Category: Sequoia National Park

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Dinner at Seven Sycamores Ranch

CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, is a great way to get fresh fruits and vegetables, often organic crops from local farmers, delivered right to your front door.  Our neighborhood is served by Family Farm Fresh offered by McKellar Farms at the Historic Seven Sycamores Ranch in Ivanhoe, California.  Find great recipes and keep up with the latest information at the Family Farm Fresh blog.

Bob McKellar filling a bountiful basket
Bob McKellar filling a bountiful basket

You can choose the basket size that best suits your family. Your basket will contain a variety of in season fruits, vegetables, herbs and farm products, and you can choose from four different size baskets ranging in price from just under $20 a week, up to the large family basket at $47 per week, plus a modest delivery charge. Family Farm Fresh serves the towns of Visalia, Tulare, Ivanhoe, Woodlake, Exeter, Lemon Cove, Porterville, Lindsay, Elderwood, Pixley, Strathmore, Farmersville, Cutler, Hanford, Lemoore, Orosi, Three Rivers, Springville, Dinuba, and Kingsburg. Join Family Farm Fresh here.

Special event on September 17: Dinner on the Farm

You must RSVP by September 10.  Call 798-0557, ext 106 to order tickets which are $15 for members, $20 for non-members, with children under seven free. Dinner is from 6-8:30 pm and includes a hayride around the farm and a visit to only orange tree maze in the country. You can learn more about Family Farm Fresh.

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National Park Service Night Sky Team

It is so important for Three Rivers, and other foothill residents, to be sensitive about keeping the night sky dark. Please don’t put up bright lights that stay on all night. Use motion sensors so that lights are on only when needed! Be aware of the privilege we have been given to live in a place where we can see the Milky Way and all those beautiful stars for wishing.

Several years ago, Los Angeles had a blackout and residents could see the night sky for the very first time.  There was an avalanche of calls made to 911 with people reporting UFO’s and expressing great fear about all the lights in the sky!

What are Lightscapes? Read more here….

Did you know? Two–thirds of Americans cannot see the Milky Way from their backyard, and 99% of the population live in an area that scientists consider light polluted. The rate at which light pollution is increasing will leave almost no dark skies in the contiguous US by 2025.

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A Dark Sky Over Sequoia National Park
[360 panoramic skyview from Mount Whitney, Summer 2009]
Credit: D. Duriscoe, C. Duriscoe, R. Pilewski, & L. Pilewski,
US National Park Service Night Sky Program

from the NPS website….about the Night Sky Team

The NPS Night Sky Team was formed in 1999 to address increasing alarm over the loss of night sky quality throughout the network of national parks; the team set out to quantify light pollution at four California parks.

To accomplish this, the team developed instrumentation and methods for measuring the brightness of the night sky and identifying light pollution sources.  Data inventories have now been collected at a number of NPS units. Team members often work closely with park staff who have taken initiative in protecting natural lightscapes. Though originally focused on the human visual perception of the night sky, capabilities have been broadened to include artificial light impacts to wildlife, cultural resource issues, facility lighting, and night sky interpretation.

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See these lovely constellation art pieces…
night sky art by Brooklyn artist, Jessica Marquez

constellationsew

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Sequoia monarch has major fire damage in Crescent Meadow

from Kaweah Commonwealth August 28, 2009 issue

“For some folks seeing or just knowing that a giant sequoia has fire in its crown and its limbs are crashing to the forest floor below is enough to evoke tears of sadness and stir deep emotions. To witness the death of one these majestic monarchs is a tragedy nobody who witnesses it will ever forget.
So this week, when it was discovered that a giant sequoia, perhaps thousands of years old, was engulfed in flame as a result of a prescribed burn near Crescent Meadow, there were several calls to the Commonwealth voicing a collective plea to look into this latest burning of another Big Tree.
Since the accidental burning of the Washington Tree in 2003 during a prescribed fire, then listed as the second largest tree in the world, park policy on the protection of named trees is very specific.

‘We protect named trees from fire unless it is a safety issue,’ said Deb Schweizer, parks fire education specialist. ‘Apparently, the tree in question was an unnamed monarch that already had a structural weakness that allowed fire easily to get in.’
Deb explained that like all organic things, these trees die as a part of the life cycle and during their lifetimes are changed by natural processes including fire.

