Archives: June 2008
Sat Jun 28, 2008
June
I finally have noticed that June is not a happy month around here and it never has been. For one thing, it is too short. For another, it is a time of leave takings and retirements and moving away. Others, not me of course. And Summer Solstice is a holiday about death and ending and moving on. It is a un-merry as is Winter Solstice 6 months opposite from it on the calendar. This week was one conflagration after another, and not just the fire in Big Sur. Lots of endings and powder-kegs and burning up to smoke and moving on. More...
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A Forest Invitation
Last Saturday, I observed the Solstice in a ritual held in a Redwood grove on the north UCSC campus. I have noticed that more and more of the signage up there is tagged with people's little scribbles. That day, I noticed that some of the tagging was related to the anti-development activitism, but it still looks stupid. Then there was this one: More...
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The Dream Inn returns
Joie de Vivre hotels sent out notices that the Dream Inn of Santa Cruz will open for the Fourth of July weekend. I hope this venture is successful. Here's how it looked last week. More...
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Wed Jun 25, 2008
Fire Update
I heard last night that my friends' house is not one of the ones that burned, and that the fire has been turned from the ridge. The CDF had to pull out because the water supply was damaged, so volunteer firefighter residents stayed behind and fought for their homes. And saved them. At great risk to themselves. It is like a war.
So many places in Big Sur are still threatened, including many galleries and the Henry Miller library.
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Tue Jun 24, 2008
Circumperabulation of the Monterey Bay
On Sunday, I attended a Cabrillo Extension class. Two class meetings. On that first Sunday, we walked from New Brighton Beach, just south (actually east) of Capitola all the way to Moss Landing, which included wading across the Pajaro river, waist high. The class was led by Sandy Lydon, a historian who explained to us the history of the last 300 years; and Gary Griggs, a geologist, who explained to us the history of the last 5 million years. More...
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The Summer of Fire
A few weeks ago I posted about my idyllic two days at Partington Ridge. Beautiful Partington Ridge, that was sometimes called "the Shire," has burned in the Gallery Fire, one of 400 fires that started Saturday afternoon in that thunderstorm. My hosts' home is the command center for the fire, where they are making a last stand. More...
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Thu Jun 19, 2008
And the Early Adopters of Publishing Technolgy are....?
Cisco has demonstrated the latest version of "TelePresence" which combines video conferences with holographic representations of the participants. I have two comments. One, John Chambers sounds stupid because of his souther accect. I can't help it. I'm prejudiced. I can get over it, but that is always my first impression. Second, I wonder how internet dating will be changed by this sort of thing?
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Boardwalk West
Because heavy (and light) industry eventually always fails in Santa Cruz due to our remoteness from the rest of the world, tourism boosters have remembered over and over again that the feeling of "getting away"means that money that can be made from providing a clean, easily accessed beach to put down an umbrella and buy a cold drink. A few weeks ago an illustration of a 1925 proposed development for Natural Bridges Beach surfaced on eBay. "The Embassy Club" was another big idea of Fred Swanton, who also built the first and second casinos on Beach St. As far as I know, the only remnant of this deal is Swanton Avenue, which borders the current park. I haven't had time to read more about this venture, or why it failed, but if I do, I'll let you know. More...
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Local Stories
I found tee-shirt (see post below) because I was at the Bookstore picking up my copy of the new edition of the Natural History of the UC Santa Cruz Campus--one of my favorite books, in my life, truly. I occasionally get emails from people who have read the on-line reproduction a 1973 guide to the campus. Perhaps that's another project I'll pick up some day. It would be easier to re-do it with modern web tools and easier photo uploading, etc.
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You Probably Want This Teeshirt
When I saw that the library had accepted the donation of the Grateful Dead Archive, I hoped there'd be a tee shirt. Now, it can be yours.
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Can't Blame Me, I'm Not Married
This video is so clever; with so many little details that make it genius.
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Mon Jun 16, 2008
The Martin Fire
As a friend said, fires should be named something bad. To call it the "Bonny Doon Fire" seems whimsical. So it is the Martin fire, and the best map of what was burned can be seen here. I don't know anyone who lost their homes. Two of my friends stayed with me for two nights. They live off Smith Grade and now say that their beautiful green forest is even more precious now that they are back in it.
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Sun Jun 15, 2008
Excuse me, are you wearing a skirt?
Now that summer is here, I've been wearing more skirts. A friend of mine suggested the utilikilt as an addition to the skirt-filled wardrobe. You may want to click on that link to watch the customer-created commercials on the site. You will probably laugh out loud like I did if you watch the first-place winner. (The thumbnail is shows a man standing in a field.) But then, I like strong language in a Scottish accent. That's me.
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