i found my journal from 1998, as well as the scrap book I made in February 1998. The scrapbook has photos, newspaper clippings, notes, and all manner of historical significance, but only covers that month. I also have a VHS that a friend in town recorded for me of the news reports of the El Niño in Monterey County and Highway One.

As we transition from summer to fall, I thought it might be of interest to this blog’s followers to see what was written and photographed at the time of the last big El Niño, so we can remember a bit more accurately what is predicted to repeat this winter. Therefore, every so often, I will reproduce part of what I recorded back then. Today, I take you back to January 3, 1998.

“Saturday, Jan. 3rd – 8am and I’ve already been awake for 2 1/2 hours. [Rock Knocker] is off to work. It has been raining, but it seems to have stopped. I didn’t get outside at all yesterday because of the rain.

Our small gauge recorded 1 1/2″ but the big one recorded 3″! Last night we got .3″ in the small one and .5″ in the large. The large one is in the open, so I’ll start recording from that one – if we remember to dump it after each recordation. More rain is expected tonight and tomorrow.”

Remember, these are journal entries I made for myself, so the writing is nothing elegant, just factual. I will scan pages from the scrapbook and post them when possible, and when I get to February’s journal entries. If I can get the VHS into digital form, I will consider adding video to this blog for the first time. I finally get Excede installed today, so video should be a possibility.

i hope you will enjoy this series over the next few months.