Joan Gould Winderman

Posted on August 20, 2018 by MeAnders

Hollyhock stem, agave,

Back in the 70’s my sister in law and I opened an Arts and Crafts Gallery
in Paoli, Pa. 30 miles outside Philadelphia. We hunted down art where
we could find it and proceeded to convince artists to consign their work
to us at our gallery, The Back Door. What an education that was for me.
Gene already had a college art degree, I knew nothing about art. During
that five year period I ran across Judy Ingram, an artist who made paper
and collaged it. I was so entranced that I said to myself I would one
day make paper.

Cotton, dye, bamboo, straw

Thirty five years later I got around to it after raising three kids,
getting a divorce, another degree, working as a teacher and reading
specialist, and moving to Mexico with a new partner. San Miguel
de’Allende’s Belles Artes was having a course in paper making and I was
there for a visit. It was all in Spanish and I was not able to speak a
word of it. But it turned out that making paper was like cooking and I
had had 20 years of cooking experience raising kids and did not need for
that process to be spelled out. (Prende la agua) I understood, the
problem was that there was very little water. I couldn’t wait to get
back to my house where I only had to fill buckets with water for just
one person. Myself.

Papermaking depends on washing plant material. At least when using the
primitive Japanese papermaking method called Washi. One day I timidly
asked the professor if I could try out an idea and was bowled over by
his response. “Puedes hacer lo que quieras” (You can do anything you
want”). Basically Washi consists of gathering plant material, boiling
it until the fibers are soft, washing it until only the fiber remains,
then mixing them in a blender, straining out all the water and drying
what is left which in my case was to flip the paper off the screen onto
a sunny surface outside. I liked the look of the result. My paper was
not to be used to write on as it was wavy and roughly textured. That is
what I liked.

I went on to cook and strain and blend and dry many of the plants in my
yard. Agave, bamboo, hollyhock stems, lettuce, carrots, straw were my
favorites. When I had a studio full of scraps of paper, mostly
circles (as I like them), I was primed to play with them and
experiment to see how they could be captured in an arrangement that
was surprising, and preserve them in a frame. I had to figure out
that part on my own as there was no instruction available. I could
have gone to Japan but did not think of that.

So my work is about all the things I love: curves, freedom, natural
fibers, unevenness, surprise, spontaneity. That is what you see when
you look at my work. You don’t see an idea or a plan, You see
something that just happened when beautiful things came together.
Well sometimes I don’t pull it off but my favorites are all surprises.

Posted on August 4, 2017 by MeAnders

To see many of the birds, mammals and reptiles of the seven
Upper Klamath Basin habitats click on the blue links.

Cropland and pasture habitat are found mostly at
the lower elevations (4,100-4,200) within the central
and southern portions of the Upper Klamath Basin
watershed. This category includes diverse areas
within the Upper Klamath and Tule Lake Basins such
as towns, smaller communities, rural residential
areas, farms and ranches. The wildlife associated
with these habitats have adapted to living close to
human development and activities. Agricultural in
many areas has become the default habitat for much
of the wildlife due to urban encroachment.

Riparian Habitat is located along the shoreline
of rivers, lakes and wetlands within the Upper
Klamath Basin watershed. Vegetation found in
riparian habitats includes deciduous trees such
as willow, cottonwood and aspen which are found
along the shore lines of these water bodies.
Many bird species use riparian habitats as travel
corridors during the spring and fall migrations.
Other birds may use riparian locations as favored
sites for nesting and breeding.

Deep water and permanent marshes are found in the Upper Klamath and Tule Lake Basins. Habitat
includes Klamath, Williamson, Wood, Sprague, and
Lost Rivers; Upper Klamath , Clear and Tule Lakes,
many smaller deep wetlands and permanent
marshes. Fish eating species such as grebes,
pelicans, gulls, terns and diving ducks use
these wetlands. The vegetation growing in
these wetlands (primarily cattail and bulrush
stands which are also called “tules”) provide
habitat for rails, white-faced ibis, egrets,
herons, yellow-headed black birds to name only a few.

Abundant shallow wetlands are found in the Upper Klamath and Tule Lake Basins. These wetlands have historically had water during the winter and spring, but tended to dry out during the summer and fall. Today, most wildlife areas and refuges manage seasonal wetlands using water control structures to mimic this yearly wet and dry cycle. Wading shorebirds and dabbing ducks are among the diverse wildlife species commonly seen in seasonal marshes and wetlands.

Juniper/Sagebrush habitat is found most
extensively in the southern and eastern portions of
the Upper Klamath Basin watershed. Both the Clear
Lake area and Lava Beds National Monument have
large expanse of this habitat. Plants found here
include Western Juniper and several plants
collectively known as sagebrush and rabbit
brush. The region is a volcanic big sky country with
sage and juniper aromas on the wind.

High Elevation habitat are forests above 5,500 feet
in the Upper Klamath and Tule Lake Basins
consisting primarily of Douglas fir, western red cedar
and true firs. These habitats are found mostly in the
Cascade and Siskiyou mountains. Popular travel
destinations with these habitats include Crater Lake
National Park, Medicine Lake, Lake of the Woods
and the Pacific Crest Trail. Wildlife species found in
mountain meadows, streams and lakes as well as
those seen above timberline are included
in this habitat grouping.

Ponderosa and Lodgepole Pine habitat are
usually found above juniper/sagebrush vegetation
and at a lower elevation than Douglas fir and true fir
habitats within the Upper Klamath Basin watershed.
Many cavity nesting bird species use the Ponderosa/
lodgepole pine habitat, particularly where past fires
have created openings and dead snags. Several
species of woodpeckers, nuthatches and flycatchers
are commonly observed within this habitat.

Here are other locations near Harriman Springs Resort and Marina:
Behold the spectacular Crater Lake National Park
Visit the old west in Wood River Valley and Fort Klamath
Take a moment to relax at Mare’s Eggs Springs
Enjoy the sights and sounds of Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
Take a video tour of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges

Habitats presented by Dave Menke, Anders Tomlinson and Howard West.
©2014 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.

Upper Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Posted on August 4, 2017 by MeAnders

Man and wildlife coexist in a controlled natural environment.
Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is located some 24 miles north of
Klamath Falls, Oregon. Crater Lake National Park lies approximately 20
miles north of the refuge. The refuge is on the northwestern side of
Upper Klamath Lake.

Between mountain forest, creeks and lake.
Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, now comprising 14,966 acres of
swamp and open water, was established in 1928. At an elevation of slightly
above 4,000 feet, it lies in the shadow of the forested east base of of
the Cascade Mountains and is watered by mountain streams and
deep, clear springs.

There is much to do and much to see.
Popular recreation activities on Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
include fishing, wildlife observation, canoeing, photography, birding,
boating and waterfowl hunting.

The Pacific Flyway stops off at Upper Klamath NWR
In summer, mallards, pintails, cinnamon teal, Virginia rails, American
bitterns, wood ducks, grebes, and many other birds congregate here.
On the marsh is a rookery with double-crested cormorants, blue herons,
black-crowned night herons, white pelicans, grebes and common egrets.

