Thanksgiving was born of war: first, colonial conquest masquerading as concord, then a means to bind the nation in the midst of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation on October 3rd, 1863,…
Posts published in “Essays”
"Where do you run?" The question was propounded by the editor of one of San Francisco's most distinguished underground newspapers, and as I struggled to sort out the language, he amplified: "I mean, where is…
Amidst reports that the red-hot Berlin property market is cooling off (literally so, given the steep rise in energy prices) comes a new product placement fantasy that advertises upscale apartments in the German capital —…
A friend of mine on the Mendocino Coast has tried every recreational drug known to druggies, hippies and doctors, and lots of the prescription meds too. Drugs she’s sampled include, but are not limited to:…
I am interested in origins and when we claim them and when we stop, the power of language and place. (Tania; Native Gardens; Act 1, Scene 2) It was the opening night Gala for Native…
I met Bill right after my wife and I first moved to The Valley fifty years ago. Our meeting place was the Floodgate Store bar along Highway 128 toward the Deep End of Navarro. Moving…
As we enjoy driving deserted roads in the middle of no place my husband and I have a list. We call it the “One of these days we ought to drive down that road and…
Bainbridge Island is in the Puget Sound a 30-minute ferry ride from Seattle. These ferries are not quaint little crafts, but monster vessels that can hold more than 2,000 passengers and are often crammed to…
For this episode of Bill Holcomb’s life, I visited him at his and Eva’s home, a lovely owner-designed indoor/outdoor dwelling, part domicile, part workshop, part old vehicles and construction equipment museum. Bill bought the 14…