May the 4th be with You

Happy May, my friends! I cannot believe how quickly 2016 is flying by. Wowzers. I have much excitement & many updates to share with you today ... yay!

First & foremost I would like to welcome to the WTOWW Family, Fialta, a huge-hearted & ridiculously talented local band. Check out their music here.

I have been a busy little bee lately... buzzing around the state of California, talking with a variety of folks about our state's water issues, and focusing, of course, on SOLUTIONS.

I talked with Creston-based Agriculturalist Hilary Graves about the sensitive nature of decisions made regarding the Paso Robles Ground Water Basin. I interviewed author Seth M. Siegel about his book "Let There Be Water : Israel's Solution for a Water Starved World". And then I hit the road north... spent a day hiking around Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz, and then headed up to the big city to present photographs from my project at the San Francisco Green Film Festival. What a rush that was!

I came home in time to participate in the Earth Day Fair & Music Festival in SLO, then traveled south to spend a morning with Ron Wildermuth at the West Basin Municipal Water District talking about the importance of recycled water in our future water portfolio. I toured one of the San Gabriel Basin clean-up facilities, operating amidst the largest and most polluted groundwater "Superfund" site in California, with Ken Manning, Executive Director of the San Gabriel Basin WQA. And I spent an afternoon in Yucaipa talking with Steve Loe, the retired Forest Service Ranger responsible for starting the public outcry against Nestle's bottling operations in the San Bernadino National Forest.

I remain incredibly grateful for all the support & care as I continue on this journey. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Y'all are truly the BEST! xo

Website launch!

Happy Almost New Year!

I hope your holidays have been happy and bright, and that you find excitement and wonder in all the possibilities of a brand new year on the horizon.

Today is a big day. Today I excitedly admit to the world, and to myself, that I have absolutely 100% found my passion. I finally know who and what it is that I want to be when I grow up. Wheee! And you may have guessed it... I want to be a documentary filmmaker. Today I am one step closer. Today I launch the official website for the first documentary film of my career. And I am thrilled to share this creation with YOU. Thank you for being here, and for being a part of this crazy journey.

“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.” 

- Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad

One of twelve Nestle well sites in the San Bernadino National Forest. Nestle has been operating these wells, pumping out upwards of 68,000 gallons of water a day, on special-use permits that expired in the 1980's.

WTOWW : News & Updates

I had the opportunity early on in the month to hike up into the San Bernadino County Forest with members from The Story of Stuff community. We visited a Nestle well site (one of twelve) that has been pumping water out of the mountains, upwards of 68,000 gallons a day, (and then selling it back to us in plastic bottles) on a special-use permit that expired in the 1980s.  The Story of Stuff, along with two other non-profits, are currently suing the Forest Service for not enforcing the renewal of this permit. To read more about their work on this issue, and why the Privatization of water is such a frightening concept, visit their website : storyofstuff.org

I toured the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant in Playa Del Rey, CA.  This plant is operated by the City of Los Angeles, and is responsible for processing 340 million gallons of wastewater every day.  The plant is the city's largest and oldest treatment facility. Free tours can be arranged by appointment.

I read Dr. Richard Oppenlander's important and enlightening book, "Comfortably Unaware". In this book, Dr. Oppenlander outlines the relationship between our food choices and the sustainability of our planet.  He suggests that the only way to truly live sustainably on this earth is to shift to a plant-based diet, on a world-wide level, and soon. I have found myself fully inspired by this book (I recommend you read it), his life's work, and his fearless approach to a sensitive subject. I am thrilled for the opportunity to interview Dr. Oppenlander in March, and excited for all I will learn as I experiment with a smaller personal water footprint through the implementation of a plant-based lifestyle in the new year.

A view from atop the tanks at the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant in Playa Del Rey, CA.  This plant is the largest (and the oldest) in the City of Los Angeles.

Thank you!

As always, thank you for your love and support! If you are interested in participating in this project, or if you know of anyone who might be a good contact, resource, or interview, please be in touch. Namaste.

Welcome!

GREETINGS & THANK YOU

I hope the Holidays find you well and in good spirits.
I have some truly exciting news to share, and I thank you for visiting my website. As many of you know, I continue to love my work as a Professional Photographer on the Central Coast of California. The BIG news is that I have recently added a second love, and my heart is exploding!. I have started production on my first documentary film, titled "Where There Once Was Water : A California Story". My heart beats wild for this project, and I hope to share the journey with you as I change and grow as an artist.

Where There Once Was Water is a feature length documentary film about California's historic drought, featuring stories of those living and studying it, and exploring ideas and solutions for our collective future. Coming soon!

So, where do you fit in?  Firstly - If you'd like to be a part of the "Where There Once Was Water" Film Tribe, please sign up for my newsletter on the home page of the website. This newsletter will be your source for the occasional important update about my film, along with possible invitations to participate, and some newsy bits, fun content, and special deals from the App's Photography side of life too. I am thrilled to be on this new journey, and honored to share the ride with YOU! 

WTOWW : NEWS & UPDATES

Most recently, my work on this film has taken me up Hwy 395 to the snow-capped Eastern Sierras, the barren emptiness of Owens Valley, and the tufas of Mono Lake. Up I-5 to Folsom Lake to explore the town of Mormon Island as it re-emerges from the lake bed, then on to the sparkling high mountain beauty of Lake Tahoe, the bathtub rings at Lake Oroville, and south to the charred remains of the Shirley Fire in the mountains above Kernville and Lake Isabella.

I traveled to Carson City to interview Dan Beard, former Commissioner for the Bureau of Reclamation, and author of "Deadbeat Dams". Every single taxpayer owes it to themselves to read his book. Seriously. Do it. You'll be glad you did, and probably a little pissed off too.

I traveled to the Bay Area and interviewed Stiv Wilson, Campaigns Director for The Story Of Stuff Project, about their recent law suit involving the US Forest Service and Nestle, for operating bottling facilities in the San Bernadino Forest on a special-use permit that expired in the 1980s. Last weekend I joined the Story of Stuff community on a hike in the San Bernadino National Forest to visit one of these illegal Nestle well sites. Nestle's behavior is unacceptable, and this is brought into sharp focus because of the drought.

Water is a necessity to life, and the opportunities for us to rethink our relationships with water are many. I look forward to sharing information, ideas and stories with you as they emerge and develop.

THANK YOU!

As always, thank you for your love and support! If you are interested in participating in this project, or if you know of anyone who might be a good contact, resource, or interview, please be in touch. Namaste.