Water Headlines

Posted on May 9, 2015 by MeAnders

Water Conservation Becomes the Cause of the Day-
Headlines, sewer relining and a rock may seem to be odd storyfellows but here they are. April, 2016: bold water headlines made it, for the first time in years, above the front-page fold of the San Diego UT daily newspaper. The UT’, owned by a large developer, has a masthead that boasts “The World’s Greatest Country and America’s Finest City”. During the past several years water news might make it to the front page below the fold with non-bold headlines. This April there were at least seven front page bold water headlines.
Governor Brown had caught, or forced, medias’ attention. California water concerns
are now seen and heard everywhere.

Population, Economics and Technology Equals Us Here Today-
Groups such as the Scripps Institute have been warning us for years of our impacts on climate and that the last hundred years had been unusually wet across the southwest. Newspapers like the San Diego UT were reluctant to give theses voices bold headlines. In fact, it was standard operating procedure to print a second article to rebut voices like Scripps Institute. The “status quo” was being challenged and the “status quo” resists change. Now, we rarely hear voices that say climate change is unfounded. Many politicians still talk about the adverse impacts of attempting to deal with climate change would have on our consumer based economy. And they are right, but they don’t acknowledge that this economy model is what created anthropocene and our related “climate change”. Anthropocene proposes human global impact is equal to the population times affluence times technology. But this isn’t about who said what, who blamed whom, who is right and who is wrong be it Religious Deities, Kings, Icons, Money Handlers, Politicians, Energy Producers, Role Models, Gangsters, Industrial – Military Complexes, Entertainers, Media, Speculators, Educators, Natural Selection or all of the above – Human Nature. This is about an affordable water smart garden being developed by using what is available.

Forty A Day With 1,6000 To Go-
First, “no street parking” signs were posted on the sidewalk. A couple of days later the first of several crews arrived to start the sewer re-lining project. The concrete sidewalk was cut and the slab lifted up and then serious digging began. A new connection was hooked up to the residence’s lateral and a camera investigated the line to the main sewer. This crew averages 40 re-linings a day with 1,600 throughout San Diego remaining on their contract.

Re-lining is All about A Sleeve and Pressure-
A sleeve was insert into the lateral and pushed against the old pipe’s lining using air pressure. With the re-lining complete, trucked in gravel was dumped in the hole followed by the original dirt. Much of San Diego is red clay as seen here and looking into the hole was like looking back in time if one knew what they were looking at in geologic time.

Concrete and Finishing-
The fifth crew on site was the concrete team. They were followed by one man who did the finishing work. A couple of days later the “no street parking” signs were removed. The next time a crew comes through they may do more than simply re-lining.
Who knows what new technologies and infrastructure design may be applied to these residential neighborhoods in the future? (Anders is currently working on a video documenting the entire re-lining process – “you were there.”)

A Water Source For the Future-
One reason the sewer re-lining project is part of the water story is that sewers moves water and waste. Sewers are part of the water distribution system. Currently this water goes through an expensive treatment plant and is then piped out into the ocean. The Federal Government has found that San Diego is not treating the waste water satisfactorily and is threatening huge fines. Meanwhile, 200 miles above us astronauts recycle their urine into drinking water and less than 100 miles up the freeway Orange County is recycling sewer water into drinking water. Water is water and need is need. Speaking of astronauts, when they look out their windows at earth they see a very thin band, 62 miles, of blue above the ground. This is our fragile atmosphere and it is not endless or even large, it is merely 62 miles deep and the biosphere, living zone, is around 12 miles including ocean and atmosphere. This is a small, delicately balanced world. Speaking of geologic time, March, 2015 was the first month that the entire world broke the 400 parts-per-million (ppm) for carbon dioxide, the highest levels in two million years. Under this sun we know the clock is always ticking.

The tiny headline and three sentences devoted to rising CO2 levels were at the bottom of page 3 in the UT’s first section. In geologic-time-logic it would have been the big front-page headline printed in bold war-font-size. The reason it didn’t make the front page is it challenges the basic driver of our beings: the burning of fossil fuels and without fossil fuels how would we be who we are today? Is there an economic system that is not directly dependent on fossil fuels and requires an ever increasing population – consumer base which has an ability to buy now and pay later? One may ask what does this have to do with our village of young cactus/succulents village, old rock and bare earth that comprise Allied Gardens? Everything.

Sitting In Piles Along The Length of the Street-
Now we finally get to what sewer re-lining has to do with the Allied Gardens project. Anders noticed rocks that were sitting in the dirt piles on the street. The workers looked at Anders with surprise when he asked if he could take some of the rocks. “Of course you can” they answered.

Wire Brushing With Water Works Wonders-
The reclaimed sewer project rocks arrived at Allied Gardens where Denver and Anders removed the dirt from the rocks and then placed them along the lower terrace.
They had an immediate visual impact.

These Rocks Need No Water-
Rocks, humble like these or exotic, add elements to any landscaping plan. On the most basic level there is no need to water rocks or the ground underneath. On an artistic level rocks add points of interest that attract the eye and enhance dimension and scale. no need to water rocks or the ground how much they like these rocks being added to the growing garden. Little did they know where they came from.

