The San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad was extended into Mendocino County in the late 1880s. The railroad traveled north along the Russian River. If you travel up the railroad from the County line there…
Posts published in “Essays”
January 14, 2007 was the 40th anniversary of the great Gathering of all Tribes for a Human Be-In at the Polo Grounds in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. I was teaching English at Fresno State…
In a decision bursting with symbolism, the California State Water Resources Control Board recently announced its intention to draw down the main water supply reservoir for a half-million people who live just outside of the state capitol to only 12% of capacity by September 30. Lake Folsom on the American River — the main water source for Roseville, Folsom, and other Sacramento suburbs — will plummet to 120,000 acre-feet by that date, according to a forecast by the water board, which announced the plan at an unusually lively Sacramento workshop on June 24.
How many times have you seen TV news reports of people stranded in airports, and thought, “Thank God that’s not me?” Usually the delay is attributed to the weather forcing cancellations. In our case it…
It's raining in July at the Macdonald ranch. Here it proves a welcome sight, damping down dusty roads and dry grass. Any rain in drought years seems precious. We are almost certainly undergoing some sort…
I grew up where men seldom touched other men, beyond a handshake, and everybody was happy with that arrangement. But, when I came out to the coast, well, people hugged. You see the guy from…
Much ado about the death penalty lately... Some places want to reinstate the firing squad, which is interesting if only because one or more of the gun wielders can deliberately miss the target if they…
My brother died in 2000. He was 51 years old. We had been estranged for over 20 years. We had lived much different lives. When he died (killed) some of his acquaintances had his ashes…
It appears that Native Americans are currently part of the national cultural conversation and I — well, wait. I should probably qualify that by saying that the concept and conception of Native Americans is being…