Page 41 - Sonoma County Gazette Juy 2019
P. 41

   Well it is now officially summertime and I am happy to report that the majestic redwoods outside of my airy cyber-hut are fluttering in a gentle breeze! Spring weather was rather fleeting and we are happy to know that our lovely corner of the world will be a wonderful place to ‘staycation’ or for visitors to discover!
Welcome to high summer! You are probably gearing up for July 4th, in whatever form or fashion you choose to celebrate it. Even if you’re not happy with the direction the country is heading (and many clearly are not), try to take the long view and celebrate what is great about this country. I won’t be so pompous as to tell you what that is. We all have our different answers. Seek and ye shall find.
The next meeting of the Cazadero Community Club will be on Tuesday, July 2nd-7 p.m. at Firehall#1. Plans are afoot for the amazing Old Tyme BBQ to be held on Sunday, September 1st from noon-5 p.m. at the Cazadero Performing Arts Camp. Please come to the meeting and see how you may volunteer to assist in this wonderful fund-raiser which benefits the entire community! Tickets for the delicious steak or chicken dinner, with all of the fixins are available at brownpapertickets.com/event/4229602 or from various club members. Entrance is free. Cold beer and wine will be sold by the Cazadero Volunteer Fire Department, fabulous desserts at the Cazadero Community Church table and there will be a great pie contest(some of the entries will also be at the dessert booth). Cazadero-themed aprons, coverlets and stickers will also be sold by the Club. Bingo, face-painting and other games and live music will make your day very special. It is important to buy your tickets in advance so that the correct amount of food items will be available. You may call Club President Maureen Berry at 865 2365 for more info.
If your celebrating includes pyrotechnics, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you
to be safe. The last several years have been a grim reminder of the dangers. For Camp Meeker denizens, I don’t need to be vague or general in referring
to fire danger. If you haven’t heard yet, we had a bit of a fire in Camp Meeker ourselves in mid-June. It started in a cabin above Mizpah Road, which itself
is the highest paved point in the southwestern lobe of Camp Meeker: south of Tower Road, west of Bohemian Highway. The cause has yet to be determined, but there was a structure fire, apparently including explosions, and the flames spread to the nearby underbrush.
5 Cazadero 2019 graduates from El Molino High School
I will pause a moment to let that sink in, and to let you ponder the implications. Yes, it is exactly as serious as that. That you are sitting safely
in your home planning your July 4th adventures is down to several factors —the primary factor being the fast response of the Camp Meeker Volunteer Fire Department. They responded both directly to the fire and indirectly, in contacting the greater fire prevention team in Sonoma County. In particular, thanks are due to Cal Fire, specifically the Sonoma Air Attack Base, operating from Sonoma Airport. The fire was big enough to be visible from Fitch Mountain in Healdsburg, and warranted an airborne response. We can all
be thankful for how well these heroes did their jobs. In fact, Fire Safe Camp Meeker (FSCM) is circulating a signup sheet for us to thank them directly. More about that below.
were awarded scholarships by the Caz Club. We were very happy to be able help out Grace Anderson, Sakura Kellar, Bridget Niclaes, Sheila Ruiz- Higuera and Jacob Sani with their future education. Congrats to all the recent Montgomery Elementary School grads, too! They are Luna Bodero,, Payton King, Justin Fichthorn, Jason Fichthorn, Ronan Sheets, Curtis Anderson and Cody Schoenfeld.
Another great summer tradition is the fabulous Salad Luncheon, put on by the Ladies Guild of St. Colman’s Church. This year the date to save
is Saturday, July 13th, beginning at noon-please call Sallie Johnson for reservations at 632-5211 for this scrumptious repast and great raffle.
I was alarmed as you were (or are, if you are hearing all this for the first time in this space). I would like to modulate that unpleasant emotion into something more substantive and constructive. It is certainly understandable if you feel overwhelmed and helpless at the sheer power and destructive capability of a wildfire. However, and this is the salient point, helpless you are not. There is a great deal you can do to lower the odds of such a natural disaster striking Camp Meeker—both together and individually. There are also natural defenses that Camp Meeker has, at least compared to inland forests. For example, the rugged terrain generally inhibits the dry offshore winds that do so much to amplify wild fires. I say this not to foster a sense of complacency, but rather to build confidence that defending Camp Meeker is a task we can succeed at.