Discarded Rocks Stand Out on The Lower Level-
The recycled rocks do what they do in the daytime and at night reflect neighborhood ambient light and passing car headlights. They attract passing eyes to this peaceful village of cactus/succulents. The additions of these rocks had no impact on Allied Gardens’ bottomline which remains at $80. Neighbors and friends have donated several new succulents to the project. At this point, May 7, 2015, there are 39 different cactus/succulents on the three terraces. If there is a need for more space rocks can be rearranged to make room for new plants. One of the project’s primary goals is cuttings from Allied Gardens are planted in other gardens.

Spread Out Like Notes On A Music Staff-
May 7, 2015 – there is the possibility of rain with low, fast-moving dark grey clouds overhead. Winds gusts are moving tree branches. One can only hope. And if it does rain, it would be to everyone’s benefit that as much as possible is captured before it runs off into streets. Not long ago most homes in San Diego had cisterns. Today, every new residence, be it single family or a residential tower, should have rain water capture infrastructure. One can only hope. At 3:15 PM, it began to drizzle in Anders’ yard for 15 minutes. Five miles away Allied Gardens, spread out like notes on a music staff, is open and receptive to the elements. Hope springs eternal.

2001: A Year In The Life of The Klamath Reclamation Project
2001 was a difficult year for the large farming community working lands, and supporting agriculture, on the Klamath Reclamation Project’s Oregon and California fields. National, international and regional media came to cover the story of fish versus potatoes, farmers against Indians, rural America standing up to the Federal Government. Few words were spoken, or written about a much larger directly-related picture: there was less snowpack, the nights were getting warmer, flora and fauna were migrating away from the equator, water temperatures had become lethal for fish throughout the Klamath River Watershed, carbon dioxide levels were rising et. al. A Los Angeles Times reporter told farmers, concerned with media’s narrow focus, that news was entertainment and there was no need to let facts and background get in the way of a good story. The following is from this website’s section on the infamous 2001 water shutoff…

NBC Evening News sent west coast correspondent George Lewis to report the story and I attended three interviews with them. George was joined by his ace crew of cameraman, soundman and producer. They flew in, rented a car and went to work. The first interview was with Ty Kliewer, a young Klamath Falls college student – farmer. Ty tried repeatedly to engage NBC with the concept that the problem concerned the overall Klamath River Watershed and not the Klamath Reclamation Project. He was ignored. Interviews about something as large and complex as the 12,000,000 acre watershed across two states, seven large counties with eight rivers and 7,454 waterway miles do not translate neatly into sound-bites peppering a three minute news report. Years later, after an exhaustive study, the National Academy of Science agreed with the Ty, the problem was not about the localized Klamath Reclamation Project it was about the overall Klamath River Watershed. In the bigger picture, like a canary in a coal mine, the Klamath River Watershed was just another wake-up call for billions of humans trying to survive on little planet Earth.”
More Klamath Shutoff Media

The First Year From Ground Zero to Substance and Shape –
It all started on March 13, 2014 when Denver Clay, SonicAtomics’ music director, asked Anders Tomlinson, SonicAtomics’ creative director, if Denver’s yard could become water smart. Anders brought over cuttings from his urban “drought” tolerant garden. A year later, after 36 hours of labor between the two and $75 in materials, Allied Gardens posed for a formal portrait. This is more than a story about the creation of a Southern California compatible garden starting with a lawn that was no longer watered: this is also a film and soundtrack project. Welcome to Allied Gardens.

May 8, 2015, 3:45 AM – Anders was woken up by the sounds of rain outside. At 5:30 there was a downpour’s sweet roar that lasted for several minutes. Resourceful cactus and succulents will brighten and plump-up with this watering and thrive well into summer. Off and on showers with occasional brief downpours continued through mid-morning. Mockingbirds were singing again by 10AM. San Diego UT’s headline for the day was “$85M DEAL COMBINES U-T AND L.A. TIMES”.

Previous Allied Gardens chapter Future Water Use

Listen to Sonic Succulents from this film project

Future Water Use

Posted on April 3, 2015 by MeAnders

This Is What Allied Gardens Does Not Want To Have Happening –
2015 is going to be a hot year throughout California. More discussions will be held on what role do businesses and individuals play in water conservation. The photo above is what we do not want to have happening. There are still new lawns being planted and old lawns being maintained. Water going into the street is against current water conservation mandates. This yard has now controlled its runoff during recent watering schemes.

Respecting – track in progress from “Sonic Succulents” – 2:03

An Inadvertent Creek In San Diego’s Old Town State Park –
But water still reaches the streets, schools are a prime offender as are state, county and city parks. The government is not listening to itself, and when it is confronted, the common answer is it is a budget issue. Anders called the water department in 2010 to report an empty house that had water flowing from the backyard into the street. He was told he needed to know the water account number or the specific address; “the second house on the left from the corner of so and so, with visible runoff,” was not enough information to send someone to check on the situation. In 2014, Anders reported to the water department that the irrigation system at an abandoned city library was sending water into the street, two houses away from his 2010 call. There was an immediate response from the water department. The operator thanked Anders for his awareness. We can all do a better job conserving what we need to conserve and it starts with observation.

