Krista Almanzan

California Missions Undergo Quake-Resistant Upgrades

Krista Almanzan — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:18:00 +0000

At California's nearly two dozen Spanish missions, conversion these days isn't just about religion; it's also about seismic retrofitting. That's because the missions — which date to the late 1700s, when Spain's king sent Franciscan missionaries to convert natives to Christianity — would not withstand a major earthquake.

At a mission in Carmel, a 220-year-old basilica is in the middle of an earthquake retrofit.

The Practical Side Of The Great American Jam Band

Krista Almanzan — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:38:00 +0000

The Grateful Dead's eponymous live album started it all for Nicholas Meriwether.

It was 1985. He was studying history at Princeton and got hooked by psychedelic jams like "Wharf Rat." After his first concert, he knew: "I will spend the rest of my life thinking and studying this."

Meriwether now heads the Grateful Dead Archive at the University of California, Santa Cruz, which recently opened to the public.

Fencing's Father-Son Duo Hones An Olympic Dream

Krista Almanzan — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:21:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr7HgOzLWYQ

Santa Cruz Surfers Make Coastline A Reserve

Krista Almanzan — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:17:00 +0000

You may think of surfers as slackers. But in Santa Cruz, Calif., they're city council members and business owners. And they're also conservationists — who just got their piece of the central California coast named a World Surfing Reserve.

Long before surf music topped the charts and long before surfers had crazy nicknames, surfers have been riding the waves in Santa Cruz.

On a recent day, the crowd included "Wingnut" — also known as Robert Weaver — and other surfers.

A Real Estate Deal That Spans The Earth

Krista Almanzan — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:12:00 +0000

For sale: 160 acres of rolling hills in California perfect for a vineyard, cattle ranch or communication with outer space.

To understand how Silicon Valley businessman Jeffrey Bullis ended up owning the Jamesburg Earth Station — a former telecommunications center with a 10-story satellite dish — you have to think back to 2004.

The real estate market was booming. Bullis was visiting a friend in Carmel Valley on California's Central Coast, where homes can still sell for millions.

"I was like, I'd like to retire out here. What's available? What's a nice piece of property?" Bullis says.