Bodega Head…A Slippery Slope :-) ?

BODEGA HEAD

This is a familiar view to those who hike the trails in this area…

There is also a path of sorts down to the beach that I do not believe is authorized, but people nonetheless use it.  If you look carefully at the photo above you will see it as a thin line going down the cliff.

On past walks we have noticed people on the beach below; however, this time we watched as three adventurous souls descended the cliff using the “trail” in question. Note: Below the Gallery, in “Oops…Forgot The Camera”,  I have included photos that show how much of a trail there is not 🙂

GALLERY

“Going Down The Cliff”

After viewing the gallery, return to this page and scroll down to see “Oops…Forgot The Camera”

(Click any image to open) 

Oops…Forgot the camera!!

 

 

Are We…Islands In A Common Sea?

The slogan on this building artwork in Petaluma caught my eye…

As best I could, I researched and traced the origin of the phrase to Anne Morrow Lindberg…

“I feel we are all islands–in a common sea. We are all, in the last analysis, alone. When one is a stranger to oneself then one is estranged from others too. If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others.” —Anne Morrow Lindbergh

While considering the meaning—not to mention the implications—of these words, the following image from Water St. keeps coming to mind…

Rebuilding Together At COTS!

Saturday, June 24, 2017 was a special workday at Petaluma’s Mary Isaak Center, shelter for the homeless.  Wells Fargo Bank generously funded several major improvements and also supplied 55 employee volunteers who enthusiastically painted the 100 bed dormitory and all the restrooms. Many of the residents joined in and helped the day to be a smashing success.

Wells Fargo Volunteers (Photo Credit: RTP)

I  managed to capture some of their efforts in the photo gallery below.

Click on any image to open…

The team also included a special group of volunteers…

 

 

A Victorian Sixties Era Ranch House?

I leave it to the reader as to how to best answer the question posed above. But first read the background below! 🙂

It was time to upgrade the exterior of our sixties era ranch house e.g., windows, paint, lights. But what color for the house? Fortunately, my wife, who has a much better eye for such things than I, took charge of the color selection.

After several trips to Peterson’s Paints to evaluate color options, computer modeling, etc., she selected colors frequently used on Victorian style homes–Exotic Purple & Eggplant. Simply White was selected as the trim color.   Purple was the main color except for one side wall in Eggplant. To put it all in perspective this work photo will better explain it…

Here is the result…

NOTE: As the light changes throughout the day, the Purple becomes Black and the Eggplant becomes Purple.  White remains…Simply  White.

BUT WAIT! THERE IS MORE! 🙂 

MAJOR MISSION CREEP!!

This project, like most, generated another idea. I mean if you are doing new windows and colors, you can’t just live with the old concrete steps to the front door!

A little research and consultation with Ohana Construction produced this solution…

 THANKS TO

  • Ohana Construction in Petaluma for making it all happen with their usual hard work above & beyond…not to mention their suggestions at several stages of the exterior renovation projects. They continue to live up to their reputation as the People’s Choice.

  • Peterson’s Paints for their help in evaluating and selecting colors, sheens, etc.
  • Friedman’s for their assistance on selecting outdoor lighting options from the overwhelming selection.

The Smart Train Is Not As Smart As Our Roomba!!

We had our first encounter with The Smart Train intersection control lights in December 2012–See the Press Democrat Article–Railroad crossing arms close on Petaluma couple’s car at green light

We were assured that they were aware of the situation and it would be fixed.

But then in September 2016 we encountered another intersection light control issue at a different location in Petaluma and discussed it in two blog posts…

TODAY at 3:25 PM we were returning home from Point Reyes and found ourselves again at the intersection of D and Lakeville–THE SCENE OF THE FIRST SMART ATTACK ON US in December 2012 (see above)

TODAY AT 3:25 PM

  1. The Smart Train pulled up and stopped by the train depot by the Petaluma Arts Center.
  2. The traffic lights were working normally controlling the heavy traffic.
  3. My wife was driving.
  4. Fortunately there was plenty of sunlight so I could see the train and keep my eye on it–unlike in December 2012.
  5. We were first in line and the traffic light turned green and my wife started forward and I yelled at her to stop as I could see the train starting to move and then the gates started to come down. Fortunately we able to stop before getting hit–Unlike in December 2012
  6. I was able to capture a photo as the light changed to yellow and the gates were already down or coming down…

D St & Lakeville Petaluma CA

SMART does not seem to understand that drivers are focused on their control lights.  Traffic lights should be red long before the crossing gate arms are activated!

  • AT LEAST OUR HOUSE ROOMBA “Bob” FOLLOWS INSTRUCTIONS IF PROPERLY PROGRAMMED.
  • SMART seems unable to get it right and safe. If SMART cannot program the crossings to operate correctly and  safely, then they should not be running the trains.
  • Perhaps they would like to practice with our Roomba before running any more trains!

UPDATE April 29, 2017

I sent this  article to every agency and elected official I could think of plus the two papers. 

I clearly expect no answers or actions—Past promises have been repeatedly made and nothing changes.  Whatever they say now I will not believe.

SMART is beyond shame or even ridicule…

UPDATE May 4, 2017

Received the following E-Mail from SMART at 8:27 am…

“Thanks for the link. I have forwarded it to our ops team.

 Matt

—
Matt Stevens | Community Outreach & Education

Direct: 707.794.3074| Mobile: 707.328.3046

SMART | Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit

5401 Old Redwood Hwy., Suite 200, Petaluma, CA  94954″