Author Archives: Jack Elliott

The Castor Bean Plant: Common, Valuable and Deadly

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Jack Elliott

Cold War Biological Warfare Georgi Ivanov Markov climbed the stairs on the south side of the Waterloo Bridge in London for the last time on September 7, 1978. He worked across the River Thames at the BBC and routinely parked … Continue reading →

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Figueroa Mountain Picnic and Wildflower Update

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Jack Elliott

The Swiss Family Griswold ventured up to Figueroa Mountain  for a Sunday picnic. It’s my first time up the mountain this spring wildflower season. I didn’t expect that there would be much color showing this early, but there was a … Continue reading →

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Mountaintop Vernal Pool

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Jack Elliott

Little Ms. E. and I went for a walk up to a vernal pool atop the Santa Ynez Mountains. I wanted to see how it looked after the area received over 45 inches of rain this season. Not surprisingly, it … Continue reading →

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Largest West Coast Tsunamis Generated in Santa Barbara Channel

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Jack Elliott

“The two largest tsunamis known to have been generated on the western coast of the United States formed in the Santa Barbara Channel region. The earthquake of 1812 near Santa Barbara caused waves that reportedly flooded the lower part of … Continue reading →

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Backyard Sunset Silhouette

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Jack Elliott

I once lived a few years in a landlocked town where there were no sunsets. The sun would set and the light fade to black, but no color would ever show. Growing up in Santa Barbara where technicolor sunsets seemed … Continue reading →

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