Last week’s Billy Owens story began with our first meeting on Friday nights at the Floodgate Store bar down near Navarro. Time for the rest of that story. My wife Anna’s providing the instrument for…
Posts published in “Essays”
I loved P.E. class as a kid, even more than recess. While both meant we could go outside and play, I liked P.E. much more because it required everyone to play together. That was cool.…
Ukraine is still leading in column inches per day, but Cannabis is coming up on the rail in the New York Times coverage derby. Some recent stories: “Weed on the High-End Menu” by Robert Simonson…
Suppose you were living in Mendocino County in 1972 and suppose that, being young and idealistic, you wanted your life to have meaning. You wanted to devote yourself to a Cause. Plenty of options: You…
How many residents of Anderson Valley have ventured farther north than Fort Bragg on Highway 1? If you have not gone farther north, here are some reasons to go. About 14 miles from Fort Bragg,…
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,…
"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:…