Say what I want...mean what I say...

This is my site, right? So I can say what I want, but I should mean what I say. Well, I just finished a film that helped crystallize my feelings on the Destination Resort efforts in and around the Metolius Basin.

We DON'T need or want another Black Butte or Sun River (or, paste name here____________) in West Central Oregon. Water resources are too scare.

I'm tired of hearing that a site situated up on Green Ridge won't disturb the flow of water in the Metolius/Deschutes watershed. LIES! For in this case those that have the money want to have more; that's the motivation and the nature of the species. It's NOT because we need another one or two golf courses pulling water for no other reason then to keep grass green for a VERY few to enjoy; we don't NEED that. That's it....end of story.

The amount of water needed to hydrate 18 holes of golf is obscene. Water in the near future...I say in OUR lifetime...will become so precious that this use will seem absurdly wasteful. Run off into the aquafir from fertilization and pest control to maintain a 'garden' on Green Ridge will poison nature.

Oh, I'm an extremist, you say? NO, a realist, says I. There are too many examples of this happening to ignore it. Bottom line, greed corrupts. Do you think corporations have your best interests at heart?

The water in the Basin....OUR Basin MUST be protected. It's a sacred trust. That which flows freely can't be owned and we shouldn't allow that it be bought, stolen or polluted.

Be vigilalent and when you see a hearing on this issue, or other clean water issues, pay attention and be ready to act. Write letters, attend meetins. Once a water resource is depleted their is no restoring it. The Metolius River is one of Oregon's truely special treasures. We MUST protect it.

But hey, I could be wrong....

I think I saw a Comment go by.....

Some of my no-nonsense readers have been so kind as to speak up and say that this blogging thing is cool, 'But how do I leave a comment!' Well to me it all seemed so intuitive and easy. Then I tried again tonight and now I feel your pain. 

To post a comment at the end of an article look for the small selectable print that says Comment . Click it to open a new window. There will be a spot at the lower right to click 'Anonymous'; after selecting that you can fill in your comment. Be cordial and friendly, but brutally honest. And type in your name or whatever nick name you like, so I know which voodoo doll to stick pins in.

Winter Settles In...

It's cold up there on the river...Colder than a well digger's .... well, you get my drift. It's damned cold.

But that's as it should be, right? It's winter in the Cascades, and on the east side the pines will soon have their periodic dusting of snow. The visitors to the Basin will be few and far between, so the locals finally have it all largely to themselves.

The locals...huh...we that have been going up there 20 years or more kind of think WE are locals, still...it's 1st in our hearts and a second home for a large number of us. We could not love it any more were we there year round. We ARE Camp Sherman-tonians, or whatever; and we hold our breath till we can return for spring-summer-fall.

Pull over....you're under arrest!

If you've ever approached Camp Sherman at more than 20 MPH then you've probably met Sheriff Dave. Dave has been known to give pre-teen Bicyclers a warning for riding without helmets (with his hand on his holster...for effect), all in an effort to keep our special basin free of 'lawlessness'.

God Bless you Dave...but I'm the real offender. It's been a year since my last post here and I should be arrested. In fact, you'd think I HAD been locked up all this time for failure to post...a blogger capital crime. What can I say? Life gets in the way...reading other peoples' blogs gets in the way. So much to do, so little time.

Well...the cabin is locked up for the winter...which doesn't mean we CAN'T return before spring...it just makes it a little harder. I hate missing snow fall on the Metolius, the fog lifting off the river...and how much like daylight it is when the snow blanket is down and the moon is full; it's better than daylight.

I hold that place in my head and in my heart when I can't be there. Do you have a place like that, constant reader?