Canoe trail through paradise found
The Refuge cooperates with the Forest Service to sign and maintain a
two loop canoe trail through the Klamath Marsh. About two-thirds of
the 8.5 mile canoe trail route is on Refuge waters, with the balance
on Forest Service property.

Forest & Flowers in a majestic landscape
Aspen, white fir, red fir, Douglas fir, and Ponderosa dominate steep
slope that come down to the spring waters. On open slopes pentstemons,
asters, paintbrushes, blue lupines, and other flowering plants add
dramatic color to the landscape.

A Bald Eagle nest along Recreation Creek
Several bald eagles live year-round in trees near the refuge.
Bald eagles can be seen coming and going to and from the marshes
and open water in search of food. They will also sit in trees
near the water’s edge, looking and listening.”… we saw eagles
everywhere… it was the closest we’d ever been to a
bald eagle and perhaps, to each other…” Sunset Magazine.

Step Back In Time
In the early 1900’s Pelican Bay Lodge, now known as Harriman Springs
Resort & Marina, Rocky Point Resort and Point Comfort Lodge, were
the gateway for travelers going to Crater Lake. Eating a fine meal
on the resort’s outdoor Terrace dining area, overlooking the marsh,
is time well spent.

Abundant diversity, textures, sounds and light
The season roll on through the marshes and open waters of Upper Klamath
National Wildlife Refuge. The star filled skies are celestial poetry
in motion, here the Milky Way shimmers in volume and brightness.
On the ground the rhythms of survival and regeneration run their course.
Listen to the marsh songs and a bald eagle diving at a fish.

Water, Marsh & Land
This view from Pelican Butte looks down on Upper Klamath National
Wildlife Refuge, Upper Klamath Lake and Pelican Bay’s mouth. Pelican Butte
is a snow mobile destination in the winter. In the summer it is the
big view of a remarkable land – north, east, south and west.

It is easy to see why here was called America’s Switzerland
Mt. McLoughlin, 9,495 ft., provides an enchanting backdrop for
resting sea gulls. Not that long ago steamboats came up this bay
with passengers and cargo.

We can all be one with an amazing world
Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is unique among the six
Basin refuges for its vast tule marsh, drowned stream channels outlined
with willow-lined banks rising above impounded waters, and coniferous
forests on steep mountain slopes along it’s western boundary.

Crater Lake

Posted on July 28, 2017 by MeAnders

A deep blue that will take your breath away
Crater Lake is 1,943 feet at it’s deepest point,the seventh deepest
lake in the world and the deepest in the United States. Lake levels
fluctuate slightly from year to year. Winter snows supply the lake
with water. Crater Lake, 42.95°N 122.10°W, is a 45 minute drive from
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina, a trip to a spectacular world unlike
any other. It is no wonder that Crater Lake is a National Park.

400,000 years in the making and boom!
Crater Lake lies inside a caldera, or volcanic basin, created when
12,000 foot high Mount Mazama collapsed 7,700 years ago following a
large eruption. The lake averages more than five miles in diameter,
and is surrounded by steep walls that rise up to 2,300 feet above its
surface. Wizard Island rises 764 feet above the lake surface. Mt. Scott,
at 8,929 feet, is the park’s highest point.

More than a special place it is a special spirit
Upwards of 500,000 people visit Crater Lake. The park is open year
round with July and August being the busiest months. Lake temperature
varies between 32 and 66 degrees at the surface. More than 260 feet
below the surface, the water remains a constant 39 degrees year-round.

Seeing a wind-blown sky within the water
On June 25, 1997 scientists recorded a record clarity reading of 142 feet
– 43.3 meters. Crater Lake is one of the clearest lakes in the world.
It usually has clarity readings of 80 to 115 feet.

Seeing the lake by tour boat is beyond an E-class ticket
Crater lake is an unique ecosystem. Scientists have identified 157 species
of phytoplankton and 12 species of zooplankton in the lake. Large colonies
of moss circle the lake at depths of up to 400 feet. At the bottom of the
lake, communities of bacteria gather around at least two areas of hydrothermal
activity. Rainbow trout and kokanee salmon thrive in the lake, the result
of stocking between 1888 and 1942. A 6.5 pound, 26 inch long rainbow trout
has been documented. Fishing is allowed at Cleetwood Cove and
on Wizard Island. No fishing license is required.

Geology, natural and cultural history come alive
Imagine spending a couple of hours circumnavigating a volcano from
inside on a deep lake. To board the tour boats in Cleetwood Cove one must
descend a 1.1 mile trail which drops 700 feet from road to water level.
This is an experience in and of itself. Three are other tours that allows
people to spend as much as six hours on Wizard Island. One is far far
way from the modern world. The price of admission is well worth it.

On the road up to the lake’s rim
There are 700 plant, 52 mammal, 8 amphibian, 4 reptile, 5 fish, and 151
bird species in Crater Lake National Park. The park is much more than
the legendary lake itself. There are canyons and creeks cutting down the
slopes. Here, two observers look up a canyon at fumeroles.

Away from away are the Pinnacles.
Off of Rim Drive one can take Pinnacles Road which leads to Pinnacles
Valley and Pinnacles overlook. When Mt. Mazama literally blew its top
off 200 to 300 foot deposits of gas-charged hot ash and pumice surrounded
the volcano. Hot gas escaped through fumaroles formed by the hot gas bonding
ash and pumice into channels. The tall pinnacles are the result of eroding
loose ash and pumice leaving the cemented material.

Recognized as a national, and international, treasure
Phantom and Wizard are the two islands in the lake. The park comprises
183,224 acres, 90% is managed as wilderness area. Crater Lake was
established as the seventh national park on May 22, 1902. This photo
was taken on the year’s last day rim drive was open to the public.
That night a snow storm made the drive impassable. It might not be
reopened until June depending on that year’s conditions.

Few places in the northwest received more snow than Crater Lake
Winter brings some of the heaviest snowfall in the country, averaging 533
inches per year. Although park facilities mostly close for the season, the
park’s south entrance is kept open for visitors. Snow can still be on the
ground in early summer.

A sunny winter day is a snowy wonderland to enjoy.
The air is crisp. The silence echoes off the caldera walls. A photograph
frames an image that will not rival the experience of being there. A person
takes off alone into the forest. times like this one cannot truly be alone
because they are with Crater Lake.

Moving around in the winter is an aerobic and aromatic experience
Cross-country skiing and snowshoe hikes make Crater Lake a winter wonderland.
Crater Lake has 90 miles of maintained trails and 74 miles of paved road, including the
33 mile rim drive that circles the lake. What opportunities for winter explorations.

It is a pleasure for one to say they visited Crater Lake
The bottom of Crater Lake is close to the elevation of these fences and barns.
This photo is taken from a road that takes one to Kimball Park another
majestic destination. Here, springs coming out the cliffs feed the Wood River
at the feet of Mt. Mazama, home of Crater Lake National Park.

