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Posts published in “Essays”

A Hot Time In The Deep South

As our tour group of 40 history teachers marched deep into Dixie, the temperature rose above 105°. It was a relief to spend time in the air conditioned bus between stops at historic sites. After…

The 4th of July

The 4th of July parade in Mendocino.  If you've never been, you should check it out.  It's like no other 4th of July parade. The fire trucks were a big hit with my little man. …

Mendo’s Thorny Law Enforcement Negotiations

All eight of Mendocino County's "bargaining units" are up for negotiation this year. The "Department Head" bargaining unit, an oxymoronic joke anywhere but Mendocino County, has already agreed to a 10% pay cut. This "bargaining…

Bird’s Eye View

Greetings one and all. If you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin. The live music at Dave Evans’ Navarro Store is up and running for its third successive year but unfortunately I’ve been unable…

A Septic Story

There are three chapters to this story: Subdivision of Albion Head; Piecemeal Development of the Mendocino Outback; Official Waste with Over, Under, and Non-regulation from Characteristic Supervisory Dither and Constipation. Guarding the southern shore of…

Right Over Our Head

I think America missed something. It must be the time of year, what with inhaling all those fumes from the charcoal starter… and fueling up the Jet-skis to turn a perfectly good mountain lake into…

Gettysburg

As I prepared last week for a tour of Civil War his­toric sites with forty history teachers from northwestern Minnesota, I looked at the itinerary and wondered if I would get anything out of touring…

Closing Time (or, Deja Buk)

Crunching down the soggy North Beach alley 2 am Frisco fog overhead drunken old bum pissing on the grimy wall. I was going to walk on but the sound of his stream triggered my own…

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