CAMBRIAN PATHWAYS: May 2009

Snapshot Day Exposed for 2009

On the first Saturday in May of every year the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary directly monitors the health of fresh water streams which empty into the Pacific Ocean. The area encompasses 300 miles of coastline and 100+ streams adjacent to MBNMS.

Teams of volunteers in the local areas involved, who are trained in water sampling and testing techniques, conduct the testing. Among the tests they conduct are water temperature, pH, the water’s conductivity, oxygenation level, and more. The team also collects samples of the water for further testing of nutrient levels and bacteria content for testing at MBNMS laboratories.

Diana and I have done this for three years now. There are three creeks we test i n Cambria and San Simeon. We were fortunate enough to have PJ Webb along with us this year. Besides being a great friend of ours, she is on several environmental panels and commissions including MBNMS. She’s gone from being a film editor in Hollywood, to an attorney, to an environmental activist. She’s a tremendous person, besides being a lot of fun to be around!

In 2009 MBNMS had 224 volunteers who tested 185 creeks and streams in San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo counties. Below are some photographs from our Snap Shot Day 2009:

Our assigned creeks for testing weren’t always easy to get to, in this case San Simeon Creek!

Our team tested for oxygenation and pH levels.

Diana and PJ trying to agree on the exact test results, which was not easy at times!

PJ clowning around after a long morning!

The Drudgery of Being Retired

Friends and family (those who still have jobs) wonder whether or not I get bored in retirement . The answer is not easy: Being retired offers opportunities for exploring areas of endeavor that I’ve never even thought of before, much less have done. Yet at the same time there is often drudgery in my daily life that I absolutely hate to do, but there’s nothing to be done but get on with it. Walking the three dogs (Abbey, Maxim & Bandit) is just such a daily task!

Below is a map showing the route from our house to Fiscalini Ranch (in red) and our normal trek through the Ranch (in yellow).

I often lug along my camera on these "death marches" for inspiration. As I meander along, a familiar tune often resonates in my brain using my skull as a sound board. So, I offer below a glimpse of one of those jaunts and ask that you understand and empathize with my predicament:

Teetzel Clan Slips
Into North America Undetected

Over the years I have somehow become the repository for bits and pieces of family history. I must admit that some of this stuff is interesting, but don’t get me wrong; I’m no closet genealogist. At least not yet—I just don’t have the time or patience.

However, I have been able to cobble together an interesting (at least I thinks it’s interesting) group of photographs and information to show the lineal history of my direct descendants from the time they first set foot in North America, all the way to one of my grandsons. I’m fairly confident that all that follows is accurate.

I think any person with the least bit of sensitivity and creativity would be interested in this rogues gallery of Teetzel's begetting through the generations: