Good Thing We Live in Humboldt or How to Embarrass your Teenager

Toking

Frequent Photo

“Mom, will you download some photos of Grandpa Mike’s paintings so I can take them to art class.”

Such a sweet beginning–too bad it will land my son with countless hours on the psychiatrist’s couch.

Last night, in a hurry, I quickly downloaded photos of my father-in-law’s  work onto a memory stick and sent it off to with Quinn to his college art class.

Today, he handed it to his teacher who uploaded the first photo  onto the big screen in front of the entire roomful of students.

It was that photo above.

Quickly, the professor scrolled through the twenty or so marijuana images that followed. Unfortunately, somehow the correct photos hadn’t saved.  One green bud closeup after another flashed across the screen.  A couple opium poppies flashed orange and purple petals.  The professor glared at my 16 year old son who muttered, “Sorry, my mom works for Grow magazine.”

Somehow, I bet the professor classed that excuse right up there with “the dog ate my homework.”

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This photo and the others are from my latest feature piece for Grow magazine, Outdoor Growing: It’s a Game. The magazine should be out this next week.  Buy some copies, I’m going to need the money to pay for my son’s therapy.

Humboldt more likely to Arrest for Marijuana than the rest of the State?

Sugar and Spice

Frequent photo

According to an excellent article on the California Progress Report,

Humboldt County had one of the state’s highest arrest rates while adjacent Mendocino County, both places where pot growing is a major industry, had one of the lowest. Those differences can only be explained by law enforcement priorities, not by behavior.

I wouldn’t have thought Humboldt had an especially large number of arrests for cannabis.

October Morning in the Hills of Humboldt

October Morning

Frequent Photo

October Butterfly Feeding

Butterfly French Kissing Coyote Bush Flowers

Frequent Photo

One of the few plants that bloom this time of year, Coyote Brush smells delightful and draws in the few butterflys still around.  This one is probing the flower with its tongue searching for the source of that delicious smell.

Otter in Water

Otter in Water

Frequent Photo

There are 13 different species of otter. Ours, here in Humboldt County, are called the North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis.

This one had just surfaced and the water was pouring off him as he swam.

See other otter photos here and here.

Otter Amazement

Otter Amazement

Frequent Photo

Before attempting to cross the path I was on,  this fellow stared at me, gathering information. If you see otters in Humboldt, you can describe the encounter here. This is a citizen science project that allows HSU to describe “the distribution and demography of otters on the coasts, wetlands and watersheds in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.”

According to the web page, Otters are a “key bio-indicator of the health of our environment as they sit at the top of this water-based food chain. Unlike most otter habitats around the world, it is thought that the Pacific north coast still supports a thriving otter population.”

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I hope to have more photos processed in the next few days.

See my first otter photo here.

See my

Otter Alert

Alert Otter

Frequent Photo

Yesterday, four river otters stopped me in my tracks at the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I stood for almost an hour watching as they searched for food in a small creek.  They watched me almost as intently in between searching for food and eating it.

One small piece of a plant forms a beauty mark on the cheek of this otter.

A year and a half ago I went to the refuge and came away determined to get a camera that could capture otters.  Today, I got to see the results of getting that camera!

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This is the first photo I processed.  I hope to have several more in the next few days. (here’s one.)

October

October

Frequent Photo

Jack O’ Lanterns by Salmon Creek School Kids.

Welcome to Arcata–Pot City

Pot City

Sent to me by a Friend

After “Intervention In-Depth: Pot City USA” aired, locals couldn’t help but get into the spirit.  Marijuana tourism being one possible way to maintain financial stability here in Humboldt if weed becomes legal, we think that Arcata might consider posting the above signs on Highway 101.

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The Times Standard had a generally positive take on the show; however, Heraldo’s readers were less than impressed.

One Step Closer to Legalizing Marijuana?

Sign of the times now but, as the song says, “The times, they are a changin’.”

By Elaine Hamby

Yesterday, Attorny General Eric Holder announced to new guidelines for Federal prosecutors  in relation to “ Investigations and Prosecutions in States Authorizing the Medical Use of Marijuana “.

In it, the prosecutors are told they “ should not focus federal resources in your States on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana. For example, prosecution of individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or those caregivers in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state law who provide such individuals with marijuana, is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources.”

When Obama took office hopes were high that federal marijuana policy would change. Holder’s remarks last March were taken as a sign that policies would change.  But over the months, hopes have dimmed (see the last issue of Humboldt Grow’s essay about Obama.)

Yesterday’s announcement shook off doubts and renewed hopes for a more sensible approach to cannabis. In fact, according to NPR, the head of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)  believes that this heralds a new approach by the government.

“There have already been invitations made to drug policy groups to meet with the drug policy director, something that hasn’t happened in 20 years,” NORML’s executive director, Allen St. Pierre, said.