Page 45 - Sonoma County Gazette - June 2018

BODEGA BAY cont’d from page 44
A Guide to the Night Sky
June 2018
They certainly don’t want “things” and giving them money is not very satisfying to the donor. When these young people have managed to juggle school demands, social demands, and still pay the lightbill, you have to acknowledge that theirs is an incredible achievement. Many of them have used athletics to get through (my grandkids are dedicated water polo players and have parlayed this accomplishment into an undergraduate degree. They are starting a new chapter in their lives and whatever we can do to encourage them is hard to figure out.
Mothers’ Day came and went. Many of us weren’t lucky enough to see our kids, but fortunately even klutzes like me can text and make contact. As I remind them, we did the best we knew how..and most of us are pretty happy with the result. Enjoy any contact you have, and don’t forget to tell them “I love you.”
By Tre Gibbs, L.A.A.S.
Go for a walk, watch the hummingbirds coming back and most of all, Pray for Peace.
Deeply rooted in our minds and hearts is the comfort of a
bonfire. It brings out all what came before us and creates thoughts and visions of what lies ahead. I for one can gaze into a campfire for hours. Camping and sitting around the warmth of that campfire with friends and/ or family ties us together. To share stories. To tell ‘Tall Tales”. To sing. To create your own fire dance.
It’s June! That means time for our annual Summer Solstice, which marks the beginning of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Let’s dive a little deeper into this amazing yet relatively common event...
Earth spins on it’s axis—one complete turn takes approximately 24 hours, what we call “a day”. This axis just happens to be tilted, coincidentally about 24 degrees (makes it easy to remember). Earth also orbits it’s nearest star, the Sun. As the tilted Earth orbits the sun, there are times when the top half of Earth (the northern hemisphere) is leaning away from the Sun while the bottom half (the southern hemisphere) is leaning towards the sun. Conversely, there will
be a time - 6 months later - when Earth will be in a place in it’s orbit where
the bottom half will be leaning away from the Sun, while the top half will be leaning towards the Sun.
I used to pack up the boys and a few necessities and go camping locally even though we lived in the country. We felt like we entered another time zone when we set camp. We focused on each other, played games, and of course sat around the fire. I know, most of you that read my column live in the country with a nice warm bed. So why would you leave the comfort in the countryside for a camp bed? But why not give it a try for a weekend. I promise you will love it, it’s easy packing unlike our long road trips, and creates a simple day of being in our lovely nature. Water the garden good in the morning, drive the 20 minutes to get into a peaceful mindset (freedom), set camp, and relax. Many campgrounds offer talks, hikes, and kid friendly programs too.
Earth-lighting-summer-solstice @ Wikipedia
June 21st at 3:07
am will be this time. While most of us don’t have the resources to travel long distances out into space and witness this event for ourselves, it definitely translates visually down here on Earth. For example, at dawn on June 21st, the Sun will rise at its furthest northern point on
the eastern horizon. During the day, the
The Reef Campground is a gem being small and cozy (although I heard
it was closed so check the website or call 707-847-3286 for more info). parks. ca.gov/?page_id=28387 .It is first come first served so get there early or call for updates.
Sun’s path will also be at it’s northernmost path or highest in the sky, and at sunset, the Sun will set at it’s most northern point on the western horizon. Keep in mind that the Sun has been gradually moving northward since The Winter Solstice and, after June 21st, will reverse direction - but this is a gradual transition. As the Sun gets closer to it’s most northern point, it’s movement begins to slow down and from our vantage point, appears to stop or “stand still” before turning around and heading south again. The word “solstice” is derived from the Latin sol (“sun”) and sistere (“to stand still”). From this point on, the days gradually begin to get shorter, becoming somewhat noticeable near the end of July/beginning of August.
Salt Point State Park has many campsites on the ocean and inland side. Miles and miles of hiking and often excellent State Park interpretive staff leading programs. Stillwater County Campground and Gualala Point
Park are county parks and will require reservations parks.sonomacounty. ca.gov/Visit/Gualala-Point-Regional-Park/. They too often have educational programs. Please visit the web for all the details.
Gualala Redwood Campground is a really fun family oriented place along the river for summer time swimming and ocean beach access. gualalapark. com/. They have numerous activities including ping pong tables, campfire programs, and kayak rentals from Adventure Rents adventurerents.com/.
June’s Full Moon is known as The Strawberry Moon, since this moon signaled the time when Algonquin tribes would gather ripening strawberries and other fruit. This year, the Full Strawberry Moon happens at 9:54 pm and June 27th. Another interesting happening is that the full moon rises and travels the sky with the mighty Saturn! Look for Saturn, appearing as a rather average looking, non-twinkling star just to the lower right of the full moon - on this night only.
Have a great month—and take some time to pause and look up. There’s an incredible show going on overhead each & every night.
Further north is Anchor Bay Campground where I often took the boys. There is a little creek along the Campground they loved playing in. They have showers and often evening activities. Visit them at abcamp.com/.
Early in the month, on June 3rd, the moon will rise with the planet Mars (both in Capricornus The Sea Goat), but not until 1:00 am. Jupiter (in Libra The Scales) is high in the southeast at sunset early on in the month, while Saturn (in Sagittarius) rises around 11:00 pm. Mid month - June 17th - try to find an extremely thin crescent moon to the left of planet Venus, both just above the western horizon. By month’s end though, Jupiter will have moved westward and appears high in the south at sunset, Saturn rises around 9:00 pm and Mars appears above the eastern horizon just prior to midnight.
For other staycation activities on our coast try a movie at the Point Arena Theater, dinner beforehand at Chowder House, visiting the many shops at the pier and after the movie a visit to 215 Main Street for a nightcap and music. So you see, there is a vacation feel to even our local spirit.
Another new event that just came in is a part of the “Walk and Talk” series on June 3rd. Hank Birnbaum, guide at Fort Ross, will discuss the Russian presence along our coast. Meet at the schoolhouse at Bodega Pastures for
the Talk, then move on to explore the site of the former Khlebnikov Ranch
on Salmon Creek. This is south of Jenner area but a part of our overall local history.
Enjoy! Blessings to you all.
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