The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory for 4am to 2pm Thursday.

Swell heights will gradually increase along the coast very late tonight and Thursday with swell heights peaking between 15 and 16 feet with 14 second swell periods Thursday. The arrival of the swell  train will coincide with a high tide of 6.1 feet at 11:07 am Thursday  morning at the Golden Gate… But coastal flooding is not expected to  be a primary issue. Some swell sets along west facing beaches could reach as high as 17 to 19 feet during the day.

The NWS expects this to be a fairly short lived event with swell heights to drop below 15 feet by Thursday evening.

A high surf advisory means that high surf will produce rip currents and localized erosion on beaches.

For the first time in 30 years, The Winter Solstice Ritual—a non-denominational, non-profit event celebrating the seasonal shift from deepest darkness to the return of light—to be held this year in Half Moon Bay will be presented by local coastsiders.  At the Coastal Repertory Theater on Main Street, December 20th at 7:00pm, and is open to the public.

The ritual was crafted by Cynthia McReynolds in 1979 and has been celebrated in many settings throughout the bay area. It is enriched by the original music and spirit of Joan McMillan and the Voices of the Coming Tribe.

The deepest time of darkness is the time when light re-emerges.  This seasonal truth also occurs within the individual soul, between people who care deeply for each other, and among groups whose lives are bound together by larger circumstances.  The winter solstice ritual is a participatory, communal celebration of this time of year and these processes in spirit

For several years, this ritual celebration has been held in Palo Alto where it has become a holiday tradition for many families.  “The people involved in the production and facilitation are, for the first time,  all coastside residents,” said Vanderpool. “We are offering it in Half Moon Bay in the hope that it will become a holiday tradition here as well, treasured by all who participate.”

The Winter Solstice Ritual will be hosted and presented by coastsiders Carolann Towe, MaryAnn Gutoff, Meta O’Rear, Lillie Barrows, Linda Grace Frost and Reba Vanderpool.  Tom Devine of Moss Beach will direct the choir, Voices of the Coming Tribe.

The coastal community, friends, and family are invited to join the celebration for an extraordinary opportunity to reconnect with self, with community, and with life.

The Winter Solstice Ritual will be held at 7:00pm Sunday December 20 at the Coastal Repertory Theater, 1167 Main Street, on the south end near Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay. All are welcome. The organizers request that participants bring an unscented candle with a holder as part of the ritual.  Suggested donation for the evening is $5 to $20.  Funds beyond expenses will be donated to Coastside Hope.

For directions, go to www.coastalrep.com/directions.html.  For more information, call 650-207-3440.

Help the Cabrillo Education Foundation build the Immediate Use Fund which benefits all local public schools.

Come sample small bites from Cafe Gibraltar, Cameron’s, Crab Landing, Cetrella, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, It’s Italia, La Costanera, Miramar Beach Restaurant, Mezza Luna, Moonside Bakery, Moss Beach Distillery, and Sam’s Chowder House.

Enjoy a glass of fine wine or a glass of brewery beer. Dance To DJ music provided by Play On Productions.

Sponsorship provided by Harbor Village Galleria and United American Bank

January 23 from 7 to 11pm
The Harbor Village Galleria
Princeton-by-the-Sea

http://www.CEFfund.org

On 12-16-09, there will be a meeting at the SF City Hall Rm. 263. The Board of Supervisors Government Audit & Oversight Committee will have an oportunity to hear from The SF Park & rec Dept. and us, the public, about the future of Shark Park.

This is such a once in a liftime opportunity to correct a situation that was made 77 years ago.  They had no idea what this wetland with its own lagoon meant for our coastline and our planet.

The GGNRA want to make it part of their managed properties as a national outdoor multiuse recreational park for all to use, not just the priviledged few who golf. This would be a federally funded project that our Congress has alloted funds for and is highly approved and recommended for the improvement of our environment.  This national park would stimulate Pacifica’s economy, protect our environment, have outdoor education & recreation, endangered species recovery(the Red-Legged Frog & SF Garter Snake live in Shark Park & both are endangered species) & natural flood control done through the land management of GGNRA. Plus, they want to have the only visitors center in all of San Mateo Co.  National & International visitors who come to see our coastline would be drawn to Shark Park & continue on down Highway 1.

There are only 10% Coastal Wetlands and one like ours, here in Pacifica, is even harder to find because they need a sheltered and rocky coastline to protect it.

This national park would be a fine jewel in the midst of a crowded and bulging population in our bay area.

Please watch these video links that explain in more detail:

1)  http://wildequity.org/sections/5
 
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfd3Ms4bKDY&feature=related

Please come & support our environment,our planet, our future.

Get there early, before 1 PM because it will be crowded & you will need to sign up to speak to show support to restore Shark Park.

