Several weeks ago I published a photo I shot of a large sailboat anchored here in our bay. I’d heard it was from New Zealand. More recently I found out that this was one of a fleet of 7 vakas moanas, or ocean-going canoes, each boat with a crew of about a dozen sailors from Samoa, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji and other Polynesian islands. They’re making a film called “Our Blue Canoe,” to alert people to the pollution that is threatening our oceans. No fossil fuels; their only propulsion is the wind and a small amount of power for engines from solar panels. They are using celestial navigation.
“Okeanos – Foundation for the Sea have rebuilt seven ocean-voyaging vaka moanas, together with the help and expertise of the Polynesian people. The design of our vakas use a fusion of both traditional and modern methods and materials. We followed our ancestor’s design, but incorporated more sustainable materials to lessen the impact on our environment. Fibreglass hulls replace timbre to protect our forests and we’ve added eight solar panels on the back of each vaka to power our engines. Natural gas is the only fossil fuel used, which is employed solely for cooking. Like our ancestors before us, we use no running water. Voyaging on our vaka, we are continuing to revive our ancient Polynesian cultural traditions while exercising respectful stewardship of our ocean.”
Two days ago the4y left San Francisco, heading south along the coast.
https://www.pacificvoyagers.org/
Photo © Rui Camilo
My own food chores came to a head last night. I was making up a brine for smoking this salmon, and toasting nori seaweed (200 degrees in oven, which didn’t make it taste any better — got to figure this out, it’s such nutritious (and free) stuff), when we discovered that our rooster, which had killed one of his own baby chicks the day before, had wounded 2 of the remaining 3. This is the loudest, most aggressive rooster we’ve ever had, and this was over the line. He is now headless, cleaned and plucked and headed for stew thus weekend. And boy is it quiet around here.
I made sourdough oat flour and cattail pollen pancakes last week. Ground the oat groats into flour just before mixing it up. The pollen is a deep yellow. Buttermilk, a little baking soda (interacts with acidity of b’milk), eggs, a little sugar, no oil.
Just made my first batch of sauerkraut. Simple, just salt and cabbage in a glazed crock with a waterseal; the lactic acid in sauerkraut is supposed to do wonders for health.
Salmon is now smoking in my Little Chief electric smoker with alder and hickory chips. Will vacuum seal and freeze when done.
Email from Richard Jones:
Hi Lloyd hope all is well and tiny homes is shaping up.
Thought you might enjoy this article in the Observer newspaper at the weekend.
I had never heard of this legendary bus trip. The magic bus going overland to India was the only legend to reach my consciousness.
https://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/aug/06/lsd-ken-kesey-pranksters-film
My reality changes this summer. I was supposed to be taking a group of delinquent kids for a canoe expedition in Sweden. But it all fell through a few days before. So we did the annual pilgrimage to Avebury – Stone Henge’s older sister (less police, a pub in the middle and an old drove track to camp in) We do this pilgrimage by bicycle as its far easier to dodge the police road blocks and get around the vast site.
Every year more and more…camping areas get shut down. My faith was restored when we headed up to the Sanctuary – the end of the Ridgeway – the oldest road in Europe. There was the remains of the convoy – the free radicals. the horsedrawn, bus and van dwellers – Hooray they still existed! My heart was warmed there was still life on the roads. still hope and freedom.
Read More …
Excerpts from article by David Harvey on Counterpunch, responding to media reports of the riots in London:
“…But the problem is that we live in a society where capitalism itself has become rampantly feral. Feral politicians cheat on their expenses, feral bankers plunder the public purse for all its worth, CEOs, hedge fund operators and private equity geniuses loot the world of wealth, telephone and credit card companies load mysterious charges on everyone’s bills, shopkeepers price gouge, and, at the drop of a hat swindlers and scam artists get to practice three-card monte right up into the highest echelons of the corporate and political world….
Read More …
Talk about covers, this is a wicked take on the Randy Newman son. She’s backed by the excellent Roots Band at the House of Blues in LA in 2001. She is so bad! I can think of another instance where she took a macho male song and turned it on its ear, a woman talking sexy to a man: “Work with me Henry,” years ago, cover of the classic, “Work with me Annie,” by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. She’s a powerhouse.
I was listening to Etta one time when I realized that great singers (like her, Otis, Sam Cook, Aretha, Al Green, etc.) always do exactly the right thing. There are many choices to make for a singer, and the tempo, timing, inflection, ad libs, etc. are always perfect. Zing! Right in there. I heard Howlin’ Wolf earlier today and it sounded so powerful — 50 years later. I’m afraid I’m going back and back in time in my musical tastes of late. Where is the equal of Muddy Waters in this day and age?
Article in 11 Aug 2011 San Francisco Chronicle by Carolyn Said:
“Apartment hunting in San Francisco has turned into a competitive sport with hopeful renters swarming open houses and experiencing more rejections than contestants on “Survivor.”
“You have to pounce as soon as you see an ad you like,” said Chris Covert, a manager at Symantec who was among 18 people vying for a $1,395 Nob Hill studio last week. “It’s definitely nuts.…”
“…vacancy rates are falling and rents are rising in the city. RealFacts says that the average monthly asking price in San Francisco for studio apartments in complexes with at least 50 units hit $1,801 this year, up 13 percent from $1,595 a year ago. Across apartment units of all sizes, landlords at these big complexes are now asking for an average of $2,361 a month, up 5 percent from a year ago.…”
https://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/10/MND91KLCIE.DTL#ixzz1UkkWZSYE””
Top: nice stone work in Mill Valley. It’s starting to look like Fall. Above: seedlings with Buddha front and center at Zen Center garden at Green Gulch Farm, Calif.