Using Solar Energy For Weeding –
Allied Gardens is about using what is available. The rocks, several plants and the black plastic seen above came from Denver’s backyard. The black plastic, which will remain in place for a couple of months, cooks and kills the weeds underneath replacing human labor and chemical weed killers. Torn plastic, which in most cases would be heading to a landfill, became a working tool.

A Year In The Life of An Allied Gardens’ Front Yard –
Another side to this story is Allied Gardens creates an opportunity for neighbors to connect. The connection comes when one is working in the garden and people passing by stop to comment. A friendly neighborhood couple stopped by to admire the front yard transformation while the Dirt Brothers were working one afternoon. Twenty minutes later she returned to donate some prize cuttings from their garden and a few days later he returned to select an admired cutting to take home. Allied Gardens had come full circle. Denver and Anders learned that guy who wears colorful shirts and rides by on a black bicycle had illustrated several album covers for rock bands including the Grateful Dead. Let us celebrate the grateful living, all the living from a molecular level to the expanding universe. Let us celebrate Allied Gardens.

Up Close and Personal In A Garden For Its Times –
Allied Gardens as a garden, this succulent / cactus village, has a bright future ahead of it.
Allied Gardens as a film project has the potential to reach a much larger audience than those that pass by here on their daily routines.

Shadows In The Mirror – track in progress from “Sonic Succulents” – 2:44

Avoid Watering By Planting What Grows On Its Own –
There are 20 different cactus / succulents, plus two geraniums, making music in Allied Gardens’ three terraces. Twelve are shown above. They are all stars that can make do with little or no irrigation. Dirt is the stage. Dirt is alive with organisms. Dirt is vital.
We need more dirt.

State Tightens Clamp On Water Restrictions –
The March 18, 2015 U-T San Diego newspaper headline on the front page, just below the fold was “State tightens clamp on water restrictions – Limits extended, new ones added to confront 4-year-old drought.” Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the state water board, said she was sorry that the state had to this because ” we’re the only state that’s ever done statewide conservation regulations because urban water districts did not step up.” She further stated that they were ”not ringing the alarms bells that the situation warrants.” She has nothing to be sorry about. California is the only state with almost 39 million people in a region that normally is drier than wetter. The San Diego Coastkeeper organization is quoted as saying ” permanent, deeper changes are needed as hotter, drier conditions are expected to be the new normal in California.” Anders has always thought using the term drought was misleading. Hotter and drier was normal through the centuries except for 1900 to 2000. So new normal, old normal, normal is what is happening. Drought implies an exception and that the rule will return. The region needs to understand longer trends, the normals, that have far exceeded any human’s life experience. Last October the state moved from Stage 1 “drought” watch conditions to Stage 2 “drought alert” restrictions. We do not need new restrictions. We need new fundamentals: new behaviors, not temporary behaviors but permanent behaviors. If one wants to live in the Southwest, and have food grown in California, then one needs to forget about landscaping that requires irrigation. Keep in mind there is no mention above of “climate change”, only the concept of returning to the way it was for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. There is a monsoon in the room and it is the burning of fossil fuels.

We Can Only Deal With What We Can Deal With –
The cactus on the left above is the Peruvian Apple Cactus that came from a mature cactus in Escondido, regenerated in Serra Mesa and now this limb calls Allied Gardens home. Allied Gardens is a celebration of what $75 and 18 hours of labor, including long water breaks, spread across six afternoons in fall and winter of 2014 – 15. None of this is rocket science. Allied Gardens is about one person wanting to do something with what he has and asking an old friend for help. Denver and Anders were in agreement that water is important, in great demand and we need to allocate water for the greatest good. Watering lawns is not a life-saving use of water. Allied Gardens is a story that will be repeated, in one form or another, across Southern California because these are the stories we need to be living to be in sync with available resources. Habitats are where we live. Allied Gardens and Allied Gardens are both habitats.

There Is One Certain Thing Cactus / Succulents Do –
Cactus / succulents grow, and grow and… This monument – welcome sign is at the southern foot of Allied Gardens as one comes off of Interstate Highway 8. The $22,000,000 award-winning, critically-praised Allied Gardens development could have had in 1955 a welcoming marker with a small lawn and tree instead of the cactus / succulents. This was the dream – promise that Allied Gardens offered buyers. It would be safe to say many of the first occupants came from properties that did have lawns or trees. Lawns and trees were an acquired behavior not a geographical resource. In the future, there will be a need to cull the cactus / succulent in front of this sign. And where will those cuttings go? The Dirt Brothers suggest spreading the excess low-water-need wealth throughout Allied Gardens. A cactus / succulent for every house. Rebuild the future one neighborhood at a time, one yard at a time, one plant at a time.

