A spit of sunbaked sand far out in the Pacific Ocean reveals much of what is wrong about the world. But heartbreak and hope keep close company on Midway Atoll. Some see this remote, tiny chain of volcanic islands as godforsaken, haunted by the specter of war, a vivid case study in mankind's destruction of the planet. Pacific Grove's Jan Loomis prefers a more determined … [Read more...] about Restoring Nature Piece by Piece
Travel
Sixty Years of Cannery Row’s Developing Renaissance
Monterey Transformed from Sardines to Civility
Sitting at a polished boardroom table next to Ted Balestreri, chairman and CEO of Monterey's Cannery Row Company, it's easy to picture the popular waterfront area that he was instrumental in developing which is now bustling with shops, restaurants, hotels and the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. What is harder to imagine is the rundown state of Cannery Row 60 years ago, with … [Read more...] about Sixty Years of Cannery Row’s Developing Renaissance
Basking in the Glow of Prosperity
Carmel Valley's Eclectic Charm
Oxford Dictionaries defines the noun "valley" as "a low area of land between hills or mountains, typically with a stream or river flowing through it." Seems straightforward enough. But choose 10 Carmel Valley residents or business owners at random and ask them what constitutes that region of Monterey County and you'll likely hear 10 different answers. Some believe the … [Read more...] about Basking in the Glow of Prosperity
A Commitment to the Coast
The Point Lobos Foundation Supports a Popular Park
In 1981, during his first year as a volunteer docent at Carmel's Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Reid Woodward stationed himself near China Cove with a spotting scope. As visitors took their turns surveying the scene, Woodward noticed a sea otter swimming along a mossy stone. She circled the area for an unusually long time, and then eventually climbed atop the rock and gave … [Read more...] about A Commitment to the Coast
Silver Linings
Big Sur Rebounds After Fire and Flood
Where there blessings—disguised or otherwise—following the wrath that nature unleashed on Big Sur last winter? Could someone really find silver linings in those dark clouds that dumped torrents of rain and misery on a close-knit community? Given the sheer destruction, the turmoil, the unemployment, the personal hardships, the beleaguered businesses and economic losses, it's … [Read more...] about Silver Linings