"Just practice good, do good for others, without thinking of making yourself
known so that you may gain reward.
Really bring benefit to others, gaining nothing for yourself.
This is the primary requisite for breaking free of attachments to the Self. " ~Dogen Zenji~
"Do not pursue what is illusory - property and position:
all that is gained at the expense of your nerves decade after decade and can be
confiscated in one fell night.
Live with a steady superiority over life - don't be afraid of misfortune, and do not yearn
after happiness;
it is after all, all the same: the bitter doesn't last forever,
and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing."
~Alexander Solzhenitsyn~
"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a
white guy,
the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese,
the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of
arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful
men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon.' Need I say more?"
~Chris Rock~
"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of
Congress. But, I repeat myself."
~Mark Twain~
Our cactus is growing back in quite nicely from the
winter freeze that destroyed almost all of our sales since late January. But we expect to
be harvesting in another week. Here are some of the leaves we have growing out. These
photos below were taken on March 30, 2007.
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Nopalea Grande
This is our premier cactus leaf. It is nicely crunchy with an explosion
of tart 'limey' flavor that nicely spices up salsas, burritos and salads. It is
great raw, and mixes well with so many other foods both vegetable and meat.
The best thing about this cactus is it's ease of preparation. It has very few spines so it
can easily be handled with just dishwashing gloves. It is easy to clean by scrubbing with
an abrasive pad, and a fast trimming around the edges. After washing to ensure
cleanliness, it is ready to dice and add straight into your raw salads, no cooking
required. If you prefer, it cooks easily also, and adds a 'meaty' texture to meatless
dishes.
This is the best quality cactus leaf for fresh eating we have. It is probably the best in
the world, but I am biased.
Our quality is generally the very highest. When winter comes the storms cause some damage
and reduced output from the cactus plants. But from June to December our quality is likely
to be unmatched.
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'Opuntia ficus-indica'
These used to be our premier species for nopal. It is a bit spinier than Nopalea Grande
(above), but it is still a fine leaf that many people prefer for fresh cactus leaf eating.
We like to harvest this one at the ten inch size. We should be selling these ones on the
site before April tenth.
This is what the Opuntia ficus-indica looks like when it is first growing out.
These are the mid-sized Opuntia ficus-indica leaves, halfway to proper maurity.
Here are the leaves at proper harvest stage. They are about ten inches long and have a
nice fullness to them, yet still retain the glossy skin-sheen of youth.
You can see the thin spines that are on these leaves. These ones must be 'skinned' with a
knife before use.
March 30, 2007
A 'Thing' in Hollywood
This car only makes left turns.
I've seen a lot of things in my life. There's a couple of times I've been a bit
afeared. But I have now conquered all fears because I was in Los Angeles traffic
next to a 'Student Driver' and lived. Nothing can rattle me now.
Los Angeles Architecture
March 29, 2007
'Shakytown'
~Daniel Kortchmar~
I've witnessed those one night stands
Must have played in a thousand bands
But I'm just here tonight, tomorrow I'll be gone
Seen folks show their blacker sides
Seen them die just for foolish pride
And those drivers always ask to hear that same old song
That's a big ten-four
From your back door
Just put that hammer down
This young man feels
Those eighteen wheels
That keep turning 'round to take me down to Shaky Town
I've heard all those hard luck tales
From all you U.S. males
I've heard you tell those lies about the love you've know
And I've followed those highway signs
And I've run down those thin white lines
Like those drivers this old road is all I call my own
Los Angeles has a great many very interesting and creatively designed and executed
architectural standouts.
This is at the intersection of Wilshire and Fairfax.
It is part of the L.A. County Museum of Art.
Sometimes a different perspective on anything will give a totally different outlook.
Again at the intersection of Wilshire and Fairfax.
This is just a couple of blocks from the famous La Brea Tar Pits.
Lest you fear that Los Angeles is nothing but concrete...rest assured there is a great
amount of green vegetation. I imagine in some areas the current vegetation might exceed
the total amount of vegetative bio-mass historically represented.
Wikipedia has an excellent article on the various Los Angeles neighborhoods.
March 28, 2007
Turkey Fight
Going out of the canyon yesterday I saw these two Toms fighting it
out.
They made a pretty impressive display with their jumps and wing flaps.
Anyone who's held a goose by the neck and had a big wing go striking across your face
knows the power of the wing of a large bird.
March 27, 2007
A Fungus Amongus
I was examining the soil of a baseball diamond being re-seeded soon. While walking
across it, I saw what I thought were some Baseballs lying in the soil in the field. When
walking to them I was very surprised to see they were some sort of fungus growing in the
soil, and just now putting out it's 'fruiting' portion.
This is what one of the fungus balls looks like when broken open. The other one is so
far undamaged.
They are very large. Here a friend holds one so the relative size can be ascertained.
I've never before seen these little fungus balls.
March 26, 2007
'One Headlight'
~Wallflowers~
Well this place is old
It feels just like a beat up truck
I turn the engine, but the engine doesn't turn
Well it smells of cheap wine & cigarettes
This place is always such a mess
Sometimes I think I'd like to watch it burn
A friend of mine asked me to go along with him to look over and maybe bring back a
truck he had seen for sale. It was in the town called San Miguel.
San Miguel is a really nice little town, that much like Nipomo has just a tiny town
center and business area. The majority of the people who might call San Miguel or
Nipomo their home, might actually live five or even ten miles from the town.
San Miguel is a town that used to be mainly cattle and grains country, but like the rest
of the Central
Coast, it has been flooded with wine grapes. I'm not complaining because wine grapes
bring money and prosperity to the area.
You can see some vineyards in front of the truck.