3-26-15, All Is Well and New Elements Are Arriving –
There are now 23 cactus / succulents in the Allied Gardens demonstration garden which is actually a movie location documenting these interesting plants that manage with little water, in many cases all they need is morning condensation. Allied Gardens has become an arid oasis in a sea of lawns. Elements will continue to be added and the tiers / terraces will change shape as gravity and mass have their way with all things made by man. It all comes down to chemistry, physics, resulting natures and habitats. We are not alone.

Succulents Are Taken Away and Succulents Are Given Back –
The border treatment between yards is now receiving succulents from the
front yard that have been replaced by new varieties. We are not alone
and we, and all we do, are works in progress.

Previous Allied Gardens chapter Limiting Water Runoff

Listen to Sonic Succulents from this film project

One Small Garden For Allied Gardens. One Giant Step Into The Future –
The United Nations recently announced that within 15 years the demand for water will exceed replenishment by at least a 40 percent shortfall due to climate change and accelerated use of the precious commodity to feed a surging global population.
The report stated “The fact is, there is enough water to meet the world’s needs, but not without dramatically changing the way water is used, managed and shared.”

Other headlines from Earth Watch, March 30, 2015, included the Gulf Stream, which makes Northern Europe milder, is the weakest it has been in the last 1,000 years… Record low amounts of Arctic ice due to an unusual jet stream position and ice maximums peaked 15 days earlier than normal… Fish living between 2,000 feet and one mile in the Bay of Biscay are showing evidence of human-caused pollution spreading across European and North American waters… Huge firestorms rage across parts of southern Chile and are wiping out rare plant species and threatening wildlife… Locally, March 2015 was the 17th month in a row that has had above normal temperatures. A weather service forecaster was quoted, “winter totally skipped us this year.” March 2015 had an average of 66.6 degrees, 7.2 degrees above normal and eclipsing the record high average set in 1978 of 64.3 degrees. Great challenges for mankind are here and more are over the horizon.
Allied Gardens is a drop in the bucket but it is a drop.

April 1, 2015… California Governor Jerry Brown ordered officials Wednesday to impose statewide mandatory water restrictions for the first time in history as surveyors found the lowest snow level in the Sierra Nevada snowpack in 65 years of record-keeping. Headlines, now in bold type above the front page fold, shout about this being a historic drought. What if this is merely a return to normal? The California snow pack has been below 50% for the past four years with 2014 being 25% of average and a thirst-inducing 5% so far in 2015. The mandatory water restrictions focus on metropolitan water districts. California agriculture has already been impacted in recent times with hundreds of thousands of farmland acres left fallow. This is the same land that produces much of the fruits, vegetables and nuts found in stores across the country. We need to eat. The time has arrived for the cities to sacrifice and tighten their water belts. Change, when embraced with body and mind, can be exciting.

Limiting Water Runoff

Posted on April 3, 2015 by MeAnders

Accountants Put Down Their Jelly Beans and Totaled The Project’s Costs –
Anders purchased a 40′ long by 5″ tall edging roll for $20. This brought the project’s material costs to $23 including tax. Other cost related to the project were a couple bags of organic soils, a hose and a shut-off nozzle. These cost around $50. At this point the total cost for Allied Gardens approached $75.

Motor Motioning – track in progress from “Sonic Succulents” – 2:29

Late In December 2014 The Rains Came –
With a roll of edging material in hand, and garden ground softened by recent rains, work began on a second tier. This would require earth moving because the tiers – terraces are 2″ taller. The running terrace length had grown to over 50′. The moist smelling dirt was soft, cool and easy to weed and redistribute. Rocks were added to the upper tier and cactus / succulents are planted in the ground of the second tier closer to the street. Allied Gardens as a garden, and as a multi-media project, had started to find their own forms and vernacular. Waiting for rain, before dealing with the second tier, demonstrates how rain is an agent that works in many ways.

The Original Slope Now Has Three Levels –
Allied Gardens foundation is coming together through trial and error with lines being punctuated and accented by succulent notes. Sonic Succulents is coming together in much the same manner. 14 tracks were laid down in one studio session with two passes by Anders on drums and percussion and Denver on keyboards. Later, another session found Denver adding another keyboard track to 11 tracks. Anders then re-edited the drums and percussion. Now, the elements are ready for another overdub session. Then, the mixing process, along with additional ambient elements, will commence. The sonic tiers and terraces are being built in the same protocol as Allied Gardens itself. Along the way, implications and place holders occupy time and space – what was once a round paver is now a succulent bed. Where once was drums is now the sound of two feet and a cane on the sidewalk or rain hitting pots in the garden. Sonic Succulents and “Allied Gardens” are becoming each other.

A Visitor Builds A Nest In The Backyard –
A hummingbird created a nest in early February on a clothes line in Denver’s backyard. It is open to the elements and predators who can watch from surrounding trees and utility lines. One egg fell to the ground when clothes were removed from the line. The female hummingbird has been sitting on this nest through March 17, as this is being written. She has prevailed through high winds, a couple days of rain and a heat wave. She has a baby hummingbird in the crowded nest.

