LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – There are an assortment of colorful and cute cats and kittens available for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control this week.
Adult cats and kittens alike are waiting to meet new owners and make the transition to a new life.
Cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed and microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake .
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.
The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).
Gray and white domestic long hair
This female domestic long hair mix is 4 years old.
She weighs about 13 pounds, has gray and white coloring, and has been spayed.
Find her in cat room kennel No. 87, ID No. 32731.
Gray male tabby
This gray male tabby is 7 months old.
He has a short coat and has been neutered.
He is in cat room kennel No. 58, ID No. 32623.
Gray domestic short hair
This male domestic short hair mix is 11 months old.
He weighs 5.4 pounds, has green eyes and has been neutered.
Shelter staff said he's good with other cats and is playful.
See him in cat room kennel No. 40, ID No. 32494.
'Boots'
“Boots” is a 3-year-old female domestic short hair mix.
She is a black and white tuxedo cat with gold eyes. She has been altered.
Find her in cat room kennel No. 28, ID No. 32665.
Gray tabby kitten
This gray male tabby kitten is 13 weeks old.
He is a domestic long hair mix with blue eyes. He has not yet been neutered.
He's in cat room kennel No. 18c, ID No. 32562.
Siamese mix kitten
This male Siamese mix kitten is 13 weeks old.
He has lilac point and white coloring, blue eyes, a long coat and has not yet been neutered.
Find him in cat room kennel No. 18b, ID No. 32561.
Gray and white tabby kitten
This 13-week-old male kitten is a domestic long hair mix.
He has a gray and white coat, blue yes and has not yet been neutered.
He's in cat room kennel No. 18a, ID No. 32560.
Domestic long hair mix kitten
This domestic long hair mix kitten is 13 weeks hold.
He has blue eyes and a gray coat, weighs 2 pounds and has been neutered.
He's in cat room kennel No. 15c, ID No. 32568.
Male Siamese mix
This male Siamese mix is 2 years old.
He has unique brown, black and white coloring, and has been neutered.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The county's animal shelter this week has a selection of mostly large dogs, including puppies.
Labrador Retriever, pointer and husky mixes make up the big dog contingent, while one male Chihuahua is available.
Thanks to Lake County Animal Care and Control’s new veterinary clinic, many of the animals offered for adoption already are spayed or neutered and ready to go home with their new families.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Male Labrador Retriever-pointer mix
This male Labrador Retriever-pointer mix is 14 weeks old.
He is not yet neutered, and has a black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 7b, ID No. 32827.
Female Labrador Retriever-pointer mix
This female Labrador Retriever-pointer mix is 14 weeks old.
She has a black and white coat, brown eyes and floppy ears, and has not been altered.
Find her in kennel No. 7c, ID No. 32828.
Labrador Retriever mix
This female Labrador Retriever mix is 1 year old.
She has a short black coat, weighs 44 pounds and has been spayed.
She is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 32639.
Male Chihuahua mix
This male Chihuahua mix is 10 months old.
He weighs 11 pounds, has been neutered and has a short coat.
He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 32746.
Male husky mix
This male husky mix is 4 years old.
He has red and tan coloring, weighs 56 pounds and has been neutered.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Lucerne man has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for multiple counts of sexual abuse and child molestation.
On Monday, May 21, Todd Allen Drawdy, 45, was sentenced to state prison for three counts of lewd acts with a child with force or fear, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
An additional year was added to Drawdy's sentence to run concurrently for a probation violation as Drawdy was on informal, misdemeanor probation for annoying and molesting a minor in a previous case, Brooks reported.
Detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit arrested Drawdy on Nov. 30, 2011, after they obtained evidence that he had molested at least one young girl beginning when she was 10 years old and continuing for the next five years, according to Brooks.
Brooks said detectives obtained phone call recordings in which Drawdy admitted to some of the allegations while speaking to a member of the victim’s family.
The Lake County District Attorney’s Office declined to handle the case due to a potential conflict, as Lake County News has reported.
