We live a few miles down a dirt road in California. It is owned and maintained by the county, and we are not supposed to do any work on it. Any work done on the road is supposed to be done under contract using union labor. So any personal attempt to improve or maintain the road is illegal…. and we must accept the condition the county leaves it in.
Unfortunately, the county probably has hundreds of such roads to maintain, so they only come along to our five-mile road four or five times a year, and we realize (and are told) that we are very lucky they come by that often. At times the road becomes laden with potholes…. so one must often drive at an idle through the worse areas, to go faster is to invite severe damage to your vehicle because the holes cannot be avoided.
A primary reason for the holes is the people who insist on travelling at high speeds along the road…. each time a tire hits a wet pothole at speed, it will sink into the hole and splash a bit of mud out, deepening and widening the hole. In time, many of them become several inches deep, and may become a few feet wide.
Often people will swerve all across the road in their attempts to avoid the potholes… this makes for distracted drivers who are aware of the holes, but not used to seeing another vehicle on the road… they may concentrate more on avoiding holes than other drivers. Also the potholes have disabled vehicles causing them to veer off the roadway or to become stranded immobile in the roadway imperiling the occupants and other vehicles.
This winter has been one of the wettest we’ve had…. and the road now has more traffic than ever before… so it is seriously the worse I ever recall seeing it. Here’s a few photos of two vehicles that experienced sad consequences for the pocketbooks of the owners…. but luckily no one was injured in either.
The top three photos are a neighbor who was travelling down the road and encountered a vehicle going the other direction travelling on his side of the road to avoid the large pothole in the road…. he ran off the road to avoid a head-on collision… his vehicle rolled while running down the bank, but luckily he was properly belted-in and had no loose items in the cab to strike him… so no one was physically injured.
The lower three photos is one of our neighbors who tried to drive around the pothole in the photo. My little truck can slip between the pothole and the edge of the roadway… but this large truck could not fit… as he tried to avoid the pothole the soft moist soil on the bank started to slip downhill…. and the entire truck started slipping sideways…. he tried to climb back up… but each attempt brought the truck closer to a tragic slide downhill… he stopped before things got worse,,, and with two tow trucks it was possible to slide it back onto the roadway where he drove off with the vehicle undamaged… and he didn’t get hurt… but his pocketbook is a bit lighter after he paid the two tow trucks.
I’ve also seen a couple of vehicles with tires that blew out after hitting a hole at speed, and two that had the shock mounts break in just the last month…. and I only see the tip of the iceberg in vehicular damage as I usually only drive out once a week this time of year. There are likely many incidents I don’t know of.
“It was the best of times, it was the worse of times…” so begins the famous book….
Oceano has highs and lows also…. rampant methamphetamine use and high trucks.
Oceano sits at the edge of a huge sandbowl… a series of dunes with an Offroad Vehicular Recreation Area, so there are numerous tall trucks with wide tires designed to navigate the deep loose sands.
Here we see a small house of the type built in the forties and early fifties. There are a number of these small homes still occupied in the local area, and there are some boarded up and closed off such as this one.
We wouldn’t want the owner of this home to rent substandard living quarters to people who can’t afford the local exorbitant rents… far better that they sleep in their cars on the street.
Some folks I know at Magic Casting are looking for a couple for a horror film. They put out a casting alert, and are looking for folks who fit the looks and would like to speak to them about being in the film. If you’d like to submit yourself, you can write to Chrystine at Magic Casting in Buellton California. magictalent805@gmail.com
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If you’re a fan of the “Horror Film” genre….this project is for you!
It will be filming April 17-18, 24-25, and a possible additional weekend.
Rehearsals will be scheduled Sat. afternoons stating Mar. 13th depending on
availability of actors and those will be paid.
All is Santa Barbara location.
Compensation is $500. + 1% net to actors.
YOUNG MOM & DAD (25-35YRS) Caucasian as daughter has been cast and she has
fair complexion.
Please let me know if this is YOU, also feel free to forward to acting
friends, etc.
I know a gal in Los Angeles who volunteers her time to a Community Arts Organisation in Los Angeles. As part of fund-raising for the operations to help provide free after school programs, she is training for the Los Angeles marathon. This is a good organization worthy of a little help from the national community.
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Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues,
For the past year I have been training hard so I
can get myself prepared to run the infamous Los Angeles Marathon for the second time.
In training for this marathon I have lost over
fifty pounds, have gained a healthier lifestyle for myself, and have come to
understand that my growth as a person is in direct reflection to how I give back.
In choosing to give back I am running this
marathon to raise funds for an amazing organization called Inside Out
Community Arts, which provides free after school programs and
services for at-risk youth and families in Los Angeles. I have worked for this
organization now for over three years as a teaching artist and am currently on
the Board of Directors as the Artist Representative. This work is a labor of
love for me. I love these kids. They are the reason I do what I do and I am who
I am. Inside Out Community Arts gives youth from all backgrounds are given the
tools, confidence and inspiration to make a positive difference in their
communities and the world.
My goal is to raise $3000 dollars or more but I
can’t do this alone I need your help.You can help me out by
donating ten dollars or whatever you can, also if you know any else who would
like to help these amazing kids please forward them this email.
