Page 39 - Sonoma County Gazette October 2018

Well, howdy ya’ll. It’s past deadline time for submitting my column (again). Here I am at 9:30 at night staring at a blank page, just getting started after a long day of hard physical labor and unlike most months I don’t have any idea what I’m going to write about. Dear readers, won’t you come with me on my stream of consciousness joyride?
I am having a hard time with the fact that the farmers market is coming to an end for the year with the last market taking place on October 26th. Please make sure to stop by in the next few weeks to support our local farmers and crafts- people. A suggestion I will make (and have been practicing myself) is to spread the love and dollars around. Don’t just look at or patronize the same vendors every week. Check out the booths that aren’t necessarily in your comfort zone. Even if you don’t end up buying something, just say hi, ask about their goods or how their day is going—it will be good for both parties.
October is here, and with it we fervently hope the rainstorms that will put an end to another California fire season. Camp Meeker has (knock on redwood) made it through another fire season, in no small thanks to the hard work of our Volunteer Fire Department. For the past seven years, the Camp Meeker VFD has been ably led by Fire Chief Tim Williams, but as of now there’s a new sheriff in town. Er, new Fire Chief in town.
END of Farmer Market Season - Halloween BASH!
Tim Williams is retiring from the position following the birth of Hayley, his second granddaughter. Tim will be handing off the reins of the VFD in order to spend time with his grandchildren, his wife Sarah, and the rest of his family, and this is a decision richly earned by countless hours of service to the community. I’m happy to report that Tim will continue as a regular firefighter for the VFD.
At last weeks market there was an unfortunate accident involving a vehicle and pedestrians. I don’t know many details of the event or the aftermath
but have heard that those involved will thankfully be ok. This is a sobering reminder to all that on this joyride of strolling around the market & town, or driving through our beautiful area to slow down. Slow down, look both ways. Look again and then proceed slowly.
Henry is a long time resident of Camp Meeker, and he brings a raft of valuable experience to the job. Henry felt the firefighter’s calling right out of high school, joining CalFire as a full time firefighter. Henry is stationed at Cazadero in the summer and Monte Rio in the winter. In that capacity, Henry has helped extinguish many structure fires, and has been on the front lines of many of the destructive and terrifying wildfires that have made California summers such an adventure and a tragedy these past few years. Henry Jr’s Camp Meeker roots go deep.
But wait, there is more VFD news! Every Memorial Day we know to head down to the firehouse for a pancake breakfast, and every November we know to head over to Anderson Hall for a spaghetti dinner – until this year, that is. Oh, we’ll still head down to Anderson Hall, but instead of spaghetti we will find a BBQ and Bingo Night! That’s right, you will be feasting on mouth- watering chicken or tri-tip (or, heck, both! Life is short!) as you mark your bingo card. As with the spaghetti dinner, proceeds will be used to fund the operations of our stalwart VFD as they work hard to keep us safe in our homes.
And now, if you’ll permit me, I’m going to go on a rant.
As you all are well aware, streets in Camp Meeker are narrow, and they are NOT one-way streets. This means that at any time, you might find yourself face to face with a vehicle heading the other way. This calls for, as you are all well aware, some neighborly negotiation. Generally, whoever has the easiest time of it will back into a nearby driveway, or otherwise get out of the way so that the impasse can be resolved. The driver of the other car will then wave thanks to the first driver for the act of graciousness undertaken to make room for two cars to get to their destination.
Chautauqua! I am glad to say I was able to attend this years Chautauqua Revue at OAEC, the 16th annual. It was a blast! Fun, wacky, engaging, political, are just a few terms I could use to describe it. If you
haven’t gone before, mark your calendars for the middle of next September because I guarantee that it is well worth the price of admission. The North Garden Theater is gorgeous and the stroll through the garden to get there is enchanting. Seeing the sunset and stars adds to the magic, and the tasty treats and beverages are the cherries on top. I was sitting out on my deck the night after attending and realized that the music and crowd noise I was hearing at my house were the sounds of Chautauqua wafting across the canyon. Pretty trippy how sound carries and a little added bonus for me that I made sure to repeat the two remaining nights of performances. I love hearing the sounds of a party even if I’m not a part of it.
Let’s all congratulate Tim his service as Chief, wish Henry well as he fills some large shoes, and of course continue to thank Tim as he continues to serve the Camp Meeker community.
Speaking of price of admission, I hear that only covers sixty percent of
the costs of putting on this amazing event. As such, OAEC is looking for underwriters for the Chautauqua Revue next year. If you have a grand or so to donate and love the arts this could be for you. You will get your name in the program, four tickets to a show and dinner on the night of attendance. That and a whole lotta love and good karma. Contact James Pelican at james@oaec.org or 874-1557 (ext 108).
Driver of the black sedan, I’m talking to you.
I just recently re-watched a really good movie that has many local connections and wanted to tell ya’ll to check it out. Burn Country is the name, and no it does not have anything to do with fires. The movie was co-written and directed by
a man who grew up in Sebastopol—Ian Olds. It follows the story of Osman (Dominic Rains) a transplant from Afghanistan who is deposited in West County with no friends, limited connections and no idea what makes this place tick. He does have the curiousity of a reporter and a way of stumbling into interesting situations. The movie is well made and entertaining and has mystery and suspense. The portrayals of the people living around here are pretty spot on and the entire movie was filmed in West County so keep your eyes peeled for all kinds of cameos from local roads, businesses and residents. I saw it on demand through Starz recently, check it out if you can.
But that’s not what happened the other day. Oh, no. That’s when I
found myself heading down the steep slope of Sequoia Drive, only to find
the aforementioned black sedan driving up that slope at a pretty good clip. When she saw me, she lurched to a sudden stop. Taking stock, I noticed that she had an empty driveway immediately to her right, a maneuver that requires exactly zero skill.
The Arts Center is starting art shows up at Barley & Hops in October.
I don’t yet know details, but it’s an extra reason to visit B&H. I am glad to see the place jumping again, and it’s nice to see a collaboration in town. They have live music every weekend, the beer selection is great and ever evolving, and I just heard they have a hot-wing challenge that might inspire a few heat loving readers out there. 12 wings, 6 minutes, no beverage during the challenge. If you can conquer it you get a free beer, tee shirt and your photo on the wall of fame.
Wow, we made it to the end of another article, thanks for joining me! And happy Fall to all.
Did she avail herself of that driveway? Noooooo. Instead, she sat there, motionless, expecting me to instead back my car up the steep slope of
Sequoia, around the curve, and by several parked cars, to make room for Her Highness to proceed on her way. Yeah, I could have held my position and out- stubborned her, but I decided to be the bigger man, even if it meant performing a considerably more difficult and dangerous maneuver than pulling into a freakin’ driveway.
So let me introduce you to the new Chief...Mr. Henry Baker, Jr.
I’m STILL wondering what story she told herself to justify that bit of business. Did she think it was a one way street, or did she just want to win? I guess we’ll never know, until the next time that black sedan comes blasting up
one of our narrow two-way streets. Be alert.
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