“… blogging about life, travel, books, food and the outdoors”
Sandstone cliffs of Drakes Beach create dramatic scene
Hundreds of feet tall, the sandstone cliffs at Drakes Bay rise in dramatic fashion from the beach. Looking at the ocean it’s easy to feel small. Turn around to face the cliffs and your stature is further diminished. In many ways it felt like there was no way...
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Chico council, school board candidates distinguish themselves
What a difference it makes seeing and hearing candidates in person versus reading about them whether it’s through campaign materials, news articles or letters to the editor. In some ways it was refreshing to attend the Sept. 27 forum put on by the Chico chapter...
read more Sandstone cliffs of Drakes Beach create dramatic scene
Hundreds of feet tall, the sandstone cliffs at Drakes Bay rise in dramatic fashion from the beach. Looking at the ocean it’s easy to feel small. Turn around to face the cliffs and your stature is further diminished. In many ways it felt like there was no way...
read more
Rethinking the words we use when it comes to gender
Words matter. Innocuous as some may be, they can come with baggage not always obvious. It may simply be because we grew up saying certain words and accepted them or we could be oblivious or something else might be going on. Words like fireman, policeman, serviceman,...
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Finding evidence of fire throughout Northern California
Today it seems impossible to hike in California without seeing scars from wildfires. I don’t remember that always being true. Maybe I’m more aware now. Maybe there are simply that many more burn areas. Likely, it’s both. On a recent hike in Lassen National Forest I...
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Book Review: ‘Refraction’ illuminates life in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
One thing I love about reading books is learning something I knew nothing about. Refraction: An Artic Memoir by Bruce Rettig did not disappoint. In some ways Refraction is like a coming of age book. Isn’t that what college years are after all—a time to learn about so...
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Astonishing amount of trash to clean up in statewide event
Looking over the bridge trash was everywhere. Three bags were not going to be enough. Even worse, we didn’t know how to safely retrieve it. The leaders of the 35th annual Bidwell Park and Chico Creeks Cleanup said it would be steep to access Little Chico Creek. I...
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Feds Remove S-Word From Locations Throughout The U.S.
We all know the N-word. Now there is the S-word. Earlier this month the federal Board of Geographic Names removed more than 650 instances nationwide where the word “squaw” was part of the name. This includes 80 locations in California and 34 in Nevada. “The term has...
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Smell of rain a soothing, natural perfume
Waking to another overcast day can be so depressing. Then I heard it, and I smiled. That sound that has been absent from California for the better part of three years. Rain. It wasn’t smoke filling the sky, it was actual clouds. Not much rain fell Monday morning, but...
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Lack of escalator etiquette can slow down movement
One of the benefits of riding an escalator is to get someplace faster than walking stationary stairs. But what if you want to walk on the escalator? How often has that desire been thwarted by people blocking your forward progress? OK, so escalator etiquette is not one...
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Point Reyes Lighthouse a beacon of history
While California is known for its pristine beaches, plenty of boat captains can speak to the rugged, treacherous coastline. Today the Point Reyes Lighthouse is a standing reminder of navigational tools erected in the 1800s to help steer ships clear of the...
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The CEO-to-worker pay gap is now 351-to-1. In 1965, the ratio was 21-to-1. Trickle-down economics was always a sham.
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