S4

There is something very peculiar going on with map presentation on the CSD website.  But why?

My best to you and yours, Lew

S3

Finally got the chainsaws started yesterday and put a dent in the proposed projects.  Hope they’ll start today.

Here are some “still frame highlights” of S3 to “bait” you into viewing more…..lol

This insignificant “nose scratch” was helpful in synchronizing the two camera recording angles.   Does any viewer recall the Seinfeld episode where Jerry was scratching his nose in a taxi and a woman he was going out with was in a vehicle next to his at a stop light and became quite upset believing Jerry was “picking his nose” in public?   Perspective is everything.  lol

(Below) You know the routine….the old “bait and switch” process.  [Or in traditional street drug terms:  “the first one is free but the rest will cost you”?]  How certain contractors will begin work under an agreed upon “bait price” yet once totally involved in our district business to the point of no return and we are essentially “hooked” on their services – SURPRISE! another more expensive reimbursement plan is suddenly unveiled and established due to “unforeseen complications”.  And the typical response?   “Golly Gosh,….we’ve gone this far with them – maybe continuing forward with the new price is better that starting from scratch with another unknown company and risking the same thing happening again?”   Wait a minute here…… come to think of it…..didn’t the same thing happen with Pete’s KAMPA COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS llc original proposal?

 OK – here’s the S3 video installment –

My best to you and yours, Lew

S2

TODAY’S MEMORY TRICK:     

“GSFFTPSILDOTMIDPOUFMRWPWL11395ALWWTDHOSFI1980”

Much clearer video despite being a bit further away huh?   Audio gets a little iffy at times but if necessary (anything truly worth hearing) I might be able  to synchronize the stand alone audio recording with the meeting video? (….that has potential entertainment value for future endeavors….{sinister laughter in background}.).   Facial expressions are lost as well, but again, if something really fascinating or atypical happens I could probably insert another camera perspective (might be trouble with the different formats…really don’t know yet).   I believe these first couple of offerings went faster even though longer in length.  We’ll see as we go along.

I just cannot continue to spend so much time on each meeting – usually finishing the prior month’s meeting only a week or so before the next – that’s no way to live…. suffering through and reliving every moment of how our LOCAL PUBLIC AGENCY IS BEING INCREMENTALLY SOLD TO PRIVATE CONCERNS ONE PIECE AT A TIME – only to finish that meeting report just before the next monthly meeting production by the CSD.   Don’t misunderstand.  I believe heart and mind that what is being done is absolutely wrong and unethical on a number of levels – primarily forcing the MR WECS of the subdivision  to subsidize special benefit GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION service for properties outside the subdivision, which are therefore also outside the permitted PLACE OF USE for MERCED RIVER WATER per the water license…..

This all sounds familiar doesn’t it?   Like a perpetual broken record – or skipping CD –whatever – REPETITIVE!

Squeaky hinges get oil.

BUT……. I HAVE WORK TO DO!  I have dead trees I need to fall for firewood this winter, and rodent riddled irrigation lines to repair so….we’ll try this new process for a while.  The longer uploads also provide sufficient time to get some of the other stuff done while simultaneously providing longer meeting presentations.  (boo hoo hoo poor Lewie doesn’t have enough time to do what he wants…..ahhhhh.  Pitiful isn’t it?  Just plain pitiful.   But what about US VIEWERS?   VIEWERS HAVE TO TOLERATED THIS STUFF FOR EVEN LONGER PERIODS OF TIME AS WELL!)

yes, life can be so bitterly unfair —lol.

                                                  S2POSTSCRIPT.

So far – so good with the new camera.

So our water company is down to only one employee in operations?  We must now contract with third parties to run our own treatment plant and distribution operations – yet none of these (and other) horrible consequences are management’s doing?

Yes, absolutely I have compassion for Pete Kampa and what he must deal with but, at the same time am very cognizant this entire nightmare was brought about by one very clear and easily understood point:

Our surface water treatment plant (SWTP) was intentionally being turned into a GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION FACILITY FOR THIRD PARTY SPECIAL INTEREST LAND DEVELOPERS OUTSIDE THE MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT PLACE OF USE FOR MERCED RIVER WATER PER WATER LICENSE 11395 A LICENSE WITH WHICH THIS DISTRICT HAS OPERATED SINCE FORMATION IN 1980.)

it’s not that confusing….here’s an easy trick to remember the point:

Our

“SWTP”

is being changed into a

“GSFFTPSILDOTMIDPOUFMRWPWL11395ALWWTDHOSFI1980”.

(You know, little memory tricks like the one above will certainly help me recall things as I get older!)

My best to you and yours, Lew

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Yes, I’m joking.

but I’d still like to buy a vowel for $25 to solve the …..

S1 Here we go again….but with a great improvement – I hope.  New camera for a wide angle view of the whole meeting room!  Editing is going to be a little different at first due to the HD format – longer uploading again….but I might be able to change that with editing in the next offering…..S2.  I think this new format will work better for everyone involved, yeah?   Later, Lew

My best to you and  yours, Lew

Yup, thought there was something vaguely familiar about the LDPCSD Board Meeting date this month.

~

HAPPY 21^st ANNIVERSARY

“SNEAKY PETE”

KAMPA!

On your original MIDPOU LIE

along with all its

continuing manifestations 21 years later!