The California Attorney General’s Office assumed the case and worked with Lake County Sheriff’s Office detectives to locate several more victims, Brooks said.
The charges carried a potential sentence of 30 years to life in prison. The California Attorney General’s Office and the defense made a plea agreement in April, according to Brooks.
The California Attorney General's Office did not return a call seeking comment on the case Friday.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A man who allegedly forced his way into a Clearlake home early Sunday morning died following a struggle with the home’s resident.
Randy Robinson, 30, died from injuries he received in a fight with 32-year-old Danne Petras, according to the Clearlake Police Department.
Clearlake Police staffers have remained on scene – located in the 14000 block of Lakeshore Drive – conducting the investigation since the early morning, Police Chief Craig Clausen told Lake County News.
According to a report from Sgt. Tim Hobbs, at 5:30 a.m. Petras was asleep inside his residence when he heard someone attempting to break into the residence.
Petras got up and went to investigate. As he approached his front door, Robinson allegedly entered the residence through the door he had just forced open, Hobbs said.
A struggle ensued between Petras and Robinson, during which Robinson suffered several injuries and became unresponsive, according to Hobbs.
A neighbor who heard the commotion called the police. Hobbs said Clearlake Police officers arrived a short time later and contacted Petras in front of the residence.
Police found Robinson on the floor inside the residence, Hobbs said. Medical personnel from the Lake County Fire Protection District were dispatched to the scene and arrived a short time later.
Robinson was transported to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, where he was pronounced dead, Hobbs said.
Petras sustained several injuries during the struggle and later was treated and released at St. Helena Hospital in Clearlake, according to Hobbs.
Hobbs said Clearlake Police detectives responded and took over the investigation.
So far, police have not revealed if any weapons were used in the fight that fatally injured Robinson.
Hobbs said the exact cause is unknown, but it does not appear to have been from a knife or gunshot wound.
The agency also has not yet offered a motive for the alleged break-in.
Hobbs said it appears at this time that Petras acted in self defense and that he was justified in using force to protect himself while inside his own residence.
As is standard in this type of case, once the investigation is complete it will be sent to the District Attorney’s Office for review, Hobbs said.
The Clearlake Police Department is asking anyone with information regarding this case contact Detective Peterson at 707-994-8251.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit is formally opening fire season in Northern California on June 4.
The opening of fire season this year is nearly two weeks earlier than it opened in 2011. Cal Fire reported last week that it already has handled nearly double the fires this year than it did last year, as Lake County News has reported.
The Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit – which includes the counties of Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Solano, Colusa and Yolo – is ramping up unit staffing in preparation for deployment of resources to incidents locally and statewide.
On June 4, the unit will staff an engine at each of its 20 stations, as well as 11 fire crews, three dozers and one helicopter.
The Sonoma Air Attack Base will be opened on June 16, staffing one air tactical aircraft and two tankers, with a support ground crew.
On June 25, Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit will achieve peak staffing including 31 engines, five dozers, 11 fire crews, three fixed wing aircraft and one helicopter.
To meet peak staffing needs for the 2012 Fire Season, the unit augments its permanent work force with the hiring of seasonal firefighters. Seasonal firefighters receive training in wildland and structural fire firefighting, as well as, required certification in hazardous materials and emergency medical response.
Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Tim Streblow reminded residents they also can prepare for fire season by making their properties fire safe by creating a 100 foot of defensible space zone around their homes and outbuildings.
“Creating a defensible space increases the survival of a home during a wildland fire incident, as well as providing fire fighting personnel the upper hand in battling a wildland fire on their property,” Streblow said.
California Public Resource Code 4291 addresses the mandatory maintain of 100 foot of defensible space around structures.
For information on how to create a fire safe home visit Cal Fire's Web site at www.fire.ca.gov or contact your nearest Cal Fire facility.
On Monday, June 4, there's going to be a full Moon. According to Native American folklore it’s the Strawberry Moon, so-called because the short season for harvesting strawberries comes during the month of June.