‘Fire has created several trees that visitors love to see like Tharp’s Log, the Chimney Tree, and Tunnel Log to name a few examples,’Deb said. ‘This process is continuing now and will create the next generation of hollowed trees that attract visitors.’
The recent burning near Crescent Meadow was the aftermath of a 64-acre prescribed burn that was ignited the first week of August. Fires of this size and scope generally are permitted to creep and smolder in the forest until they are doused by an extended period of precipitation.”

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note from blog editor: On August 20,  I personally witnessed this Sequoia tree on fire with huge flames coming out its crown, large smoke plumes and large pieces of the tree falling to the ground. Loud cracks and pops could be heard throughout Crescent Meadow. It was a stunning site…

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Three Rivers Environmental Weekend

Three Rivers Environmental Weekend
(with Native Plant Sale)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Three Rivers Arts Center

Saturday’s event will start at 9 am with the California Native Plant Society’s Alta Peak Chapter annual fall native plant sale outside the Arts Center, and inside exhibits and information,  featuring a Chapter Fall program by artist/scientist John Muir Laws at 2 pm.  He spent 7 years in the field sketching and doing research for his spectacular Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, and gives an inspiring presentation.  We hope to have at least one other author there, Scott Barker, who recently published a history of Yokohl Valley.  The Sequoia Kings Natural History Association will be selling books as well, and Sequoia National Park, in the person of Annie Esperanza, will have rolling videos about the environment.   We will have a variety of information tables and booths, including Tulare County Citizens for Responsible Growth, Family Farm Fresh, builders and designers to retrofit your home, or build new.  Lori Werner will have an exhibit table “All About Owls”, which the kids and adults should find interesting.   We also are working on a home and garden art and decoration booth or two outside under the trees or canopies.  We hope to feature some of our fine local artists.  There’s lots more in progress, and of course Bill Becker and his famous solar cooking demonstration will again be right up front

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The Three Rivers Green Home Tour
Sunday October 4

“Mud Bricks, Straw Bales, and Whatever Works”
by Mona Fox Selph

It is estimated that about half of the world’s population still lives in some sort of earth home.  The material is accessible and cheap, such homes provide good insulation from the elements, and they don’t burn.  There are many ways to build with earth, but the most ancient dwellings were probably wattle and daub, or branches and sticks plastered with mud.  Adobe is another very old method.  It requires from 15 to 30 percent clay, sand or soil, and often straw is incorporated.

In the southwestern USA, building with adobe has long been practiced since it is the perfect climate.  To have permanence, adobe requires a long hot and dry season to evaporate out the moisture it accumulates in the damper, wetter months.  It traditionally also requires overhangs to protect it from rain, and/or yearly re-plastering with adobe.

The oldest continually occupied building in our country is the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico.  It is a multi cellular adobe structure with many individual rooms built side by side up to five stories high.  Large timbers called vigas support floors and roofs.  In the old days, entry was from the roof using ladders.  People have lived there for over a thousand years.

Three Rivers has some beautiful old adobes, although they are new in comparison to Taos Pueblo.  There are also many other varieties of buildings friendly to the environment here, and interested residents will soon have the opportunity to visit five of them.  The Green Home Tour began over three years ago with a small study group on global warming, and as they say, the rest is history.  It was so worthwhile and so much fun that we are still doing it!   I am writing about the Green Home Tour put on by the TREW Crew as we now call ourselves, that is the Three Rivers Environmental Weekend Crew.

The first year we toured six wonderful homes in Three Rivers, donating proceeds to Habitat for Humanity’s green building fund.   Last year we car-pooled down to the valley where we toured five structures in Visalia and one in Elderwood, donating proceeds to Tulare County Citizens for Responsible Growth.  That group will also be the recipient this year, when we will come home again to Three Rivers with five homes on the list.

For the 2009 Tour, the first home is a new construction, nearly completed as I write this.  The dwelling is small and efficient, with well insulated walls, ceilings and windows. The heated floor is plumbed for future conversion to solar heated water.   Solar panels are also planned to heat household water.  Built on acreage with an incredible view of the mountains and sky, the owner, Bill Becker, has set aside a prime spot for his telescope, as well as a spot for his famous highly efficient solar cooker.

