California Has LOTS of Open Space!

In a search for my next adventure, my wife Jeannie and I took a four-day trip to the Mendocino Coast area and stayed in Fort Bragg, CA for two nights (not to be confused with one of the nation's leading combat-ready military installations in Fort Bragg, NC). We chose to drive 'the 101' northward through San Luis Obispo County (above) and connect with the PCH - Pacific Coast Highway, CA-1, north of San Francisco (below).

Considering a move to the Central California Coast from North Carolina 20 months ago, my general perception was that California was the country's most populous state (true) and that the State was crowded and highly over-taxed with people, buildings, suburbs, cars and freeways (partly true).

Turns out that yes, the major population centers of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento ARE highly congested - however, there are MANY, MANY areas that have NO people or very few - with some very intriguing towns/small cities to boot. One of my favorite towns - so far is Morro Bay. Situated on a perfect harbor on the Pacific and guarded by Morro Rock, (below) the town is part commercial fishing and part tourism.

More of the type of 'open space' (below) found in valleys just across the coastal range from the Pacific - dry in the summer - and the fields are golden, taupe, buff or sienna (never brown!).

Wine-making and grape-growing are BIG Business in California and the Central Coast is no exception. Popularized in the movie "Sideways" Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County have large tracts of vineyards - and vintners, too. These are typical south-facing hills (below), although the vines appear to grow very well on 'the flat' as well. The vines in the rear of the photo are covered with a bright green netting to allow a harvest undiminished by local birds. It's odd to me that there is such panache surrounding the production of wine. Apples? Almonds? Citrus? Hops? Strawberries? Veggies? Wheat? Even when literally 'feeding the world' farmers are regarded as just that - farmers. However, grow a few acres of grapes, ferment the suckers and you're a celebrity! Or will attract them. But be sure you grow winegrapes. Tablegrapes just don't cut it, either! Much more on the local wine business another time.

Zaca Fire Update

This is a very nasty fire. Still burning in the remote areas across the Santa Ynez Mountains from the coastal communities in Santa Barbara County, the fire has now grown to 101,000 acres and has cost $70,000,000 so far.... There are nearly 3,000 people working on the fire at this time.

The plume above rose about 1:30pm Tuesday, 14Aug07. The photo was taken from the Clark Bird Refuge near East Beach in Santa Barbara, CA, looking nearly due north.

Sea Lion for Brunch on the Rincon

My wife and I have been so fortunate to be able to spend most of the summer on the very point at Rincon, about 15 miles east of Santa Barbara. Meaning "corner" in Spanish, Rincon is very much a point and has been favored by surfers for decades.

I have seen much wildlife in and on this corner of the Pacific this summer. It is a rocky point and attracts seals, porpoises, birds of many kinds and a sea lion.

One overcast morning in late July I saw a sea lion on the beach - and it was being very active with something. Slashing this thing all around in the air, and throwing it on the ground, much as an active retriever would play with a tug-toy. S/he was also much the focus of attention by several local gulls, just waiting for flying sushi. Whatever it was didn't have any 'umph' left and was not going to escape.

Upon a closer look at my photos later, apparently the sea lion had caught a 3' leopard shark, eaten the head and was dealing with the rest of the carcass on the beach. This 'playing' with the shark went on for several minutes, until some beachwalkers came past and the sea lion headed out to sea, still grasping the shark carcass in its mouth.

Swimming 50yds+ offshore, the sea lion was STILL playing with that shark, displaying a wildly flopping carcass as it entered deeper water. Can you imagine the 'great luck' the gull in the second to last photo must have felt seeing this large piece of dead shark bouncing on top of the ocean... only to find it was still attached to a sea lion? Ahh, brunch for the sea lion only - the gulls will have to wait.

Zaca Fire 85,000 Acres & GROWING!

Seasons in Southern California are somewhat different from much of the USofA.

• Mudslide Season - happens in normal winter time, and would be called 'Rainy Season' by some. However, only 15" of rain would fall in a normal year. Growing up in St. Pete, FL, we've had that much in a week!
  


• There is also Fire Season that happens mostly in a normal summer time, and would be called 'Dry Season' by others. And it is VERY dry. NO rain this year since mid-March, and we can't truly begin to expect our next rain until October. It is still amazing to me to live in a climate where it is normal not to have a drop of rain for seven months. But as Mrs. Sawyers in 7th Grade Geography would explain, "It takes cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers to make a Mediterranean Climate."
  