This strawberry’s going to have a bite taken out of it.
At 3 a.m. am Pacific Daylight Time, not long before sunrise on June 4, the Moon passes directly behind our planet.
A broad stretch of lunar terrain around the southern crater Tycho will fall under the shadow of Earth, producing the first lunar eclipse of 2012.
At maximum eclipse, around 4:04 am PDT, 37 percent of the Moon's surface will be in the dark.
Because only a fraction of the strawberry moon is shadowed, astronomers call this a partial eclipse. But it's totally beautiful.
The eclipse is visible in North and South America, Australia, eastern parts of Asia and all across the Pacific Ocean.
On the Atlantic side of the United States, the eclipse occurs just as the Moon is setting in the west – perfect timing for the Moon illusion.
For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects.
In fact, a low Moon is no wider than any other Moon – cameras prove it – but the human brain insists otherwise.
The eclipsed Moon, hanging low in the west at daybreak on June 4, will seem extra-large to US observers east of the Mississippi. The fact that the extra size is just an illusion in no way detracts from its visual appeal.
The Sun-Earth-Moon alignment that causes this eclipse is the second of three rapid-fire celestial line-ups.
First there was the annular solar eclipse of May 20, when the Moon moved between Earth and the sun to turn our star into a “ring of fire.”
The lunar eclipse of June 4 reverses the order of the Earth and Moon, so that the Moon is eclipsed instead of the Sun.
Finally, we have the transit of Venus on Tuesday, June 5, and Wednesday, June 6, when the second planet moves directly between the Earth and sun.
Backyard astronomy doesn't get much better than this.
Wake up before dawn on June 4 and savor the sweet eclipse of the Strawberry Moon.
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The sweet-spicy aroma of nasturtiums fresh from the garden gets my juices flowing, and not only because of their pleasant scent.
They smell like dinner time to me.
These peppery relatives of watercress and mustard have been used in culinary applications through the centuries. Nearly every part of the plant is edible – blossoms, leaves, stems and seeds – making them a natural for edible landscapes.
If you’re lucky enough to have these bright beauties in your garden, they should be ripe for the culinary picking from late spring through early summer and beyond.
Native to the Peruvian Andes, nasturtiums were brought to Europe by Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s.
Less than a century later, they were eaten in France to stave off hunger during tough economic times under King Louis XIV, who grew them in his garden, as did Thomas Jefferson in later years.
After another 100 years or so, Victorian-era Europeans turned to nasturtiums to provide the vitamin C that staves off scurvy, something that was rampant at the time.
Between the early 1800s, when a volunteer plant was first found in upstate New York, till the early 1900s, when wild-growing nasturtiums became established in the western United States, this hardy perennial spread through the North American continent.
They’re the darling of gardeners, as they grow in almost any soil and are self-seeding. Once a nasturtium plot is established, you’ll have an abundant harvest for years to come.
They bloom in colors ranging from buttery cream to deep mahogany, with bright reds, yellows, and oranges most commonly seen. Nasturtium’s bright flower faces grow on vines and can be seen crawling along the ground in thick garden beds or climbing over trellises.
The name nasturtium reflects its distinctive flavor, coming from a Latin phrase meaning “twisted nose,” which refers to the reaction of one’s nasal passages upon eating the peppery plant.
I wouldn’t go that far (my nose has remained well in place upon every ingestion), but some of the plant’s largest lily pad-like leaves can be quite severe in their piquancy, similar to mature mustard greens.
Such flavor is welcome when its leaves are combined with other greens to add spicy flavor to a salad, or used as a peppery green on a sandwich.
Like its relative, watercress, nasturtium greens make wonderful tea sandwiches when layered over cream cheese on hearty bread.
Pesto may be made with the leaves, which should first be quickly blanched in boiling water to neutralize their strong flavor. After blanching, immerse greens in an ice water bath to cool and stop cooking process before making pesto.