When we asked to take the truck for a spin down the road, the fellow tossed us the
keys, and we drove off in it. A mile down the road, wanting to check the brakes, it died
when the brakes were applied. Then when we tried to start it again, the battery was dead.
We stood on the road for a bit messing with the battery, when a rancher came by and
offered us a jump.
The horses in the pasture behind the truck look small, part of that is the six and a half
foot tall fence they are standing beside.
The jump made the engine turn, but it would not catch. It turns out the truck was also
out of gas. We called the owner and he came by with some fuel and gave us a jump, the
truck ran fine for the rest of the drive. It's a 1977 Ford, with a 460 engine.
That is a horse ranch behind the tall fence. That fence is built
properly, that is "Horse High, Pig tight, and Bull Strong".
March 25, 2007
On Business Models
Doing business with someone
is a complex issue. Complexities might be increased by the personalities one is
involved with personally. Doing business with a huge company is even more difficult.
What is the business's perspective on issues such as ethics and other legalities?
We’ve been very lucky being affiliated with people who carry high and lofty
ideals and ideas, and have the wherewithal to formulate those values clearly, and
implement them in the marketplace.
One business model I have followed for some years is that of ‘Whole Foods Market’. Whole
Foods is one of the early pathfinders of organic foods intersecting with social
consciousness. One of their tenets is that the workers in the corporation are more than
just workers to produce income for the stockholders, they are truly seen as integral to
the success of the stores.
I’ve known a few people who worked for Whole Foods, they all said they were
well treated as employees. I go into Whole Foods on occasion to pitch our cactus leaves to
the greengrocers there, and I’ve always been treated well and friendly-like which
makes me think their employees are generally happy. I enjoy the stores and the people, and
the produce is great and visually pleasing, and much of it is organic.
But what of the fact that CEO’s of major corporations tending to make 431
times what the average employee of their store makes? Well, whole Foods many years ago
decided that would be unfair, they decided to cap the CEO’s pay at 19 times what the
average worker makes. Now, this is a good deal of money I am sure, but still to keep it to
a small amount like that seems fair, and can lead to increased moral at the stores, this
will lead to friendlier workers and happier customers. This seems to me a good business
model.
You can read the Whole Foods CEO (John Mackey) speaking of compensation
issues.
You can also read his regular blog.
I think it's great for a guy so huge in such a giant corporation to have a
regular blog so he can talk of issues concerning the company, the market and other
factors. I also like to know a bit about the personal philosophies of the people I do
business with. I get a comfortable feeling reading this fellow's blog, reading his writing
makes me think we could sit down and have a beer and talk business and life and have a
great time.
March 24, 2007
On 'Old Tales' Most cultures without a written language tended to have
very rich verbal traditions. These would often be clan and cultural histories and stories
to explain life, mores and natural/supernatural phenomena.
As the cultural traditions of The West are currently overrunning other
cultures, as increased rates of literacy and the advent of electronic media become more
prominent in the world, the role of the traditional storyteller will become less and less
important in the greater scheme of things.
But when one sits and thinks of the imminent loss of this rich blanket of
tightly woven stories that have been woven into a tighter weave through centuries of
retelling and embellishment, we are all the losers.
It is important for linguist and ethnographers to record these stories for
prosterity, so that sometime in the future, kids can sit in a space ship on a
multi-generational interstellar voyage, and read stories such as these below...The
friendship of the Tortoise and the Eagle~ an African Folk Tale.
Another important factor to consider is that just as the
stories likely changed a little through the constant retelling and contemporary
experiences of the tellers, our changing technologies will give the opportunity for
talented people to record such stories in modern form such as movies, documentaries and
plays. In the future there will be even more technological inventions such as holograms
and virtual-reality programs. If we use technology well, it can enrich our lives instead
of dominating our time.
March 23, 2007
The Ditch-Witch
"A tenth grade English teacher told me if I wanted to be a poet I
should dig ditches for a living."
~Jeffery Beam-Poet~
Vickie standing by the trenching machine we rented to cut a trench
to lay irrigation pipe and expand our cactus plantings.
This is a fine machine, very fun to drive, and the
amount of work it can do is phenomenal. We had a trench nearly six hundred feet long to
cut, this machine did the work in perhaps an hour.
March 22, 2007 "I prophesy, in the name of the Lord,
that you — Orrin Porter Rockwell — so long as ye shall remain loyal and true to
thy faith, need fear no enemy. Cut not thy hair and no bullet or blade can harm
thee." ~Joseph Smith to Orrin Rockwell~
I grew up a-dreamin' of bein' a cowboy,
and Lovin' the cowboy ways.
Pursuin' the life of my high-ridin' heroes,
I burned up my childhood days.
I learned of all the rules of the modern-day drifter,
Don't you hold on to nothin' too long.
Just take what you need from the ladies, then leave them,
With the words of a sad country song.
My heroes have always been cowboys.
And they still are, it seems.
Sadly, in search of, but one step in back of,
Themselves and their slow-movin' dreams.
Cowboys are special with their own brand of misery,
From being alone too long.
You could die from the cold in the arms of a nightmare,
Knowin' well that your best days are gone.
Pickin' up hookers instead of my pen,
I let the words of my years fade away.
Old worn-out saddles, and 'old worn-out memories,
With no one and no place to stay.
My heroes have always been cowboys.
And they still are, it seems.
Sadly, in search of, but one step in back of,
Themselves and their slow-movin' dreams.
~Willie Nelson~
Photos of Orrin Porter Rockwell
"Porter Rockwell
was that most terrible instrument that can be handled by fanaticism; a powerful physical
nature welded to a mind of very narrow perceptions, intense convictions, and changeless
tenacity. In his build he was a gladiator; in his humor a Yankee lumberman; in his memory
a Bourbon; in his vengeance an Indian. A strange mixture, only to be found on the American
continent."
