The underlined words and many of the images in the newsletter are linked to more in depth information
Kate and Mike
Mike Herz
Kate Josephs
Maybe I just got lucky but I seemed to have stumbled on a town and area full of really cool people! So many involved in life in deep ways, enlightened, learned, connected, full of a lifetime of interesting experiences. Maybe Maine just attracts these types and has some kind of special allure...
Today I write about two of these people--my neighbors on Water Street, Mike Herz and Kate Josephs, who split their time between mid-coast Maine and a houseboat (an old trawler) in Point Richmond, California. They are the authors of the newly launched podcast Once Upon A Bay, available on the typical podcast platforms: spotify, apple, etc.
Mike Herz is a passionate guy who doesn't sit still. Environmental causes are one of his many passions and his secret to staying young at the ripe young age of 90! As SF baykeeper (in the tradition of Pete Seeger and the Hudson River), Mike has dedicated much of his time to exploring all the myriad of stories around this large tidal estuary, the second-largest estuary on the Pacific coast. HE has made a significant impact on the protection of many west coast waterways through successful fights against pollution and contamination.
Kate Josephs has worn many hats over the years from venture capital and community development finance to political organization and activism. She can now add podcasts to her list of accomplishments as creator and producer of Once Upon a Bay. In many ways this podcast, being released in segments, is a love letter to the San Francisco Bay. From shipwrecks to the wildlife around the Bay, they share so many fascinating stories that capture the beauty and dynamism of this amazing living body of water...
P.S. And one more important piece of information: Mike and Kate are also the parents of my granddog, Frenchy's best friend, Holly, a beautiful and rambunctious foxhound.
Frenchy and Holly
Is The Internet Dying?
With all of us here in America asleep at the wheel, being bombarded with all kinds of SH_T from every angle: The Epstein Files, the War in Iran that is rapidly spreading, the abject corruption of the current administration, the attack on our democracy and constitution, ICE, etc. etc. we are being taken over by AI, perhaps the biggest transformation our world will ever experience since the industrial revolution and maybe even bigger... This Canadian Broadcast Corporation IDEAS: The Internet is Dying, The Internet is Dead is a interview between CBC host Nahlah Ayed and Cory Doctorow as they explore what the internet has become and what it could be. Fascinating talk which frames and clarifies a lot of issues that I bet many of us have never even thought about, as seen from a Canadian perspective.
Music as a Refuge
Blues Run the Game Jackson C. Frank
Jersey Girl by Tom Waits
Joan of Arc by Jennifer Warnes
Mr. Tanner by Harry Chapin
Border Reiver by Mark Knopfler
Song for a Winter's Night by Gordon Lightfoot
Painting of the Week
These yoga mats double as kitchen mats. Very high quality, nice and thick, a little pricey due to the fact they are made in America and pass California environmental standards…Worth the price…
Check out the artSHOP on my website for the whole line of products based on my art and that of my late husband, Danish artist Gert Mathiesen.
Charity of the Week:
ACLU
Book of the Week
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.