Publishing thousands of sacred Buddhist texts is a worthy endeavor. But should it be considered—and regulated--as a constructive extension of the workers' religious practice, or a concentrated industrial operation at a rural retreat center?

Curtis Caton, an attorney speaking for Ratna Ling, contends that a limit on the number of books that can be produced at the printing facility there is an imprecise, and unclearly defined restriction. He explains that they see regulating truck traffic in and out of the remote retreat center as a better metric for governing the impacts of their operations on the surrounding area and its residents.

But Carolyne Singer, a steering committee member for Coastal Hills Rural Preservation, which opposes Ratna Ling's expansion plans, argues that the county should impose tighter constraints on the printing operation in several ways.

Coastal Hills Rural Preservation also questions numerous other aspects of the Ratna Ling master plan, as identified in the photo below. The project application will be reviewed by the Sonoma County Board of Zoning Adjustments at the 1 pm meeting on Thursday, April 5. It is the only item on the agenda.

It's something never seen before in Bodgea Bay: a pair of tall-masted wooden sailing ships, that will arrive Monday afternoon and spend the week moored at Spud Point Marina.

 First Mate Elmo at the helmThe Lady Washington's companion vessel is actually older, and an original. The builder synthesized elements from several different historic ships to create the Hawaiian Chieftain, explains first mate Matthew "Elmo" Callen, but the first impression most modern observers have is "pirate ship."

The onboard experience for visitors to the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain is presented with as much historic authenticity as possible, including the nautical language and terminology of the era, which Callen cautions can be disorienting to newcomers.

During their stay at Bodgea Bay, Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain will be open for tours daily, and offering a couple of sailing outings as well (Tickets & details here). The ships will stay at Spud Point Marina, 1818 Westshore Road, Bodega Bay, from April 3 to April 9. Here is the public sailing schedule:

• 4/4-6: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-on tours. $3 donation per person. No reservation required.
• 4/7-8: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Walk-on tours. $3 donation per person. No reservation required.
• 4/7-8: 2 p .m. to 5 p.m. Lady Washington & Hawaiian Chieftain Battle Sail. $40-$60.
• 4/8: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hawaiian Chieftain Adventure Sail. $35.

"Martha" On April 7 and 8 near the berths of Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain, a number of historic boats of the type used in early European explorations of Bodega Bay will be on display. Interpreters in period clothing will accompany the boats. Area residents are marking the founding of Fort Ross in 1812 with events and educational programs throughout the year.

Numerous tall ships regularly sail up and down the eastern seaboard , but here on the Pacific Coast, says Callen, they remain quite a novelty.

The journey from a Sonoma County high school to playing basketball professionally is long and arduous, with an ultimate destination that may be a surprise. It's a story traced by a hometown documentary film-maker.

Brenden HamiltonBound was the first effort by documentarian Brenden Hamilton. He says it's especially meaningful to have it being shown as part of this in his own back yard.

 See the full schedule for the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival here. The trailer for Bound is below.

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Builders of tiny houses, recycling pens, and the issues facing aging gays are among the subjects with local connections featured at the upcoming Fifth Annual Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival.

Stu MadduxAlthough Gen Silent concentrates on the present and future, director Stu Maddux says he has an intense interest in also capturing the past through the eyes and oral histories of the aging LGBT population.

Filmmaker Paul Meyers gets a close-up of the Pen Car's dashboard for his short documentary, "Penultimate"For an event that debuted just four years ago, the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival has quickly established itself. You can scan the full schedule of this year's event here. Program Director Jason Perdue talked about that short history, and the particulars of this year's event in this interview with Roland Jacopetti on KRCB's Sonoma Spotlight program.