The second home is the straw bale house we toured two years ago when it was under construction.  At that stage, it was roofed but unfinished, so that we could see the details of construction, even things such as the lovely faded blue color of the recycled jeans used for attic insulation.  Besides the extremely thick insulating walls, a large number of green ideas were being incorporated wherever possible,  from passive solar components to light tubes.  This year, tour guests will get to see how the house works as a finished dwelling for owners Hillary Dustin and Kay Woods.

In the Cherokee Oaks community, Tom and Lisa McGinnes will show their owner built Insulated Concrete Form home.  It uses exterior solar panels to heat the floor, and for other purposes.  They incorporated as many energy saving ideas into the home as possible from the ground up.

The last two homes are adobe.  Rick Badgley and Martha Widmann’s beautiful home is nestled in a cool and shady draw below the Catholic retreat complex.  The house is actually two buildings, the older original one and a second structure Rick added as a master bedroom and bath.  This one uses a different method of adobe construction, and Rick will show forms and explain how it is done.  A short distance away, Rick built a studio for Martha, who is a wonderful painter and graphic designer.  Rick is a skilled craftsman in the construction of fine furniture and cabinets.  He built his shop into the hillside above, where the earth insulates it from weather.  The domed roof is sod, and here again, Rick will explain construction methods.

The fifth house is the family home of Barbara Lahman, known for her lavender gardens.  Her grandfather, Jim Livingston, finished the original adobe structure in 1938 using a guide put out by the Department of Agriculture.  The walls are eighteen inches thick.  An eight foot deep porch fronts the sixty foot south face of the house.  The front door is hand hewn redwood, as are 4×4 beams and window frames.  Windows and doors allow for cross breezes, and movable wood shutters cover the windows.  The house was supplied with gravity flow water until 1999, and a well pump now pumps water into a rock walled covered reservoir.  The old windmill still stands.  She and her husband built a second home on the property where their daughter resides.

As it was last year, the tour is registered as part of the ASES National Solar tour, the largest grass roots solar energy event in America.  You can compare it to other such tours in California (we are one of only sixteen) by going to www.nationalsolartour.org.  Click on “find tours”, and then on California.

The donation is $15 per person, or $25 per couple. To register for the tour that starts at 12 noon, phone 559-561-4676.  For the one o’clock tour, phone 559-561-4149.   Participants should bring snacks and water.  We will meet for car pooling at Valley Oak Credit Union.

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Visit Mineral King on the next “free” weekend for Sequoia National Park

August 15 and 16 will be the last of three weekends this summer that the entrance fees for all National Parks are waived.

So……how about visiting a gem in the Sierras, the Mineral King valley in Sequoia National Park? The road to Mineral King is open seasonally, starting in late spring to early fall, so summer is a great time to visit this serene high mountain valley.

Mineral King valley from www.members.virtualtourist.com
Mineral King valley from http://www.members.virtualtourist.com

from the National Park Website: Mineral King Valley, an open glacial canyon hemmed in by the peaks of the Great Western Divide, has a special place in the hearts of many park visitors. Accessible only by a long, slow-going road, the valley is a place where nature, not man, dominates. This road to this area closes from November 1 to late May. Road is steep. RVs and trailers strongly discouraged. Read about day hikes in the higher elevations from Mineral King.

Wilderness designation heals wounds of Mineral King battle: In 1978, the U. S. Congress resolved the question by transferring the land to Sequoia National Park with the instruction that no skiing facilities would ever be constructed there…Now, decades later, Congress has again acted with regard to the management of the Mineral King area. This time it has decreed that the high bowl areas of the 1978 park addition that were once proposed for ski lifts should be designated as wilderness, a status that will preserve them forever as wild and undeveloped.  This new wilderness, created with the assistance of local Congressman Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, will be known as the John Krebs Wilderness.
read rest of article by Bill Tweed in Visalia Times Delta, July 25, 2009

images-4 images-1 images-6

from the blog editor, a Mineral King memory: It was late Spring in 1979 when I drove up the Mineral King road in my little red fiat, camera on the seat beside me, hoping to see wildflowers blooming.  In those days I used to call myself a photographer and during the years from 1977-78 I was graced to have known Gene Gray, a long time resident of Three Rivers and famous photographer in his own right, who loved to tell me how the old Mineral King stage road used to go right in front of his house, 40 years before the house was built.

