The Monterey that Tiburcio Vasquez was born into, the mid 1800s,  had two disparate distinctions: as the Capital it was considered the most important town on the Central Coast; on the flip side it was…

The Salinas River, known fondly as the “upside down river,” is the longest underground river in the country, flowing both above and below ground for about 175 miles from its headwaters in the Los Padr…

In 1986, the American Dairy Association sponsored an ad to run during the Super Bowl that still, to this day, speaks to my soul. It was a take-off on the song, Food, Glorious Food, from the musical “O…

I love peanuts and cashews and almonds and walnuts and pistachios, but they absolutely do not love me. I wouldn’t say I have a nut allergy — there’s no EpiPen in my bag — just a general malaise hits m…

When my children were young, before puberty hit and they never wanted to leave their rooms, they loved to perform on stage. Both were participants in numerous local theatrical productions in a variety…

If you’ve live in California for any length of time, then you are well-acquainted with the natural disaster our state is known for — an earthquake. I’ve lived here my whole life and am vividly familia…

There’s something about old, forsaken looking cemeteries that calls to me. It could be the lopsided, cockeyed headstones that have somehow weathered the years. Or the scrubby, lifeless looking weeds t…

Every Sunday, my guy and I go somewhere for a hike. It’s a Sunday fun-day tradition that we work really hard at not missing. Every so often, though, the weather isn’t great or we get a late start or w…

I’m a born-and-bred Californian. I’ve been fortunate to have lived in every compass point of this state. The Salinas Valley, though, is without question my favorite spot. It has it all — a small town …

The Monarchs have returned to Pacific Grove. They do that about this time every year. They’ve become such a part of the town they have their own neighborhood, the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. It’s a b…