Cazadero poet Sashana Kane-Proctor will once again host the very pleasant “Come to Know the Poets”—an afternoon of original readings, amazing
food and classical guitar music. To be held on Saturday July 27th-3 p.m. at the Monte Rio Community Center, across the road from the Rio Theatre. This year’s featured poets will be Rebecca Del Rio, Kristy Hellum, Pat Nolan, Larry Robinson and Vilma Olsuary-Guinzberg. along with Sashana. Only $17.00 will get you into this relaxing and edifying day. Please call 632 5761 for more info.
The great variety of shops in Duncans Mills are largely operated
by Cazaderans and include the Duncans Mills General Store-featuring daily groceries and locally-raised beef and lamb. wines and body products. Its sister store—the Cazadero General Store also has terrific sandwiches and a pleasant country atmosphere. Gold Coast Coffee and bakery offers great on-site roasted coffees, delicious baked goods, pizza and tacos and music on the large back patio. Cape Fear Cafe cooks up tasty California/New Orleans cuisine, and The Duncans Mills Tea Shop has a wonderful assortment of teas and related gift items. Treats and Toys, next to the P.O. has scrumptious truffles, other candies, ice cream and fun games. The Blue Heron Tavern offers great live music often on Sunday afternoons, local beers, fish and chips and other pub fare. Visit the eclectic Caz Central, next to the General Store for local art. Raymond’s Bakery has wonderful Pizza and Music nIghts Fridays until 9 p.m.
I want to wish Marilyn Buss a speedy recovery at home.
Happy July birthdays to Jeanne Ruggle on the 4th, along with Jordan Merle. Toni Parmeter’s grand-daughter Arissa celebrates on the 10th, along with Iris Gradunov. Irm Sikorski on the 13th, helpful MES employee Taryn Parmeter on the 14th, Todd Parmeter and Kienne Sikora on he 16th. Doug Parmeter on the 17th, Camey Schoenfeld on the 18th, Casey Chambers and Toni Parmeter on the 19th, along with Azalea Hubiak.Duece Rose celebrates on the 20th. My dear friend Lilah Tuggle enjoys the 26th, as will Dave Jackson. Jenna Parmeter on the 28th and good friend and tie-dye queen Nancy Caplan on the 30th. Do the Parmeters own stock in a greeting-card company??
There are so many steps we can take! The first one I will take is
to direct you once again to the FSCM website: firesafecampmeeker.org. As with the other work they have done, they have put together a very clear
and informative website, with detailed information on a variety of subjects.
I will try to expand on one such: COPE groups. COPE stands for Citizens Organized to Prepare for Emergencies. Think of it as a Neighborhood Watch, but for fire safety. A COPE group usually consists of 8-10 houses, which
Enjoy summer, drive carefully and call me at 632-5545 or email mayawrld@sonic.net with info for your Cazadero Column!
I’m going to make one more pitch: there is a website called nextdoor. com. The idea is not unlike that of the COPE groups: get to know your neighbors and share information. There are already 104 people from Camp Meeker on there, and over 1500 from nearby communities. That’s where I learned about the fire – and countless other ways to share information. It is really well organized and (as far as I can tell) free from the nonsense that afflicts so much of the internet. Give it a try, sign up, and we’ll see you there!
7/19 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 41
would be neighbors you already know. This is Camp Meeker, after all! Group members exchange phone numbers for alert purposes, help each other on defensible space and home hardening, and identify tasks that might be better done together – for example, clearing a troublesome blackberry patch. As always, there is much help available—from the CMVFD, from FSCM, from St. Dorothy’s. All of these organizations are passionately dedicated to these goals, and would be ecstatic to know that the citizens of Camp Meeker need and welcome their help.






































































   39   40   41   42   43