On October 15, 1978, I came to visit Gene in the late afternoon, and I found him with a large bound document in his hand. With joy and awe infusing his words, he proudly proclaimed it was a copy of the Congressional Record of the bill that had put the Mineral King Valley under the care of the National Park Service.  He spent several hours that afternoon recalling the great debate and challenge to the proposed Disney ski resort.  I wish, with all my heart, that I had a tape recording of all that he said to me as I sat in his living room, with such a glorious view up the Kaweah River canyon to Alta Peak.  Later that evening, Gene died unexpectedly at the age of 72.

The next spring, there I was on another one of my solitary photo adventures I used to take often. (Note to self: how about doing this more often now?) Because the Park had taken over responsibility of Mineral King, I found my car blocked at a gate several miles outside the valley.  I am not sure now exactly where that gate was, but it had not been there before on other trips up the road.  Not knowing how far I was from the valley, but thinking it was not too far, I started walking. I was wearing canvas Ked sneakers (no hiking shoes in those days.)  It was early in the morning, sunny and green and beautiful.  I had seen no other cars on the road, and now walking, I saw no one else.  Soon I came upon some patches of snow on the road, and just walked around them on the dirt. I remember how warm the day was and how the snow seemed out of place.

As I walked higher and higher, more and more snow appeared and I had to make a decision.  I could see that the mouth of the valley was very near, but by then there was no escape from having to walk in the snow. My heart was set on being in that valley, and so I did not give up.  I walked on in, finally almost knee deep in snow, my feet freezing.  But I had seen a large rock coming up out of the snow to the left, and that became my goal.  I made it and thawed out both feet and wet shoes on the warm granite face.  I stayed there for quite some time.

It was a Sunday in that beautiful high mountain place.  I was the only living human as far as I could see.  Totally alone in Mineral King that day,  I experienced  a new sacredness.  No man-made church matched that mountain one.  It’s still there.

[Yes, I know it probably was not the wisest thing to do, to walk on like that all alone….]

Photo essay about Disney and Mineral King: see photos from 40 years ago Join Jim Hill & Nancy Stadler for a drive high, High, HIGH into the Sierra Nevadas to visit the exact spot where Walt Disney wanted to build a ski resort. Enjoy all of the beautiful scenery … but keep an eye out for marmots!

Walt Disney brings reporters to Mineral King in 1966.
Walt Disney brings reporters to Mineral King in 1966.

Earlier times visiting Mineral King in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s:
from mineralking.org Beginning in June until after the 4th of July celebrations in San Jaoquin Valley towns, men escorted their families up the Mineral road in “buggies”, on the horse drawn stage or in freight wagons, hauling all the staples needed for a two or three month stay in the mountains. The men might visit their families occasionally during the summer, but it was a long two day trip each way.  There were casual delivery and mail services by those who did go up the road but they were intermittent, so the responsibilities of Mineral King living lay almost entirely with the women.  They became a large, extended family, helping and caring for each other’s needs with a constant sharing of supplies with friends.

the Mineral King early 1900's, a two trip to get there
the Mineral King stage at the store early 1900's

An artist’s view of Mineral King: from the blog of Jana Botkin local artist, famous for her Mineral King drawings and paintings, and recent mural of Mineral King in Exeter, CA.

a working vacation, as you can see by all these little canvases drying on the back of the cabin
little canvases drying on the back of the cabin

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In your own words…

Many people visit Sequoia National Park every day from every part of the world.
Are you one of them? We’d love to hear your stories.

Some visitors write about their Park adventures online, sharing their travel stories on blogs and twitter. A blog (like this one) is a great way to journal and record your travels.

Here is a sample of recent postings….

randy1

from Randy Orrison from Keswick, England on his blog
Started around the Big Trees Trail, but turned back after seeing two bear cubs on the trail (but where was their mother?) Drove to General Sherman car park and walked down to see the largest tree in the world…Hiked up Moro Rock, drove through Tunnel Tree, and then Helen and I walked to Crescent Meadow with thunder rumbling. Saw another bear, and carried on to Tharpe Log, the summer home of Hale Tharpe, the discoverer of Giant Forest, from 1861 to 1890.


canopyfrom Andy Jarosz from St. Albans, England on his blog
The sheer size of these ancient giants was stunning. Healthy, growing trees that shot hundreds of feet upwards and created their own canopy in places. Some were upturned and had been carved into a road tunnel; others resembled hollowed chimneys, where lightning had destroyed their structure.