—Fitz
Hugh Ludlow, 1870
Jim Bridger, Hugh Glass, Jim Beckwourth, Liver Eatin'
Johnson, the list of Western characters goes on and on. For several decades, long
enough for a long lifetime to come and go, the Western Plains and Mountains were trod by a
very special breed of person, the Mountain Man, the Outlaw, the Brigand and the Lawman.
These people took a little of this culture, and a little of that to anneal a strange
amalgam of free spirited independence, beholden to no man, and content in the pleasures of
the next vista to fall under his gaze as he topped another saddle between peaks.
One of these people was the Mormon vigilante Orrin Porter Rockwell.
He was a strange mix of Lawman and killer, tempered in the fires of the Salt Lake desert
and the Mormon wars. He is reputed to have killed between one hundred and one hundred
fifty men. Yet he was also a Lawman and the self appointed bodyguard of the leader of the
Mormon church.
There are many Europeans who will walk the marbled halls of great castles
built some thousand years ago, they will claim that we Americans have no history, we have
no culture, and are uncouth barbarians...well, yeah, kinda we are. We are so soon removed
from the frontier that it is still in our culture. When I was a kid there were old men who
described the days when they were young. That would have been the early nineteen hundreds
and late eighteen hundreds. I knew a man who as a child worked the local stagecoach route
changing the horses.
Our history is not only real and here, it is recent, not too many generations
separate us from the woman who walked from Kentucky back in the 1830's and gave birth in
California to the first white child born to a woman coming from the East on foot (she was
fourteen when her child was born). She lived not too far from our place, and drove her
wagon to town once a week to sell the eggs she raised on her farm. She was still alive
when those old men I knew as a young boy were born. One of them might have helped the old
woman unload her eggs in town, and she might as a child have helped tend to an old man who
was in our Revolutionary war. In this way, I am only separated by two people from the
Revolutionary War soldier.
This is such a marvelous country, so full of opportunity and promise, and so
beneficial to the world as a whole.
Let's all work to keep the promise of this beautiful dream alive.
March 21, 2007 If you're lucky enough to live in the canyon....you're lucky enough
Beverly Hills is a pretty interesting area. Just a few miles
away is a whole different world, but here, in this little spot things seem so clean, neat,
and orderly; kinda like Germany with palm trees and wide roads.
Iceland Poppies are growing in this little traffic median. And does
the sides of the roads not look so cultured and manicured? It is a highly stylized version
of some tropical place, very nice.
Yeah, it seems Beverly wouldn't be too bad a place to live... if
you're gonna live in the city. But me, I prefer the sounds of crickets and frogs to
traffic at night. We have a saying in these hills..."If you're lucky enough to
live in the canyon....you're lucky enough". Yep, that's right alright.
March 20, 2007
Scenic Overlook, Mulholland Avenue
A view of Los Angeles from the Mulholland Overlook.
Anyplace has lots of little special places that lots'a
folks won't come across. I stumbled across this one while driving some twisting roads
along the Hwy 101. I needed to get somewhere over the hills, usually the Freeway would be
the way to go, but it was running really slow. I decided to strike off the Freeway
and head over the hills along ridiculously narrow cracked roads past multi-million dollar
homes, to Mulholland avenue, down Laurel Canyon Blvd, and then into Beverly Hills to talk
cactus with organic grocery stores.
In this view you can see the 101 running left to right, that is Universal
City in the center. It was cloudy this day, but if it were clear the famous Griffith
Park would be visible to the far right.
Even running so slowly, the Freeway would have gotten me where I needed to go
faster, but I'd rather drive slow on hilly twisting roads than drive slowly on the
freeway. Twenty five MPH on Mulholland Ave is a lot more exciting than bumper to bumper
thirty MPH on the freeway.
I suppose I drove twice as many miles too. But the drive was great and the
views were tremendous., and I did see a really low sleek looking sportscar that went the
other way on Mulholland. The top was off, the low monster squatted and hardly leaned
as she cut around the sharpest turn on the road, the huge engine roaring out a loud sweet
tune, pistons pounding as the crank turned and fed power to the wheels through the
tranny. The huge wide tires grabbed the pavement, the tight tough suspension gave little
as the body was prevented from rolling. The driver sped by, a huge smile on his face
as his energetic machine pulled itself up the road.
I understand his smile, it is a pleasure to be able to control a fine machine
that is being used for a least a semblance of it's intended use. That car was able
to handle the turns, and the driver seemed to be barely pushing it's capabilities, hooray
for him!
And part of the point of this trip was to see Kermit the Frog, and also to visit the
Farmer's Market. This is the Jim Henson Company.
Los Angeles has lots of interesting sights to see. I
don't really need to visit Disneyland, just driving around Los Angeles is an adventure in
itself.
March 19, 2007
The Spirit of Los Angeles
Los Angeles has many sights to see, making it one of the top
tourist destinations in the world.
One of the most interesting spots in LA is the Farmer's Market on Third and Fairfax. It is
one of the most interesting Farmer's Market's I have ever seen since it is surrounded by
so much interesting 'City Stuff' to look at.
For a Country Boy like me, a day at this market is like a walk around a candy store, so
many people from all over. You hear all kinds of languages spoken, and everyone here
seemed to be in very good cheer, many are on vacation, although there are friendly locals
all over the place.
This is in the Fairfax district, a very cosmopolitan area that is exceedingly vibrant
and full of life.
This photo is of the statue 'Spirit of Los Angeles' near the
entrance to the massive Farmer's Market.
From this view you can see the beautiful architecture and landscaping done in this area.
