Get Out

Yes, this weekend is Oysterfest — the biggest event on the Humboldt calendar. But as someone who’s choked down large quantities of slimy bivalves in his day (*fifth place finisher in last year’s Shuck and Swallow Contest, thank you), I can confirm that too much of a good thing, well, it can leave you slightly […]

“Tide pools contain mysterious worlds, where all the beauty of the sea is subtly suggested and portrayed in miniature.”  — Rachel Carson Thanks to the summer solstice and the full moon, the sea will reveal often-hidden secrets in early June, with a string of nine “minus tides” that include the lowest tides of the year. […]

  For most of the year, I seem to be oblivious to the power of flowers to brighten up a room or a relationship. Just ask my wife, Amy. But for a couple of months, about the time winter limps on toward the southern hemisphere and spring begins to assert herself (yes, I do think […]

Are you a gardener, casual or otherwise? Planning a vegetable garden or maybe thinking about planting a few flowers now that spring has sprung? If so, the Humboldt Seed and Plant Exchange is the place to be this Saturday. A dedicated volunteer group of local sustainable agriculture enthusiasts now known as the Humboldt Permaculture Guild […]

  Kayaking is just as much about soundscape as it is about landscape. There is the rhythmic splashing of the paddle, of course, soothing and calming your mind. Then other sounds: waves, birds landing on the water or taking off en masse, fish jumping, boats passing by. The sounds travel and diffuse differently depending on […]

  I hate running.  Running murders the knees, cranks the hamstrings tight as drums, and inflames the hips. In theory running is a cheap, accessible sport. In reality most runners arrange their schedules around running. They rise in the dark, haul sweaty sneakers to work to run during lunch breaks, and skip happy hour in […]

Let me admit my bias up front. It is a shame that the railroad right-of-way between Arcata and Eureka is sitting virtually unused, a public asset that is slowly decaying, a unique resource that could serve as the foundation for a wonderful, multipurpose trail. Unfortunately my perspective doesn’t seem to hold enough high cards when […]

  No matter how lovely December was — all that sunshine — you knew it wasn’t likely to last. Soon, wet winter days will have you wanting to do nothing more than curl up by the woodstove with a good book or your laptop, mug of hot chocolate by your side. But wait! Just because […]