Saucy nasturtium greens may be added to potato soup, where mild, starchy potatoes balance their potentially strong flavor.
The blossoms have a somewhat peppery flavor similar to the leaves, though much milder and sweeter, and they have far more to offer than their common use as a graceful garnish.
When stuffed with cream cheese and chives (or other herbs, if you like), they make a wonderful appetizer. Guacamole works well as a filling, too.
The blossoms can be added to salads, floated in drinks, made into vinaigrette, tossed atop pizza, become a star in risotto, and even be featured in spring rolls along with carrots, cucumbers, mint and the like.
Along with other edible flowers, they decorate and flavor traditional Korean sweet pancakes called “hwajeon” as a celebration of spring.
Nasturtium-lemon butter may be made by combining the blossoms with softened butter and a bit of lemon juice and lemon zest.
And lastly, when eating the blossoms out of hand in the garden, be sure to look for a longish spur just under the flower head. These are full of nectar and are a sweet treat when eaten. As kids, my brother and I used to pinch them off near the tip and suck the nectar out.
Nasturtium seeds may be pickled and made into mock capers (true capers are the pungent bud of a Mediterranean bush) for a flavorful addition to a variety of dishes.
The seeds, as well as the blossoms and leaves, may be a component for any number of nasturtium vinegar recipes, where the plant’s flavors are infused into white vinegar.
As to nutrition, nasturtium leaves are full of vitamin C and iron, making them a nutritionally dense food.
Since nasturtiums are said to be useful in breaking up respiratory congestion, nasturtium “tea” (technically, a tisane) might make a powerful part of one’s arsenal against colds. Simply steep fresh nasturtium blossoms and leaves in hot water and sip when flavor is infused.
Another reputed benefit is that nasturtiums encourage the formation of blood cells and are therefore given as a blood purifier and detoxifier.
The brightly-colored blossoms contain anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals from the body, making them an effective defense against cancer.
When harvesting nasturtiums, choose leaves and blossoms that appear fresh and show no sign of browning or withering. And remember – the larger the leaf, the more pungent the peppery flavor.
If you don’t have nasturtiums handy for picking, culinary-grade nasturtiums are sold at some farmers’ markets, in specialty stores, and on the Internet. Be sure they’re grown for comestible purposes and haven’t been sprayed.
The same is true for home gardeners; if you plan to use blossoms for food, avoid using pesticides.
Below is my twist on a recipe for stuffed nasturtium blossoms. You can use it as a starting point for your own creative ideas, and the recipe can be adapted for stuffing the mildly-flavored squash blossoms which should appear in your vegetable garden later this summer.
And before I go, did you know nasturtiums played a minor culinary role during the World War II era? Since imported black pepper was difficult to come by during the war years, nasturtium seeds were dried and ground as a substitute for the spice.
If you’re adventurous, you can make your own by drying the seeds and grinding them in a spice grinder or a dedicated coffee grinder.
Considering their piquant palatability, I have no doubt they were a more than adequate replacement!
Stuffed nasturtium blossoms
16 nasturtium flowers 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened ½ tablespoon chopped fresh chives (chive blossoms may be used instead) ½ tablespoon chopped herbs (for example, thyme, lemon verbena, lemon basil or any combination) Zest from about half a lemon (to taste; adjust as you like) Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Pick flowers as close to serving time as possible. Make sure they’re clean, dry, and pesticide-free. (It wouldn’t hurt to check for bugs, too!) Store flowers in fridge until ready to use.
Thoroughly mix chives, herb(s), lemon zest, salt and pepper into cream cheese. Adjust seasonings as desired. Fill a pastry bag with the mixture.
Handling flowers gently as they bruise easily, fill each flower using pastry bag with 1 to 2 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture. Pull petals upwards to cover the cheese as much as possible and press lightly into cheese.
Refrigerate and served chilled.
Note: A sturdy zipper-sealed bag with a corner clipped off can serve as a makeshift pastry bag.
Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Every ~ 120 years a dark spot glides across the Sun. Small, inky-black, almost perfectly circular, it's no ordinary sunspot. Not everyone can see it, but some who do get the strangest feeling, of standing, toes curled in the damp sand, on the beach of a South Pacific isle ....
City odors drifted in from Plymouth, across the ship, shoving aside the salt air. Sea gulls fluttered upward, screeching, as the sails snapped taut. The wind had changed and it was time to go.
On August 12, 1768, His Majesty's Bark Endeavour slipped out of harbor, Lt. James Cook in command, bound for Tahiti.
The island had been "discovered" by Europeans only a year before in the South Pacific, a part of Earth so poorly explored mapmakers couldn't agree if there was a giant continent there or not. Cook might as well have been going to the Moon or Mars.
He would have to steer across thousands of miles of open ocean, with nothing like GPS or even a good wristwatch to keep time for navigation, to find a speck of land only 20 miles across. On the way, dangerous storms could (and did) materialize without warning. Unknown life forms waited in the ocean waters. Cook fully expected half the crew to perish.
It was worth the risk, he figured, to observe a transit of Venus.
"At 2 pm got under sail and put to sea having on board 94 persons," Cook noted in his log. The ship's young naturalist Joseph Banks was more romantic: "We took our leave of Europe for heaven alone knows how long, perhaps for Ever," he wrote.
Their mission was to reach Tahiti before June 1769, establish themselves among the islanders, and construct an astronomical observatory. Cook and his crew would observe Venus gliding across the face of the Sun, and by doing so measure the size of the solar system. Or so hoped England's Royal Academy, which sponsored the trip.
The size of the solar system was one of the chief puzzles of 18th century science, much as the nature of dark matter and dark energy are today. In Cook's time astronomers knew that six planets orbited the sun (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto hadn't been discovered yet), and they knew the relative spacing of those planets.
Jupiter, for instance, is five times farther from the Sun than Earth. But how far is that … in miles? The absolute distances were unknown.
Venus was the key. Edmund Halley realized this in 1716. As seen from Earth, Venus occasionally crosses the face of the sun. It looks like a jet-black disk slowly gliding among the sun's true spots.
By noting the start- and stop-times of the transit from widely spaced locations on Earth, Halley reasoned, astronomers could calculate the distance to Venus using the principles of parallax. The scale of the rest of the solar system would follow.
But there was a problem. Transits of Venus are rare. They come in pairs, eight years apart, separated by approximately 120 years. Halley himself would never live to see one.
An international team did try to time a Venus transit in 1761, but weather and other factors spoiled most of their data. If Cook and others failed in 1769, every astronomer on Earth would be dead before the next opportunity in 1874.
Cook's expedition is often likened to a space mission. "The Endeavour was not only on a voyage of discovery," writes Tony Horwitz in the Cook travelogue Blue Latitudes, "it was also a laboratory for testing the latest theories and technologies, much as spaceships are today."
In particular, the crew of the Endeavour were to be guinea pigs in the Navy's fight against "the scourge of the sea" – scurvy.
The human body can store only about six week's worth of vitamin C, and when it runs out seamen experience lassitude, rotted gums and hemorrhaging. Some 18th century ships lost half their crew to scurvy.
Cook carried a variety of experimental foods onboard, feeding his crew such things as sauerkraut and malt wort. Anyone who refused the fare would be whipped. Indeed, Cook flogged one in five of his crew, about average in those days, according to Horwitz.
By the time Cook reached Tahiti in 1769, he'd been sailing west for eight months – about as long as modern astronauts might spend en route to Mars.
Five crewmen were lost when the ship rounded stormy Cape Horn, and another despairing marine threw himself overboard during the 10-week Pacific passage that followed.
Endeavour was utterly vulnerable as it angled toward Tahiti. There was no contact with "Mission Control," no satellite weather images to warn of approaching storms, no help of any kind. Cook navigated using hourglasses and knotted ropes to measure ship's speed, and a sextant and almanac to estimate Endeavour's position by the stars. It was tricky and dangerous.