It Is Wise To Build One’s Nest Near Food and Water –
The hummingbird visits two plants of this succulent variety on the property for nourishment. Anders thinks she built her nest here because these succulents would flower as she sits on the nest.

Play Skies – track in progress from “Sonic Succulents” – 1:42

Rains and Another Roll Of Edging Material –
Anders ordered online another roll of edging material and a few days before its projected arrival at the store for pickup it rained. Anders thought of the hummingbird on her nest and how again the earth will be softened up for shaping another terrace. But it was not to be. The roll was defective and sent back to the manufacturer and the order was reordered. The store informed Anders there would be no charge for the roll.
The project’s costs remain at $75.

And This is How the Foundation Became the Foundation –
Allied Gardens was organized during six work sessions, averaging three hours, over the course of a year to the day. The estimated labor to get from bare ground to three terraces was 18 hours for both Anders and Denver. These were 18 hours of exercise good for body and mind. March 12, 13 and 14, 2015 were hot, part of an unprecedented March heat wave. The ground was hardening fast, but still there was enough moisture to make garden work easier when the new terracing material was put in place on March 12. There was now 80 feet of tier edging creating three terraces.

It Is Allied Gardens’ Formal Portrait Day –
March 14, 2015 was going to be a hot day. Having looked at photos from the previous day Anders and Denver spent a couple of morning hours in the shade weeding and rearranging elements for the sake of a portrait. As an example, the hose was hidden away so as not to attract attention away from the cactus, succulents and terraces. Weeds on the edges of the yard were removed, again to bring focus to the garden elements: dirt, cactus, rock, succulents and terraces. These are some of the portraits showing stage one of Allied Gardens. This is the way it was and we were there.

What Is Next For Allied Gardens and Sonic Succulents? –
Allied Gardens the garden will have its elements grow. Grow to the point where they will need to be trimmed which means there will be cuttings available for other gardens in the neighborhood. The weed load has been greatly diminished during the terrace building process. But weeds are weeds. So weeding is in store. Allied Gardens, the film project, will need to film the succulents as they grow and watch and listen to the passing people, birds, cats, dogs, insects and other mammals that pass by. Anders wants to time-lapse the plants shadows during the course of a day and film the passing traffic as if it were a fast moving river with stoic cactus, succulents and rocks in the foreground. What does Allied Gardens look like at night as headlights reflect off terrace edgings or in the rain or by full moon light? The flowering of cactus and succulents has already been documented in great detail in Anders’ garden. The film also awaits the Sonic Succulents audio tracks. Book two of Allied Gardens has begun.

Next Allied Gardens chapter Future Water Use

Previous Allied Gardens chapter Smart Water Garden

Listen to Sonic Succulents from this film project

Smart Water Garden

Posted on April 3, 2015 by MeAnders

Give Succulents Dirt To Grow In and They Have A Home –
Denver’s landscaping project started on the strip of land between his driveway and the neighbor’s newly installed lawn. The succulent cutting, as succulents do, survived the transplanting and flourished.

Mentalization – track in progress from “Sonic Succulents” – 1:44

A Tale Of Two Yards and Two Aesthetic Assumptions –
The lawn behind Denver was planted recently to replace an elderly lawn. A new lawn’s water needs are dramatic. Daily, water was flowing off the lawn into the street. This was happening while local and state politicians struggled with the impacts water restrictions would place on economies. How can we grow if it is declared we do not have enough water to supply our current daily habits? It has been written that Southern California has a native supply of water, in a wet year, to support 800,000 people.
The current population is 22,000,000.

This Amazing World Is Made Up Of Inter-dependent Flora and Fauna –
Denver pointed out an interesting caterpillar (talk about color-coordination and camouflage) that was hidden on one of the transplanted succulents. He thought the caterpillar had come over with the cutting but Anders is sure this wasn’t the case, he had never seen anything like it before on any of his garden’s succulents.

Here Yesterday and Today, Gone Tomorrow –
Anders returned in two days to take these photos. The caterpillar was out on an extremity basking in the sun, a perfect setting for a formal portrait. The next day it was gone. Where did it go? Was it turning into a butterfly? Was it a protein-rich meal for another creature? All we know is that all creatures, great and small, come – and all creatures, mighty and weak, go.

Deep Thoughts – track in progress from “Sonic Succulents” – 2:15

The Dirt Brothers, Anders and Denver, Started With A Loose Sketch –
The first design goal was to capture as much front yard water runoff as possible. The concept of tiers was on the design board. At the time, creating tiers seemed a difficult task given that the hard clay, with little topsoil, was baking in 2014’s dry-hot conditions. Each month passed by with no rain, and each day had higher temperatures than what was considered “average” for that day. Tiers would require labor.

It was agreed that the yard would feature a variety of succulents as opposed to a traditional gardening plan that would repeat a smaller select group of plants to create a coherent design. Allied Gardens would be more a demonstration – celebration of cactus and succulents for the many passersby on foot, bikes, scooters, skateboards, wheelchairs and passing cars. Anders and Denver both thought it would be cool if folks would take cuttings, as the succulents grew, from Allied Gardens for their own yards.