P1020339from Dan Wallach’s trip to Sequoia Park see more
With a weekend off during our Defense Science Study Group trip, Clancy and I resolved to go hiking, so we spent two days in Sequoia National Park (wherein I managed to get altitude sickness at 9000 ft.)

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One more month to see Sequoia exhibit at the Oakland Museum

SoaringSequoia_1 The Oakland Museum of California goes deep into the forest primeval to reveal the spectacular beauty of the Giant Sequoia, found nowhere on earth but California’s Sierra Nevada.

Future of Sequoias: Sustaining Parklands in the 21st Century (Feb 7–Aug 23, 2009) features photographs by Jeff Jones and prose by retired National Park Interpretative Ranger William C. Tweed, who share a deep respect and concern for the parks that harbor the magnificent trees.

The exhibition includes 24 color prints by Jones, a longtime naturalist who incorporates digital and technical means to create his panoramic images. Using a custom tripod and darkroom expertise, he carefully stitches together multiple exposures for a crisp, evenly lit scene. At the end of the exhibiton, relax in a park cabin and take a 360-degree digital tour of the parks.

Future of Sequoias: Sustaining Parklands in the 21st Century is generously supported by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board.

Photo: Soaring Sequoia ©Jeff Jones

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More writings from Three Rivers resident, William Tweed…

61HkPdMk8ML._SL500_AA240_Sequoia and Kings Canyon: The Story Behind the Scenery
This is the realm of the giant sequoias, the largest living things on earth, the magnet that cause these two national parks to be set aside a century ago. From sequoia botany to the geology, history and wildlife of both parks, this book covers it all.

The author, William C. Tweed, is a retired  career professional of the National Park Service, who received his doctorate in history from Texas Christian University. He spent more than 25 years exploring Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Captions are by Malinee Crapsey, who joined the National Park Service in 1985.

You can read the online book Challenge of the Big Trees by Lary M. Dilsaver and William C. Tweed from the National Park Service.

From the forward by William  Penn Mott, JR., former director of the National Park Service, “Challenge of the Big Trees tells of the changes I have seen and more. It is a story of how the dedication and sustained effort of a small group of interested citizens awakened the consciousness of the American people and their government. As a result, the Sierra’s giant sequoias and wonderful high country were saved from selfish destruction. In my lifetime of park work I have witnessed many similar stories; people do make a difference.

The story of Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks is also a fascinating bit of history. The authors detail not only how the parks came to exist, but also how the parks were repeatedly threatened with over-development, and how they were fortunate enough to ward off those threats. Again the critical efforts of a few key persons made all the difference. All too often national park histories tend to end with the creation of the parks. Challenge of the Big Trees avoids this weakness and explores in substantial detail the critical actions that made the two parks what they are today.

cover

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Thinking on Social Media and Living the Village Life

Living in a small town can feel a bit out of touch sometimes.  Also, visiting a small town can be a disconcerting experience.  I often have discussions with my bed and breakfast guests, who having arrived here from a very busy urban lifestyle, invariably ask me “What do you do here?”

This is a complex question to answer, as what I do here depends on the moment.  Something I do all through my day is just look at the mountains and the trees that surround my home.  Just a little while ago, I went outside to take the crisp, clean sheets off the clothesline and noticed that the world here was intensely quiet.  No birds chirping, except for one feisty hummingbird in the distance.  The sky was dusky with trailing storm clouds coming down from the high Sierra mountaintops (alas, no actual precipitation here.)  I just stood on the deck, with sheets folded over my arm, and listened to the stillness.

If the temperature of the outside air had not been so warm, I would have brought this laptop outside to do what it is that I do in other moments of my daily life–interact with the social media world of the internet.

Thanks to satellites in the earth’s orbit, which allow for a relatively fast internet connection, and the wonder of the Apple “airport” wireless router which graces both me and my bed and breakfast guests with an invisible connection to the world from a laptop, I am living my village life connected to the rest of the planet.  This blog and a few others are part of this creative exercise.  (And, of course, there is twitter.)

And so I decided to do some online sleuthing to see who else was writing about our little neck of the planetary woods, and found others writing about big trees and hanging out in Sequoia Park.  A search for the words “Sequoia Park” among WordPress blogs alone, showed numerous postings over the last week.