Join Bob Ganey American Tourist at Crater lake

On the Way to Crater Lake from Harriman Springs

Like No Place Else On Earth
The following is from the Crater Lake National Park’s home page –
“Crater Lake has inspired people for thousands of years. No place
else on earth combines a deep, pure lake, so blue in color; sheer surrounding
cliffs, almost two thousand feet high; two picturesque islands; and a violent
volcanic past. It is a place of immeasurable beauty, and an outstanding outdoor
laboratory and classroom.” The map is courtesy of the U.S.G.S. For more information visit Crater Lake National Park

Mare’s Eggs

Posted on July 27, 2017 by MeAnders

You are standing near one of the most unusual places in the natural world.
Ten miles, or so, north of Harriman Springs on Westside Road, just before
it makes a sharp right and becomes Seven Mile Road, is a nondescript turnoff
on the right hand side of the road for a couple of cars to park. This is
where Mare’s Eggs Spring is – N42.66041° W122.08891°. The land drops ten feet
quickly to the water’s edge. Coming out of the hill are cold water springs.
Welcome to Mare’s Eggs Springs Botanical Area.

A display describes what we are seeing.
What looks like cobblestones at the bottom of this pool are actually
living colonies of algae called “Mare’s Eggs.” The blue green alga
(Nostoc pruniforme) forms colonies with a dark, leathery outer sack
and a watery, gel-like center. Although found worldwide, colonies
this large are rarely seen. Mare’s Eggs are also found at
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina.

Summer, winter, fall or spring the water is always 40 degrees.
Blue-green algae are more closely related to bacteria than plants,
but can create their own food through photosynthesis. If you look
carefully into the pool, you may notice some of the Mare’s Eggs have
warty knobs. These are newly forming colonies that will eventually
separate and form their own Mare’s eggs.

Westside Road is less traveled in the Winter.
Winter is a time for the hardy to be out and surviving. Bald eagles
are watching for mammals and birds in distress. It is cold. It is
a time to be prepared for trouble. It is quiet at Mare’s Eggs Springs,
not like the spring and summer when bird song is everywhere one turns.

How old and big can a Mare’s Egg be?
The largest Mare’s Eggs are estimated to be 10-15 years old, growing
up to 9 inches in diameter and weighing over 5.5 pounds.

Not much lives in this low nutrient environment
Please resist the temptation to take or even touch the Mare’s Eggs.
These colonies require years on constant conditions and little outside
disturbance to grow so large. The many springs here provide a
continual flow of 40 degree Fahrenheit water with a low nutrient
content. A species of snail that cleans off the surface of the
Mare’s Eggs may also be important. By staying out of the pool,
you will help this delicate balance intact.

Wood River Valley

Posted on July 27, 2017 by MeAnders

It All Started Here, And Here Lives On
Wood River Valley is the old west surrounded by mountains and it can be
a stopping point halfway between Harriman Springs and Crater Lake. In
the valley there are wonderful places to visit: Kimball Park, Wood River
Day Use Area and the Klamath Hatchery on Crooked Creek.

Fort Klamath
Fort Klamath is an unincorporated community of barely 200 people and
is one of the oldest settlements in Klamath County. Fort Klamath post
office was established January 6, 1879. In the summer, cattle are trucked
in and graze on rich pasture grass. The town is located about a mile
northwest of Fort Klamath, the Oregon Trail military outpost, which is
listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
GPs: 42°41′31″N, 121°58′20″W

Fort Klamath Museum
Located north of Klamath Falls on Hwy. 62. Fort Klamath was a frontier
military post established in 1863 at a time when the country was engaged
in a Civil War. Recruits were rallied from volunteers for service for
Frontier Protection and an enrollment office was established in
Jacksonville in late 1861. The territory they patrolled was huge as it
covered the Southern Route of the Oregon Trail known as The Applegate
Trail. Most were young fellows from the farms of Oregon who came
in singing this ditty: “I’m a raw recruit with a brand new suit.
One hundred dollars fourty, And I’ve just come down to Ashland town,
To fight for Jackson County.”

A replica of the Guard House exhibits artifacts found on the site,
photographs and is staffed by a knowledgeable docent who tells a
compelling story of events witnessed by those who lived there.
The famous prisoners taken during the Modoc Indian War were held
in the guard house during their trial and until the final days.
The site has the graves of the Modocs executed following the War.
Captain Jack, Black Jim, and Schonchin John. The Fort Klamath Jail
and Post Office are on the site. A worthwhile stop on your way
to Crater Lake. The grounds has a replica of the old fort Gazebo
if the weather is inclement and picnic tables. Check with the
Klamath County Museum for hours and days open…
The Fort Klamath Museum segment was written by Pat McMillian.

Kimball Park
J. F. Kimball State Park is a pristine site located at the headwaters
of the Wood River. A walking trail connects the campground to the
site where the clear spring bubbles from a rocky hillside. The park
is a secluded place where you can contemplate the moment while relaxing
in the whispering lodgepole pines. Wood River flows from the pine forest
into open meadow land laced with picturesque quaking aspen surrounded
by the southern Cascade Mountains. Wood River offers fine fishing that
can be accessed from the park by canoe. Kimball Park offers primitive
camping next to a spring-fed lagoon at the beginning of this waterway.
GPS: 42°44′18″ N, 121°58′48″ W

The park is operated and maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation
Department, and is located approximately 20 miles southeast of Crater Lake
National Park and 3 miles north of Fort Klamath on Oregon Road 232, off of
Highway 62. The park was established in 1955, and covers 19 acres.
including the headwaters of the Wood River.

There is a popular horse trail that begins at Collier Memorial State
Park that leads through the forest to Kimball State Recreation Site.
Riders must make a round trip from Collier State Park since there are
no horse corrals at Kimball Recreation Site.

For Kimball Park birding information visit Klamath Birding Trails

Wood River Day Use Park
The Wood River Day Use Area, elevation 4200, is located along the
Wood River in the Upper Klamath Basin. The site offers a disabled
accessible trail system that winds through stands of aspens, extending
to meadow-shrub riparian areas and an overlook of the river.
A diversity of wildflowers blooms during the spring and summer.
In the fall, aspen, cottonwoods, and willow turn a brilliant yellow.
The Wood River Area offers three picnic sites, fully accessible trails,
fishing platforms and restrooms, but bring your own drinking water.
Picnicking, fishing and wildlife viewing are popular activities.
This is also one of the popular stops along the Klamath
Basin Birding trail.

There is no fee for use of the area and tables are available on
a first-come, first-served basis. The Wood River Day Use area is
located off Highway 62, Crater Lake Highway. approximately two miles
from Fort Klamath. GPS: 121° 58′ 54.12″ W, 42° 42′ 15.34″ N.

