Robert Caruso

Loo with a View

Robert.Caruso — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:51:55 +0000

Not a lot of privacy but it beats the view from my bathroom!

North River Landing construction site, Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma, CA

Petaluma Wild Places

Robert.Caruso — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 05:09:18 +0000

The most easily viewed wild place in Petaluma I can think of is the river bank in front of Dempsey’s. Visible from the deck at the Apple Box, the bank slopes down to the river where a thin ribbon of reeds provides an ideal spot for egrets and herons to hunt. At night, nesting herons decorate the redwoods like ornaments on giant Christmas trees. Unfortunately, this little piece of Petaluma’s wild present is an eyesore. The bank is littered with chunks of exposed concrete, electrical conduit juts out into space and a long-withered stump rises above the bank. It’s sad to see such a highly visible spot in the middle of downtown look so down trodden.

Redwood Grove

Robert.Caruso — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:14:03 +0000

I shot these photos this morning on a walk downtown. The sun was rising into a pale, clear, blue sky, casting long shafts of light at the base of these redwood trees in Penry Park. The combination of redwood in red light caught my eye.

Rainy Day Walk: Steamer Landing Park

Robert.Caruso — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:23:31 +0000

If you know where to look, you can find wild places in Petaluma. One of the best is Steamer Landing Park. The park is on the edge of downtown just across the D Street Bridge on a small piece of land called McNear’s Peninsula. It’s a little finger untamed land in the middle of the Petaluma River and a great place to take a walk on a rainy day. If you haven’t been to Steamer Landing, you are in for a treat when you visit!

Going, going, …

Robert.Caruso — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:15:25 +0000

Petaluma is losing a piece (or several pieces) of its history on Petaluma Blvd. North. If you know any of the history of this building, I’d love to hear about it!

Gifts of the Magi

Robert.Caruso — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:09:47 +0000

Yesterday was the feast of the Epiphany, the day the three kings presented their gifts to Jesus. They set out to find Jesus to give honor and praise to Him who had come to fulfill the prophecies. The gifts they brought were only one of the ways in which the kings meant to honor Jesus.

The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas time comes from the example of the three kings. If the Wise Men had not brought gifts to Jesus, the tradition of gift giving at Christmas time may never have started. If the Kings had not brought Jesus gifts that first Christmas, we might celebrate Christmas in a more spiritual, less materialistic manner. The next time you are waiting in a long line to buy a Christmas present or stressing out over how to pay for everything, blame it on the Magi.

Or perhaps change the way you celebrate the coming of Christ.

Celebrate next Christmas quietly as the three kings did. Put the worship of Jesus at the center of the celebration. Focus on the mystery of Jesus taking on a human form. Honor Jesus and return the giving of gifts to its original place as but one way to celebrate the coming of Christ.

Merry Christmas

Robert.Caruso — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 00:59:54 +0000

My wife and I decided that instead of buying each other presents for Christmas, we would take the money and buy food for two families here in town. We got the addresses of a single mom and her daughter and a single dad and his daughter, left the groceries we bought on their doorsteps, rang the bells and then ran back to the getaway car before we could be seen.

I don’t know anyone who thinks the commercialization Christmas is a good thing. We have the power to de-commercialize Christmas. If we give gifts in the spirit that prompted the Wise Men to bring gifts to Jesus, we would do just that!

Merry Christmas to all. Peace on earth in 2012.

Happy Solstice!

Robert.Caruso — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:49:11 +0000

As astronomers would say (and the Beatles too), here comes the sun.

Or as Christians would say, here comes the Son.

Whatever your point of view, happy winter solstice.

I hope you enjoy the extra daylight!

Topsy-turvy world

Robert.Caruso — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:18:15 +0000

Here is a quote about honey bees from today’s paper:

“It’s actually better for a bee in an urban setting than in the country. Cities have more plant diversity that blooms year-round, constant water sources from sprinklers, fewer bees per acre to cut down on competition and less exposure to agricultural pesticides.” Kim Flottum, Editor Bee Culture magazine.

How ya gonna keep ‘em down on the farm?

Eating soup

Robert.Caruso — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:52:53 +0000

CA Senator Leland Yee presented a fine figure yesterday, enjoying shark fin soup while lobbying against AB 376, a bill banning the sale and distribution of shark fins in California. I wonder if Senator Yee thinks about the terrible deaths countless sharks die each year so he can eat soup made from their severed fins and tails.

To make shark fin soup, sharks have their fins and tails cut off; then they are thrown back into the ocean. A shark with its fins and tail cut off can’t swim. It sinks to the bottom of the ocean where, if it doesn’t die of its injuries, it will die of starvation. It is doomed to die a cruel, painful death. Why? So Senator Yee and others can eat soup.

A shark with its fins and tail cut off is not unlike a man who has his hands and feet cut off and is then thrown into the ocean. I wonder if Senator Yee thinks of this when he enjoys shark fin soup.

They may only be sharks, but people who eat shark fin soup contribute to mass murder on an unimaginable scale. Why? So they can eat soup.