I must sadly report the passing of one of the best herding dogs to ever come out of this Valley. Ten-year old Bren of Yorkville, who with owner Kevin Owens was the winner of the Mendocino County Fair Sheep Dog Trial for the past two years, died recently after a short illness. To compound the sadness, her daughter Meg, potentially a champion in her own right, was the victim of a fatal rattlesnake bite in the middle of the night just a few days later. Kevin and those close to him, myself included, who had known both dogs and seen them work the sheep in the Yorkville Highlands many, many times, are inevitably greatly saddened at this loss. It is the passing of an era that saw some of the finest displays of a working dog’s relationship with man, and the deep and enduring mutual love and respect that this kinship so often produces.
Posts published by “Turkey Vulture”
Bill Sterling, a keen and pro-active supporter of the Valley’s well-being and progress, writes, “At the CSD board meeting at 5:30 pm on August 20th, I shall make a presentation about the STEM project for which George Lee and I are fund-raising. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Over the next three years the High School will introduce new science electives into the curriculum that utilize custom-designed hardware and software that will enable students to conduct hands-on experiments as an integral, essential part of courses in biology, earth sciences, chemistry and physics.
This week, Sunday August 10 to be precise, is the 85th Birthday of my Mother, the Venerable Vulture. While a little unsteady during flight, mentally she remains as sharp as ever and will not hesitate to point out to folks who assume, because of her advanced years, that she might be a little absent-minded, “I am old, not stupid!” She and my father, also 85, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and received a telegram acknowledging this achievement from the Queen of England! Imagine that. I expect the Queen will be inviting them for tea and scones at The Palace for their 70th anniversary. It would be rude of her not to, wouldn’t you say? Many Happy Returns, Mom!
What a mess! Outside the bucolic bubble that is Boonville and not far beyond, the world seems to be almost spinning out of control. We have increasingly tragic events, some of which are being considered as war crimes, in regions such as the Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Libya, and others; the spreading Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the crashing/shooting down of civilian airplanes; the continuing despicable acts by Boko Haram in Nigeria; thousands of children being held at the Mexican/US border after fleeing their drug-cartel dominated countries; and now here in California we are starting to see some large and out-of-control wildfires amidst terrible drought conditions.
Pat Hulbert has been announced as The Grand Marshall at this year’s Mendocino County Fair in September. The Hulberts arrived in the Valley in the 1920s while Pat’s family on her mother’s side goes all the way back to the Beesons who were among the first white families to discover and settle in the Valley in 1851. Today, Pat is one of the family’s senior and most revered members.
So another movie is about to be made featuring the Valley. This time it's an historical drama purportedly about life here in the time following the 1906 earthquake. According to producer/writer Judy Belshe-Toernblom, they started filming “Boonville Redemption” a few days ago and while most of the film is being shot elsewhere there might be some second unit shooting in Boonville at some point. The cast apparently includes such well-known performers as Ed Asner, Dianne Ladd, and, in an amazing coincidence, Pat Boone! Having visited the website, I’m still not sure what kind of message the film is sending, certainly Faith and God’s forgiveness play a part, but for a synopsis and other details go to www.BoonvilleRedemption.com.
We are beginning to see an increase in the annual visits to the Valley of those fast-driving tourists, particularly ‘Mr. Convertible Sports Car’ in his mid-60s with the 20-Something Blonde in the passenger seat, who would probably rather be at a beauty/tanning salon, and certainly wouldn’t spend a minute of her time with the boring guy sitting next to her if he drove a pick-up.