The people here seem very well dressed and sophisticated (yeah, I'm a bit overwhelmed by
my own provincial simplicity compared to these folks, but I bet most of them don't know
how to skin a porcupine).
'The Grove' is the area in the center of the block. This is a small
park with water fountains and koi ponds. There are many vendors of foods nearby, so you
can buy vittles and sit in the shade by a tree and eat yor supper.
This is a view from the bridge at 'The Grove'. You can see the
Double-Decker tram they have run up and down the block ferrying people to and from their
cars which are parked outside the area (this is a no-car block, very nice).
All in all, Los Angeles is a very fine place to visit, I recommend
that anyone who has some time, should visit it once in their lifetime. Having family
there, it was a regular destination for our family twice a year, and I've always enjoyed
my visits to LA.
March 18, 2007
I like these transmission towers that are disguised to look like a
tree.
This is a good example of technology and the appearance of nature together.
This one is in Santa Maria California
March 17, 2007
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
Just in time for Saint Paddy's Day, we have a raft of
Hollywood series and movies coming out with a full cast of folks of Irish descent.
It is The Irish/American poet Robert D. Joyce who wrote the poem
'The Wind that shakes the Barley' over one hundred years ago.
I sat within a valley green
Sat there with my true love
And my fond heart strove to choose between
The old love and the new love
The old for her, the new that made
Me think on Ireland dearly
While soft the wind blew down the glade
And shook the golden barley
Twas hard the mournful words to frame
To break the ties that bound us
Ah, but harder still to bear the shame
Of foreign chains around us
And so I said, "The mountain glen
I'll seek at morning early
And join the brave united men"
While soft wind shook the barley
Twas sad I kissed away her tears
Her arms around me clinging
When to my ears that fateful shot
Come out the wildwood ringing
The bullet pierced my true love's breast
In life's young spring so early
And there upon my breast she died
While soft wind shook the barley
I bore her to some mountain stream
And many's the summer blossom
I placed with branches soft and green
About her gore-stained bosom
I wept and kissed her clay-cold corpse
Then rushed o'er vale and valley
My vengeance on the foe to wreak
While soft wind shook the barley
Twas blood for blood without remorse
I took at Oulart Hollow
I placed my true love's clay-cold corpse
Where mine full soon may follow
Around her grave I wondered drear
Noon, night and morning early
With aching heart when e'er I hear
The wind that shakes the barley.
The band called Dead Can Dance, has
Lisa Gerrard
singing the song
'The Wind that shakes the Barley'. It is sung in an Irish Ballad style.
Now, suppose you wish to learn to speak Irish, suppose you were
able to get a real leprechaun to help you, suppose you click above and start to learnin',
or laughin'.
'The green green grass of home'
A recent photo of the Santa Ynez Valley in California,
looks kinda like Dear Ireland, does it not?
This has been a bit dry of a year for us. the last
three weeks it has been nice and warm, but with the dry winter, the hills are already
starting to dry up. The grasses are putting out their seeds, and the stalks will soon dry
as the nutrients are transferred to the grain. The summertime fire season will be on us
soon.
John Prine and Iris DeMent show us how much of our American
Country/Western music hearkens back to the Irish music. I love Iris's voice, it's so
perfect and 'Okie' for this song.
This is one of my favorite John Prine songs.
'In Spite of Ourselves'
Gillian Norris does a most impressive version of Irish dance from
the movie 'Lord of the Dance'. It is so amazing to see the light-footed way she can dance,
she flutters like a butterfly.
Bloody Sunday, by U2.
This is to remember the slaying of Irish civilians in 1972, something like our own Kent
State.
March 16, 2007
On ‘Green Totalitarianism’ and 'Climate Criminals'
Science is supposed to be
the rational examination of the earth’s mysteries. But we’ve seen from the time
of Galileo that political machinations trump raw science.Scientists must work within the accepted frameworks of political considerations to
be able to obtain the funding (and freedom) to research their chosen fields. But what if
the scientist’s views are polar opposites of the current political considerations? In
such an event the scientist will receive less funding for his research and might well be
totally ignored or excoriated for the temerity to speak up when he sees science and
politics are at odds with the truth.
Since the large
oppressive (and politically correct)forces
of ‘Medieval Social Stagnation’ require a reduction of social and economic
development we must assign a ‘Boogeyman’ into the equation. This Boogeyman is
the monster under the bed that we must fear, and even though no one has seen the
Boogeyman, to refute his existence is considered to be a refutation of the health of
society and the planet. The reporting of storms and climate must become more and more
irrational and alarmist, if the lie is told often enough it will become accepted
‘fact’.Such ‘facts’ when
accepted by the average citizen become hard to counter with rational argument.
Here is a film that
refutes Al Gore's movie.
While Al Gore’s movie is being shown in many
schools to encourage the children to accept reduced opportunity in the future and to be
content with a lower standard of living in their adulthood, this film will likely not get
any time in schools.
The truth is that the
temperatures have always gone up and down, what causes this is still under debate. But the
truth is that anytime you read history, you see that the climate at such and such time
changed and forced the migration of such and such populations, or warming temperatures at
such time caused a huge population explosion and global exploration by humans. People and
other animals have had to adapt to climate change in the past, and we will have to again.
But let’s not give up our freedom and resort to Socialism in the name ofGreen Environmentalism. And remember it is
the Communist governments which cause the greatest pollution.
I’m not saying
that there is no Global Warming, but this is a common happenstance in the Earth’s
history, we must adapt, and this means less building on the coastlines, and conservation
and proper allocation of resources such as water and arable land so that they will enable
the steady rise of societal development.
