Page 44 - Sonoma County Gazette - May, 2018

What a lovely spring we’re having, perfect balance of sunshine and water. May Day is International Workers’ Day and includes the tradition of the Germanic pagan fertility ritual of the May Pole. This year it’s also when the west county community is gathering to celebrate the life of Bill (William) Wheeler at what he called “Sheep Ridge,” where I remember celebrating May Day when I was a child.
This has been a busy time in Bodega Bay. April 5 we had a good turnout to hear our supervisor Lynda Hopkins talk about the formation of a Municipal Advisory Council. Some people still want to incorporate Bodega Bay, but she very nicely pointed out that if we were to incorporate we would bear the entire costs of road upkeep, and of
law enforcement, among other things. Some diehards wanted to try to get the entire TOT tax directed to local entities, but she (again very nicely) assured the questioner that the county will never give up the TOT entirely.
When Bill was a 20-year-old at Yale University, his father died. He graduated, married, moved to San Francisco to attend the Art Institute, then used his inheritance to buy the 320-acre ranch on Coleman Valley Road in 1965. He kept the property for over 50 years and died there.
The weather cooperated nicely for Fish Fest. The turnout was splendid, and the organizers did their usual excellent job. It only rained the last afternoon. This is truly an important event in our community. People like Gail Dailey work many hours to get all the necessary jobs staffed. I regret missing this year. The spirit is willing; but the flesh is weak. The flu knows no boundaries.
Upon the demise of the nearby commune, Morning Star, in 1968 Wheeler opened his ranch to the displaced residents and other people in need. There has been an effort for the Bodega Land Trust to take stewardship of the first property, though Morning Star is now just up for sale. The Wheeler Ranch sustained itself effectively until the health and building inspectors, county sheriffs, and federal agents came down hard like they had before, and it was shut down in 1973.
The move toward establishing home deliveries for food (Meals On Wheels) is working with the newly organized Waves of Compassion to help deliver food to those in Bodega Bay who need it. For several years I have tried to get home deliveries in Bodega Bay. Now it looks like it might be happening.
The book “Home Free Home: A Complete History of Two Open Land Communities,” edited by Ramon Sender Barayon, came out in 2017. There is a very interesting history of both Morning Star and Wheeler Ranch. Also last year there was a featured exhibit called “The Hippies” for 10 months at the West County Museum in Sebastopol. Bill was a community figure and attended the show’s closing reunion with fellow hippies.
How many times do you answer the phone, be completely addressed—name, address, phone number, date of birth, and be told you have just won $2,000,000? Having just survived a hacking that has caused no end of trouble, I was definitely cold. Just before I hung up, he gave my date of birth, complete addess and identified Publishers’ Clearing House as the donor. Having some first hand experience with Publishers’ Clearing house, I was cautious but wanted to hear him out. He identified himself, and asked whether I traded at WalMart.
Bill Wheeler was well known for his beautiful paintings. He toured with three others in the “Sonoma Four” plein air painting group. He also worked closely with the Western Sonoma County Rural Alliance. He was born June 17, 1940 and passed January 16, 2018. He will surely be missed.
I contacted Publishers’ Clearing House and asked about their procedures. They were adamant. They NEVER would call up a recipient and tell them they had won something. They admitted that, like me, they had suffered
a significant increase in phony calls and advised me to just hang up when someone called and tried to tell them they had won a prize.
I told him we didn’t have one. He was nonplussed but came back with the suggestion that I could go to a bank to get a letter of credit. That did it. This was too much like the series of phone calls I had a few weeks ago which started out “Grandma, can you help me?”
The culture that formulated around
communally living off the land, is the
hippie lifestyle that has never truly died—which you can see evidence of in our alternative west Sonoma County. On the ranch, they were involved in the women’s movement, environmental movement, organic food, alternative medical practices, and spirituality including Vipassana (meditation), Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and Native American religions. Some of the key principles that have stuck are love, the freedom to be, art for the sake of community, open space preservation, equality and equity for all.
This was déjà vu for me. I am still reeling from the hacking I suffered
when my computer went dark and someone called identifying themselves
as workmen from Microsoft. I have nothing but respect for our local law enforcement. The local deputy, Jerry Turney, came to my house and took the report. The sheriff’s department issued a police report and alleged that I was
a victim. My bank, Chase, is also working with me so I can clear up the false report on my credit card. It is good to have help when you are victimized. One of my readers asked that I warn people against calls from the “IRS”. They prey on those of us who don’t memorize their tax schedules. As she warned, JUST HANG UP. This is not the IRS any more than the person calling can reduce the interest on your student loan. If you are “up in years” (like me) you are a target. These scammers are very skillful. Keep track of calls; then just HANG UP.
Bodega’s Artisans’ Co-op is holding a showcase of painters on May 12th. The Co-op is located at 17175 Bodega Hwy Bodega, CA 94922. The sale is 11am-5pm, with demonstrations from 1-3pm and a reception from 4-6pm. There will be a free raffle!
Unfortunately I will miss the Sand Wars movie which will be held Tuesday night at the Grange Hall. It is free, and is a very pertinent topic. People dig up sand without any compunction. It is important to
The Bodega Volunteer Fire Department is holding a pancake breakfast on Sunday May 20th, 7:30am-12pm. It will be happening at McCaughey Hall, 17184 Bodega Hwy Bodega, CA 94922.
We follow with great interest the Sheriff’s race. This is one of the few races we can vote to make a difference. Without a specific endorsement, it seems to me that both Essick and Olivares are good candidates, but during the excellent forum conducted by Ernie Carpenter (we miss him..) it appears to me that Olivares is the preferable candidate. We need someone who is familiar with community policing and “agricultural crimes” . We want someone who can see further than “cannabis crimes” and focus on the growth of gang activities and other crimes. This is NOT an election to just shine on. Be sure to vote.
I hope everyone has their bright lime green ribbons on and are wearing them proudly because it is mental health awareness month! Start conversations and listen to each other about mental health. California’s Mental Health Movement can be found at EachMindMatters.org.
Remember elections are June 6. It is always sad to see what a small percentage of registered voters actually vote. We talk about community needs; we talk about changing modes of representation. What we forget to discuss is the underlying problem; we don’t vote. No policies will change until we let our representatives know that we DO CARE—and WE VOTE.
emphasize that sand is basically irreplaceable. The issue of disappearing sand will be the topic discussed at the Lab, and we hope will cause all of us to realize that sand is a precious substance and we don’t want it all hauled away to create golf courses. I will try to get a more succinct report by next month.
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