Month: April 2021
Amphibian Encounters
By Emily Pomeroy It’s that time of year again; our slick, slippery friends are out and about! Here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, we’re fortunate to live amongst a myriad of newt and salamander species that come out to say hello during the spring. In our county there are more than ten species of salamanders and newts and even more…
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Big Basin Water Company Facing Challenges
By Jayme Ackemann “Water, water everywhere; nor a drop to drink.” The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, depicts the plight of an Irish sailor adrift at sea, surrounded by undrinkable saltwater. For Big Basin Water Company (BBWC) customers, this old idiom may seem especially prophetic as questions are raised about the utility’s fate. Until January…
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Letter: Big Basin Water Company Concerns
My wife and I bought our condo at the Boulder Creek Golf Course in 2014. When we were going over all of the details for purchasing, we were informed of the water company, but never considered reviewing its details (based on what we learned then, we would have bought anyway). We love the location between downtown and Big Basin SP,…
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SLV Homes: Spring Forward
By M.C. Dwyer Traditionally, just like tulip trees and daffodils, the real estate market bursts into new life in the spring. This year, like everything else defying normalcy, it felt like the market barely took a nap after the winter holidays. People’s migration out of cities and into the countryside continues, as the ability to work from home spawns an…
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Letter: Fire Safety and Prevention
Dear Bruce McPherson and fellow county supervisors, I write to you today as a woman who lost her home in the CZU fire. I am a proud San Lorenzo Valley citizen who is active in her community and is committed to rebuilding her home for her family which includes five children. As I wade through the immense costs and bureaucratic…
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Mountain Fermenter: Making Your Own Gin, Santa Cruz Mountains Style
By Greg Roe and Mike Desmidt How can I make gin at home without a still, you ask? Well, you can skip that part, because someone’s already done the distillation for you. It’s called vodka. Gin is pretty much a vodka with botanicals added. Gin distillers extract most botanical flavors using the distillation process, but you can simply steep the…
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Fire Recovery: The Wildwood Woodland Neighborhood
By Antonia Bradford There is a certain personality that is drawn to living in the mountains. People who have a great love and respect for nature. Independent, yet value community and connection. It’s what makes the San Lorenzo Valley such an amazing community to live. The people of the Wildwood Woodland neighborhood, just north of Boulder Creek, are no different.…
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Spring Gardening: Arbors and Trellises
By Josh Reilly “Arbors and Trellises” sounds like the title of a 70s soft-rock album, brimming with meaning. A reference to lofty, light weight, airy structures, often geometric and angular in form, but built to provide living space for winding, cascading plants, all curves and knots, billows and waves, tendrils and holdfasts. Things that prefer to live up in the breeze.…
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Humble Sea Brewing Coming to Felton
Good news from the great folks at Humble Sea Brewing Company! “WE’RE OPENING A TAVERN IN THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS! Introducing @humblesea.tavern, in Felton, California We’re heading back to our roots and opening our third taproom location in the beautiful, historic Cremer House on Hwy 9 this summer! We’ll have tons of taps, a full kitchen and cocktails. Stay tuned…
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