map of the San Juan Rapids