Remarkably, they arrived mostly intact on April 13, 1769, almost two months before the transit. "At this time we had but very few men upon the Sick list … the Ships compney had in general been very healthy owing in a great measure to the Sour krout," wrote Cook.
Tahiti was as alien to Cook's men as Mars might seem to us today. At least the island was comfortable and well provisioned for human life; the islanders were friendly and eager to deal with Cook's men.
Banks deemed it "the truest picture of an arcadia (idyllic and peaceful) … that the imagination can form." Yet the flora, fauna, customs and habits of Tahiti were shockingly different from those of England; Endeavour's crew was absorbed, amazed.
Perhaps that is why Cook and Banks had so little to say about the transit when it finally happened on June 3, 1769. Venus' little black disk, which could only be seen gliding across the blinding sun through special telescopes brought from England, had a powerful rival: Tahiti itself.
Banks' log entry on the day of the transit consists of 622 words; fewer than 100 of them concern Venus.
Mostly he chronicled a breakfast-meeting with Tarróa, the king of the island, and Tarróa's sister Nuna, and later in the day, a visit from "three handsome women."
Of Venus, he says, "I went to my Companions at the observatory carrying with me Tarróa, Nuna and some of their chief attendants; to them we shewd the planet upon the sun and made them understand that we came on purpose to see it. After this they went back and myself with them." Period. If the King or Banks himself was impressed, Banks never said so.
Cook was a little more expansive: "This day prov'd as favourable to our purpose as we could wish, not a Clowd was to be seen … and the Air was perfectly clear, so that we had every advantage we could desire in Observing the whole of the passage of the Planet Venus over the Suns disk: we very distinctly saw an Atmosphere or dusky shade round the body of the Planet which very much disturbed the times of the contacts particularly the two internal ones."
Cook also observed the "black drop effect."
When Venus is near the limb of the sun – the critical moment for transit timing – the black of space beyond the sun's limb seems to reach in and touch the planet. This makes it very difficult to say precisely when a transit begins or ends.
The effect was not fully understood until 1999 when a team of astronomers led by Glenn Schneider of the University of Arizona studied a similar black drop during a transit of Mercury. They proved the distortion is caused by a combination of solar limb darkening and the point-spread function of the telescope.
Cook's observations were clearly affected. Indeed, his measurements disagreed with those of ship's astronomer Charles Green, who observed the transit beside Cook, by as much as 42 seconds.
This was a problem for observers elsewhere, too. When all was said and done, observations of Venus' 1769 transit from 76 points around the globe, including Cook's, were not precise enough to set the scale of the solar system. Astronomers didn't manage that until the 19th century when they used photography to record the next pair of transits.
Cook wouldn't dwell on these matters; there was a lot more exploring to do. Secret orders from the Navy instructed him to leave the island when the transit was done and "search between Tahiti and New Zealand for a Continent or Land of great extent."
For much of the next year Endeavour and her crew scoured the South Pacific, searching for a continent that some 18th century scientists claimed was necessary to balance the great land masses of the Northern Hemisphere.
At one point they were out of sight of land for almost two months. But the terra australis incognita, the unknown "south land," didn't exist, just as Cook thought all along.
Along the way Cook met the fierce Maori of New Zealand and the Aborigines of Australia (encounters both races would lament in later years), explored thousands of miles of Kiwi and Aussie coastline, and had a near-disastrous collision with the Great Barrier Reef.
Later, during a 10-week stopover in Jakarta for repairs, seven seamen died of malaria. The port city was densely populated by people and diseases. Cook left as quickly as possible, but the damage was done.
Ultimately 38 of the Endeavour's original company (and eight who joined later) perished, including astronomer Charles Green.
"The ship's 40% casualty rate wasn't considered extraordinary for the day," writes Horwitz. "In fact, Cook would later be hailed for the exceptional concern he showed for the health of his crew."