For Wood River Day Use birding information visit Klamath Birding Trails

Crooked Creek Fish Hatchery
Klamath Hatchery is located along Crooked Creek, a small meandering
stream with a well developed riparian area. This hatchery raises
rainbow, cutthroat, brook and brown trout. It provides legal-sized
trout to Klamath and Lake counties and fingerlings for lakes from
the southern Cascade Mountains east to the Idaho border. The current
production is approximately 1 million fish each year.
GPS: 42°36’30.5″ N , 121°56’34.09″ W

Visitors can also purchase fish food for 25 cents per small handful
and feed the trout in either the fish ponds or in Crooked Creek.
There is also a viewing area along Crooked Creek with a wooden deck
to peer into the waters and feed the trout that often come up to the
surface in hopes of swallowing a food pellet or two.
Some of these fish are native to the Creek and others are hatchery
escapees. Crooked creek is also used for spawning by fish from
Klamath and Agency Lakes during the winter and spring months.

Looking south at Crooked Creek and a Flooded Wood River Valley.
Crooked Creek starts from a dozen hillside springs that also supply
water for Klamath Hatchery. The springs run a nearly constant volume
and stay in the middle 40s F year-round. Crooked Creek is also used for
spawning by fish from Klamath and Agency Lakes during the winter and
spring months. This section of creek is closed to fishing to protect
watchable fish for this viewing area. The creek is open for
fishing downstream of the pasture fence during the trout season.

Birds to Look For: Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Wood Duck, several
warbler species and Mountain Bluebird are commonly seen
around the hatchery.

Wood River
The Wood River meanders 18 miles through the Fremont-Winema National
Forests, Bureau of Land Management land, and private property in
southern Oregon before flowing into Agency Lake. Its watershed consists
of 220 square miles of conifer forest, rural pasture land, and marsh
with headwaters emanating from a large natural spring located in
Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site. The aquifer that feeds
the spring is believed to originate twenty miles to the northwest
in the east side drainage of Crater Lake National Park. The drainage
around its headwaters is forest county dominated by ponderosa pine
and lodgepole pine with some quaking aspen in meadow lands.

The Wood River’s largest tributary is Annie Creek which originates
inside the boundary of Crater Lake National Park, and is fed by
the park’s snowpack as well as groundwater from natural springs.
After leaving the park, Annie Creek passes through the Fremont-Winema
National Forests and then runs along the western border of Sun Pass
State Forest for about a mile. It then crosses private pastureland
and is joined by Sun Creek before joining the Wood River, about a
mile south of Kimball State Recreation Site. From there, the Wood
runs south through the Fremont-Winema National Forests and private
pasture land before Fort Creek joins the flow. Below Fort Creek,
the river flows through private pasture land and then opens into
a wide marsh. Much of the original marsh is now pasture land.
Water from the river is diverted into a system of canals to
irrigate grazing land in the surrounding valley. Finally,
Crooked Creek joins the Wood approximately one mile before it
empties into Agency Lake, which is connected to Upper Klamath Lake.

The Wood River habitat supports wild, self-sustaining populations
of brook, brown, Great Basin redband, and coastal rainbow trout.
These species are widely distributed throughout the river system
from the headwaters to Agency Lake. Bull trout are native to upper
Sun Creek inside Crater Lake National Park. Great Basin redband
trout and coastal rainbow trout are species, both rainbow trout
subspecies, native to the Klamath Basin.

For Wood River Valley birding information visit Klamath Birding Trails

The Wood River Was Changed By Man And Changed Again.
In September 1992, U.S. Congress appropriated funds for the
Bureau of Land Management to purchase 3,200 acres of natural
wetland along the north end of Agency Lake at the mouth of the
Wood River. This wetland area was converted to pasture land in
the 1950s and 1960s. The land purchase was completed in 1994.
Since acquiring the Wood River property, the Bureau of Land
Management has successfully restored the wetland area and
adjacent Wood River channel to a more natural state. The channel
restoration project was completed in 2001. The new channel
meanders through the marsh, increasing the length of the
Wood River by over one half mile. Overall, this project has
improved water quality and created better habitat for fish,
birds and wildlife.

Harriman Springs Resort & Marina

Posted on July 24, 2017 by MeAnders

Welcome to a majestic natural setting – enjoyed by all who come
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina is 20-some miles northwest of Klamath
Falls on the shores of Upper Klamath Lake in Rocky Point, Oregon. At the
turn of the 20th Century the mountains surrounding Rocky Point were known
as the “Switzerland of the United States.” Early visitors from around the
world came through on their way to visit nearby Crater Lake. Harriman
Springs continues to offer an outdoor experience for the general public
as a vacation destination that has been shared by generations, for
generations. Harriman Springs is a special place to visit.

The outdoor Terrace is a special place to share special moments
The restaurant and bar opens up to the Terrace that overlooks Harriman
Creek and  nearby mountains including Mt. Harriman to the south. Boats
come and go as  birds sing and waterfowl enjoy Harriman Springs and the
adjoining Upper Klamath  National Wildlife Refuge. This is a place to
put away the smart phones and  enjoy the people you are with and the
beautiful surroundings.

Brown Dog, official greeter for Harriman Spring’s Resort and Marina
Brown Dog is one lucky dog. She lives at Harriman Springs. She is
living proof  Harriman Springs is dog friendly as well as family friendly:
grandparent  friendly, parent friendly, kid friendly, friend friendly
as well as bird friendly,  fish friendly, wildflower friendly, tree
friendly and night sky star friendly.

Harriman Springs – a magical place, a magical afternoon
As the sun goes down the stars come out and the Milky Way will dance
across the sky until first light returns and many are ready to go
fishing. If you need a boat, Harriman Springs Resort and Marina has
you covered: 21′ pontoon boats, Craft 16′ fishing boats, Lowe’s 14′
fishing boats, 16′ row boats, and canoes. Well-maintained docks,
public boat launch, restaurant and bar all contribute to good
times at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina.

Here John Muir wrote as a guest of E. H. Harriman
This restored cabin is one of few remaining structures, along
with a couple of dock pilings, from the days when steamboats
pulled up to the docks. This may have been the cabin Muir
stayed in. The following is from a piece John Muir wrote
about his stay in Rocky Point…

“So I went to the famous Lodge, intending to stay a few days or
a week, but when I spoke of leaving, Mr. Harriman said I must
stay and work, and directed his private secretary to follow me
and put down everything I said. So I was fairly compelled to
make a beginning in dictating to a stenographer, which proved
rather awkward at first, but in a couple of months a sort of
foundation for more than one volume was laid.

Photo courtesy of Oregon Digital, University of Oregon.

The Lodge was beautifully located at the head of Pelican Bay
beside its famous crystal springs, the magnificent Klamath Lake
in front of it, bordered with meadows and bounded in the distance
by dark forested mountains and hills –a fine place for recreation
and rest–air, water, and scenery reviving.The weather was mostly
cool and bright, just right for soothing exercise, walks in the
woods, and boating on the lake, which most of the time was mirror-
like, reflecting the sky and the fringing meadows and
forest-clad mountain shores.

On our return from boat excursions a beautiful picture
was outspread before us about an hour before sundown, especially
toward autumn, when the colors were ripening–the shining lake
enlivened with leaping trout and flocks of waterfowl; the stream
from the great springs like a river with broad brown and yellow
meadows on either hand; and the dark forested mountains, changing
to blue in the background, rising higher and higher, with Mt. Pitt,
highest of all, pointing serenely heavenward through the midst
of the sunset purple and gold.”

