I have been known to recklessly pull over at a moment’s notice when I see those telltale metal plaques situated along the side of a less-traveled road. In some instances, despite the cries of my fellow passengers, I have driven miles out of my way to... Continue
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Being a grandfather provides the opportunity to experience contemporary fairy-tale movies, and suffice to say, the stories have changed. The German fairy tales compiled by the Brothers Grimm were indeed quite grim; Sleeping Beauty, for example, included episodes of potential infanticide and cannibalism alongside the... Continue
Welcome to my new monthly column in the Sonoma Valley Sun. I’m calling it “Board Walk” because I think it is important that I “walk the talk” as your Supervisor. I am launching this column because I found that many people have the same questions.... Continue
All language is metaphor, and for that matter, so is every word in every language. We humans are metaphor-makers, and making metaphor means making meaning. Words create a nominal, or language-based reality which generates internal image-ideas. Through a process of fine-grained description we jointly settle... Continue
To tell you the truth I hate to write about loneliness and death again, but it seems that these are inevitable experiences in my life. I sat with Dave Robbins recently, on a balmy evening outside with friends. He was so alive, so reverberating with... Continue
I am declaring the remainder of August and all of September Ethnobotany months. Ethnology is the study of culture and botany is the study of plants. When the two words are slapped together, it is the scientific study of the relationships that exist between people and... Continue
America is exceptional in many ways, not all of them so good. One way which falls into this "not so good" category is an inordinate pride in speaking and teaching one language only, namely English. Pride is often a good indicator of self-righteousness in individuals,... Continue
Our family vacation to Guatemala and Belize was coming to an end. We arrived in the southern Belize town of Punta Gorda around 9:00 pm. Punta Gorda is where the road ends. This sleepy fishing village is not on the typical tourist itinerary. It's the... Continue
The internet of things had not arrived when NYU professor Neil Postman wrote his 1985 critique of television and its effects on society. I suspect the concerns and predictions he made in "Amusing Ourselves to Death" would have not differed greatly had he seen what... Continue
Why is the subject of poop so important in Sonoma? We take great pride in our lovely town, and we argue constantly about whether to allow dogs on certain paths or not. People aren’t shy about stepping in it – the argument, that is. Some... Continue