And what of this man
Gore who tells us to reduce our ‘Carbon Footprint’, yet lives in a house which
uses twenty times
the energy of the average American house? And what about his jetting all about the
world to preach to others about reducing reliance on fossil fuels? Perhaps this is a way
for him to prime himself for elective office.
I’m all
about protecting the environment, and healthy living, this is why we have an ORGANIC farm.
We don’t apply any synthetic substances, and our fertilizers are derived
directly from nature. But we’re not getting our product to market without oil to turn
those engines that move our cactus around the country. While I encourage and hope for
renewable energies to come into paramount usage, I don’t subscribe to an embracing of
neo-Paleolithic lifestyles to combat warming when the science doesn’t even seem to
support the idea. It seems the Green Movement with which I have been marginally involved
for decades has now gone totally over into the Socialist camp, and all the hemp wearing
youngsters are happily marching alongside their ‘Red’ Brothers to end
neo-Colonialism and bring us all back to serfdom and precarious living.
Perhaps I
should contemplate the metaphysical repercussions of raw clam eating by Upper Middle Class
Neanderthals instead.
Climate change ended Angkor is just one article on ancient
civilizations that mentions climate change as being the primary factor in the abandonment
of an ancient city/civilization. If you wish more information in such subjects, you might
do a search for the Vikings, the mediaeval warm
period(the interglacial warming), little
Ice Age, and the Anasazi.
On all of these subjects I have read the researchers mention climate change being a major
factor in the movements of these people.
Times change, the Earth changes. It is said that the
only thing that remains the same is change. Change requires a change to adapt to the
change, change begets change. It is the ones who gave up and moved who lived, the ones who
refused to adapt to the changing conditions often died out. To adapt to change is in our
DNA, but first we need to know what is really happening and going on. But when political
machinations require absolute submission, we cannot argue with rational analysis to refute
bogus science claims. Science should never be held hostage to the rule of the mob, and the
rule of the mob is what we are inexorably marching toward. The Socialists and their
colleagues in the climate change model hold their banner high, and will drown out rational
arguments with hyperbolic accusations such as 'Climate Criminal', such actions do not well
comport with the staid dusty academia's I picture who continued doggedly with their
research, regardless of what the government or society claimed.
And look into the possibility that the other planets are warming up
also, perhaps the Martians have their own internal combustion engines revving up also?
March 15, 2007
'Strawberry Fields Forever'
"Let me take you down, cause Im going to
Strawberry fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry fields forever
Living is easy with eyes closed
Misunderstanding all you see
Its getting hard to be someone, but it all works out
It doesnt matter much to me"
~John Lennon~
The Santa
Maria Valley grows a huge portion of the country's strawberries.
Every year at this time as the strawberries ripen and are picked, we get some trucks going
through town that will spill a crate or two of strawberries on the street. These get
rolled over by cars and trucks, and cause a scary big red stain in the road
People talk about the scent of the garlic in Gilroy,
the onion smells in Vidalia, and the old sugar beet scent in Guadalupe, but the scent of
thousands of acres of strawberries is hard to beat.
The beds are formed using a 'bed former' attachment
on a tractor. This gives the plants plenty of drainage and keeps them high from where the
water would collect.The beds are then covered with the black plastic which performs as an
'inorganic mulch'. The plastic keeps weeds down in the beds so the plants don't need to
compete with weeds which would soon cover them and rob them of light water and nutrients.
the black plastic also warms the area the plants are in which will help them continue good
growth in the erratic weather of spring. the little plants are planted into holes cut into
the plastic, and watered with a drip irrigation tube which applies water and nutrients
according to a schedule that is determined by the local weather conditions. This helps the
farmer apply just the correct amounts to enable the plant maximum growth and to reduce
rotting.
While the farmers try to use the resources wisely
(resources cost money, farmers don't always have a lot of that), there is the problem of
the plastic and chemical use. Every summer there are huge mats of plastic that come
loose and blow about, and one can go to the local recycle yard and see the plastic that
covered many acres blowing about. But at least it seems they are trying to recycle, and
there are efforts involved in finding alternatives to the non-biodegradable plastic sheets
and the hazardous chemicals associated with strawberry growing.
March 14, 2007
Train Trestle and Old Bridge
Union Pacific Railroad runs up and down the west coast. As the
tracks cross the gorges and ravines along the coast, trestles bridge the spans. The
trestles are a source of wonder for people, especially kids. They are an 'attractive
nuisance' as kids can't seem to resist crossing them at least once in their life. But it
is a risky and daring venture, one I did just once as a kid.
This view shows both the trestle, and the old Hwy 101
bridge which was abandoned when the new highway (visible to the upper right) was
completed. It is interesting to walk along the old highway which is grown over with
weeds. It would make a good movie location for a post apocalyptic flick.
It's still in good condition, even though it's probably
eighty years old and not maintained for forty years or so (probably German engineering).
It's funny to think that this little bridge carried the traffic along the coast between LA
and San Francisco.
I think the entire old highway should be retrofitted, and turned into a bike
path for tourists and locals who want a nice ride along the coast. Such an activity could
help with Eco-tourism immensely, as well as revitalize the local economies with
bed-and-breakfast and camping spots among the local farms and ranches. Could you imagine
being able to ride a bicycle all the way from Ventura to Monterey hardly ever having to be
near a real highway and cars?
March 13, 2007
Vista Point, off Highway 101 S
'Pacific Tranquility'
Vista Point is a small turnoff on Highway 101 S, about five miles
South of Gaviota
It is a convenient place to stretch your legs for a spell while you look over the
spectacular views of the California Central Coast.
This shot is taken looking out to the Islands off the coast. You can see an offshore oil
rig.
'The Sunbane bursts forth'
This view is from Vista Point looking South towards the Santa
Barbara area.