The First Tier Was Easy To Establish –
Denver had purchased a ten foot section of 3″ tall edging made from recycled materials at a yard sale. Anders purchased 10′ of wood edging material that did not bend easily. Together they described the first tier. Dirt was raked and gathered to raise the ground level behind the edging on the house side. No digging was required.

Cactus, Succulents, Pots, Pavers, Dirt, Edging Material –
The number of collected cactus / succulent specimens was growing. For the time being they stayed in pots. Round pavers were spread across the ground as design elements and as placeholders for where plants could be planted in ground.

Dirt As A Design Element Like Lawns Of Old –
Denver had mentioned several times that a neighbor had a front yard of dirt that she raked daily. In Mexico, yards were raked to keep weeds from getting a foothold in loose soil. Japanese rocks gardens had always intrigued Anders. Allied Gardens was free to adopt its own nationality. The plan was open. Dirt will be the background-frame for the vegetation. Social mores promoting manicured lawns instead of existing Southern California dirt is a peek into anglo-saxon bias that goes back to English gardens.

30 Seconds Above The Backyard –
This composite photo comprises four moments shot at three different shot scales over 30 seconds. Doves congregate on alley utility lines behind and above Denver’s backyard. Anders’ garden is five plus miles away by automobile. The roads descend one mesa, across Interstate 15, climb another mesa before descending to the San Diego River. The road to Denver’s climbs another mesa. Allied Gardens is on this mesa. As the crows flies (which is a strange saying because crows do not fly straight) the gardens could be less than three miles apart. Serra Mesa, where Anders lives, has mocking birds galore and he is amazed that he does not hear mockingbirds in Allied Gardens.

Next Allied Gardens chapter Limiting Water Runoff

Previous Allied Gardens chapter Welcome to Allied Gardens

Listen to Sonic Succulents from this film project

Welcome to Allied Gardens

Posted on April 3, 2015 by MeAnders

Back When Water, Land and Power Was Abundant –
Louis L. Kelton and Walter Bollenbacher purchased 1,000 acres from the Waring Estate and their company, Allied Contractors, began developing a residential tract, Allied Gardens in 1955. Each house would have a lawn and a tree in the middle of what would be, across the entire southwest, an unusually wet 100 years.

Front Yard Road Sounds on a Saturday at Noon – 2:13

And What Was Life Like In 1955? –
The first McDonald’s fast food chain restaurant was built, Coca-Cola introduced the can and transistor radios went on the market. “In God We Trust” was added to all paper currency, Disneyland opened, and the USA sent military advisors to Vietnam and troops to Iran, The 64,000 Dollar Question was the most popular TV show, the first nuclear powered submarine became operational and the first USA nuclear power plant went online. Emmett Till, a black fourteen year old teenager, was murdered for not showing respect to a white woman. The first riot at an Elvis Presley concert occurred and actor James Dean was killed in car accident. Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person. Seat belts became mandatory in all new cars. The average wages were $3,851 per year, and the minimum wage was raised to $1.00 per hour. The average cost of a new house was $10,950. A black and white TV averaged $99.95. A gallon of gasoline cost 23 cents. The house seen below was purchased for $13,000. It was one of sixteen available floor plans. Those were the days.

The Growing Middle Class Was Alive and Well-
1955 was also the middle of the great migration to Southern California. San Diego City’s population in 1950 was 333,865 and in 1960 it had grown to 573,224. San Diego County, during the same period, grew from 556,808 to 1,033,011 and California increased from 10,586,273 to 15,717,204 people. Population estimates for 2014 include: Sand Diego City – 1,345,895, San Diego County – 3,095,313 and California – 38,800,000. Today, anywhere from 8,629 to 12,305 people, depending on the source, live in Allied Gardens.

When Allied Gardens was developed few were concerned with where water came from and how much energy was required to move it. It was as if water grew on trees – not that trees needed water to grow. Those were the days that lights blazed all night and showers could last as long as showers provided comfort and pleasure.
For an overview of California water systems development from 1950 to 1999.

Under One Groove – track in progress from “Sonic Succulents” – 1:13

Allied Gardens Has A Double Meaning –
Allied Gardens is the working title for a multi-media project by Anders Tomlinson and Denver Clay. It refers to a film project documenting the development of the smart water garden seen above ( photo was taken on March 14, 2015) and a music project Sonic Succulents by SonicAtomics. In this regards Allied Gardens refers to different gardens sharing experiences and plant cuttings with one another. The film is aware of mounting water and related financial issues. It also spotlights the amazing world of succulent and cactus’ water harvesting techniques and management.

An example of one of the succulent / cactus stories is organ pipe cactus spires that were knocked over by high winds in Anders’ Low Water Usage Urban Garden. They were taken over to SonicAtomics’ music director Denver Clay to be planted in his front yard which is boarded by lawns on both sides. The pipe organ and peruvian apple cactus were 1990 cuttings from Denver’s Garden in Escondido that Anders Tomlinson moved to his San Diego garden in Serra Mesa. Cuttings from that cactus have now moved in 2014 to Denver’s front yard. What goes around, comes around.

