If you have recently renewed your driver’s license when it came in the mail it was accompanied by a dull-looking little handout you probably tossed away as you were cringing over the DMV’s latest rendition of what you look like—or you were mourning the fact that they have again used the same ten-year-old picture that makes you look like Charles Manson on a really bad hair day.  Well, let me tell you that if you did not read the side entitled:  Alcohol Impairment Chart, you missed an even bigger shock than knowing you have to flash that picture for another five years.  
      We all know that the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is not to be over.08% when driving our family cars (.01%, if under 21) but it may surprise you how little it takes to reach that level.  For example, if you weigh 90-109 lbs. you are likely to be over the limit with 1 drink in 1 hour.  I can hear you now.  If you weighed 100 pounds it would be worth it.  But, the prognosis is not much better at 110-129 lbs, you will likely hit the .08% limit with one drink and with two more, be at that level for the next 3 hours.  In fact as little as two drinks can find those from 130-210lbs and over, registering .08%. 
      Remember that “one drink” is 1 ½ ounces of 80-proof liquor, a 5-ounce glass of 12% wine (seen any wines with 12% alcohol in Dry Creek lately?), or a 12 ounce glass of 5% beer.  How “one drink” affects you also depends on when you last ate, if you are tired, sick, upset, or have taken medication.  And, statistics tell us that that “one drink” increases the chance of having an accident by fivefold for most of us.  If you find yourself at .08% or over, the chance of an accident increases by twenty-fivefold. 
      The lesson?  As we enjoy the fruits of our wonderful valley it is well to keep in mind an adage from the Orient:  “First the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes the man!”    

As of June 20^th of last year fire had burned 630,886 acres in California and firefighting agencies had fought 1,781 fires and contained 1,458.  Every day we awoke to news of new fires, old fires jumping fire lines and, mercifully, of some infernos being stopped in their blazing tracks.   Fire is unpredictable and scary.  For those of us who live in Dry Creek it is also a very real ‘clear and present’ danger.  Just ask anyone who lived here in the early 70’s when fire raced down West Dry Creek.  It can happen again if we aren’t smart and careful. 

Interview with Fred Corson

I recently met with Fred Corson, past President of the DCVA and current Chairman of the Clean Water Coalition of Northern Sonoma County. The intended subject was his testimony before the Sonoma County Water Agency hearing on the Dry Creek Valley Agricultural Water Users' Group. What I got in addition was a lesson in water politics and a tutorial in citizen activism. Since this is a very complex subject I have decided to take it a bit at a time to tease and tantalize you with promise of more to come; this is a work in progress so visit often.

Lou Preston

Most of us have a "love - hate" relationship with our domestic and agricultural wells. We love the clean groundwater they provide, and hate the periodic attention they require.

I'll never forget my urbane sister's announcement on the day I moved into my first country home: "Judith - you have NO water - call the Water Department!" I quickly came to the crashing realization that WE are the water department. So down the hill we went with a set of tools and a prayer.