Please click on the link at the bottom of this
email to support at-risk youth in Los Angeles!
If you would like to sponsor or join me at the
L.A. Marathon as a walker or runner to help raise funds for Inside Out, please
visit Inside Out’s registration page…we’d love to
have you out there with us!
Either way, thanks for supporting me and an
organization that’s truly making a positive difference in our community!
In Service and Gratitude
Sandy Bowles
Click here to visit my personal web
page in support of Inside Out Community Arts.
or
copy and paste this link into your web browser:
I got an invitation through a Trade Association to meet a local Senator….
I’ll not be going…. but it does sound like an interesting trip.
Participating in government is a duty of all people who can manage the stench
Government only works when the people are involved,
without the people we have only politicians…
we need the people to run the government…
there should be no ‘career politicians’ in the USA.
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CANGC-PAC
and
Nursery Growers Association
Present
Meet Your Legislator Event with Sen. Tony Strickland March 19
Reserve Your Space and Save the Date. On March 19, enjoy tours in
Carpenteria of three exceptional nursery and greenhouse growers with
State Senator Tony Strickland, then spend two hours discussing critical
nursery and greenhouse issues such as water supply and runoff, invasive
pests, labor, and regulation in an informal, lively, one-on-one
discussion.
At prior Meet Your Legislator events, nurseries have been able to
express what they had on their minds to great good for their busineses
and our industry. These events create relationships that last through
the legisaltive session and carry messages that result in positive
outcomes in many different ways. Past honored guests have carried
legislation, impacted issues before the legislature, and helped us reach
other members that previously were out of reach.
Do good for the Nursery Industry
Owners of businesses meeting their elected official in their own
district carry a weight that our advocates in Sacramento respect and
encourage. It’s important to Senator Strickland, too. This event means
publicity for him up and down the Central Coast, and that helps keep a
valued legislator on the job for our industry. Most important, there’s
no substitute for him hearing first hand what is happening to you.
Even if you’re not interested in politics, you’re interested in helping
your business make a profit
One-on-one time with fellow nursery principals and a listening
legislator makes for magic when it comes to achieving results for your
business. Whether you want to talk about water supplies, water runoff
pollution regulation, labor, invasive pests, or what have you, you’ll
have a special chance to talk directly with the senator and hear his
response to your questions and those of others. Our Sacramento advocates
will also be there, so they’ll take away a real appreciation of what you
are facing.
We urge all members in Senator Strickland’s district (and beyond his
district) to support our CANGC-PAC and our fellow sponsor by
participating in this important tour and lunch. We recognize that
business is tough, so if you can’t contribute the full suggested amount,
come anyway and help change the business climate. CANGC-PAC will
contribute the maximum amount, $3,900, and our goal for the event is at
least $7,500 raised for Senator Strickland.
Assemble with Senator Strickland at 10:00 at Colorama Wholesale Nursery
on Via Real, tour the facility, and then travel to Ocean Breeze Premium
Cut Flowers for another tour at 11:00, and finally to a lunch at Island
View Nursery at 12:00 hosted by Target Specialty Products .
Take advantage of this Unique event to make your voice heard!
An article with a Cactus recipe was brought to our attention….
It sounds delicious, and is written by one of Australia’s most well-known and respected chefs, Steven Manfredi.
I wrote him and asked if I may include it on our blog, he graciously permitted us to reprint it…
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Prickly Pear Souffles by Steve Manfredi
It may be difficult for some to think of Captain Arthur Phillip as Australia’s first ecological vandal but he brought in one of the most invasive plants ever to come into this country. He collected some cochineal-infested prickly pear in Brazil and sailed the cacti to these shores with the First Fleet.
The cochineal insects feed on prickly pear and, when processed, these insects produce the crimson-coloured dye carmine. Amongst other things, this colour was used for the red coats of British soldiers at the time.
In 1886 the first (Commonwealth) Prickly-pear Destruction Act was passed though the cactus was already a problem 20 years earlier. It wasn’t until 1996 that the (NSW) Prickly Pear Act 1987 was repealed and management for the “noxious weed” transferred to local governments.
While it’s still a problem in certain areas of Australia, people from parts of the Mediterranean and the Americas adore its fruit. It looks like a small barrel about 6-8 centimetres long but care should be taken in handling the fruit because the fine hairs will lodge in the skin.
Peeling is easy. Handle the fruit with a gloved hand. Cut off each of the ends using a sharp knife. Make a slit skin-deep down the length of the fruit and peel the skin away from the pulp. Prickly pear fruit can range from red to deep yellow and is sweet and juicy.
Make the sugar syrup first by boiling 100ml water with 100g caster sugar. Once it boils, cool. Whatever is left can be refrigerated indefinitely. Place 8 prickly pears in a food processor and puree. Place in a sieve, over a bowl and separate juice from seeds, discarding the latter. Place yolks in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Whisk continuously over a simmering pot of water for about 5 minutes until fluffy and thick like zabaglione or custard. Put aside to cool. Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Add remaining tablespoon of sugar and keep whisking until stiff peaks form. Gently fold half the prickly pear juice with the whisked egg whites, whipped cream and cooled yolk/sugar mixture until evenly incorporated. Ladle into 6 moulds and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours. Mix the sugar syrup with the remaining prickly pear juice. To serve, unmould the soufflés by dipping the bases quickly in hot water. Spoon a little sauce on and serve with wedges of the remaining prickly pear. Serves 6.