It's just a guess, but I'd say the pretty orange-red glow is smog and smoke from the
wildfire in Orange County. It is being light into a spectacular display by the rising sun.
'By the Cliffs Red Glow'
The reddish glow of the sun's rays through the oxides brings a nice
glow to the cliff on this otherwise still dark morning.
We've gotten a sudden spike in
temperatures. It is quite unexpected for this time of the spring. The last few days the
temps have hovered near ninety degrees. While unusual, it is not entirely unwelcome, the
cactus loves it and is putting out a nice flush of leaves that will be ready for harvest
in a couple of weeks (Gott Sei Dank)
March 12, 2007 "The Irish have always been victims of negative stereotyping;
I mean, people think we're all drunks and brawlers,
Sometimes, it gets you so mad,
all you want to do is get drunk and punch somebody." ~The character 'Tommy Donnelly' from NBC's 'The Black Donnellys'~
I've become interested in a new crime drama show
called the Black
Donnelly's. It is set in New York City in the present time and centers around four
brothers of Irish descent and their criminal enterprises. It comes across as an Irish
version of the Sopranos, as such I like it on an added level due to my own Scots/Irish
heritage from my father's side.
At the same time I watch this, I experience a bit of what
the people of Italian descent were saying about the Soprano's, about how that show displayed only the stigma and
pre-conceptions of Italian Mafia involvement. But while on one hand I understand such
reservations, on the other hand I know that many people revel in the 'misperceptions'
inherent in such fallacies. An Italian friend of mine used to joke often about a "two
for one" special he was running anytime I mentioned having troubles with anyone, and
my own family has on occasion let the Celtic temper run wild fueled by booze. Some of my
family have been known for fighting and scrapping, and enjoyed that reputation.
For now I'm enjoying the storyline as it is laid out for us and develops
during the coming weeks, I am sure I'll find plenty to enjoy in this program.
Synchronicity being what it is, a neighbor came by the other day and dropped
off for our enjoyment a video called 'The
Departed', which also is about another modern day Irish-descent crime family, this one
set in Boston. While watching it I felt the same bundle of emotions as when I watched the
Black Donnelly's...a sense of love of the Irish music, the high stepping swashbuckling
cavalier attitude of the people, and the joy of life that has always been a component of
Celtic life (and I guess anything with Jack Nicholson is gonna be great).
It has been said that the ancient Celts were the farthest ranging and most malleable people in
the history of the world. They roamed far and wide and spread their influence throughout
Europe, to Northern Africa, and into the Middle East. But they were also a people
who were open to new ideas, new art and music and warfare styles. As they roamed, they
adapted the ideas of multiple cultures into their own, to create a strong and dynamic
culture that to some extent survives to this day. Much of our modern artworks and music
have some Celtic influence. It is this ability to take in the new, to anneal it with
your existing framework, and blend it into a stronger unified whole that made their
culture so strong, long lasting and influential, much as our own country has tended to do
in the past.
Celtic influence is pervasive in our culture, whether we know it or not.
When we walk down the street and see the long wild hair, sometimes spiked, and long
mustaches of some people, we are looking into the faces of the ancient Celts in modern
times.
March 11, 2007
'It's like something out of that 'Twilighty' show about that zone'
~Homer Simpson~
OK. I admit that I'm one of those folks who argue
that the television series cartoon family 'The Simpsons' is actually a cutting-edge social commentary. But,
that's not the point of this writing. The real reason I am writing about a cartoon family
headed by a buffoon is because the 'Simpson's' movie is coming out soon. And it has been
decided that the premier should be in a town with the same name as their fictional town
of Springfield. Now we can
read that there are a number of Springfields across the country which are all vying
for the right to screen the movie in their town (doubtless for the revenue and recognition
such an honor would bestow). The creator of the series Matt Groening says that he chose
the name Springfield because it is one of the most popular town names in the United
States. At one count there were 53 Springfields in 45 states.
But locals here believe the Simpson's town of Springfield was modeled
after our own local town (our county seat) of San Luis Obispo (SLO-Town). Like the
fictional Springfield, SLO-Town has a twin-domed nuclear power plant, a prison, a couple
of colleges, a nearby mental health hospital, a big gorge (Arroyo Grande), a big airport
(we refer to ours as SLO-International), and the beach, mountains and forests
nearby. Some rumors relate Matt Groening having attended our local college Cal Poly.
But, alas for our little quaint town, the producers have vociferously denied
any connection with San Luis Obispo.
But fortunately, you can always count on Homer's words of wisdom.
March 10, 2007
We all know of Mark Burnett, Steven Spielberg
and Dreamworks Television. These heavyweights of the film/reality television industry have
banded together to make a new reality show called 'The Lot'. In it aspiring filmmakers can
make a short film and submit it, the producers will select the top sixteen, and they will
be eliminated weekly as the filmmakers are given a new assignment of a film to create in a
one week time period. Weekly a new genre of film will be assigned, and the home viewers
will be able to choose the people to eliminate.
This is sure to be an interesting show, and one I am likely
to be watching weekly.
A writer/filmmaker friend of mine is in the contest. I think he did a really
outstanding job. It is an interesting film, and from the first minute I found it to be
compelling.
You can see his short film at 'The Mailbox'. Do register
(for free) and you can give him a vote.
Hopefully he will be among the top sixteen selected, and will be making
movies weekly eliminating his competition one by one until he stands alone, the first
winner of the one million dollar Dreamworks Deal.
Wednesday May 16 is the first episode, they will have a one hour auditions
episode.
