If you are not a "cat person" you may think those of us who are kept by cats are a bit silly. I was taken by the expression of our poly dactyl, Hemingway. (Ernest Hemingway's cats at Key West had six toes. Our little guy has six toes on each paw.)
A feral kitten, dropped by his mother as she ferried her litter over a fence, he was rescued by a Paso Robles woman. He's the first of his line to be "domesticated." He is a link between wild DNA and being a pet. He seems perpetually curious and maybe a little bewildered. He's got an easy going personality with his greatest interests being eating and napping. He's learning quickly isn't he?
NOT SO STUPID HUMAN TRICKS
Our old college friend was back at our Alma Mater and making news. David Letterman's interview with Oprah created lots of interest.
In so many important ways, Dave and Oprah are people
to look up to.
GEOGRAPHY THAT BLOWS YOUR MIND
An easy first impression of these frames is that the valley and lake are a low altitude flatness surrounded by the distant peaks which surround and frame the images.
Partially correct. The valley and the lake are at 7,000 to 8,000 feet. This is the northern edge of the Owen Valley and Mono Lake which nestle, if such a massive space can indeed nestle, in the Sierra Nevada high country, bounded by the Sierra and the Excelsior mountains in Nevada to the east.
The peaks of the Excelsior range between 7 and 13 thousand. The Sierra Nevada peaks are at 13 and 14 thousand.
As the settlers trekked west they climbed to reach the big valley, only to face the more rugged eastern slope of the Sierra. Beyond that lay the central valley.
What an extraordinary inner drive to lift and buoy the spirit to overcome the sheer struggle. See you down the trail.
For a 90 minute exchange on foreign policy, they certainly spent a lot of time on the economy and they missed most of the world. Sure, people vote on economics and social issues, but in a troubled world they ignored too much. A deeper discussion might have surfaced some real differences in attitude, approach and application.
Photo Courtesy of CBS News
What a tough time to moderate! Bob Schieffer, an old pro indeed, has been mugged by the insipid society of the snarky. Those who are guilty of such are probably the same crowd who suddenly have thrust the word "trajectory" into presidential politics. They are, most probably, people who spent more time tweeting, than actually listening, and who know in their hearts that all presidential politics really is about them, their twitter stream, face time and Facebook activity. If you don't really have anything intelligent or important to say, then be snarky about the moderator.
The last debate I moderated was the gubernatorial debate in Indiana 4 years ago. I escaped better than Lehrer, Raddatz, Crowley or Schieffer, though there were a couple of bloggers who went after me. One was experiencing their first governors race while being of voting age. The other was a reporter whose work, I thought, always betrayed his lack of savvy, understanding of complexity and even more troubling his relative lack of intelligence. So it is for those who practice snarky instead of real journalism.
READING THE SNOW DEPTH
Photo Courtesy of cserc.org
Autumn dried Californians wait for the snow season to
paint the Sierra Nevada range. An early storm is expected to leave 8-12 inches along the Sierra Crest and 4-8 inches below 7,000.
At 700 sites in the Western US, where water supplies are dependent on snow melt, such as here at Mt Tallac, you will find SNOTEL technology. The U.S. Department of Agriculture operates Snow pack Telemetry sites (SNOTEL) utilizing meteor burst technology.
The USDA's National Resource Conservation Service set out precipitation collectors, snow pillows, depth sensors
and temperature gauges. They relay data that is used to calculate water levels from snow melt. Alpine ski altitude gets 300 to 500 inches a season. 125 fall on the lake at 6,400 feet.
16 remote SNOTEL sites stand sentry in the Lake Tahoe basin alone. The image below is from a web cam frame grab Tuesday afternoon at Heavenly Dipp above South Lake Tahoe.
ARCHIVE PHOTOS
This is the kind of accumulation the SNOTEL stations will measure.
Photo Courtesy of weather.com
Photo Courtesy of kqed.org
The next time you read about the snow fall or accumulated depth up in California's high country, you can picture one of the little SNOTEL sites, enduring the wind, cold and depth while transmitting data.
Nothing is certain in politics. I heard Eric Sevareid say that when I was a young reporter and it has stuck with me.
Now Rick Santorum enjoys the GOP limelight in what
has been the craziest campaign season since I covered my first presidential election in 1968.
I think a lot about the late Sevareid as I watch this
season play out. The reporter/analyst was brilliant.
"The difference between men and boys in politics is, and always has been, that boys want to be something, while the men
want to do something."
Eric Sevareid
Those of you old enough may remember Sevareid as the commentator at the end of the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite through the '60s and 70's.
He was one of "Murrow's Boys," the war correspondents who invented modern broadcast journalism as they covered
WW II. Hired by Ed Murrow this band brought seriousness, analysis and intellect to daily reporting.
Sevareid was famous for his "think pieces," as we used to call them. Essays really. He had been a roving correspondent after the war. Once while covering the Burma China war his plane developed trouble and before parachuting to safety he grabbed a bottle of gin.
"Next to power without honor, the most dangerous thing
in the world is power without humor."
Eric Sevareid
It would be a joy to see and hear Sevareid weigh in
on this campaign season. He never spared anyone from his critical gaze.
"The bigger the information media, the less courage and freedom they allow. Bigness means weakness."
Here is a sample of the kind of thoughtfulness in
broadcast journalism, that many of us miss. This is his
final commentary.
"I'm sort of a pessimist about tomorrow and an optimist
about the day after tomorrow."
Eric Sevareid
DAY BOOK THE HIGH SIERRA
With the first blooms of spring I begin thinking about our
next exploration of California. Like the magnetic north I am drawn to the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada.
Decades of globe trotting afforded me exposure to many wonderful places on this blue planet and I put the eastern side of the Sierra high on the list of exquisite.
Folks have their favorite spots. One of mine is near Tom's place off the 395. From there you drive up to Rock Creek lake at about 10,500 foot elevation. From the trail head you go up to a wide fan of lakes along either the Morgan or Mono Pass. These shots are taken from a hike, mostly south of the Morgan Pass.
Our friend Ruth, who spent years hiking and exploring this region reminds us the scenes are similar to what we've seen in the Swiss Alps. Gorgeous meadows, valleys, rugged rock walls, popular with technical climbers, pristine alpine lakes, wild life, fresh air, quiet and true serenity.
Box lake
Rock Creek Lake
Morgan Pass
Long Lake. If your journeys ever afford you a chance to visit the Eastern Slope of the Sierra, I suspect you too will be in awe. See you down the trail
