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Posts published in “Essays”

Valley People 12/2/2009

GUIDO PRONSOLINO died Monday at his home in Yorkville. He was 83. A full obituary will appear next week, but a potluck celebration of Guido's life will be held this Friday (December 4th), 1pm at…

Looking For Captain Fathom

Katheryn and I never did connect with Soren, or Alan Graham. I did deliver the IWW tee-shirt he’d sent me years ago he'd asked me to bring so that he could reproduce it. But I…

Monk, For The Record

In Michael Ondaatje's wonderful novel “Divisadero” — a most memorable part of which is set in Sonoma County — the jazz of Thelonious Monk is likened to “imprisoned birdsongs.” Leave it to a superb novelist…

Big Beer Takes Over

Forget about kicking back and enjoying an Ameri­can beer; a massive wave of consolidation is trans­forming the industry. According to a recent report by the Marin Insti­tute, a California-based alcohol industry watchdog, a rush of…

Knee-Deep in Duck

Some impulse purchases are more gratifying than others. This Thanksgiving was to be a small get-together; for our expansive family, an unusually restrained event. As such, we decided to keep our celebratory dinner to the…

State Not Developers Likely to Decide Fate of Downtown Ukiah

The economic viability of Ukiah’s historic downtown is going to be shaped not by warring development factions but by a pending state decision on where to build a new Mendocino County Courthouse. The state Department…

Salmon for Wine?

It's one of the career changes some of Mendo's unemployed fishermen are pondering these days, according to a story about California's non-existent commercial salmon industry--and what local fishermen are up to--in the LA Times today.

Speaking of Art in Fort Bragg…

There's an excellent new gallery in town with an open house this Friday (December 4).  The gallery, Odd Hours, is perfect for the kids--by which I mean anyone whose brain hasn't turned to Gerber from years…

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