Some things never change. To read more of what John Muir wrote about
the life and times of his dear friend visit Edward Henry Harriman.

Sitting by the campfire sharing stories, food and drink
Camp fires are a long tradition on this land overlooking Harriman Springs
and Creek. The Gu’mbotkni, one of the Klamath Indian’s five branches,
had winter settlements on Pelican Bay and Rocky Point. Klamath or
ewkskini means” People of the Lakes.” The Klamath dug roots,
picked berries and gathered seeds of the area Water Lily, Wocus.
They trapped wildlife, hunted waterfowl, elk, deer, antelope and
bears and caught fish. Eight locations of Indian earth-lodges,
settlements and sweat lodges are scattered across Rocky Point.
Today, 8 campsites with fire rings can each accommodate two tents
and up to 8 campers. A great tradition of camp fires continues.

Harriman Springs has room for all
In days of old, folks arrived at Harriman Springs by boat, wagons and horses.
Today Harriman Springs Resort and Marina offers 8 RV spaces on
30 – 50 foot pads with water, sewer and 50 amp electrical hookups.
Harriman Springs water is the best.

The creeks and bays of Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge await
Pelican Bay is a short canoe trip on Harriman Creek. Take a left at the bay and
the canoe trails of Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge are mere paddles
away.Become one with nature. All that you can see and hear is yours.

World class destinations beckon from all directions
Other nearby attractions include Crater Lake National Park,
Running Y’s Arnold Palmer designed golf course, and the only all
tree-based zipline canopy tour entirely on National Forest in the United
States. Crater Lake Zipline is also Oregon’s Longest zipline.

Harriman’s – a wonderful place for a leisurely meal and drink
There is also room to find a secluded table in the restaurant or outdoor
terrace and room for large events like weddings and corporate getaways.
Interior are tastefully decorated with local history and nature artwork.

A place, if you wanted, where everyone could know your name
The bar is part of the restaurant complex. It is the local watering hole
that welcomes Harriman Springs visitors. Here at Rocky Point everyone is
in it together. “Enjoy America Again – visit the outdoors” or as
Brown Dog says “visit Harriman Springs Resort & Marina.”

After a great sleep, birds are singing and fish jumping
Sleeping at Harriman Springs is wonderful. There are three cabins
available: Cabin One is 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, full kitchen,
large common area and washer-dryer. It can sleep 10 with two
fold out sofa beds in the big room. Cabins 2 and 3 each have
king beds that sleep two in comfort. The day and night natural
sounds of trees, marsh and water are a big part of
the Harriman Springs experience.

“Herbert Fleishhacker, of the San Francisco’s Fleishhacker Zoo,
purchased the resort around 1918 and was responsible for building
four large cabins, a 10-car garage, a dining room, the Earl’s Court
(which was servant’s quarters). and a store to house his supply of
imported liquors. He also built a Dance Pavilion, which was located
near the Springs. Fleishhacker entertained many Wall Street
millionaires, including J.P. Morgan, who earlier had been stymied
by Harriman in the Union Pacific takeover. On a summer night the
walkway for the ladies in their long dresses from the dining room
to the Dance Pavilion was lit with Japanese lanterns.”
– from Katherine Sloan’s presentation to the
Klamath Historical Society, June 1989.

Sunrise! A guest is out for a walk in the woods
There is plenty of room at Harriman Springs Resort and Marina
to find space, wonderful spaces, to be alone in your thoughts
or find yourself free of thoughts. Take a deep breath of mountain
air and relax. You are here, enjoy.

Looking northwest at Harriman Springs from Coyote Point
The Volcanic legacy All-American Road, which runs through Rocky
Point, is a beautiful collection of scenic roads connecting
Lassen National Park with Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake
is a beautiful 40-some miles drive from Harriman Springs Resort
and Marina. Pelican Butte raises up from the shores of Rocky Point
and Fremont – Winema National Forest. This is a majestic landscape
with four dramatic seasons of outdoor adventure.

Behold a majestic outdoor wonderland
This is the view of Rocky Point from the top of Pelican Butte, 8,400 feet
above water, marshes, fields and forest. Winter is a special time on
Pelican Butte for snowmobilers. During the summer and spring, mountain
trails are there for the exploring. Mountain experiences are at the
backdoor of Harriman Springs.

Views of the old restaurant between 1996 and 1998
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina was first named the Pelican Bay Lodge,
built in 1889 by G. Grant Geary, and renamed Harriman Lodge by Edward
Harriman, the wealthy railroad tycoon, who purchased it in 1906. The
original lodge burned in 1942 and was rebuilt in 1953. Among
Harriman’s many guests was his good friend, naturalist John Muir.
Harriman Springs was closed to the public in the late 1990s and
reopened in 2014 after a lengthy restoration by owner John Pratt,
a long time Rocky Point resident and fisherman.

Spring fed Harriman Creek empties into Pelican Bay
Enjoy a day at the lake, hunting, fishing, bird watching, boating at
sunset or sipping wine on the deck… There’s something for everyone!

Harriman Springs is a fishing mecca from Indian days to now
Harriman Springs and Harriman Creek are part of a large interconnected
fishery that includes feeder streams and springs providing cool water
for Pelican Bay. Fish Bank near Pelican Bay’s mouth connects with the
nearly 25 mile long Upper Klamath Lake. The Wood River and Sevenmile
Creek feed into Agency Lake which connects to Upper Klamath Lake.
The Sprague River joins the Williamson River on its way to Upper
Klamath Lake. Nearby are Lake of the Woods and Fourmile Lake.

Good fishing begins in the spring and runs through the fall as the
fish move through the fishery seeking warmer and cooler waters.
In the various creeks, streams, rivers and lakes redband trout,
yellow perch, brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, lake trout,
and sockeye salmon are present depending on the season. It is safe
to say this is a legendary fishery. Fish on!

“So much was Mr. Harriman pleased with the Klamath Country that
he purchased a mountain home in the Pelican Bay retreat, and
later purchased the Odessa Lodge adjoining his original tract,
comprising in all one of the most beautiful hunting and fishing
grounds on the continent, and he could, and did buy the best.”
– from a brochure printed by the Klamath Development
Company and Sunset Publishing Company in the early 1900’s.

Here the Old West is alive and well
Harriman Springs Resort & Marina is surrounded by Upper Klamath
National Wildlife Refuge and working cattle ranches. Logging was once
a major part of the economy. Cowboys, hunting, fishing, firewood
gathering and mushrooming continue.

“Mrs. Fleishhacker used to come up here and spend her summers.
She would come down to our house on the creek. She smoked and of
course she couldn’t get cigarettes so Jim Straw, being an old cowboy
that he was and a cattleman, would roll those cigarettes with one hand.
He’d roll probably fifty or a hundred for her at a time.”
– Bev Wampler, Volume 6: Klamath County Historical
Society’s Trumpeter, Spring 1991.

