Caged Slumber at IZA

Next to Santa Ynez Airport, a stately oak slumbers behind a fence in January.

cagedslumberizaDownload

SV Well Aerial Pix

It happened that we got these two views of the SV well on a recent flight. To me they demonstrate the heroic work being done to preserve and protect our well while future improvements and alternatives are being studied.

SV Pump System

SV Holding Ponds

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Flood Channel

Here are some aerial views taken 2/18 after the heavy rain, of the flood channels that run through SVMHP down into Arroyo Burro Creek. First is a look at the inlet  (bottom of pic, just right of center) to the box culvert that runs under Foothill at Hwy.154. Note that the top of the pic is toward the Southeast, unlike the gMaps image at the bottom of this post.

5603 Inlet to Box Culvert

Next an overview, with the inlet at the bottom near the left corner and the new Sansum clinic at the top-left.

5605 Inlet Bottom-Left

Below is a look at the wide grass channel it opens into (bottom-left), that runs across SVMHP into Rancho SB golf course.

5607 Channel & Bridges

There’s another storm water inlet (right of center, beneath trees & shrubs), to a culvert pipe that runs under Cathedral Oaks from the Northeast intersection with Via Chaparral across from the SVMHP back gate. It comes out on the corner of SVMHP near the bend of Stage Coach into Indian Wells, and joins with our larger channel on the Rancho golf course.

5609 Rancho SB Culvert Inlet

When we feared flooding last year, the County cleaned debris from both of these two inlets at our request, so they wouldn’t flood across Foothill / Cathedral Oaks thus limiting our access and emergency exit routes. Lastly, here’s a look more toward the East, at the Rancho SB golf course where these two storm channels join.

5620 Rancho SB Drainage

The footbridge near the top-left is where our channel enters Rancho, with SVMHP homes on Gatehouse across the top. Here’s a link to a satellite view on gMaps: https://goo.gl/maps/QeJxhmeCVo32

Below is a gMaps screen capture of this area (North at the top) from drought times back when Sansum was being built, with a pin about where our box culvert inlet is, next to the electrical substation.

SVMHP Storm Channel

Eclipse vs Sunset

So yesterday (9/27/15) Mom and I drove up nearby Via Chaparral to Salvar Rd Bridge for the rare lunar eclipse.  While watching and waiting for the moon to make it up past the fog, we turned around and saw this.

We finally saw the eclipse, but I was so glad that while we were waiting we didn’t miss the beauty that surrounds us!