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Posts published in “Essays”

Gaye LeBaron, Doyenne of Northcoast Journalism

Redwood Region residents are going to miss legendary Sonoma County newspaper columnist Gaye LeBaron, who never forgot her North Coast roots and returned repeatedly to write about its people, places, and history. LeBaron 65-year career…

Pronsolinos & Valentis: Vinegar Ridge Industry Founders, Part II

Last week’s story describing Anderson Valley’s early grape-growing days featured the founding Frati family and their viticultural and enological activities on Vinegar Ridge.  This week I want to visit some of the other grower families…

Pot on Sale at the Price of Kale

Remember back about two years ago when legalized marijuana had not yet turned into the colossal white elephant bust of today, and Flow Canna came to town to the musical accompaniment of bugles blowing, chorale…

Cliff Notes for Black History Month

If you’re a teacher looking for a lesson plan or a student looking for a topic on which to write a paper in connection with Black History Month, here are some articles that have not…

Rocky Rowf

I was a pushover. I met Rocky on a sizzling Fourth of July weekend. I never intended to take him home with me. He was sprawled under a park bench on South Beach trying to…

Encanto’s Chart-Topping Enchantments

Beginning with Disney’s first animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of 1937, the Mouse House’s message has always been about family. That laser beam focus makes for heartwarming storytelling but, more importantly,…

Wallpapering Over The Dry Rot

The next thing they’ll do is repaint all those bulbout curbs black so the hundreds of tires that rub against them daily won’t leave telltale marks. After that, they’ll block State Street off from vehicles…

The First Growers: Winegrapes in Anderson Valley

Forty years ago Eileen Pronsolino co-wrote a brief history of the earliest wine grape growers in Anderson Valley.  At the time she was working at Al Green’s Greenwood Ridge Vineyard tasting room on Highway 128,…

Frosting On Dead Fish

King Salmon. Delicious. California King Salmon, that is. In the nineteen sixties and seventies, it was priced a little bit more than hamburger. It was a staple on family plates. During World War One, canned King…

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