Category Archives: Petaluma Community

Rebuilding Petaluma…one home at a time

Journalist Frances Rivetti has just published an article about the upcoming Rebuilding Together Petaluma (RTP) volunteer workday on April 20th.

Her article provides a deep insight into the critical work of that organization in our community and some of the people that have been helped in the past…and who will be helped next month.

Check it out at Rebuilding Together Petaluma’s Upcoming Community Work Day Provides a Lifeline for Impoverished and Disabled Homeowners

SELECTED PHOTOS FROM PAST VOLUNTEER DAYS

MLK Day 2013…a day of service

On January 21, 2013, volunteers joined together under the auspices of Kaiser Permanente and Rebuilding Together Petaluma to spend the day at the Family Life Center on Kuck Lane performing various tasks including painting, construction, and landscaping projects on the property.

Over 75 Kaiser volunteers (including their children in many instances) from Kaiser Permanente in Sonoma and Marin Counties worked with staff and students from The Family Life Center.

I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to take a few photos of the event.  I hope the gallery below will give you a sense of the day!

PHOTO GALLERY

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NOTE TO SUSCRIBERS & FOLLOWERS

While I have been “silent’ since June–and intend to remain so for the foreseeable future–you may want to check out a new photo post, Why did the turkey cross the road…or street?

In addition, the Petaluma Downtown…Photo Grid is now available.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 15, 2012

PLEASE NOTE:  Signs & Scenes Gallery 2012 is NOW available.  Simply click on the tab at the top of the page!

Hire Me, Fire Me, Anything Helps!

Poor and out of work in Petaluma…

McDowell & Washington Square February 24, 2012 © Frank Simpson

What is increasingly visible on the streets of Petaluma is, of course, part of the larger “picture” of the economy in the United States. 

The BBC World Service documentary, America’s Poor, “…explores America’s underworld of poverty where people live in storm drains and tented camps and where children go hungry.” BBC World Service

Related Link: Photos…Homeless in Petaluma (Updated!)

The Eleventh Hour…The Eleventh Day…11 11 11

Veterans Day! 

Formerly known as Armistice Day when World War I hostilities ceased on the

Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month

Veterans Day this year is a numerology special…11-11-11. In honor of the day, I offer a photo, made on November 4, 2011, which I call The State of the Union…

101 E Washington Exit Southbound

The caption describes the physical location of the flag…placed there by….Who knows? It is a site where you can often spot homeless people.

Perhaps a homeless veteran planted the flag between the freeway sign and the sign post.

Such is the ambiguous nature of our times. 

On a lighter note, there are 11 new photos on THE PETALUMA SPECTATOR PHOTO BLOG. I have selected 3 of them (numerologists should have fun with this choice) for an identification challenge in support of some of our local NGO’s, the library, and the Animal Shelter.  For more information as to the rules of the challenge, go to 11 Photos for 11 11 11 Plus A Challenge

 

Petaluma Photos 2011

2011, in many respects, is a year I would like to forget on so many levels. To facilitate the departure of 2011, I am releasing my annual photo series now.

Unlike previous years, there are two albums or slideshows, presenting, perhaps, two distinct sides of the same coin.

Go to…

The ongoing struggle with Demon Rum

Yesterday’s press release from the Petaluma Police Department updating the efforts of the current DUI campaign is another chapter in the long story about our “relationship” with alcohol.

PETALUMA POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWS RELEASE
Monday, August 29, 2011 DUI Campaign UPDATE

Community: 20 Arrested on Sunday During DUI Warrant Sweep 141 Arrested by DUI Task Force
Day 10 of 18 – Through Sunday, August 28, 2011
Total Arrests 141
DUI Arrests 111
DUI Probation Arrests 7
DUI Warrant Arrests 23
Total DUI Collisions 4
DUI Fatal Collisions 0
DUI Injury Collisions 4

In the 19th Century, abstinence was believed to be the solution.  An artifact of this movement may be found in downtown Petaluma…

© Frank Simpson

The abstinence campaign eventually led to Prohibition, which of course, failed.  At least today’s DUI campaign presents some real consequences for those who get behind the wheel.

Petaluma’s Police K-9 Trials 2011

Once again the Petaluma Police Department hosted the Annual Police K-9 Trials in Lucchesi Park on August 13, 2011. This was the fourteenth year for the event. As usual, K-9 teams from around Northern California came to demonstrate the skills of their “K-9 Officers.”

Of course, I showed up, as in years past, to make a few photos. 

As a reminder, no Petaluma public funds are expended in the production of this competition…

According to Dan Fish, Chief of Police, Petaluma Police Department: “This event is not augmented by any public funding, as all proceeds are raised through donations, t-shirt sales and sponsors, as well as staffed by law enforcement volunteers and their families.  All proceeds beyond the cost of presenting the trial are returned to the Petaluma Police K-9 program in the form of training and equipment….K-9 teams account for thousands of suspect apprehensions every year, but also protect officers, search for missing persons, and perform numerous presentations to schools and service groups.”

Now on to the photos!

This year I have added photo captions, which at times are a touch whimsical.  For example…

"Hey! Watch the tail! © Frank Simpson

SLIDESHOW

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