PRICKLY PEAR WITH MASCARPONE CREAM AND ROAST PISTACHIO
Puree the peeled prickly pears in a food processor. Sieve over a bowl and separate juice from seeds, discarding the latter. Place the puree in a saucepan with 50g of caster sugar and bring to the boil, stirring. Once boiling, turn down to a bubbling simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Let it cool and refrigerate. Meanwhile beat the egg whites in a bowl, slowly adding the rest of the caster sugar until firm peaks form. To this add the mascarpone and fold in until the resulting mixture is light and fluffy. To serve, ladle some prickly pear puree into bowls, add a large dollop of mascarpone cream and scatter some chopped, roasted pistachios on top. Finish by dusting with ground cinnamon. Serves 8.
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I encountered two items I’ve not heard of before… one is the ‘Caster Sugar’ which is the same as what we call ‘Powdered Sugar’ in the US. The other item is ‘mascarpone’ which comes from his region of Italy (Lombardy) and is probably best known as the essential ingredient, along with coffee and savoiardi biscuits, in the popular dessert tiramisu. It should be fairly easy to buy from Italian providores or even supermarkets. See here:
I have a soft spot in my heart for Minnesota…
and I have family in South Dakota,
and I used to live in North Dakota…
so I really like living in California! LOL
Here’s some Minnesota humor a friend in Minnesota sent.
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Government surveyors came to Ole’s farm in the fall
and asked if they could do some surveying.
Ole agreed and Lena even served them a nice meal at noon time.
The next spring, the two surveyors stopped by and told Ole,
“Because you were so kind to us, we wanted to give you this bad news in person
instead of by letter.
Ole replied, “What’s the bad news?
The surveyors stated,
“Well, after our work we discovered your farm is not in Minnesota,
but is actually in South Dakota !”
Ole looked at Lena and said,
“That’s the best news I have heard in a long time,
why I just told Lena this morning,
I don’t think I can take another winter in Minnesota.”
I’ve been toying with cutting my hair on and off for a half year. Last week a cousin in Germany sent me a photo of our great grandfather on my mother’s side. I’d never met him as he died a couple of years before I was born. Looking at the photo…. I decided I finally was ready to cut my hair…. for better or for worse.
‘Almost Cut My Hair’
~Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young~
Almost cut my hair
It happened just the other day
It’s gettin’ kind of long
I could’ve said it was in my way
But I didn’t and I wonder why
I feel like letting my freak flag fly
And I feel like I owe it, to someone
Must be because I had the flu for Christmas
And I’m not feeling up to par
It increases my paranoia
Like looking in my mirror and seeing a police car
But I’m not giving in an inch to fear
çause I’ve promised myself this year
I feel like I owe it, to someone
When I finally get myself together
I’m gonna get down in that sunny southern weather
And find a place inside to laugh,
Separate the wheat from the chaff
I feel …
Like I owe it, to someone, yeah
We have a commercial landowner nearby who is proposing developing their property in a way that makes most of us worry about the local water supply and traffic concerns. Since the land in question changed hands twelve years ago, they have switched from dry land bean/hay farming with no inputs of water, to a wine-growing vineyard operation with thousands of acres now under irrigation. As the owner drills wells and makes his millions, he is slowly draining the water level, causing some dismay among nearby people who have had their wells go dry. A coalition of locals has been formed to fight this unwise expansion that threatens to displace many families when their wells go dry. Here is their latest letter.
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Hello Neighbors,
I know that many of you are following the recent news stories about the Caltrans proposal to block the five crossings on Highway 101 between the Thompson/Los Berros exit and the Traffic Way exit in Arroyo Grande. Click here to see the recent article in the Adobe Press.
Your NiHA Steering Committee met last week to form a stance on this proposal and to draft a letter to Caltrans. Keep in mind that one of our concerns is that if the freeway crossing opposite of the Laetitia winery is closed, it will give Laetitia an arguing point to force all access to their winery and proposed housing development through the Thompson/Sheehy/Dana Foothill/ULBR entrance. This is not good, since, as you know, our roads cannot handle this heavy traffic. The Laetitia housing development alone calls for and an added 1,000 vehicle trips per day through our little country roads!
I have attached the letter that was sent today to Caltrans, SCAC, and Katcho Achadjian. I hope you will take the time to read it.
I would encourage all of you to write a similar letter expressing your concerns to:
Matt Fowler
Caltrans
50 Higuera Street
SLO, CA 93401
Jay H.
The Nipomo Hills Alliance
PS: With all the rain we have had this season, you might expect Los Berros creek to be running. Right?
Wrong. As it passes Laetitia, it flowed for only two days, and has been dry ever since.
Also…do you have neighbors that would like to keep informed on this email list? If so, please let me know of their address.
