Yesterday I went to a six hour ProjectWET (Water Education for Teachers) workshop at the water company offices down the street. It proved to be interesting, and I have a few new ideas that will be useful at summer camps and again later on when I'm back teaching outdoor school groups during the fall and winter months. We even got to walk around an inactive percolation pond, which differs from an active one in that it hasn't been drained and "scraped" within three years. Apparently sediment build up hampers water percolation after awhile.

The demonstration of what an aquifer looks like was pretty cool. I'd read or heard about this one before, but seeing somebody do it was enlightening. It's so simple, really. All you have to do is get a clear water pitcher and fill it with large rocks. Next, get everybody to agree that it is full. Prove them wrong by pouring some gravel over the rocks. Again, get everybody to agree that the pitcher is full. Prove them wrong by pouring some sand in. Full? No. Pour some water in. There's always room in the spaces between. This illustrates perfectly how aquifers store water. It is also a perfect tool for time-management workshops. The rocks represent the priority tasks, those that must be done. The gravel, sand, and water are those that can be done if time permits. It shows how it really is possible to find the time for more things. Feel like a member of the 21st century yet? Good. Manage that time. Find ways to stuff more activities into your day...

Today I went up to Alum Rock park to learn some trails and visit the visitor's center in preparation for teaching a week of summer camp there later this month. Nice park, although I wish I'd been informed that they'd moved the entrance since the last time I'd been there. Oh well.




This little alcove contains a mineral spring. Mmmm... the lovely smell of sulfur.




Gazing out over the South Bay, I realize that the damage doesn't look so bad from way up here. Except for the ever-present haze of course.