March 09, 2007
'We're in for one wild night' ~Tagline from '300'~
Heavy Horses
~Jethro Tull~
Bring a song for the evening
Clean brass to flash the dawn
across these acres glistening
like dew on a carpet lawn
The movie '300' is opening today. It is about the famous battle in Greece where some
300 Spartans held off the Persian army long enough for the Greek city-states to rise and
respond to the invasion of Greece and defeat the Persian Empire in the end.
This movie has caused some controversy among historians and
academics who argue that it is not told in the 'proper fashion', that it is not authentic
enough, that it is a Hollywood creation that defeats the concepts of History-telling. I
say yes, it is all those and more; it is an epic film that might just bring some kids to
crack open those dry history books and be able to see this battle and others (sadly, there
have been so many tens of thousands) through the lens of their own imagination and not the
dusty lens of some dry academic charlatan who is only interested in facts and figures.
History is the telling of people, the story of those people, and it is
usually told on an epic and grand scale, but yet it is in the end the story of one man,
shoulder to shoulder with his buddies, standing against the army set on conquest and
destruction. But how are we to see through the eyes of that one man?
And how do we see through the eyes of one of the men who fight against
him? By putting ourselves figuratively into his place, to imagine the terror and chaos of
standing behind a broken stone wall as an army of tens of thousands marches towards you,
their shields shining in the sun and the shake of the ground as the thousands of
metal-clad boots strike the ground as one.
To read a well written book is to transport oneself into another time and
place, to release the bonds of this life we live for just a time and to see through the
mind and eyes of some other person, far away in time and space, or even an imaginary
person. But perhaps the movie will be the catalyst that will enable the curing of
the mind, and the desire to learn more of that fateful day through books.
Anything that can kindle the taste in youngsters to want to live in their
minds the events that others so long ago went through is a boon. Who knows how many kids
who watch this movie will be inspired to study history...and we all hear the requisite
axiom often enough, 'Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it'.
March 08, 2007
I'm 'bout ready for Camarillo
~Ambrosia~
From the album 'Life Beyond LA'
I'm 'bout ready for Camarillo
My head is goin' fast
I'm like some ship out on the ragin' sea
That's losin' its mainmast
Can't find my direction
My thoughts are so confused
My problem's that there is no easy way
To heal the soul that's been abused
Sought to find the diff'rence
Between ghosts and reality
But who can tell me what's my name,
I mean, what is really me?
In my dreams, it seems so simple,
Such an easy way to be
I'm gonna lose myself in someone else
Just to find that way to me,
Find that way to me
Camarillo
(Cam-a-re-yo) is a smallish city just a bit north of Los Angeles. It's main claim to fame
lately is the large shopping centers there and the outlet shops.
But back in the eighties and before that it had a mental hospital. Vickie and
I had some friends who lived in Camarillo in the eighties, whenever we'd mention we were
going to visit someone in Camarillo the smiles would come on people's faces as they fought
the impulse to joke about us visiting 'mental patients'. The song listed above is a
testament to the way people perceived Camarillo in the decades before the twenty first
century.
Camarillo is a good spot to live. the crime is fairly low, the climate
is hard to beat, it is rural in a way with fields all around, and wilderness areas not far
to the east of town, and it is close enough to LA (one hour) to commute.
We have some distant relatives in Camarillo, one of them, Don Dicus has a
very interesting life history which is transcribed in his obituary.
March 07, 2007
Oxnard California
Oxnard is a smallish/big city on the
California Coast. It is about midway between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Oxnard has a
large history of agriculture, and is still surrounded by acres and acres of the fresh
vegetables that are sent to the people across the whole country.
The particular spot the city lies on has a mild climate that allows the
plants to make it through a winter a bit easier than many other locals, even in warm sunny
California.
The sunset was pretty, but I played around with my paint program and
colored it a deeper red.
Another modified image. Oxnard has many long rows of the
ubiquitous palm trees.
I once had an aunt visit from Missouri, she had never seen a palm tree in real life, so
one of the main goals she had was to touch the rough bark of a palm tree on her
visit to California.
To us, palm trees are a dime a dozen, although the big ones can sell for over ten
thousand dollars.
Oxnard is big enough to have some large buildings. Oxnard borders
Ventura which is to the North of Oxnard. These are close to Ventura which is a large city
than Oxnard.
March 06, 2007
Plum Tree, Santa Maria California
The plum trees in Santa Maria are blooming now.
March 05, 2007
Busy Bees
~The script to the movie 'Gladiator' ~
COMMODUS: 'But the Emperor
Claudius knew that they were up to something dire. He knew they were busy little bees. And
one night he sat down with one of them and he looked at her and he said: "Tell me
what you have been doing, busy little bee, or I shall strike down those dearest to you.
You shall watch as I bathe in their blood." And the bee knew he spoke the truth, for
the Emperor always speaks the truth. And what do you think happened then, Lucius?'
LUCIUS: (still pouring over the scrolls) 'I don't know,
Uncle.'
COMMODUS: (glaring at Lucilla) 'The bee
told him everything.'
The acacia tree is in full bloom, and the bumblebees that were on the
manzanita blooms last week, are having to move to the Acacia due to dwindling mazanita
blossoms.
But the European Honeybees are happy with the acacia, much more than they were
with the manzanita. The bumblebees however prefer the manzanita.
You can see that they seem to be collecting mostly pollen from the
acacia. You can see the 'pollen baskets' on the bees legs are packed to overflowing with
pollen.
Beekeepers who collect the pollen to sell will have a tight screen that
the bees must pass through to enter the hive, the holes are sized such that the bee cannot
bring the pollen in, it will scrape off on the metal screen and be deposited into a tray
at the entrance along with the other little 'clumps' of pollen dropped off by the other
busy bees.
Another photo of a honeybee with pollen baskets full.