On July 11, 1771, Cook returned to England at Deal. The survivors had circumnavigated the globe, cataloged thousands of species of plants, insects and animals, encountered new (to them) races of people, and hunted for giant continents. It was an epic adventure.
In the end, the transit was just a tiny slice of Cook's adventure, overshadowed by Tahiti and sabotaged by black drops. But because of the voyage Venus and Cook are linked. In fact, it might be said that the best reason to watch a transit of Venus is history.
Decide for yourself. On June 5-6, 2012, Venus is due to cross the face of the Sun again. The event will be Web cast, broadcast, and targeted by innumerable sidewalk telescopes. In other words, you can't miss it. See http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/transit12.html for more information.
Look into the inky black disk. It can carry you back to a different place and time: Tahiti, 1769, when much of Earth was still a mystery and the eye at the telescope belonged to a great explorer.
Can you feel the sand between your toes?
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
A trustee is required to keep complete and adequate records for both tax and non tax reasons under California and federal laws.
First, a trustee has a duty to account to beneficiaries, and to report information about trust assets, liabilities and finances when requested by a beneficiary with a current vested interest.
Second, a trustee has duties to pay required taxes and report to federal, state, and local taxing authorities. California charitable trusts also must notify and report to the California Attorney General.
Records to maintain fall into three broad categories: (1) legal documents; (2) a trustee’s log (diary); and (3) financial, asset and tax documents.
Let us consider each category.
A trustee should keep all original legal documents and correspondences. The record keeping system entails document folders and an index. The original trust document and all its amendments and any restatements should be preserved.
Likewise any other legal documents pertinent to settling the trust – like promissory notes, court orders, tax documents, accountings and correspondences to beneficiaries, attorneys, accountants and others – should be kept.
The foregoing only works to the extent that matters are documented. Hence trustee, or his or her attorney, will not rely simply on oral communications with beneficiaries but will follow up in writing to document oral communications.
A trustee should keep a chronological trustee log (diary) from the very outset. Entries should detail all time spent (on a daily basis), discretionary decisions, meetings, travel and out of pocket expenses in furtherance of trustee duties.
A detailed log will show the basis for all discretionary trustee decisions: The legal authority relied upon; the professional advice that was obtained; and the critical information and documents that were considered in making the judgment.
For example, consider a trustee with discretionary authority over whether or not to keep paying a beneficiary’s college tuition.
The trustee will diary his or her consideration of the beneficiary’s academic performance, extenuating circumstances, and any other factors relevant to deciding whether the beneficiary is likely to complete a degree.
The importance of a detailed trustee log becomes all too apparent if and when a beneficiary ever challenges a trustee’s actions or objects to the amount of trustee’s fees.
The reasonableness of trustee fees depends in part on the time, effort and complexity involved. The trustee diary should document such factors.
A formal trust accounting to beneficiaries discloses all trust assets and transactions (i.e., receipts of income, payment of expenses, disposition of assets, and distributions to beneficiaries).
In order to have the information necessary to prepare an accounting that meets California legal requirements, a trustee will need to keep all inventories, appraisals, invoices, income receipts, bank statements, canceled checks, check ledger, tax returns, a trustee log, any prior accountings, and anything else with relevant information.
For example, take a payment to a contractor for a repair to a residence owned by the trust to get it ready for sale.
The accounting will need to say what repairs were made, to what residence and whether or not the contractor is related to the trustee; in addition to showing the amount and date of the payment. A contractor’s invoice, with this information, is, therefore, a necessary document to keep.
How long a trustee preserves the records varies.
For tax reasons records are usually kept three years after the filing of a tax return, but some records must be kept for up to seven years.
For non tax reasons, beneficiaries have three years from receipt of an accounting to file objections; this can be reduced to 180 days by the trust instrument (with a special warning notice provided with the accounting).
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com .
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The town of Upper Lake celebrated its Western heritage during its annual Wild West Day celebration on Saturday.