Water Issues Are As Old As Water –
Denver Clay and Anders Tomlinson have been recording ambient audio for incorporation into audioscapes and soundtracks for a long time. Recording water has always been a priority. Denver is seen above capturing Rock Creek and Harriman Springs water in Klamath County, Oregon and Allied Gardens street sounds. Twelve years separate these audio events. Both recordings were driven by documenting man’s water management. Water is the driving issue for Allied Gardens as it is for all life in all habitats.

Heavy Loads – track in progress from “Sonic Succulents” – 3:00

Many Wonderful Journeys Start With Small Steps –
Denver expressed an interest in doing something in his front yard that wouldn’t require much watering. Anders was planting cuttings from his back yard into his front yard and had an abundance of succulent / cactus cuttings because they survive regardless of water conditions; they may wither in dry times but condensation keeps them alive and with rain they always plump up and grow. With the addition of several large mature agave cuttings from Denver’s back yard a garden-for-the-times-and-region was underway. Using what he had at hand, Denver has spent one dollar, as of 10-14-2014, on his landscaping project.
Anders often says “rebuild the future one neighborhood at a time.”
Now, Anders adds, “rebuild neighborhoods one yard at a time.”

Denver had assisted Anders with recording a morning of water related presentations in January 2014. Denver and Anders were aware of the growing need of human nature – water consumption changes. The fundamental question of how we use water, and, equally important, how we get rid of water, is being seen and heard more frequently across broadcast, print and social media platforms.

To see 2014 Water condition impacts on Anders’ garden.

Next Allied Gardens chapter Smart Water Garden

Listen to Sonic Succulents from this film project

Garden 2014

Posted on October 16, 2014 by MeAnders

Great Anticipation Builds, Soon There Will be Twin Blooms –
The Organ Pipe Cactus has an elegant flower. When two are coming off the same pipe it is a rare visual holiday. A special moment will open up later this evening. And we are there. It is warmer than usual. This has been true for a majority of 2014 along with several freak events. Warmer and less rain – a climate suited for cactus.

So Pretty It Looks Like One Could Eat It –
It will take less than an hour for these flowers to completely unfold and open. The flowers begins to widen, lifting the outside petals off of what will be the glorious white flowers. Soon a sweet fragrance will envelope the bloom. During 2014 there was a run of over three months with daily highs above the “average.” An unusual heat wave in May was punctuated by urban wildfires in canyons between large developments.
Bob Ganey’s Harmony Lost? looks at a rural community he lived in for many years and now is being pressured by urban development. Several times he had needed to stay and protect his property from approaching fire or evacuate. 2014’s rare May off-shore hot desert wind driven fires took out Harmony Grove’s Religious and Mystic Center as well as a neighboring house. Why did the fire scorch Harmony Grove this time? And is this a question we should be asking ourselves?

The Flowers Begin to Open –
The opening has begun. The fragrance is here. Within twenty minutes the flower will in full bloom. The night is young, another natural adventure has begun. The $64,000 question is who will take notice? 2014 was garden’s year of the cactus flower. Does this mean anything? Do the cactus sense something that we don’t?

They Are Open and The Surrounding Night Is Sweet Smelling –
The flowers anatomy is there for all to see. It is attracting attention with its size, colors and scent. It wants night and day visitors. The Organ Pipe cactus flower is more esthetically pleasing than the Peruvian Apple cactus and the flowers stay open longer. But, this year the Peruvian Apple have produced much more fruit. Everything is interconnected. This morning I watched the crows parade up and down the street picking up garbage and recyclables that fell when being loaded from the curb to the trucks a couple of hours earlier. The crows do this every week, they are interconnected with garbage pickups.

Where Would We Be Without Bees? –
During the first two waves of Peruvian apple cactus flowers there were few bees and they appeared disorientated. This was during a period of unusual heat waves accompanied with strong off shore winds. The organ pipe flowers always had bees in attendance. It would be safe to say that the bee count in the garden during 2014 was down. This was the first time is many years that I wasn’t bitten by spiders or saw spiders while I was in the garden. Ant house invasions were also noticeably down. Sign of the times?

These Are Elegant Flowers From Any Angle –
Speaking of elegant, a couple of days after a micro-burst had barreled through the yard a cockatiel landed on the alley powerlines that run above the backyard fence and was whistling to no one in particular. I went out to calm the cockatiel which responded to my voice. Every time I started to walk away, to get a camera, it would call for my attention. All of a sudden the cockatiel took notice of something and flew off in a hurry. Moments later, a big hawk approached and landed on the power pole near where the cockatiel had been sitting. Both birds were out of their normal habits. The question becomes, especially for the cockatiel, the prey, did they meet again?

Together They Are Music For the Eyes to Behold –
Another change in 2014 was the flock of parrots: they usually arrived in the spring and fall and spend a week in the neighborhood. There were usually more than twenty of the green birds swooping back and forth throughout the neighborhood. One would hear the loud squawking parrots when they were town. In 2014 a smaller flock arrived in the spring and were gone the next day. Later in the month, a small group, less than ten, was seen flying around in the afternoon and were never seen again.

