Humboldt County, October, 1996 – Now that the Owl Creek Tree Village had been disbanded, that particular grove of old-growth redwoods cut and hauled away, the tree-sitters locked up in the Humboldt Hilton, the organizers at…
Posts published by “Spec MacQuayde”
(Humboldt County, October 1996. Tensions mounted at the Owl Creek Tree Sit, where a village of at least half a dozen activists occupied strategically-located trunks in an attempt to protect that grove of ancient redwoods…
After nearly a week in the Humboldt Hilton as Jane Doe, my pregnant girlfriend, Maggie, was finally released. She joined us at Earth First! Base Camp in the redwoods at a park south of Carlotta.…
The vegan lunch consisted of those stir-fried vegetables that had thankfully been mixed with peanuts, canola oil, and apple cider vinegar, over rice. After serving nearly a hundred activists, glopping the rice into reused, plastic salza containers, I helped myself and took a seat across the table from the fellow kitchen guy and Hoosier, "Duck," who sported a dark goatee, blonde hair, and looked Scandinavian.
Night reluctantly relinquished its grip in the shade of those majestic redwoods, the sun still obscured by ridges to the east as Base Camp sprung to life. Maggie had hung curtains along the back windows…
As we hoofed it down the county road, towards the logging gate and the main stage, the marchers sang the chorus and verses of "This Land is Our Land." Some had strap-on drums to beat. Some carried signs. Tears streamed down our cheeks. The effect overwhelmed both of us, but my pregnant girlfriend more.
Balmy weather has persisted in the Ohio valley throughout the month of January, with heavy rains and temperatures rarely dipping below 40 degrees. Grass is sprouting, to the delight of our chicken flock. Tree branches…
High pressure lingers over the Ohio valley, finally, after the most humid summer I can recall. Mildew and insects thrived. The yellow chanterelle mushroom harvest, known mostly to hippies who have experienced the West Coast,…