The daylong event featured plentiful food and family entertainment, as well as a parade down Main Street and popular Western skits featuring shootouts with the Blue Canyon Gang every hour from noon to 3 p.m.
The day's schedule started with an early 7 a.m. pancake breakfast to benefit the Upper North Shore Incident Support Team. For lunch, there was plenty of tri-tip barbecue at the Odd Fellows Hall.
Live music from “The Goods” band provided outdoor entertainment, along with the Clearlake Clickers dance group and the Costume, Beard & Bonnet Contest.
Vendors of local businesses and community groups were kept busy selling food, drinks, jewelry and crafts while enjoying sunny, breezy weather.
Old time displays of an antique rope machine and vintage hand pump were especially popular with children, allowing the hands-on experience of operating “appliances” used in the Old West.
NOTE: The unedited footage of the fire scene has some graphic language in the background. The audio can be muted.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A Friday night fire destroyed a garage and several race cars belonging to a popular local race car driver and his family.
The fire, reported at about 8:45 p.m., occurred in the 5100 block of State Street in Kelseyville, according to radio traffic.
Witnesses reported seeing thick plumes of black smoke and open flames, and hearing explosions in the area. Dispatch indicated people were inside the structure when the fire was first reported.
Firefighters at the scene reported that the garage was fully engulfed when they arrived.
Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells, whose agency responded along with Kelseyville Fire, said the garage belonged to Lauren Snider, a driver at Lakeport Speedway and a professional auto mechanic.
Wells confirmed there were people in the garage working on cars when the fire broke out. A cause was not immediately available.
“Nobody was hurt,” said Wells.
The explosions that were reported resulted from igniting fuel and exploding motors, said Wells.
One sprint car was backed out, but Wells said the garage was a total loss, along with its contents, which he said included race cars and boats.
“They lost a lot,” he said.
No other structures were damaged, Wells said.
Kelseyville Fire sent three engines, Lakeport Fire sent one and the California Highway Patrol assisted with traffic control, according to Wells.
Firefighters remained on scene late Friday. Engines were clearing the scene at around 11 p.m., and the incident was terminated at approximately 11:10 p.m.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – There were no injuries in a late Thursday night crash along Highway 20 that involved a FedEx tractor trailer and two other vehicles, and officials said a large diesel spill that resulted from the wreck was contained before it reached Clear Lake.
The crash occurred at about 11:45 p.m. Thursday on Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks, according to the Friday report from California Highway Patrol Officer Kory Reynolds.
Reynolds said Joseph Shanks, 37, of McKinleyville was driving a FedEx big rig towing two trailers eastbound on Highway 20 at 40 miles per hour west of Clearlake Oaks.
Stephen Wooldridge, 29, of Clearlake also was driving eastbound on Highway 20 behind the FedEx truck in his 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe, Reynolds reported.
Wooldridge attempted to pass the FedEx truck when he observed a westbound 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Sarah Hail, 18, of Eureka, according to Reynolds.
Wooldridge turned to the right but struck the right front of the Cavalier. Reynolds said Wooldridge’s vehicle veered off the Cavalier and then struck the FedEx truck.
Reynolds said the FedEx truck struck the rock guard rail on the south shoulder, which ruptured the right side fuel tank spilling diesel fuel onto the roadway.
The FedEx truck continued over the guard rail and into Clear Lake. Reynolds said the truck and one of its trailers then caught fire.
Northshore Fire Protection District responded and extinguished the fire, Reynolds said. Reports from the scene early Friday morning had indicated that the fire had been contained to the big rig and the first trailer.
Caltrans also responded to the scene and contained the fuel spill to the roadway, said Reynolds. Radio reports had estimated has much as 200 gallons of fuel had been spilled. Reynolds said none of it reached Clear Lake.
A Lake County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol unit also responded and assisted Northshore Fire in placing containment booms in the water, officials reported.
There were no injuries reported in the collision, Reynolds said.
Reynolds said the collision is still under investigation by CHP Officer Ryan Erickson.
