Page 44 - Sonoma County Gazette - October 2017

The trees on the road to Sebastopol are all turning yellow; the grapes are hanging heavy on the vines and the kids are all back to school – Fall has come. September is always a mellow month. This month we had a surprise electric storm, with real lightning and thunder but only a trace
The ‘first rain’ after the long dry summer is always a welcome sound. I was lying in bed listening to the unfamiliar sound on the roof and deck and wondered if this is for real. Is it just the fog once again dripping from the trees or could it be! A glance out the window brings a huge
smile to see that we actually have blessed rain, a rain where the ground is truly wet and rejoicing. The redwood smell is heightened, the birds sound happier, and the plants are clapping for once again they are clean. The ‘first rain’ brings back many memories with the boys jumping out of bed and running outside dancing, with the horses running along the fence to join in the dance, and well, the joy that I didn’t have to water the garden that day. Thank you rain!
I want to offer a shout out to Trinks Cafe in Gualala. I really enjoy my mornings with the standard breakfast and a fresh cup of amazing coffee. What I love is seeing everyone. It is hard to sit down to a table without good friends joining in or stopping at the table to say hello and sharing hugs. It is a sure way to catch up with folks I haven’t seen in a few weeks and catch up on news from the town. Trinks started in 2003 by Kathy (also known to family and friends as Trink) serving good coffee and her famous desserts and pastries. Now the restaurant has expanded with the expertise of her son Ross and wife Dionely (both graduates from the California Culinary Academy) to serving lunch daily and dinners three nights a week with most of the ingredients being locally sourced and many of the ingredients being organic. I love that. Suzanne runs the front of the house. They have a super friendly staff with a welcoming feel. Personally I feel connected to them having known Ross and Suzanne and many of the staff members since they were young in school and sports. This
is a real home town place. For more information, to make dinner reservations, and to inquire about catering check their website at http://trinkscafe.com/. You won’t be disappointed.
Fall is a beautiful time to visit the coast. No wind (usually) and no fog (most of the time). Glorious views and settings for family time, get away’s for couples, and a sporting drive. Gualala Arts has plenty to offer with several art openings, a swing dance class, good music offerings, karaoke nights, and more. The annual Gualala River Run is October 7 which starts and end at GAC sponsored by Action Network. This is a 5K and 10K event that is entirely made of fun supporting programs for the entire community. Later in the evening
the band Zydeco Flames with concert and dinner. At the end of October is the Native American Art Expo. For this event and the many others please visit the web at gualalaarts.org/category/events/. Fort Ross State Park has their annual Harvest Festival with a bit of history and a bit of more modern times to share. Visit their web at fortross.com for more info.
A second shout out is to Eric Wilder. He will be offering a lecture Sunday October 15 at 4 PM with the Point Arena Lighthouse Lecture series. From the Point Arena Lighthouse web “Eric is a member of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and grew up on the Kashia Reservation. He has come full circle both as a leader of his Tribe and professionally as an artist. He was elected to the Kashia Tribal Council for two terms as the Tribal Secretary and then two terms as the Tribal Chairman. Today he makes a career as an artist and expanding his graphic design company, Eric Wilder Graphics.” I have known Eric for over 35 years and have great respect for him, his sharing of his culture, and his amazing art. If you have never heard Eric speak now is your chance. Visit the web pointarenalighthouse.com/ for more info and to make reservations. Other events at the Lighthouse include Full moon tours, hikes with BLM Explorers, and more.
I wish you all a wonderful and colorful fall. I wish you many days to enjoy the outside, take a walk, pick some huckleberries, enjoy the last of the creek swims, and take in our local fall colors. And most of all enjoy our refreshing October rains. Many blessings.
of rain. It certainly wasn’t enough to damage the excellent reputation we have for Indian summer. September and October are some of the very nicest months.
The good thing is that tourists really haven’t realized this and just ock
here to avoid the heat inland and therefore welcome the summer days which are cooler and often foggy. It’s not that we don’t welcome tourists, but when Highway One is so crowded that you can’t easily go to and from the post o ce, we feel like we have reached the maximum. This, indeed,was the topic of the last town meeting.
In a series of conversations some of our elected o cials came to the Grange for a meeting of the community especially tailored about whether or not
the county funding of tourism could be directed to better choices. Let’s Talk Tourism was the title picked and the use of the TOTax was kicked around,
with some experienced contenders (like the Fire Fighters) presenting an excellent case for diverting funds now designated to encourage more tourism to alternative recipients, like re and public safety practitioners.
Both re and public safetycontinue to grow and change. The community turned out to welcome the most recent addition to the CHP – David Adams. He is warm and personable, and best of all he is basically a local boy. He grew up in Guerneville and knows the area very well. Welcome.
Between the county sheri s and CHP o cers we are well served in what is sometimes a di cult arena. It is di cult for the community to e ectively police itself when there is such a ux in occupancy. The old days of knowing exactly who was in the house down the block so you felt comfortable going to ask them to turn down their music after midnight, are gone. Now there are more likely to be occupants who may not even know each other.
The behavior controls of knowing each other well, (and their families) are basically things of the past except for the residents who continue to know each other from their activities in local churches, Grange, community gardens and even pitching in to help the schools. We all try, and pitch in to pick up trash the visitors leave; and remind visitors that speeding thru our village is a hazard not only to us, but also to themselves.
Working in the Grange garden, I regularly see children dart out into tra c from Fish & Chips, or having bought a balloon at Candy and Kites blissfully cross over the road where the tra c has geared up to race around Johnson corners (the side rails have a short life – directly relating to excess speeds around the corner.) We continue to request at least a pedestrian walkway.
The CHP said we could request a radar trailer and the Santa Rosa o ce probably would accommodate. The phone number is: 707-588-1400, if someone can take this on. I have been trying for ve years to get the speed lowered
from the access to the state park down to the community center. It is 25 at the community center; then goes to 55 where the cars from the north pulling boats or busses with drivers unused to driving such big machines, pull into the park. All they would have to do is remove the part of the sign that says 35mph ahead, and the speed would be lowered safely. If anybody has any brilliant ideas, please speak up.
The charitable event to raise money for Waves of Compassion, went very well. The patio by Gourmet Au Bay and Ginocchios was mobbed. The crowd was happy and willing to contribute to raise money for the excellent charitable idea of providing food for those who need help. The group raised several thousand dollars, which they will use to buy the food from the Food Bank. Good job, everybody.
There is always a new battle - I am talking about the Trump decision to drill in the beautiful Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We need to tell our congressman to STRONGLY oppose that. What do you want to see when you watch the sunset over the Paci c Ocean? Oil rigs or shing boats and surfers?
As always, Just Keep On Keeping On.
As hard as it is, just remember to speak out - but Be Kind.
44 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 10/17