Recently I took a road trip to see some of our great country. The SawtoothMountains in Idaho, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in Wyoming have been on my bucket list to visit for a long time. In addition to the amazing places I visited and the buffalo, elk and bald eagles that I got to see up close and personal, I was able to take a look at passing gardens of people who live in harsh climates and get some tips on plants that survive and thrive in these conditions. If you are looking for tougher plants for your own garden to add this fall planting season here are some ideas.

The big, and we mean really BIG, winner at the Santa Cruz County Fair was a 1300 lb. steer which won “Grand Champion Market Steer (beef cattle)” shown by Quail Creek 4-H member Steven Katawicz. (See photo on page 1.)

San Lorenzo Valley High School principal, Karen van Putten, announced that Katie Maxwell and Sage Pell have been named Commended Students in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. A letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) which conducts the program, will be presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.

San LorenzoValley children are getting the chance to be creative while helping bring awareness to the San LorenzoValley air quality issues created largely by wood burning smoke heating during the winter.

Some people seem to be born lucky. Naomi Lyall is one of those included in this group.

If you have the desire to see Alaska or revisit it and have not been to Yakutat, it may need to climb the ranks of your possible destination picks. I personally had wanted to visit this small community on the northern coast of the Gulf of Alaska with its world-class steelhead river for several decades. I made the journey to fish for Coho salmon and was delighted with the fishery and even more enamored with the town, its people and the lay of the land.

There was something too good to be true about the Andersons. The young English couple burst upon the local social scene in the summer of 1897. “Nobody appeared to know who the H. Francis Andersons were,” recalled one gossip columnist, “but it was evident to Santa Cruzans that they possessed an abundance of the long green and were willing to spend it with lavish hands.”

Using proven research about the way the brain processes information and makes connections; The Wilderness Skills Institute guides its students in learning how to learn efficiently and effectively. The connection between education, health and fitness is demonstrated by the success enjoyed by the students who are enrolled in the WSI classes. In this educational environment, students are encouraged to become deeply involved with the subjects about which they are passionate. Subjects that most young people enjoy are adapted to teach science, reading, writing and mathematics. All of the learning is accomplished in an outdoors environment.