Here are some of the gleanings….

Kaleidospopic Wandering, a blog by freelance writer, Joanna Haugen, tells about how “National Parks have a way of keeping humans’ egos in check. Sometimes it’s the force of a mighty river that would take a person down instantaneously. Occasionally sheer mountain cliffs bring us down to size. There are the large, expansive meadows which go on for miles and miles and miles, reminding us how small we are in grand scheme of nature.”

On her Sierra Nevada Ramblings blog, Zhakie, describes a return visit to the Trail of a Hundrend Giants, “The rewards of taking such a drive are pretty amazing, with huge trees of such immense proportions and deep red color as to take the breath away. No matter how many times I have walked amidst a grove of these giants, their size and beauty still capture my attention and I return over and over again.”

A blogger named Susan, at Nimmo’s Blog-A simple girl with a dream, describes how a visit to see the Giant Sequoias, got her thinking about the world of marketing in a new way, “I’m saying that the mighty sequoia can teach us something about differentiating ourselves in the marketplace. If you’re unique, unlike other trees if you will, you’ll virtually eliminate the competition that competes for the same dollars and attention that you do.”

And conservation biologist, Dr. Reese Halter, writes about the giant trees on his Dr.Reese Blog, “Of 80,000 different kinds of trees on our planet there can only be one king of the race. The Sequoias of the Sierra Nevada’s hold that undisputed title. It is fitting that the largest trees in the world – Sequoias or as they are affectionately called  “Big Trees” – live on the spectacular snowy mountains or backbone of California. On the west side at the elevation of between 6,400 and 7,200 feet above sea level 18 feet of snow fall each year. And incidentally, it’s this snow which sustains most of our 38 million inhabitants, millions of tourists each year and the eighth mightiest economy on the globe.”

The twitter connections…

twitterheader3_bigger @SequoiaNatPark tweeting for the village

sequoria_bigger @SequoiaKingsNPS official twitter site for Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks

Copy_of_DSCN0685_bigger @zhakie Sierra Nevada Ramblings

Reese_Halter_bigger @_DrReese Dr.Reese’s Blog

TKC_bear_bigger @3rnews local newspaper, The Kaweah Commonwealth

twitterbutterflyman_bigger @art_talk voice for the Three Rivers Artists’ Studio Tour

See you on the trails or the satellite waves….. Elsah (a resident of the village of Three Rivers, California, since 1977, who first came here as a child in the 1950’s)

PS……..Do you have a story about living, long-term or short-term, in Three Rivers?

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More star-gazing in the summer night skies

Sponsored by the Sequoia Natural History Association…..

Friday, August 14 from 8:30 to 10 pm Join us to watch the Perseid Meteor Showers from the middle of Lake Kaweah near Three Rivers, California. Jupiter will be in opposition which is the best time to view the King Planet and its moons. This is a special floating astronomy trip in celebration of the International Year of Astronomy*. Cost is $20 for adults and childdren. Call 559-561-4251 to reserve a space.

Wednesday, August 19 from 8-9 pm “Splendors in the Night Sky”
Join photographer, Wally Pacholka, on a celestial visual tour of our National Parks via his dazzling night sky images! Learn how he is able to capture his beautiful photographs and ask questions that may aid you in creating your own.  Program will be held at Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park. Tickets are $10/adult and $5/child, available at Wucksachi Lodge or by calling 550-561-4070.

Twin Lakes with the Milky Way and Jupiter
Twin Lakes with the Milky Way and Jupiter
Haleakala Galactic Rainbow Panorama Haleakala Galactic Rainbow Panorama
Haleakala Galactic Rainbow Panorama

Images © Wally Pacholka, prints for sale at www.astropics.com
Single exposure photographs, no photoshop used here.
His current project is blazing around the West’s bevy of beautiful national parks
for some late-night sky collaborations with the stars.  When people ask if these images are really, Wally answers, “Just tell them NASA has published 33 of my images which they can see on any search engine.” (use these search terms APOD, Pacholka)

*The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) is a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture and marks the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei.  The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme “The Universe, Yours to Discover”.  IYA2009 events and activities will promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody an invaluable shared resource for all nations.

moonlanding09

Google is honoring today’s 40 year remembering
of first human feet on moon surface with this image.

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