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Author Archives: annandmeg
Russian River, Meet Pacific Ocean
There is nothing more humbling to me than a massive body of water. Some of my favorite moments have been staring out into the ocean, or perhaps a huge river. The Mediterranean Sea when I was in Turkey. The Amazon River in Peru. The Pacific Ocean in my new home state of California. Well, on one of our recent outings, Jake and I drove up to have dinner along the coast, and we ended up at the Russian River Delta, where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean near Jenner, CA.
And looking at the delta where the river meets the ocean…
Near the shoreline, the ocean has some beautiful rock formations jutting out from the water.
What a beautiful place, and we live here! If only we could figure out a way to have this view out our back deck….now that would really be something.
A music-filled Sunday afternoon at Rancho Nicasio
There are many things that are completely fabulous about living in California, and spending a Sunday afternoon listening to cajun music at Rancho Nicasio is definitely one of them! Last weekend, we had the pleasure of joining some of our favorite folks out at the ranch, listening to cajun/zydeco music out on the lawn and eating some delicious bbq. What a way to spend the day!
The two groups playing that day were Flambeau, with fiddler Tom Rigney, and Beausoleil, with fiddler Michael Doucet. Auntie tells me both of these gentlemen are two of the best, if not THE best fiddlers in the world. Lucky for me, I got to see them both for the first time on the very same stage!
It was a lovely afternoon, hopefully something we’ll get to do again in the very near future. Thank you to Auntie and Tio for extending my fabulous birthday celebration with this amazing outing! – MB:)
I don’t know much about fracking, but I know what it looks like!
We hear so much about hydro fracking, commonly known as “fracking”. It is the process of fracturing layers of rock using pressurized water to release natural gas and petroleum products from deep in the ground. It requires an available supply of water and it seems to be significantly adding to our available reserves of natural gas. BP (yes, that BP) describes fracking this way. [1]
Even though I don’t know anything about the science of fracking, I have seen it up close and personal. First come the trucks. They are all shapes and sizes. They are almost universally big, loud, and heavy. They damage the roads and churn dust over farmland and trees. This truck is used to drill the wells, but other trucks deliver pipe and all the other equipment involved in the drilling process.
Water is piped in from the nearest substantial lake or river. In a drought like this, the tremendous rate at which this water is consumed impacts the availability and cleanliness of water available for humans, livestock and crops. Environmental concerns include water contamination, oil and gas spills, disposal of waste water and other waste products. J. Daniel Arthur [2] estimates the average well consumes 3 to 5 million gallons of water over its lifetime. It may be too soon to truly assess the potential environmental impact on our air, the water and the land.
Huge storage tanks are placed on the land, surrounded by chain-link fences. They are an eyesore at best. Perhaps because silos are so common in agricultural areas, this seems to be the least problematic aspect of these fields.
The sounds associated with the drilling process are muted by the baffles that surround the operations. These baffles are eventually removed. In the meantime, they create a visual barrier to the activities going on inside.
The machinery used in the fracking process is totally beyond my beginning science background. This equipment reminded me of a grownup science project. Presumably it is removed when the well is depleted. 
Hidden from view after they are installed, these large pipes carry natural gas to market. Buried in the earth, they will be out of sight, but they won’t be out of mind. Nothing can be built over the land where they are buried.
Whatever the economic benefit to the landowners, the impact of fracturing shale for the purposes of extracting natural gas and other petroleum products, makes us long for the days when energy came from simpler devices.
[1] explxplow.com; bp.com
[2] An overview of modern shale gas development in the United States, 2008.
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As always, the opinions expressed in this blog do not represent the opinions of our friends, our families or our employers.
Relaxing by the Eel River
A few weekends ago, Jake and I drove up to spend the night pseudo-camping at our friends’ house up in Garberville. It’s up in Humboldt County, about 3 hrs north of Petaluma. Janice and Jerry invited us up for a quick getaway, and little did I know I would be staying right on the Eel River!
For the last several months, I’ve been doing research with my friend David at Friends of the Eel River. One of the major concerns with the Eel River water supply is that much of the water is diverted to the Russian River via PG&E’s Pottery Valley Project. While I’m still learning the ins and outs of the water world in California, it is very exciting for me when I get to see the subject of my research.
According to Janice, the river level was much higher in previous summers. This summer, there is a lot more visible gravel along the river bank than in previous years.
It was a wonderful getaway, though probably too short. We look forward to going back again soon.
My Birthday Weekend
Okay, so my birthday wasn’t actually on a weekend, but seeing as I was born the day before a national holiday, I always count my birthday and Independence Day as my birthday “weekend.”
This year’s birthday was my first living away from Kansas City. The last two years I’ve spent my birthday focused on other things, so this year it was nice to spend the day relaxing and enjoying life. Jake had to work, but Auntie Carol and I went to lunch, did a little shopping, and went to see an ab-filled movie (I do love Channing Tatum, but could have done without the nearly X-rated content of the Magic Mike film).