Check out the onsite trail system offered by Big Wave Project.  Throughout the project documents, the “North Trail” is touted as a Coastal Trail Extension to POST property and the blufftop, a totally false claim.  This existing access road stops abruptly in a tangle of blackberries at Pillar Point Marsh. 

The “Wetlands” and North Trails together form a paved fire access road for the Project.  The combination of the two for public access provides only a loop trail hugging the back of the parking lot and tall Office Park buildings.  There is no open space or blufftop access from these roads.  Their square footage is even included in the area of proposed restored wetlands at the Project.

A hopeful improvement to the dangers of walking or biking along Airport St. might be the proposed trail along the front of the Project.  Studying the plans shows an 8 ft wide concrete walking path inside the existing roadside drainage ditch which would remain—in other words no road widening and curb with parking, as was provided by neighboring development to the north. 

Instead of road widening with a designated bike lane, or a separate multi-use trail, which this area really needs, Big Wave proposes some road narrowing.  Between the two Big Wave parcels, at the concrete headwalls where the drainage culverts pass under Airport St. to the marsh, the walking path swings out to the road and narrows to 4 ft wide.  To make room for the walkway, the road is narrowed leaving 12 ft in each direction for vehicles and bikes together with an unforgiving K rail edge.

Sixty feet of K rail would protect pedestrians as they approach and cross the culvert area, with five sand-filled crash barrels at the leading edge of the K rail.  On the east side of Airport St., same K rail and crash barrels, but no protected walkway.  K rail and crash barrels take up road shoulder space on both sides of the road.  In this era of Traffic & Trails raised consciousness, can’t we have something better than this?

Walked into Harbor Village for the very first time this past week and was shocked to see how little life there was in the place.

Now, as the project was being built, I didn’t think it would be good for the Coastside. It seemed out of scale and didn’t really fit the feel of the community. Up till now, I never had a reason to visit the place.

First off, the entrance to the complex is somewhat hidden from the main road behind the free-standing cafe (who designed that ill-advised arrangement?) Once inside, all I heard was the echoing of my footsteps against a backdrop of hollow Christmas music. There was not a customer in sight.

I think there were only 5-6 stores occupying the mall, with 2 or 3 times that in empty storefronts. It was quite depressing.

I feel for the merchants who surely opened there with high hopes. But the economy, poor promotion, lack of critical mass of stores, and perhaps a flawed business plan for the complex itself, have all conspired to make for a sad situation.

Getting the occupancy rate up would definitely help things. Is the management holding out to a unrealistic price per square foot?

Will new merchants, ones who cater more to locals find more loyal (and regular) customers?

Will increased marketing efforts make a difference?

For me, I don’t think I’ll ever set foot in the place again, and I certainly wouldn’t bring any visitors there.

Every year, we hold a holiday party at our home in Montara. We invite a bunch of our friends and Coastsider readers for champagne, dessert, and good conversation.

This year’s party will be next Saturday, Dec 19, at 7pm.

If you haven’t already received an invitation, but you’d like to attend, drop me a line at [email protected] and I’ll send you directions.

Well, keep you powder dry tonight Marketeers,

‘Cause it’s likely to be pretty wet on Saturday Morning, but we’ll be open anyway -

The plan is to tuck our vendors under the eaves like we did on our one real wet day last season.  It worked out pretty nicely as I recall.  A few vendors may demur from attending in the event of a deluge- soap & water are fine at home, but don’t fair to well in a downpour- but those of us who are there will be Be there, with boots on.  Bells too if you insist.

I do know that if your heart is set on a tamale tomorrow, I am going to let you down easy now and tell you that Ema & Neftalin will not be at the Market Saturday, but will be back in Pacifica on Wednesday, and that Giusti Farms and Green Oaks Creek are out as well, but will be back for the final days of the season, which is December 19th -

So fling on your slickers, galoshes, mackinaws, balaclavas and c’mon down.  We’ll be sporting our finest winter-wear, and waiting under the eaves for you.  Get your kids to test out all those fantastic rubber boots and learn how puddles work. While you are shopping, pick up a jug of that fresh apple cider, take it home , heat it up, eat a tangerine or two and throw the peels in the cider pot.  When its nice and hot,  give some to the lil’ darlin’s to warm them up, and then - if the mood strikes and you don’t have anywhere else to drive -  spike the rest with Sake ( no kidding! ) for yourself and enjoy it with a really good oatmeal cookie.  Then pause to bow your head in gratitude that you do not live in either Dakota at this time of year.  For I am here to tell you, most of their Farmer’s Markets don’t open ‘till July and they all close for the season by Labor Day -

Welcome to Winter!

Erin

Erin Tormey
Coastside Farmers Markets

May to December
In Half Moon Bay @ Shoreline Station
Saturdays, 9 am to 1 pm •
In Pacifica @ Rockaway Beach
Wednesdays, 2:30 -6:30pm