Photo by Mike Baird:     Surf Girls

Photo by Kevin Cole: Harmony Outhouse

Photo by Cleve Nash:        Cedar Waxwing

Photo by Earthly Images: Montana de Oro

Photo by Maggie Smith: Three Cormorants - Double-crested, Brandt, and Pelagic

Photo by Chuck Abbe: Back Tomorrow

Best Breakfast in Town!

Behind the Badge by Richard Hannibal

He promised them Paradise. When they finally found it, tasted it, and touched it, they were still not satisfied and went on searching for more. Since they were already "there," the search could only lead them away from the place they longed to be. Their true selves knew, but they allowed the emotions of their mortal bodies to lead them away.   Read More

Best Friends by Malcolm Riordan, DVM

While a fraction of truth might be contained within this myth, both dogs and cats have a variety of reasons for eating grass - a common behavior unrelated to illness that does not even necessarily lead to vomiting. Grass eating can be due to hunger, curiosity, or pets may just like how grasses taste. Perhaps they are not feeling well and eating something to see if that helps (owners do this too), and certainly some pets have learned it works when they feel they need to vomit. Read More

Body, Mind, Spirit by Nancy Ballinger

From growing up in Indiana and being a "Hoosier," there has been a love of basketball in my blood from infancy. That's probably why, when I experienced a MS relapse in early December, I wryly reflected to myself, "I've been benched! The game is going to change now for a while." Read More

California State Parks

State Parks Events

Over the past 8 years, park supporters from throughout California have traveled to the State Capitol to participate in Park Advocacy Day and lobby for action to support state parks. With recently proposed budget cuts and increased pressures on California’s state parks, we need your help in bringing this important message to legislators in Sacramento! Check It Out

Mind Walks

It’s that time of year again!  Mind Walks are upon us, and we’ve got a great lineup for you in 2011.  Mind Walks are for lifelong learners who love natural history.  Speakers are experts in their fields and welcome audience questions.  Topics cover a broad range—there’s literally something for everybody.  This is a fabulous opportunity to broaden your horizons and learn more about your community and the world at large.  Mark your calendars!  Have a Great Mental Adventure

Double Vision by By Shana Ogren

This is the Chinese word for "crisis."  It includes two characters; one representing "danger" and the other representing "opportunity."  The meaning of "crisis" in Chinese is literally "danger" plus "opportunity."  The organizer had posted this word the week that we were preparing childcare center employees for their union election—a chance for employees to vote for whether or not they want to establish a labor union for themselves. Read More

Far Horizons

In my youth, I often imagined I was born 150 years earlier, mostly for romantic notions of trapping and roaming the woods free to do as I please. In my adult life this wish for an earlier existence never left. I felt the lightening fast pace of modern life, the isolating effect of electronics, the mad pursuit of materialism, and society's arbitrary rules were suffocating me. Walking along a busy boulevard I often felt alone, unconnected to what was happening around me, a stranger in an artificial land. I yearned to be connected to a real life. Read More

Let's Go Green

Frugality is good for the environment.  I was going to write this column in November but was concerned about being called a scrooge during the holiday season.  Encouraging my fellow citizens to spend less and conserve more during the biggest time of the retail fiscal calendar could be controversial. Many of you may have noticed the articles and books that were out over the holidays on making (vs. buying) gifts for others, or buying used, and consuming less.  Read More 

Medical Myth Busting by Dr. Steven Sainsbury

Parental concerns about fevers are a common reason for midnight visits to the emergency room. With the bewildering assortment of oral, rectal, skin, and ear thermometers, along with dozens of varieties of fever-reducing medicines, a whole fever phobia has developed in our culture. Read More

Observations of a Country Squire by George Zidbeck

Lest you suspect that I am going to continue monthly with comments on this olde squire and his aging shtick, I promise to change the subject for the balance of this year. That statement consequently leaves the door open should I wish to say something next January about turning 81. Read More

Surfing Out Of The Box by Paul Finley

Watching my kids grow, although still young, I can't help but wonder if they will end up being surfers. When our oldest daughter turned three, I had the opportunity to cut down an older board that I had made and make her first surfboard. Shortly after giving it to her, we took her out to see how she liked it. After pushing her into a couple little rollers on the shore, she flipped off the board and her head went under for just a second. In the cold water that we have here on the Central Coast, it was no surprise that she was not to thrilled with the experience. Read More

Under the Tongue

During my UC-Santa Cruz undergrad years in the 1980s, I encountered a range of quirky artistic icons. One was the bespectacled, pony-tailed Santa Cruz hippie Rob Brezsny—an arrogant but likable soul who wrote off-the-wall, entertaining horoscopes. Not the usual "the planets are in alignment" or your "fire sign is burning your ass." No, Brezsny was a satirical astrologer. He'd found his nonsensical niche. Read More

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Peregrine Falcon image on banner by Cleve Nash