Once Jake was off work, we all gathered for a birthday dinner and mini-celebration at Auntie and Tio’s house in San Rafael. Complete with what, you ask? A Tio cake, of course! That’s right folks, this year, for my first birthday as a Californian, I got my very own Tio cake. Apparently, he was nice to me for my first year. He’s been known to include things such as broccoli, electronics, and who knows what else. I got a spiced cake with licorice, and the only parts we couldn’t eat were the two mini-candle holders he used for my blue eyes.
After dinner, we watched fireworks from their deck. Then finished off the night with a game of Parcheesi. It was the perfect way to spend the day. I took this picture of the fireworks, which looks REALLY out of focus, but I thought it turned out fairly artistic.
Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. It was a wonderful day. I’m sorry I didn’t get to see all of my amazing friends and family, but I miss all of you, and it was so great to hear from you. I hope you all enjoyed the 4th and are having a fabulous summer!
In Search of My Roots–the Lewis Family
At 6:50 this morning I am off on a great adventure. My sister and I fly to Boston. We pick up our rental car there and have charmed three cousins to meet us in New York? In New York we plan to spend three days with cousins, searching for our roots. We have not been together as a group in more than 50 years. What a treat.
From the late 1700’s until the early 1900’s, 5 generations of our family lived in and around Norwich, Chenango County, NY. My great-grandfather, Horatio Lewis, and his brothers, Hiram and Harris, owned mills in the area. Here is a picture of their mill in Pharsalia, NY., before it was destroyed in a fire in the late 1880’s.
Tuesday morning we will drive to Norwich. Our agenda is to visit the Mt. Hope Cemetery to try to find the Lewis and Terry Family Plots, located in Section A. I thought it would be relatively simply until I learned that Section A is 10 acres. Well, we can only try! Since our family members were among the first people buried there, I am hoping we have a chance. Then on to the Guernsey Memorial Library and the Norwich Historical Society.
Wednesday we drive to Sherrill, NY, where my grandparents lived by 1912. Granddad was superintendent of silver-plating operations for Oneida Silver, back in the day when it was a power to be reckoned with in Oneida County. We plan to visit the family home on Willow Road, walk down to the school and the plant on the same road. Dad (on the right), his brother Dick (the baby) and Aunt Dot (on the left) were all raised in the house in Sherrill.
We will spend one night in rooms at the Mansion House, the home of a utopian community that eventually founded the silver company.
In the midst of indulging my family history adventures I hope to catch up on years of missed time with my cousins. Hopefully, we will see some wonderful places, share great memories and return home refreshed and armed with photographs for new posts.
It’s Hot–Think Cool
When the temperature reaches 100 to 110 degrees here in the Mid-West, I remember cooler days along the California coast.
Wouldn’t it be great to dip your toes in this clear, beautiful water. One of our most valuable resources, cool water represents life and adventure. And it is cool, wonderfully cool.
Think cool. Be cool.
The Trails and Gardens at Crystal Bridges
Crystal Bridges is a world class Museum of American Art. But no visit would be complete without a walk through the grounds that surround it. In fact, one of the best reasons to walk along the trails is to be able to truly admire the graceful world class architecture from various vantage points along the trails behind and adjacent to the buildings themselves.
The museum is a masterpiece by acclaimed architect and urban planner, Moshe Safdie. In addition to Crystal Bridges, his work includes projects in such diverse environments as Old City Jerusalem; Singapore; Golden Dream Bay in Qinhuangdao, China; as well as Kansas City’s own Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
There are extensive trails through the 120 acre site. These trails pass by creeks, a pond, and native plants. They wind through and around the grounds. Small walking bridges pass over the creeks on the property that are actually fed by the Crystal Spring.
But the grounds are not limited to natural beauty. Sculptures the quality of the world class art in the gallery are on the grounds outside as well. My personal favorite is Stella, by artist/sculptor, Andre Harvey. Stella weighs in at 560 pounds. She seems to me to be completely and utterly content. No dieting for this lass. Look at her smile.
To rain or not to rain, that is the question
It is dry, oh so dry. The impact of this drought is the subject of a future post. But the question of the moment is whether there will be rain today. The weather forecast gives us hope that there will be relief from the 105 degree temperatures for at least a few days. We are also given the promise of rain, precious rain.
Late yesterday afternoon I felt a single drop of rain. On my drive home I saw a splash or two. By 8 p.m. I was excited to see a real cloud. The gray of a rain cloud was fighting against the fluffy white cloud which normally would have seemed lovely and delicate. Now the dark of the rain cloud holds our attention.
There were a few more drops and nothing more. What does today hold? Precious rain or dry heat? That is the question.
Shifting the Balance 