Page 44 - Sonoma County Gazette April 2019

Loving Spring at the Coast with gentle breezes, nourishing sprinkles and flower blooms bursting! I must have Coastal Spring Fever! With rain measured in feet, rather than inches in February & March, Bodega Bay is now awash in colorful flowers, cruising whales & crystal blue waves. The show is spectacular. Let’s put the flood behind us but keep those who lost so much in our hearts and open our wallets for their fundraisers.
Doran Park is getting some much needed TLC with improvements to the boat launch, showers, kayak launch, new trails & so much more. County Measure M funds, some incredible grants and donations are making dreams come true for this beautiful park. Donations are still needed. Won’t you help? Make a donation at www.sonomacountyparksfoundation.org/doran-beach- projects.html click on the bottom right side green rectangle “Support Parks— Donate Here” & be sure to specify it is for “Doran Park” in the drop down.
Whales, rivets, cars, and you—The Truth about how to love whales, fight climate change and save the world. Fresh, Lively, revelatory describes the latest vintage of Science Uncorked at Gourmet Au Bay or GAB as us locals call it. Join scientists from the UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab while they pair delicious wines with delicious ideas. Next one is at 6pm on Wednesday, April 3rd, at GAB 1412 Bay Flat Road, Bodega Bay. Or plan to attend the April 17th event: More than 50 years at the Bodega Marine Lab, the past, the present and the future.
Faces of Bodega Bay, featuring the photographic art of renowned local photographer John Hershey, Faces of Bodega Bay is a photojournalistic record
of the people of Bodega Bay: school kids, surfers, shop owners, fishermen, restaurant workers; the whole gamut of people who live and work in Bodega Bay and make it the wonderful community that it is. April 27th & 28th at the Bodega Bay Grange Hall, 1370 Bodega Avenue, Bodega Bay. The exhibit is on Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bodega Bay Grange Hall, 1370 Bodega Ave., Bodega Bay, CA. The exhibit is open to the public and there is no charge. INFO: RBHS@BodegaMoon.net.
Time to jazz it up in Bodega Bay – Join us on Saturday, April 27th
at the The Harbour Yacht Club to hear an exhilarating performance by the internationally acclaimed vocalist Jackie Ryan with Jazz great Pianist Larry Vuckovich quartet. Two shows. With net proceeds supporting the Bodega Bay Firefighters Association. Get your tickets at www.hjentertainmentgroup.com
Go fly a kite & build a castle—Celebrate the joys of sandcastle building and kite flying at the beach with the entire family. Amateurs and experts are welcome. Bring your own kite or purchase one from local vendors. Longtime sand sculptors will be on hand to work on elaborate creations to build the sandcastle you have always imagined. Saturday, May 18th from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at Doran Regional Park. Don’t forget April is Kite Month in Bodega Bay! Visit the Sonoma Coast Visitor Center at 913 Highway 1 for a list of kite specials around Bodega Bay. Remember...we are “Blowdega Bay”!
CalTrans makes 25-year plans, but Bodega Bay was left in the dark on the TCR (Transportation Concept Report) for Highway 1. Marin County sure had a few things to say but no one from Bodega Bay was consulted. Thank you to Supervisor Hopkins for saying stop, you need to hear from Sonoma County too. The public comment period has been extended to May 31, 2019. Want to receive a copy of TCR? Email bbcollaborative@gmail.com. We encourage you to email your comments to: Josephine.Hsai@dot.ca.gov
Postponed plans for a Marathon coming through Bodega Bay on September 29th. The CMAC held a meeting on March 31st in Bodega Bay with Owners/Promoters and governmental agencies. As one local said, “No marathon on the Sonoma Coast. We are a community not a Theme Park”. Stay tuned & continue to voice your opinion...if not this year...then....
So much going on. Our love for our coastal village is showing!
44 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 4/19
Recently our Supervisor called a meeting of the CoastMAC to introduce them to our area. The Grange Hall was full and contributions were plentiful.
Citizens were forthcoming with all questions about what they wanted the agencies to improve. Several local contributors talked about the necessity
to improve our roads and how we should improve bicycle/vehicle conflicts and how our roads needed repairs. For those of us who have been working on improving the roads in Bodega Bay and accommodating the bicycle/car conflicts, it was a bit of déjà vu. We were reminded of the many meetings
we attended in the 90’s trying to improve vehicle/pedestrian conflicts. It is frustrating to see that we still don’t have a light or any program to slow down the traffic driving down Highway One past the Grange Hall and pedestrians crossing across to enjoy some of the best fish and chips and clam chowder in Bodega Bay at the Boat House.
The conversation was limited when it came to the hottest topic not on the agenda. Because it had not been formally on the agenda the MAC members just listened—but the public unloaded at their anger at the possibility of the tentatively planned Marathon—a race planned for the Sunday afternoon.
One of the most pleasant aspects of the meeting was watching our MAC representative actually listening to the public. They were well-informed, courteous and certainly got off to a good start in Bodega Bay.
It is impressive to see how far some members are willing to drive to participate in this new program (we had representatives from Sea Ranch, from Annapolis, from Jenner and from Valley Ford Bodega, and from the south coast. Commitment to participate in good government is to be praised.
My phone is full of requests for contributions. One of the most annoying are requests to contribute to food for The Hungry Children of California. Obviously I don’t want any child to be hungry, anywhere, but any person can get all the food they wish from the Food Bank held at the Grange Hall from 6-6:30 the First and Third Wednesday of every month.
One of the best and most enjoyable presentations was the
show, Cabaret. It is so much fun and well done. Each year seems to be better than the year before. Not only is the show a delight, they actually raise money for the community. Each year they make a contribution to the Grange which is much appreciated and put to good use. You can’t overstate the effort the Bundys put into arranging all the details for the program and directly participating in the presentation. When they announced that this was the last presentation, a huge NO came from the audience.
Since our efforts to change their minds came to naught, now we have to see whether we can find successor(s). It is such a worthwhile effort and we all hate to see it just fade away. Anyone who steps up will be taking on a big commitment, but the community will be most grateful and will try to help.
One of the most consistent programs that we have out here is our yoga class. For those of us who want (or need) some effective exercise check out our yoga class at the Community Center MW&F. It is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 10:15 and is very inexpensive. You don’t need any special equipment (although most of us bring our own mats) and the participants are at all levels (from 20 something to 80 something.) It is the same teacher MWF (Vicki) and another
on Saturdays. The beauty of the program is that you can check it out and if you decide to participate you can choose which day (s) you find suits your own schedule.
If you want to check out the planned walks, go by the Grange Hall. Most of the activities are scheduled (from various walks, to Churches,
to chances to pitch in an help out (work parties). Since we don’t have a daily newspaper (but others, like the Gazette do a good job of keeping us informed) the bulletin board is the next best thing.
We live in a beautiful place. The best part about it is the community who live here. It gets better when you participate directly. Join in some of the activities, and enjoy our life here even more.
Just don’t forget: Be Kind.