A place to create and preserve cherished postcard memories
The first post office in the area was named Pelican; it was
established in 1888 and ran until 1907. It was followed by other
names: Recreation, Pelican Bay, Rocky Point and from 1947 to 1954
it was known as Harriman, after railroad magnate E. H. Harriman,
who died September 9, 1909 at the age of 61 in his New York bed
surrounded by family. Mt. Harriman watches over Harriman Springs
and all that he loved in Rocky Point and beyond.

Image derived from Klamath County Museum photo.

A lodge is a lodge is a lodge
The resort itself, overlooking bubbling springs, has been known
by many names over the years: first it was Kendall/Cray Resort,
followed by Kendall’s Lodge, Pelican Bay Lodge, Harriman Lodge,
Pelican Bay Lodge #2, Harriman Lodge #2, Harriman Resort and
present day Harriman Springs Resort & Marina.

Image derived from Klamath County Museum photo.

Where different worlds have come together
One constant has been boating, be it dugout Indian canoes or
triple-decker steamboats complete with military brass bands.
Out on the water experiences are the same as days of old and
hopefully the future: springs, marshes, wildlife, birds,
forests, mountains and being one within the moment.
Take a boat, fish, look, listen and time travel.

Here are other locations near Harriman Springs Resort and Marina:
Behold the spectacular Crater Lake National Park
Visit the old west in Wood River Valley and Fort Klamath
Take a moment to relax at Mare’s Eggs Springs
Enjoy the sights and sounds of Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
For nature enthusiasts see Bird Habitats of the Region
Take a video tour of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges

“Meet us at Harriman’s Springs Resort & Marina”
Of course, Brown Dog the official spokes-lady for Harrimans would
have the last word. The video above includes scenes from Brown
Dog’s recently discovered audition reel to bolster an international
talent search hunting for Brown Dog’s voiceover artist. Boats
provided by Harriman Springs Resort & Marina’s owner John Pratt
and resort guest Frank Galusha. Video by Anders Tomlinson.
Music is from “Escapades” by the Dig Brothers’ Anders Tomlinson
and Denver Clay. The day was June 28, 2017 and it was a mighty
fine day to be in Rocky Point. Everyone had a good time.

Anders would like to thank Frank Galusha, Sharon Waranius,
John Pratt, Brown Dog, staff at Harriman Springs Resort & Marina,
Bill and LoEtta Cadman and Denver Clay for their assistance
with this page. Everyday is history.

Anthropocene

Posted on January 3, 2017 by MeAnders

On modern times, anthropocene and human nature…
Part Three of Three on an Eternal Debate.

family walking by airport on the outskirts of town, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Old and new as a family walks past the airport towards the campo.

The recently revised U.N. population estimate for 2050 is 9.3 billion people A projection for the USA in 2100 is 478 million. Challenging times are ahead but this is nothing new, survival is challenging for individuals and societies of all species.
Driving across the Mexican Sonoran desert on a star-filled 1984 spring night listening to a Hermosillo rock station’s uninterrupted presentation of Jethro Tull’s Aqualung was the best of two worlds. Music is universal. Friends are universal. Traveling is universal. Being is universal.
In the USA there are 78 million baby boomers aged 45 to 64. This is a force of change. They will go where they can get maximize their resources for survival and comfort. How many will leave the USA for retirement is dependent on the USA’s ability to cope with growing pressures and increasing challenges.

Graffiti on a street corner, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

1984, directions and graffiti painted on a school wall along Calle Rosales.

Human impact is equal to the population times affluence times technology. Global affluence in 1900 was 2 trillion dollars, 5.3 trillion in 1950 and 55 trillion in 2011. These are all in 1990 dollars. The population in 1900 was 1 billion, 2.4 billion in 1950 and will reach 7 billion in 2011. As for technology, there were 141,000 patents in 1900, 412,000 patents in 1950 and 1.9 million patents in 2011. The growing human biomass is 100x greater than any large animal species that has walked and faced extinction on planet earth. Currently, 65,000 text messages are sent every second. This is the Age of Great Acceleration.

This three part series was prompted by an internet group created in late 2002 for North Americans interested in Alamos. This group, 613 members as of 5-7-11, communicates needs, haves, events, thoughts, desires, alerts, recognitions, questions and answers. Here, at the end of April, 2011 a discussion started about influences that are changing Alamos. It began with a post by a recently arrived American who had started a dance studio in Alamos. She was coordinating a community participation dance, as part of an international event, to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Another group member responded that this was inappropriate and bad for Alamos. A digital conversation with several North American members began: who is doing what to whom? Why, what, when, where? How?

Watching a soccer game in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

T-shirts, wearable bumper stickers, make contemporary statements.

A tale of two T-shirts, one celebrates Selena, the Queen of Tejano, born and raised in Texas and a superstar in Spanish speaking countries. Shortly before the release of her first album featuring songs sung in her native language, English, she was murdered by her former manager. The other shirt promotes the American dream, everyone own their own home. Unrelated but related, today, the world’s largest military, and consumer of oil, is the United States. It spends nearly as much on its armies, navies and air power as the entire world collectively. Meanwhile, the Mexican army is engaged in a war with ruthless drug gangs fighting, with weaponry smuggled from the United States, over distribution routes to meet growing heroin, cocaine, meth and pot market demands in places like Fairfield, USA.

5% of the world population speaks English and 5% speaks Spanish. There are 50.5 million Hispanics in the United States, 14 million in California and 4.7 million in Los Angeles County. On Cinco de Mayo, 2011, a presidential commission declared a need for a museum devoted to Latino and American history. A Smithsonian study in 1994 stated that Hispanics were the only major contributor to American civilization not recognized in the museum.

Alamos, Sonora, Mexico seen from the north on a spring morning. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Here is Alamos, east to west, on a spring morning from the north.

At one time, the 1770’s, there were two to three times the population as seen here in 1996 which is half the population of 2011. When I first visited Alamos there was talk of building a freeway from Navajoa through Alamos to El Fuerte and Sinaloan farm land. The United States was interested and engaged because food would arrive in Southern California hours faster. Since I last visited, roads from the west, Navajoa, and southwest, Masiaca, are new or rebuilt. Now it is easier and faster to drive to Alamos if one is headed north or south on the Navajoa-Las Mochis section of Highway 15. Roads are a major stimulus for change – expansion both at the destinations and en-route. Once there was Indian foot paths and then El Camino Real and now improved auto routes to, and through, Alamos. Pave it and they will come.
One can only wonder what the population of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico will be in 2050.

Anders Tomlinson on Plaza bench in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Antonio Figueroa.

Anders reflects on the day’s work notes, photo by Antonio Figueroa.

Human impact on planet earth is equal to population times affluence times technology.
A climate change report commissioned by the Vatican, issued 5-5-11, indicates there are three things we need to do: “reduce worldwide carbon emissions by stopping deforestation and other initiatives: reducing the amount of warming air pollutants such as methane and soot by as much as 50 percent, and preparing for chronic and abrupt changes that cannot be avoided.” No mention of population. It is human nature to promote growing populations, this is a “healthy” economic condition. Cities with growing populations are doing well, cities that are losing people are in decline. New homes being built is good, ghosts towns are bad. This human nature was present yesterday when we lived in caves and present today in urban super-sprawl. And tomorrow?

