Since I’ve featured episodes about abalone for the past two weeks, I thought it was about time to look at another edible marine creature living off the coast of California! It’s actually quite interesting to compare the recent histories of the abalone and the sea urchin; while the public’s taste for abalone exploded decades ago and led to its near […]
In my lifetime, I’ve crossed and recrossed the Yolo Causeway many, many times. But last week was the first time I actually stopped to explore the surrounding wetlands, now designated as the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area. I wasn’t precisely sure what to expect when Google told me I had arrived at my destination — and I’ll admit I was […]
On my most recent trip to the San Francisco Botanical Garden (formerly the Strybing Arboretum) last August I discovered a fascinating bit of history just along the southeast edge near the main gate. Tucked behind the library, there is a quiet little patio surrounded by a collection of medieval stone blocks. These stones have traveled a very long way from […]
A couple of the local feral kittens recently discovered the brown squirrels who love to scamper around the trees in our front yard, and now every morning one or another of the feline siblings is waiting patiently among the tree roots. These young cats don’t seem interested in trying to climb the tree; I guess they are just hoping one […]
Last Wednesday I featured an episode of California’s Gold that included a short segment on abalone diving in Northern California; it was only after I’d completed the post that I realized there was an entire half-hour episode from 1999 on the same topic, delving deeper into the history of abalone and its role in California culture. It’s packed with great […]
This episode of California’s Gold from 2003 is a new one for me; but I just had to share it this week for a few reasons. One is that I actually remember the tail end of the glory days of abalone. In fact, I may have even been lucky enough to taste it on one of my family’s trips to […]
Scenes from my walk around Stow Lake in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in August 2021.
This summer has not been a good one when it comes to wildfires, not only here in California, but unfortunately all around the world. This morning part of my sadness comes from the fact that a beautiful area I’ve very recently visited and enjoyed hiking and photographing has become ground zero for our region’s latest forest fire — El Dorado […]