Blue Planet Journey

Bob Timm holds a piece of melted metal from a shed burned in the River Fire. The Mendocino Complex fire is now the largest fire ever to have occurred in California, consisting of two fires, the River Fire and the Ranch Fire. As I write this, the River Fire covers 48,920 acres, and is 100% contained. The larger Ranch Fire covers 366,086 acres, and containment is listed as 67%. It is already listed as the largest recorded fire complex in California history. I spent the years 1986-1991 working at the Hopland Field Station, a University of California research station (and now called the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center).  We lived and worked on the station for 4 years, then moved about 8 miles north.  The River Fire actually started across the Russian River near Russian River Estates, a stone's throw from where we used to live.   Bob Timm points to where the River Fire started.   Apparently, the cause was errant sparks...

A younger Bob Timm working on his PhD project at UC Davis. Over time, the number of people you interact with grows and grows.  Your brain registers these interactions.  Superfluous or incidental interactions go into short-term memory (or don't register at all).  Sometimes we remember snippets of conversations, a face, or a situation, but that's enough. On the opposite end, however, are interactions that have profound impacts on you.  Although these impacts could be direct or indirect, and positive or negative, they shape you. They affect your future behavior.   One form of positive interaction is the mentor. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a "mentor" as "an experienced and trusted person who gives another person advice and help, especially related to work or school, over a period of time."  Another way of looking at a mentor is as "a trusted counselor or guide." I received notice last week that Professor Howard Wiegers was...