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Posts published in “Essays”

The Great Comptche Fire of 1931

Somewhere on a shadowy shelf, amid the dusty books and pamphlets here at the ranch, rests a newspaper from eighty-seven years ago. On those faded pages, no photos to spark the imagination, just words to…

We Are The People Of The Fire

Wildfires are old news. They’ve been old news for as long as humans have told stories about wildfires and tried to tame them, along with almost everything else that was wild. As soon as there…

Odd Tree Out, Yet Again

Readers of the Anderson Valley Advertiser may remember my “Odd Tree Out” articles from earlier this year, chronicling my rediscovery – after 20 years – of California nutmeg in an area west of Philo.  With…

In Memoriam, Janice Blue, 1942-2017

I take this opportunity to add a few words of remembrance concerning Janice Blue. It was only last night I sought information by internet server as to what became of her, itself an interesting coincidence.…

The Canceled Sesh

A sesh is a pop-up pot club. The oldest is said to be the Dream Sesh in Los Angeles, founded 2013. Sesh organizers have venues of their own or rent an event space. People get…

Blue

I have an indelible picture in my mind of a poet dressed all in blue, head to foot, blue flowing long skirt and blue flying sleeves above her blue dyed hair, floating the early morning…

Ukiah’s Main Street Murder of 1879

A.O. Carpenter, editor of the Ukiah City Press, labored in his newspaper office early one Thursday morning in April, 1879. The screams of a woman on State Street roused him to his feet. Gazing out…

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