The Sun Plays With the Flower Soon to Start Wilting –
2014 had more human arguments in the neighborhood. Stress levels hit the tipping point and domestic disturbances would occasionally flare up at all hours of the day from all points of the compass. The cat population walking through the garden, on the other hand, was down to Snoopy and a black male, and the nocturnal cat hoot’nanny were rare. This year I learned that Snoopy was a cat with no home but all the neighborhood. A neighbor across the alley feeds Snoopy and they think she spends time at the neighbor’s down the street that has all the palm trees. They were unaware that Snoopy spends a great deal of time in the garden, especially in the afternoons. They call her Whitey.

Fall Late Afternoon Backlight Illuminates Two Neighbors –
This Japanese Honeysuckle and Organ Pipe Cactus have made it through another summer. The Japanese Honey suckle had a harder time. Two limbs coming off the main truck, closest to the Organ Pipe Organ, had died. The plant did not look healthy. After the two dead limbs were cut away the honeysuckle responded and has been resplendent with flowers for over a month. The Organ Pipe Organ had two waves of flowers and none of which produced fruit. It was interesting that the section of honeysuckle closest to the organ pipe cactus was what died. Did the predatory organ pipe cactus have anything to do with this?

1983 and 2014, Change is the Order of All Living Things –
A Leyland cypress, 31- 33 years old, was not as fortunate as the honeysuckle. Leyland cypress can grow quickly, 3 to 4 feet a year, and provide privacy and shade. They can reach 40 to 60 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide and are considered drought tolerant. They can be found in Southern California nurseries despite the fact that their shallow root structure does not protect the tree from hot summers in southern half of the U.S.A. In these areas it is prone to develop cypress canker disease which causes extensive dieback and ultimately kills the tree. The dying tree was cut back to bare limbs and is now another snag in the yard for birds to sit.

After A Rare Micro-Burst With Gale-Force Winds and Torrential Rain –
September 16, 2014 is a day many San Diegans will have a hard time forgetting. Not all San Diegans because the microburst cut a swath that was maybe twenty miles long east to west and ten miles wide north to south. San Diego was in the middle of a multiple day heat wave. Remnants from Hurrican Odie, off the coast of northern Mexico, was forecast to bring much needed showers to the region. The house’s windows were closed and the curtains drawn to keep the heat out and coolness, it is all relative, in. All of a sudden the curtain is blown up 90 degrees by a gust through an eighth-of-an- inch gap between the window and the wall. In that instant the full intensity of the microburst hit. It lasted for twenty minutes. During this period high winds and an inch or more of rain blew horizontally across the garden and flooded alleys and streets of Serra Mesa. Montgomery Field, a regional airport few blocks away, had several planes blown from their moorings and over fences onto cars. Thunder and lightening descended on the garden. People will remember this day because this type of event is virtually unheard of in San Diego. As all life marches away from the equator it could be possible in the future San Diego will experience a hurricane.

If Every Action There Is An Equal and Opposite Reaction –
Several organ pipe cactus spires were knocked over. They were taken over to SonicAtomics’ music director Denver Clay’s to be planted in his front yard which is boarded by lawns on both sides. The pipe organ and peruvian apple cactus were 1990 cuttings from Denver’s garden in Escondido that Anders moved to the garden. Now cuttings from these cactus are moving in 2014 to Denver’s yard in San Diego. What goes around, comes around.

Doing Something Because It Is The Natural Thing To Do –
Denver expressed an interest in doing something in his font yard that wouldn’t require much watering. In the upper-left-hand photo above one can see the opposite of what he was thinking. Anders brought over succulent clippings along with blown over cactus limbs. Along with cuttings from a large yucca agave colony in Denver’s back yard a garden-for-the-times-and-region was well underway. Using what he had at hand Denver has spent one dollar, as of 10-14-2014, on his landscaping project. Anders often says “rebuild the future one neighborhood at a time. Now, Anders adds, “rebuild neighborhoods one yard at a time.”
Denver assisted Anders with recording a morning of water related presentations in early 2014. Awareness of a need to change human behavior is growing. The fundamental question of how we use water, and, equally imported, how we get rid of water, is seen and heard more frequently on public and social media.

It All Started In A Little Space Between Yards –
Denver’s landscaping project started on the strip of land between his driveway and the neighbor’s newly installed lawn. The succulent cutting, as succulents do, survived the transplanting and flourished. Denver pointed out an interesting caterpillar, talk about color – coordination and camouflage, that was hidden on one of the transplanted succulents. Denver thought the caterpillar had come over with the cutting but Anders is sure this wasn’t the case, he had never seen anything like it before on any of his garden’s succulents. Anders returned in two days to take these photos. The caterpillar was out on an extremity basking in the sun, a perfect setting for a formal portrait. The next day the caterpillar was gone. Where did it go? Was it turning into a butterfly? Was it a protein-rich meal for another creature? All we know is that all creatures, great and small, come – and all creatures, mighty and weak, go.