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WhenItrav- eled across the end- less miles of desert to get to Flagstaff to watch Meaggan compete, I actually complained most of the way. The des- ert is not my favor- ite landscape and the lack of available Star- bucks and rest room op- tions was, if nothing else, a bit of an inconvenience. I passed the time listen- ing to my CD collection of over twenty years and do- ing a lot of thinking. On a couple of occasions I was a bit scared not knowing when the next town might appear or if I had enough gas in between to see me through. When I did stop, the people watching of- fered me wonderful obser- vations from the desert to post on social media and I popped off a few snarky posts to ease my weary traveling bones. Once in Flagstaff with sufficiently calibrated iced tea levels back in my body, I realized just how close I was to the Grand Canyon. My daughter, having been with her father years ear- lier was the chief reason I made the extra trip within my trip. She insisted that the Grand Canyon was a must see no matter how tired or desert punch- drunk I had become. So, at three in the afternoon, on a Saturday, I set off to find the Grand Canyon. I entered the park and had no idea where I was going or what I was about to see. I happened upon an area that seemed pretty popular and took a chance that this was a good place to start. As I walked through the parking lot up to the expanse, I literally lost my breath. I had never seen anything so beauti- ful, ever. As I explored the area and walked the path, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Eventually, I sat on an edge of the can- yon for a long time. The sun was setting, the wind was blowing and there was a bird soaring over the canyon. One bird, just like me- one tourist. Someone asked me what the canyon was like in person and I found my- self at a loss for words. As a writer, that is a form of bankruptcy; to be so amazed by something that there are not enough words to string together to describe it. The beauty is a given, but to sit still and actually think about what it took to create this massive, gaping hole in the Earth's surface is simply awesome. Not the over- used version of awesome, but the true meaning of it- full of awe. I was taken back by the re- ality that the beauty was born of sheer and ut- ter cataclys- mic chaos. The shifting of plates, the eruptions, the floods, the erosive activi- ties, all of them seemingly tragic events at the time that tore up the land, but in actuality made it beau- tiful beyond imagination. As I sat there with my feet hanging off the edge, I re- alized how our lives have the same meaning. Our beings are shattered and torn, shifted and eroded by cataclysmic chaos that, at the time, feels like an end. What we can't see in the moment of crisis is the beauty that the chaos cre- ates. We can't see what a traveler meeting us for the first time will see when they encounter our beauty. We can't see how the years of everything we have lived will leave them in awe of who we have be- come. This trip through the desert was a trip of epic proportions. The trip to the canyon was a once in a lifetime adventure. I heard languages from all over the world along that rim. We are blessed to have something so won- drous in our country and I encourage all of you to make it a priority to see what America has to of- fer. I want each of you to feel the immense beauty of where we live. I want you to be bankrupt of words and to understand how small we truly are in comparison to wonders of this world. I suppose going to the Grand Canyon could mean anything along a spec- trum starting with a great photo opportunity to see- ing the face of God and every single thing in be- tween. For me, it was about seeing how beauty rises from pain. How no matter how hard things seem, there is beauty from it. That people will reso- nate with your beauty and will seek you out to experi- ence it in you. FaydraRector,MAisa mental health administra- tor, author, public speaker, educator and life coach who lives in Red Bluff. She can be reached at lifecoach@ shasta.com or view her blogs at faydraandcom- pany.blogspot.com/ and allaboutdivorce.blogspot. com/. FAYDRARECTOR Tripsofepic proportions Faydra Rector Club member Beckie Bouchard was the Corn- ing Exchange Club's guest speaker May 19. Bouchard is an adminis- trator employed by the Te- hama County Department of Education. She spoke about her recent employment of two years in Hong Kong with the American International School as the principal of its elementary school. Bouchard explained that parents in Asia, who are able to afford the $17,000 per year tuition, are lined up to get their children into the school as vacancies occur. Most of the students actually come from South Korea. Bouchard explained that parents want their children to get an early grounding in American style education to prepare them for college in the United States. Asian students are very much in- volved in their educations, and enjoy bowling, yoga, golf, rock climbing and re- vere music and the arts. She said she was struck with the courtesy the students show to elders and their family values. In addition to talking about her time as a princi- pal of the American Inter- national School, Bouchard also gave club members a tour via a slide show of Hong Kong's sights and daily life. Bouchard's 92-year old mother, Vicky Sensiba, vis- iting from LaQuinta, was in- troduced and welcomed by club members. President DeanCoferthen presented Bouchard with the very first bottle of virgin olive oil that is bottled with a Corning Exchange Club la- bel. The Corning Olive Oil Co., owned by club members Kathy and Ray Rogers, pro- duced and donated a gener- ous supply of the olive oil to the Corning Exchange Club. A surprise presentation of the Book of Golden Deeds was also made to Ross Turner, past president of the Corning Exchange Club, marking his 32 years as an active leader and honored member of the