In my mind, the big issues in the future are women’s role in society, abortion and sex-education. I know these are long standing ideological battles. It is human nature to reproduce to save-replace oneself and the species. We will be dealing with Anthropocene consequences because stopping population growth is the same as trying to stop a super volcano from erupting, or is it?

Human impact, and change, is equal to population times affluence times technology.

From the Alamos Journal.

Infinite Conversation

Posted on January 3, 2017 by MeAnders

Whispers,echoes, mumbles, laughter, hums, tears, gasps, screams, whistles…

I enjoyed working on Infinite Conversation. This piece was a major step towards incorporating unknown languages into my artistic vocabulary/palette/universe. I also enjoyed Infinite Conversation’s movement rising above the representational fray for no creature or landscape exists of and by itself. Soon after I finished Infinite Conversation I received a call from Crow, a prominent Santa Cruz concert promoter and booking agent. He needed a large poster, quick, for a Jerry Garcia Band concert that was going to be at the Del Mar Theater on the downtown Pacific Garden Mall. I decided to use Infinite Conversation as the primary image. The poster was finished the next day. Crow, he was one of many who went by single names back in the post Haight-Ashbury days, came by, loved it and took off to the printer. A week later someone from the band’s management called me and asked if the image could be printed on stage crew t-shirts. I gave my permission.

Anders Tomlinson posters for the Jerry Garcia and Charles Llyod. Santa Cruz, CA.

“Infinite Conversation” as a poster and the first poster for Crow – Charles Lloyd.

A couple of years earlier I had wanted to do music posters and asked Crow several times to consider me as a poster artist. Months later Crow called asking if a poster could be made and printed the next day. The end result was the Charles Lloyd poster for Town and Country Lodge in Ben Lomond, Santa Cruz County. This began a productive relationship between Crow, myself and the Rubberbandland collective of artists. This was the first step in the story of Infinite Conversation becoming a poster.

Be asked to pay for something you never asked for.

The Infinite Conversation poster would be distributed and posted across the Monterey Bay region from Santa Cruz to Carmel and over the mountains in San Jose. I thought it would be a good idea to have it framed and I walked down the street to Lenz Arts, who had been supportive of my art efforts, and asked them to frame it. I asked for something simple and inexpensive. I was told by the framer that he had an idea and to return in a week to pick up the framed illustration. Upon my return a very proud framer brought out a massive frame that featured 24 concentric mat rings of different colors. It was an incredible labor-resource intensive one-of-a-kind-over-the-top presentation. I was shocked even before I learned the price. There were several awkward moments before we began to settle the unexpected issue of who was going to pay how much for this custom frame? I am not sure what the final terms were but I know I walked out of the store with a heavy-hard-to-carry frame. I do think I asked what happened to all the cutout circles.

Infinite Conversation is kidnapped.

Infinite Conversation was hung above a small landing in the middle of a steep 21 step staircase that led from the Union Street entrance to Rubberbandland on the second floor. It made a powerful statement.

Anders Tomlinson and Jimmy Miklavcic outside 118 Union Street, Santa Cruz, CA. Photo by Gary Ruble

Anders and Jimmy Miklavcic, it had been a long hard five days into nights.

A couple of months later several of us returned, tired, wind and sun burned, from a multi-day Gary Ruble PowerFlick photo shoot in Granite Canyon south of Carmel and north of Big Sur. The front door was unlocked and Infinite Conversation was missing. We soon discovered it was the only thing stolen.

Granite Canyon, Big Sur, Ca. Time itself is infinite.

Anders overlooks the Granite Canyon work site, Big Sur, Ca. Time itself is infinite.

The mid 70’s in Santa Cruz California was a renaissance of sorts. Santa Cruz County was the third poorest county in America. Due to its relative isolation and lack of transportation infrastructure the Federal government invested in the Santa Cruz arts scene. PowerFlicks was one on many on-the-edge art projects underway in the region.

PowerFlick by Gary Ruble, from Granite Canyon, Big Sur, Ca. circa 1975-76

Time and light and night = PowerFlick by Gary Ruble.

Two months later I received a strange phone call saying the “kidnapped” artwork was being held for ransom. Many of the artists that worked in, or visited, Rubberbandland wanted to help recover Infinite Conversation and teach the perpetrator(s) a lesson. Several phone calls followed and a drop off was negotiated, after much hesitation on the kidnapper’s part, to take place on a work day evening in Rubberbandland. Several Rubberband artists hid in different studios prepared to jumped the kidnapper(s) when the artwork was returned. There was only one kidnapper and he was surprised by the show of force and left unharmed and without a ransom payment. Infinite Conversation was returned to its place above
the carpeted stairwell.

For all the world to see but me.

A couple of weeks later someone brought me a page from the New York Times’ entertainment section with a half page add featuring Infinite Conversation. No one had asked my permission, let alone paid me, for the image’s usage. I realized that the artwork for the Santa Cruz’s stage crew’s t-shirts was probably used for this add and possibly many more promoting Jerry Garcia Band concerts in the end of 1976. And like it is sung, “It’s only Rock N’ Roll”…
and what can you do but like it?

Time to say goodbye to something that is long gone.

By 1980 I had moved to San Francisco, without a car, and entrusted Infinite Conversation with Tony who was helping us manage a black – latino – white bass player – funk – soul – rock – disco group Messiah, that had two outlandishly costumed black lead singers. Our main goal was to get them to Japan. Six months later, almost to the targeted goal date, Tony and I watched the band head down an airport tunnel to an awaiting Japan bound jet. Infinite Conversation was too heavy to travel with. Tony, and his mother’s house, was the safest harbor I knew in San Francisco. Tony, married but separated, I was never certain of his true marital status, was somewhat of a rogue. He felt it was his duty, as a “devout” Catholic to spread his seed across the landscape. He at times was employed by Bill Graham’s FM Productions as well as helping several stage crews including the Doobie Brothers and Pablo Cruz. We will get back to Infinite Conversation soon.

Navigating Life’s Divagations

Tony had invited me to attend 1980’s Mountain Aire Concert which was an unofficial kickoff concert for the Bay Area music industry at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds as summer tours prepared to go out on the road. Doobie Brothers, Toto, Ambrosia and the much anticipated debut of Huey Lewis and the News headlined this Mountain Aire. To get into the concert Tony told me to tell security at the gate that I was the Doobie Brothers stage crews’ softball manager. I took a bus from Santa Cruz to Stockton and then a stretched cab that stopped at every auto supply store on the way to the fairgrounds. I walked up a hill and found hundreds of slick talking management types, with tour decal covered briefcases and bimbos draped on their arms, trying to talk their way into the show. I waited my turn watching rejection after rejection. When it was my turn I told the young man my story which seemed to confuse him. Another man, probably a supervisor, came up to us and told the younger man that my story is the kind he needs to follow up on. He called Tony and I was let in. It was a wonderful experience to be behind the scenes: having breakfast with the Huey Lewis and the News in the dining hall on the morn of their debut with their soundcheck still in my head, sax solos echoing off the surrounding mountains in pre-dawn darkness. During the three day concert Tony was hitting on both a mother and daughter. His goal was to bang both. When I told Tony a couple of weeks later that I wanted to pick up Infinite Conversation he told me had given it to the daughter as a sign of his true love but she no longer would see or talk with him. Only now have I wondered where the colossal frame and Infinite Conversation ended up.