(September 18th, 1996 – September 18th, 2017)

(In “sneaky’s” own words)

“At this time, and in the foreseeable future, LDPCSD’s only public service is the provision of water to residents of the subdivision” 

Pete Kampa

(Quoted from Kampa’s 1996 letter to Tuolumne County Planning)

???

Think about that for a moment …..

“only public service is the provision of water to residents of the subdivision”

So – provision of water to other people, animals, crops, (or for other purposes)

  outside the residential subdivision (permitted under water license)

must be some form of

PRIVATE WATER SERVICE

by a

PUBLIC AGENCY,

right?

(Gee thanks Pete, you were able to accurately characterize that major defining aspect of Outside MIDPOU water service 21 years ago without even trying!)

LINK TO OLD POST BELOW

WAS A LIE BACK THEN & STILL WOULD BE TODAY

My best to you and yours, Lew

My best to you and yours, Lew

Just saw this…..

Here’s a myMotherLode news article on the recent lightning storms in the area:

<New Lightning Fires in Yosemite National Park>

Dangerous – but quite a light show by “Mother Nature”!

My best to you and yours, Lew

When the dog alerted me to this situation I wasn’t prepared for what I was going to discover.  Didn’t know they did this.

Yes, still playing with the editing.  Silly in respects but I learn something every time.

My best to you and yours, Lew

“PUPPY ON A FENCE POST”

Hubble telescope image of the Eagle Nebula.

________________

Certainly wasn’t planning on doing this again but while walking around to the front of the house last night I saw a beautiful bolt of branch lightning to the north low on the horizon ….quick, where’s the tripod? By the time I got set up the “big stuff” had already occurred. Oh well, snagged a couple of interesting shots. Speaking of which….two rattlesnakes, 6 buttons each within 20 feet of each other and waaaaaay to close to my dog. Life is strange. I’m currently at war with rodents yet dispatch two rodent eaters? Enemy of my enemy is my friend?  Not quite.

Even though we get the canine rattlesnake vaccination every year I do not want to test the adequacy of that precaution by permitting known dangerous reptiles to take up residency.  You know how it happens….a dog will instinctively stick that nose out there to get a better sniff and POW! they’ll get hit right on the snout! Nope, hate to do it but I draw the line at venomous snakes hanging around the house. Sure was a great night considering what could have happened tromping around out there. Didn’t even have my boots on either…..open sandals! (You know how that happens as well…. stupid people walking around rattlesnake country at night with sandals on! Sure could make for a painful fat foot!)

Anyway, didn’t get any really exciting images but I am still amazed at what the human eye misses and the camera can catch.

My best to you and yours, Lew

No, I really don’t know why I take the time for this sort of stuff.  Guess because the lightning was there?  Perhaps hoping some day to snag that “once in a lifetime shot”?  Kind of like the lotto I guess, chances of winning are astronomically slim, however, completely nonexistent if you don’t try – right?

The time exposures are cool because once started I can leave for a bit – a minute or two depending upon lighting (to obtain another necessary adult beverage of course) and upon returning can see on the camera monitor if anything good “flashed by” while absent.  Video, however, requires watching continuously to see if anything good occurs or completely watching it later when editing.  Instantly knowing it was worthless video is good because I can delete the file on the spot.

Still rather amazing how just a seemingly insignificant flash of light with the naked eye can turn out to be a rather elaborate discharge of electricity when slowed down for viewing (or when a time exposure is utilized).  Can you imagine how much power is in one of those bolts if we could only secure it for domestic use?  Capture, store, regulate….. sounds like water huh? Anyway, since I already took the time to capture our little light show last night, thought I would share what I had.   Unfortunately no “once in a lifetime keepers”.   Kind of disappointing in a way as the battery was failing just as things were getting interesting.  Why have an extra battery if you don’t keep it charged dumb ass?  Hee haw….forgot I guess.  Charging now, wouldn’t you know.

Funny.. point the camera in an anticipated lightning area but it occurs in the other direction, still you wait.  Nothing.  (You already know, right?)  Finally, with nothing happening for some time – move the camera to the “active area” – then a great show where the camera had been.  Hit and miss.   Think I mentioned this once before….I had the telescope set up once and was taking images of the moon and just missed an aircraft passing in the foreground!  DARN DARN DARN….missed by only seconds!  That would have been a keeper for sure….big fat full moon with an airliner passing by….so darn close.

The little bit of rain was nice…but those lightning originated fires are quite common and always worrisome….hope we escaped any more.  Seemed to clear the smoke out of the air for a little while – much of it back this morning.

Well, need to get back outside and do some work ….maybe I’ll find a talking Vole to interview about all the destruction he and his extended family are doing?  Yes indeed, the rodent war is continuing with some excellent allied assistance from the “air force Owls”.   Humm, there we go…….the souvenir department is right over here…. there we are,…… <insert dream like sequence>

“…perhaps I might interest a few of you in one or two of these “Owl Pellet Collectibles from Lake Don Pedro”?    As you can see, these particular specimens are exceptionally exquisite – not only due to traditional dietary composition and consistently unique form, but they are quite valuable in another aspect –  apparently they were struck with multiple lightning bolts in the exact same spot Monday evening, 9-11-2017, right here in LDP during a passing T-Storm to the south!  Incredible eh?   Cash or charge?

Would you like those gift wrapped with a card?”    lol 

later, Lew