by Steve Sparks
I met with Leslie a week or so ago at her home overlooking the Valley from the low hills behind the airport on Mountain View Road. After enjoying the view and the affection of Grace the dog I sat down to begin our chat.
Leslie was born in 1950 at the Alpha Bates Hospital in Berkeley, [...]
by Steve Sparks
As the rain came pouring down I drove to the outskirts of Boonville and met with June at her home on Ornbaun Road. She graciously offered me either a tuna or ham sandwich for lunch but I settled on some delicious homemade cookies along with a hot cup of coffee and we sat down to [...]
by Steve Sparks
I drove above Ornbaun Road to meet with Bill at the house he and wife Eva have called home since 1976. We sat down with some coffee and a plate of Oreo cookies and began our chat.
Bill was born in 1933 in the very small west Texas town of Rule, about 150 miles [...]
by Steve Sparks
Wallen Summers becomes our third guest from the Valley who was born outside the US. He ‘arrived’ in Shanghai, China, in 1932, the second child of Sarci Chen and his American wife, Ann Summers. “My father was a sophisticated, modern guy of the 1920s who had been educated at Worcester Tech in Massachusetts and upon his return to China he became an electrical engineer with his own business. My older sister and I grew up in a middle class household and we were very close. She is a retired psychiatrist in San Francisco who has hung on to her Chinese roots far more than I have. She even changed her name from June back to Mai Long and to this day continues to have very negative feelings towards the Japanese after our experiences in the Second World War, perhaps because she is four years older than me and was a teenager at that time.”
by Steve Sparks
With Fred living at one end of the Valley and myself at the other, and no obvious quiet spot in town to meet, we decided to ‘risk’ The Redwood Drive-In on a Friday morning and sat down there with some breakfast and a cup of coffee each. I was concerned about too many [...]
by Steve Sparks
Andrea convinced me that she lived in a cramped cabin so we agreed to meet at my house on Gschwend Road. I made her a cup of tea and we sat down to talk.
Andrea was born in 1963 in Oakland. Her mother immediately gave her up for adoption and left the hospital. The baby girl [...]
by Steve Sparks
I met Jill a couple of weeks ago and as befits the manager at Brutacao Cellars we sat down to chat with some delicious wines. Chardonnay for her and Pinot for myself. Perfect.
Jill was born in 1951 in Chico, California, the oldest of four children born to Ray Johnson and Peggy Kepple, and she grew [...]
by Steve Sparks
I met with Tom at The Boonville Lodge in the heart of Anderson Valley, the bar/restaurant he has owned and operated for the past four years but which has now had to close due to the inflated rent demands by the landlord. We grabbed a couple of soft drinks (really) and sat down to chat.
Tom [...]
by Steve Sparks
I met Bob at his home on Ornbaun Road in Boonville and as we sat down to talk, his wife Sandra offered us some delicious cookies and a nice hot drink, tea brought from China by daughter, Dana.
Bob was born in Great Falls, Montana, in August 1931, the only child of Wilma Webb and David [...]
by Steve Sparks
I drove into the Rancho Navarro subdivision north of Navarro and turned into the driveway of the home of Judy and Garth Long, the one with the new fire truck parked outside. I was met by Judy and the three dogs, including the very excited new Labrador puppy, Tanner, and we sat down to chat.
Judy [...]