club. PRESENTATION Corning Exchange guest speaker talks about trip COURTESYPHOTO Pictured are Ross Turner, Beckie Bouchard and Dean Cofer. By Sharon Wilkes In California there is a mixed set of opinions about the use of and benefits from using cyanuric acid (CYA) in your swimming pool. This chemical is also known as conditioner or stabilizer. It is available in its pure form as a standalone addi- tive or in stabilized chlorine. Its use is to prevent chlorine loss due to sunlight as UV rays can deplete chlorine in an hour's time, if there is no CYA in the pool. Ini- tially with fresh filled pools this chemical is added for that reason, to a level of 30- 40ppm. With the additional use of "stabilized" chlorines, however, the parts per mil- lion can increase in one sea- son of use to above the rec- ommended maximum level. Once levels reach 100+ ppm, problems can begin to pres- ent in a pool. The most important con- cern for Public Health De- partments is that the chlo- rine becomes blocked from responding to bacteria in a timely manner as the levels of CYA increase. This re- ferred to as being a "chlo- rine lock". Other concerns as a result are chlorines will not work against an algae bloom regardless of high doses and even with the added use of an algaecide. In general for public pools, the consensus with most County Public Health Departments when lev- els reach 100ppm, the pool must be drained for fresh fill to reduce the level. Par- tial drains may take care of reducing the level; how- ever CYA is heavier than water and is usually more concentrated in the bottom of the pool volume. Settling on walls during draining can also occur allowing for a reading after fresh filling. In extreme instances, some pools have had to drain & refill multiple times to re- duce the level of CYA. Currently, in Tehama County our Public Health Department mandates CYA levels to remain at 50ppm or below in some counties this level is as low as 30ppm. This is a problem in and of itself as the cost of chlori- nating public pools without using stabilized chlorines is an added expense and re- quires close monitoring on a daily basis to maintain chlo- rine levels without increas- ing CYA. Another require- ment of the Health Depart- ment is that a sanitizer must show a residual once applied to the pool. This means any other form of sanitization, such as UV light or Ozone generators are not accept- able as standalone saniti- zation. Other noted concerns with using CYA in your pool, it must be taken into consideration when taking a reading for your alkalinity. When CYA is above 60ppm, one-third of that value must be subtracted from your To- tal Alkalinity reading to be accurate. Additionally in stabilized pools, there is no oxidization from chlorine when CHL readings regis- ter below 2ppm. This means higher levels of chlorine are needed to oxidize spent chlorine (chloramines). So what do you need to do as a pool owner and specifi- cally when we are suffering a drought? Fortunately pri- vate residence pools are not subject to parameters set by the local health depart- ment. As a conscientious endeavor, however and to avoid having to drain your pool for high CYA, consider using non-stabilized chlo- rine. The most common being liquid chlorine for swimming pools (12.5%), is sold by the gallon. As long as you maintain your CYA at 30-40ppm the protection from sun depletion is ade- quate. The free chlorine in your pool is working against bacterial invasion and as an added benefit against algae as well. POOL MAINTENANCE Cyanuric acid, a necessary nemesis Commencement exercises for the Red Bluff grammar school will be held at the high school auditorium next Thursday evening. Twenty- nine eighth grade pupils have made the required grades and will enter high school next fall. In addition to these eleven were admit- ted to the high school in Jan- uary. — May 27, 1924 90 YEARS AGO... 29 boys and girls eligible for high school The Red Bluff Commu- nity Band will begin its summer Concert Series in the Red Bluff River Park on June 2. The community is in- vited to come, sit back, relax and appreciate the park's beauty, especially 8-9 p.m. Monday evenings as the Red Bluff Community Band present its free band con- certs in this park setting. During the months of June through August, park visi- tors will be treated to a wide variety of American history through music while relax- ing and visiting with friends and neighbors. The band plays a large variety of music each night, such as that from the Broad- way stage and the silver screen to Dixieland greats, military marches, light clas- sics, old standards and pa- triotic numbers. There should be a little something for most everyone in the band's weekly programs. The band is made up of people from most all walks of life. Red Bluff folks make up the core but not enough locals to fill all of the posi- tions on the musical team so an effort is made to reach out to try to fill the vacan- cies. More information avail- able from Conductor Jay Thiel at 527-3486. First concert program for Monday, June 2 will in- clude Minstrel King March: Prelude & Fugue in F Mi- nor: Rain Medley; On Pa- rade March; Great Movie Marches; California Here I Come; God Bless America; Air Waves March; Bluin' the Blues; Camelot; and Wood- chopper's Ball. CONCERTS Old fashioned band concerts at River Park Homes of Hope for Vic- tims in Domestic Abuse is having its inaugural craft fair 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Satur- day, June 7, at Red Bluff River Park. The event will feature crafts, food, raffles and drawings for prizes. Orga- nizers hope to make the fair an annual event. Homes of Hope is a non profit organization, designed to help women with children escape and recover from the grip of domestic abuse. If you have a question about the organization, call Carol Brandt at 347-1330. CRAFT FAIR Homes of Hope cra fair June 7 PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Thankyou! 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