Water reflections

Back in the day, a typical way of powering equipment was to have a central engine that drove a belt. The belt was then attached as needed to different pieces of equipment. In the 1850s era town of Columbia I saw this drive mechanism, which appears to be an of the sort I've just described, no doubt used in some sort of gold mining operation.



The interesting thing about the engine is that it's powered by water.



The resource that was formerly used as fuel for the gold rush is now considered part of the wealth of California.

Despite an increase in our water savvy, we still like our lawn. Here's a photo of the entry into Laetitia Winery, with the irrigated lawn bright green against the unirrigated background. To their credit, Laetitia has incorporated native plants in their (long and irrigated) driveway border planting, but I have come to expect a little more from our wineries in terms of water usage.


- Posted at great expense from my iPhone