Snapshot

"Healdsburg has such lovely hiking trails. It offers so many things to do to kick-off summer over the long Memorial Day weekend. The Future Farmers of America Fair and the Thursday night Twilight Parade, where Healdsburgians either join the parade or watch it... But Healdsburg also offers the possibility of stepping outside the hubbub and hitting a trail," Pierre Ratte reminds us in this week's Snapshot column...

Backyard yoga started for Shelley Gilbert in February 2020. On Valentine’s Day, around a dinner table of eight, Shelley quietly shared her Parkinson’s Disease (PD) diagnosis. Because exercise is essential in managing Parkinson’s neurodegeneration, Shelley and a friend decided to do intense but slow exercise: yoga.

At 300 million years old, dragonflies are reportedly the oldest winged insect. Prehistoric ancestors had wingspans of two and a half feet. Each of four wings moves independently allowing them to hover, fly forward and fly backward.

"Lawn Tennis describes the game we know.," writes columnist Pierre Ratte. "It’s played on a tennis court, as opposed to Court Tennis, which is played in a courtyard. Confused? Let me explain..."

Pigs are smart. These two came in from the rain this week. In warmer weather they roll in the mud. Oh, that loving-the-mud thing? It’s not because they like to be dirty. It’s to prevent sunburn and cool themselves.

San Francisco, the “City by the Bay,” was named after St. Francis, a wealthy, gregarious Italian. The son of a wealthy silk merchant, he was known for his love of earthly pleasures and spendthrift ways. Kind of appropriate for a big-city lifestyle...

Warmth and water are most always welcome in California. These happy spring flowers, coppery mesemb, Malephora crocea, cheer up spring gardens with wild pops of color, like so many little suns. They are succulents in the ice plant family. Native to Africa, this plant is considered a noxious weed in some areas and a perfect garden addition in others.

Fun facts: The oldest redwood in Armstrong Woods is the Colonel Armstrong Tree, estimated to be 1,400 years old. The tallest is called Parson Jones, at 310 feet. Sonoma County purchased 240 acres of Armstrong Woods in 1917 for $80,000. It opened to the public as a state park in 1936.

The name of the comet comes from China’s Tsuchinshan Observatory, which means “purple mountain.” It was discovered in January 2023. A month later South Africa’s ATLAS telescope observed it. Hence, two names for the comet given the close timing of discovery.

The e first Super Bowl took place in 1967. The Packers beat the Chiefs 35-10. There were 32,000 unsold seats; tickets cost about $11. This year’s average ticket price tops $8,000 and more fun facts from Pierre Ratte.