“Major Crowley can't get the nose wheel down!” shouted Chief Johns as he jogged by my office. “Something's wrong with the nose gear!” It was the spring of 1970 and I had been robo-signing the…
Posts published in “Essays”
Winegrowing and winemaking are important to Anderson Valley today. But the industry is a relative newcomer. Prohibition put the local wine industry on ice during the 1920s and 1930s as vineyards fell into neglect or…
In the 1860s the Frost and Coates families of Little Lake engaged in a running feud that culminated in a shootout outside Baechtel's Store on election day, 1867. The gun battle lasted but fifteen seconds.…
The “R” isn’t working. As the letters blink to life one after the other from top to bottom there’s a pause between the “T” lighting up and then, at last, the “O”: CAST O. Even…
Winegrowing and winemaking are such important parts of Anderson Valley today that it seem strange to realize that they are relative newcomers. The Valley is one of the most beautiful and productive areas of California's…
Against-the-grain singer and piano man Bob Dorough died this past April at the age of 94. His singular approach to song will always be associated for me—and countless others—with the season. So here, just in…
The Men’s Fashion Conscious Award (a well-worn Carhartt ball-cap, donated by The Major) goes to Patrick Kingsley of the Office of the Public Defender.