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

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

Anders Tomlinson

Painting, films, photos and writings by Anders Tomlinson

Tag Archives: sonic succulents

Water Headlines

Limiting Water Runoff

Smart Water Garden

Welcome to Allied Gardens