Disclosure – This Infinite Conversation image was scanned from a xerox copy of a photo copy of the artwork which was started in 1975 and finished in early 1976. The original art, 20” x 20” had a much greater tonal range. But this is what I have to share.

Otra Lado

Posted on May 11, 2015 by MeAnders

The border between where, who, what and why …

Indian woman walks acoss Plaza on a quiet summer day, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Summer afternoon in the Plaza, two story Hotel Alamos is in the background.

This is a simple moment in a complex world. A woman of Indian blood crosses an empty Plaza as she returns home from her daily shopping trip to the Alameda. The lack of people goes hand in hand with siesta time on a summer afternoon. Stepping back, taking a satellite view, she is surrounded by Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Sea of Cortez and not far to the the north, the US – Mexico border. She is in the middle of a violent and costly battle moving drugs across the border to feed growing addictions in the United States: an estimated 660,000 pounds of cocaine, 44,000 pounds of heroin and 220,000 pounds of methamphetamine were sold on America’s streets last year. The first question that comes to my mind is why is there a need by so many addicted people to escape their realities and cross a internal border that has no borders? Why? What would be the Indian woman’s answer to this question?

Looking north at the plaza from the church steps, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

The Plaza from the Church looking north and beyond to the other side.

The US-Mexico border fortifications have grown over the years: 650 miles of prison grade fencing and sheer concrete walls, 17,600 Border Patrol Agents, 1,200 National Guard soldiers, 165 truck and train x-ray machines, thermal imaging devices that turn night into day, 467 remotely controlled surveillance cameras feeding control bunkers, 4 predator drones overhead – along with helicopters and light aircraft, 10,800 ground sensors and… The border separates families, towns, valleys, histories and futures. Last year 254,000 pounds of cocaine, 3.6 million pounds of marijuana and 4,200 pounds of heroin were captured trying to smuggled across the border. None the less, drug gangs are to have made $25 million dollars last year fulfilling some of America’s many addictions. This is Big Business: an industry of logistics and persuasion serving markets that demands networks and complicated systems to feed its escalating needs. At some level it becomes, “hey, it’s just business – nothing personal.”

There are other costs. On the US side it is estimated that the drug addictions’ health services, interruptions of economic and social progress, crimes and legal systems, jails, court rooms and prisons total $193 billion a year. This is RBB: Really Big Business. Guarding the border over the past decade has cost $90 billion alone, a train x-ray machine costs $1.75 million. Many unsuspecting peace-loving famalies, on both sides of the border, owe their livelihoods, directly or indirectly, to the drug lords, these titans of greed and their investments, corruption and violence. And what is the cost to Mexico? Again the question must be asked, why do so many Americans need drugs to answer their physiological and psychological addictions? Why?

Looking northeast at the Plaza from the Hotel Los Portales, Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson

The Plaza framed by a classical world: timeless, enduring, thankful.

The border is many things to many people: It is neighbors, economies, opportunities, sovereignty, entrance, exit, hope, pride, burdens, politics, law enforcement and… Most of the two dozen counties that are on the US side of the border have Hispanic majorities. On one side is San Diego, Yuma, Nogales, El Paso, Del Rio, Laredo… On the other side is Tijuana, Mexicali, Cuidad Juarez, Laredo, Matamoros… On a map it is is hard to tell by place names where the US or Mexico begins. When on the border, the poverty- lack-of-consumerism on the Mexico side is stunning compared to just across the border before, and after, the barriers went up.

Hispanics made up half the USA population growth in the past decade. New York, according to the 2010 census, has 2.3 million Hispanics, Los Angeles – 1.8 million, Houston – 920,000, San Antonio – 840,000, Chicago – 780,000, Phoenix – 590,000, El Paso – 523,000, San Jose – 313,000 and San Diego – 376,000. The USA is turning a little Hispanic. And the southwest, for so long the nation’s frontier and place to go when there was no more room or opportunity back East, was part of New Spain before the United States was the United States. Today, the border region, north to south, from San Francisco to Alamos is its own world, and Hispanic influence is spreading nationwide. Workers, from foreign countries have always made, and make, the USA rich compared to the world. There must be something in the Constitution that supports cheap labor.

Sierra de Alamos, Bishop Reyes Cathedral, Plaza de Las Armas garden and kiosk and Hotel Los Portales. Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

A mountain, cathedral, bandstand, hotel and a heartbeat, priceless.

Ten years ago 1.6 million people, without documents, were caught at the border trying to cross into the United States. After 9-11-2001 the concept of secure borders began a national mandate as border fortifications, protection strategies and assets were developed. In 2010, 463,000 souls were apprehended attempting to cross to the “other side”, in many cases to join relatives. There are several causes for the decrease: controlling, with military precision, populated sectors along the 1960 mile border, growing dangers while passing though Mexico from the south, crime against “crossers” at the border, difficulties of crossing in remote mountains and deserts and… And there was the Great Recession that lingers on, the slow moving elephant blocking the way for paying jobs, especially in the construction industry.

The Great Migration across the US – Mexico border has been going on for decades and the economy took advantage of the resulting population increases: more workers, more consumers, more home owners, more citizens, more tax-payers, more possibilities and…

Migration for many species is the meaning of their lives, they are their migration. The history of the United States is one of migration, we are a nation of migrants: Asia, Europe, Africa, Central and South America, Middle East, East to West, South to North, rural to urban, city to suburb and… Migrations into, out-of, up-down and across will continue in search of water, food, resources, work, comfort, security, education, retirement… Migration is the human way. This is true for Vancouver, Chicago, Shanghai, London, Baghdad, Melbourne and Phoenix as well as Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.

A peaceful summer afternoon, sky darkened with moisture, young girls headed towards the Alameda. Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Any Politics' continuity most focus on child development to ensure its future

Let us look into the future by understanding today. 45% of children aged 5 to 17 in San Diego County are Hispanic. Baby Boomers, mostly white, in ten to twenty years, will need Hispanics to keep the economy going. And today, the Hispanics kids, who are the majority and in many schools almost all of the student population, need an excellent education to be in the position to function in a productive work force. There will be a huge population, they are already here aging, of Baby Boomers who will need this large trained work force to make their retirements comfortable. The Hispanic school kids need these Baby Boomers to vote, today, for better educational resources. In an era of I, Me and Mine it is nearing a time to consider You, We and Ours. What happens in Los Angeles is important to Alamos, Sonora, Mexico and what happens in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico is important to Los Angeles. It has always been so, and it will always be so, it is the human condition.

Three school girls, good friends – sisters in life, walk across the Plaza and into the future.

From the Alamos Journal.