Last Saturday, over the course of 12 hours, Dusty Nelson visited New Brighton, Wilder Ranch, Twin Lakes, Waddell Creek, Natural Bridges and Henry Cowell state parks. But it wasn’t a day of play; Nelson was on a mission. Camera in hand, working on behalf of the Friends of Satna Cruz State Parks, he interviewed parkgoers at the six state parks for their thoughts on the California State Parks crisis. The responses he got were much the same.
Articles by Kat Lynch
Capitola Identifies Future Affordable Housing Sites
Capitola City Council broke the stalemate over property rezoning to meet a state requirement Thursday night with a three to two vote in favor of confining action to two site, including a contentious location on Park Avenue.
Olallieland Ride
Berry picking without poison ivy? Definitely a first for me. Driving down the dusty, winding roads past fields of berries to Watsonville’s Gizdich Ranch, my mouth waters and my fingers twitch—whether in anticipation of picking or memories of scratching, I’m not sure. Once there, I eavesdrop for instructions. “Pick the darkest and the shiniest ones you see,” a grandmother tells her squealing grandson. For my first olallieberry-picking excursion, I listen, excluding the light saber sound effects.
Place And Time: Photographs by Pete Saporito
A long gravel driveway shaded by overhanging trees recalls the long, humid summers of Savannah, where the photograph was taken. In an aged-looking, high-contrast photo, dried roses wilt in their vase, as if exhausted. Nearby, a heavily made-up San Francisco woman leaps out at the viewer from a hazy, glossy closeup.
Seacliff Beachgoers Just Say No to Parks Closures
A red electric wheelchair flies down the road to the beach at a whole two miles an hour. There, groups of children dig the classic tunnel to Australia or sculpt mermaid bodies on friends buried up to their necks in sand. At the end of the pier, families stare in awe of the cement World War I tanker. All this could change if Gov. Schwarzenegger and the state legislature close 80 percent of California state parks to help balance the budget deficit. The immense closure would include all of the 19 state parks in Santa Cruz County.
Capitola Mulls Affordable Housing Sites
On Thursday night the Capitola City Council left its special meeting about rezoning for high-density affordable housing torn between approving two or three sites and setting the stage for a showdown next week over a property on Park Avenue.