On the 4th of July a repair was being made to a water pipe on a remote residence in the backcountry of Santa Barbara County near Zaca Lake. As you might imagine, these guys were working on a major U.S. holiday, trying to get much-needed water to a family. Sparks from their grinder set off a small fire that quickly grew, and as of five weeks later 'The Zaca Fire' has burned 85,000 acres. I suppose the lesson learned might be to be sure to celebrate holidays - yet the larger lesson here is CARRY A FIRE EXTINGUISHER! If you don't have one in your vehicle - go buy one. Now. Whatever it costs. This scary fire has now cost $65,000,000. Your new fire extinguisher is a great investment at $25.

While major population areas have not been affected (yet!) the effects of the fire can be seen and felt nearly every day. While the fire is across the mountains from the coastal cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria, smoke can be seen billowing thousands of feet in the air. This photo shows smoke from downtown Carpinteria, about twenty miles away.

Ash has also fallen quite frequently, depending on winds, of course. While mostly a nuisance for most, it can be a health hazard for the very young, infirm and with breathing problems.

Beyond the horrible aspects of the Zaca Fire, it is hard to overlook the sunsets - smoke and ash have created some very colorful work.

People here understandably take Fire Season very seriously. Fire Stations all have 'fire alert status' signs and the local media are quick to remind during particularly likely periods. Right now, at 85,000 acres, it is huge. This is equal to 130 sq miles - the size of the entire City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia, PA.

• How can I properly identify just how large 85,000 acres actually covers? I don't have a ranch with acreage in the tens of thousands... nor do any of my friends. The above analogy for Philadelphia likely works for only a few. However, if this fire were a more regular size, say 10 miles by 13 miles, it would form a rectangle with a perimeter 46 miles long. In normal city-traffic of mixed 30mph and 45mph, stops, etc, I feel that would take nearly TWO HOURS to drive! THAT'S how big this fire is, you couldn't drive around it in two hours.

The new prediction for 'containment' for the Zaca Fire is 7Sept - nearly nine weeks after it started. Who knows how many acres it may cover at that time. However, 'containment' is different from 'out'. The Zaca Fire will burn until the rains return - hopefully as soon as sometime in October.

Sunset on the Rincon at Carpinteria Gallery

Who knew that a botanist would have a successful entry into an art show in the artsy area of Santa Barbara? My wife Jeannie is an artist of western landscapes and has submitted material to shows in Florida, North Carolina and here in the Santa Barbara, CA area - with many successes. (She never calls them 'rejections' as they are simply one judge's opinion.) Me? I entered a photo in a show along with her entries about six weeks ago and learned about rejection - while she had a pastel accepted. However, this show her two pastels were not accepted, while my 'Sunset on the Rincon' was chosen!

We've certainly had some amusing moments... as I told her, it's great that ONE of the artists(!) in the family got into the show. And that Friday, 10Aug, we will go to "my" opening. Jeannie uses bold and bright colors and in our home in North Carolina, discovered that a wall in our 'dining area', painted purple was the perfect foil for her work.

While I have used Nikon film cameras for most of the previous nearly forty years (I started taking photos in the crib), I switched to a Nikon digital D70s about three years ago and have truly enjoyed it. However, the above photo was taken with Jeannie's little point n' shoot digital - a Casio Exlim EX-2750. All I know is that it has a large LCD Screen, has 7.2 megapixels, fits in my shirtpocket and has almost no hesitation at the shutter release - and took a photo of a quality to be juried into an art show.

Juror? None other than Arturo Tello, a person whom I've met at Santa Barbara and Carpinteria galleries and shows. Besides being active locally and being artistically productive, he is Gallery Manager at Palm Loft Gallery in Carpinteria. I've come to enjoy his pleasant demeanor and his art. He is also a member of 'The Oak Group' - twenty-four painters for preservation in California who contribute a portion of their special sales to environmental purchases in California. I am truly honored to have my sunset photo successfully juried by Arturo Tello.

If you'd like a cool visit (and the high temp has struggled to reach 70 degrees in Carpinteria this week) and see some fine art, come to "855 At The Arts Center" in Carpinteria - 855 Linden Ave., Carpinteria, CA. The Opening is Friday, 10Aug at 5:30pm, and the show hangs through 24Sept.