Spring Dwindling, May Disease, Autumn Collapse, Colony Collapse
Disorder
Honeybees do so much more than provide us with pollen and
honey, they perform the much larger job of pollinating much of the nation's food crops.
Without pollinators like bees the food supply would be grievously reduced.
But the last couple of decades have left new hazards for bees and their
keepers, diseases and parasites from other lands have reduced bee populations severely.
And now a new ailment being called 'Colony Collapse Disorder' (CCD) seems to be rearing
it's head, or rather, an old mystery ailment is again ravaging bee populations.
To get some good updates on this, you can read the article at Bee Culture's Beeyard.
Another article is at 'The Herald
Tribune'.
March 04, 2007
Tao Teh Ching
Chapter 10
Can you coax your mind from it’s wandering...and still
yourself?:
Are you able to avoid separation from creation?
Focusing your energy on oneness with all:
Can you be like a child?
Can you cleanse your inner vision,
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them,
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from your own notions
and understand all things?
The Tao Gives birth and nourishes,
it produces, but it does not possess.
The Tao acts with no expectations.
Be like the Tao: surpass, but don't take charge.
This is called The Mysterious Virtue.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Passion and creativity walk hand in hand, and
where these two are given full rein, excellence is their child.
Consider the wonders
of the human mind. The creativity exhibited by artists and other explorers of the mind
fascinate and hold forth the truths that the mind is the most precious physical thing you
own.
Mankind has been given such
a wondrous mind, yet it is unexplored by most people. The largest part of humanity’s
experience is to travel along the edges and take occasional reaches into the depths. But
there are some who travel deep into their mind and find the spark of genius that lies deep
in all of us. But getting to it is the difficulty.
There are some in whom the
folds of the mind expose some facet of this spark of creativity. But the same folding and
layers of thought processes also sometimes cover deeper that which is easy to the rest of
us. It is these people we call savants. The cracks that appeared expose deep recesses of
the mind and release the genius, but they have also riven the parts that allow us to
decide things simple to most such as which socks to wear, or if there is even a sock at
all.
There are others who
can occasionally travel deep into their mind to reach the uncharted sections hidden from
the rest of us, this takes practice and patience.These
people can for a time experience the wonders of the mind.
And some rare ones
there are who can reach deep inside the depths of their mind much as the rest of us might
reach into a jar of pickled olives.They
plumb the depths that are obscured from our vision. They pick that talent they need and
utilize it to their best ability.
In the case of artists, the
interior genius comes to them on occasion. They utilize it, as we must all utilize our
talents. To not put your gifts to use for the forces of good is a shame to you, and a loss
for all the others.
March 03, 2007
American Idol, Hometown Hero
It's always great when a local person does well, it's
something of a 'Local Boy makes it big" type of thing when you hear a story such as
that of our own AJ who is written of in the local paper, the Santa
Maria Times.
It is A.J. Tabaldo who works in our local UPS store who has made it so far on
'American Idol'. But the other
night he got sent home and voted out of the show. But we bet his talent, ability
and good nature will shine in his life. There are yet great things in store for this
kid. So AJ, you go on and kick it dude!
One commentator stated "Tabaldo sang well enough that his ouster was a
surprise. " It seems that since the ratings depend on people calling in...having a
large fan base is necessary, and apparently AJ did not have enough callers.
I am so stoked to see people who can dance and sing, perhaps
this is because I can do neither.
Maps of War has
a really interesting 90 second display that shows the different Kingdoms, Caliphates and
Empires that have controlled the Middle East in the last five thousand years. It is a very
interesting and informative display.
March 01, 2007
California Cheese
California has had a near 'Mythic' quality to it from it's first
encounters by Europeans. The name 'California' itself came from a sixteenth
century novel about a hidden island, full of exquisite beauty with high peaks and high
beachside cliffs, a veritable 'Shangri-La' for sure with the only metal being gold, and
the only people being female Amazon Warriors with exquisite bodies.
California continues to be a land smitten with it's own
beauty, but just as in the novel, there is a darkness lurking under the surface... nothing
is as it appears.
But, we continue to hold California up as a beacon; the sun
glistens off her Sierra peaks, the deep shade of her canyons and valleys gives respite to
the overheated traveler of life. The clean mountain rivers bring their fresh water
to the beauteous beaches where the Golden Children play, secure in their belief that wheat
grass juice and yogurt will keep them fit and healthy for a century.
I suppose that it is fitting that in a state where
agriculture continues to be the number one industry, and where the movie and advertising
industries are paramount; that these three occupations should intersect into a tripod we
call 'The Happy California Cows'. And with the advent of digital recording devices,
commercials MUST be entertaining or they will be 'fast-forwarded' and not viewed. So for
years now the California Cheese Board has had a series of inventive and entertaining
commercials that showcase the benefits of the good cheese produced in this state.
And this oddity of people viewing commercials purely for the
entertainment is phenomenal, this 'viral-marketing' is so great that once the commercial
is made it can be viewed by millions of potential customers for no additional cost! Great
marketing....
Any creative person out there who has a 'killer idea' on a
Rivenrock Commercial....I am willing to talk.
The Happy Cows hit the 'Snooze-button' in this commercial.
The California Calf triggers post traumatic stress syndrome in
Granny-Cow
A new arrival to the Golden State learns about the local girls from a
new friend.
Some cows in some poor snowy place strain at the fence and cheer on an
escapee heading for the warmth of that almost fictional place, California.
A couple of nosy California Bulls peek in, eavesdropping on the
'Girl-Talk' of some California Cows.
In this California Cheeese commercial, a group of sheep (inexplicably
with Scottish accents) try to charge a couple of California Cows. They really played the
'Braveheart' theme through this commercial.
