Category Archives: Life in California

Weekend Postcard: Sailboat on Clear Lake

A few weeks back we saw colorful sailboats on Clear Lake. (Clear Lake is in Lake County in northern California.) According to the Konocti Bay Sailing Club, 45 boats participated the 28th Konocti Cup (their route is here). We might see one or two sailboats in a month, to see so many at one timeContinue reading “Weekend Postcard: Sailboat on Clear Lake”

Weekend Postcard: Redbud in bloom

The western redbud (Cercis occidentalis) has bloomed throughout Lake County, CA. With its cordate (heart-shaped) leaves and magenta flowers, it dazzles us during spring. Related articles The Razzle-Dazzle Redbud (notesfromtheblogusfear.wordpress.com) Theodore Payne Wildflower Report 4/27/12 (naturalhistorywanderings.com)

Weekend Postcard: vineyard in the Alexander Valley

This is another picture of a vineyard in the Alexander Valley, just east of Healdsburg, in Sonoma County of California. Agriculture is amazing. Long ago, we humans domesticated (formerly) wild plants and animals for our purposes, and changing what they do radically in the process. This scene looks peaceful, bucolic, and natural. Well, two outContinue reading “Weekend Postcard: vineyard in the Alexander Valley”

Fear and Loathing in Lake County

Last Tuesday, anti-GE (genetically engineered) forces in the county threw their hats in the air, shouted hallelujah, and did happy dances when the Lake County Board of Supervisors (BoS) passed a resolution supporting the mandatory labeling of genetically modified food by a 3-2 vote. Supervisors Anthony Farrington (District 4), Denise Rushing (District 3), and JeffContinue reading “Fear and Loathing in Lake County”

Ugly Duckling In The Woods By William Keye

This is an op-ed piece that William Wade Keye* submitted to the Sacramento Bee at the beginning of July, in response to two articles (“State to assess Battle Creek logging activity and effect on salmon” and “Troubled waters of Battle Creek“) and an editorial (“Governor needs to keep pledge at Battle Creek”) they published highlightingContinue reading “Ugly Duckling In The Woods By William Keye”

For Mice and Men, Dose Doth Make the Poison

My latest Green Chain column in today’s Lake County Record-Bee: Every day, I make my wife and myself a cup of coffee. Should I be arrested for spousal abuse? I am serving her a phenol-laced liquid, containing 826 volatile chemical substances, 16 of which are known by the state of California to cause cancer. OneContinue reading “For Mice and Men, Dose Doth Make the Poison”

Weekend Postcard: Lake County, Clear Lake

What a gorgeous weekend in northern California. The temperature was around 67F (19C for our metric folks). The lilac are in bloom and Mount Konocti looked very photogenic. And, every road invited you to amble along and see what lay around the next bend. How was the climate in your neck of the woods?