# 114 - June 11th, 2008

Greetings one and all, many of whom I know were in attendance at the heart-warming and very cool homecoming for Sgt. Jesse Slotte that took place last Thursday along Hwy. 128 in downtown Boonville. It was a wonderful turnout of local folks from all walks of Valley life and, judging by the look on Jesse’s face, it was something that he appreciated very much. Later that night, after spending a few hours catching up with his high school buddies, Jesse and wife Maricela turned up at The Boonville Lodge Bar and Grill for a celebratory drink with numerous other friends and acquaintances. The huge cheer that went up as they entered the bar was something to behold…I just wanted to add that during this difficult time for the Slotte Family I have seen and briefly spoken to Jesse’s parents, Ed and Candy Slotte, on numerous occasions and their positive way of dealing with Jesse’s situation and their pleasant and friendly demeanor throughout the ordeal will surely have been an inspiration to all those who came into contact with them. Very best wishes to Jesse and his whole Family – heroes one and all…

Talking of Family, this coming Sunday (June 15th) is Father’s Day and whilst I am personally not exactly sure how many fine-feathered offspring I am responsible for, or where they are, I am sure most of you Dads are on top of this kind of information. I hope that you all enjoy your special day and are treated accordingly…

Whine of the Week…I feel I must have a little whine about the pitifully low percentage of voters who took part in last week’s local elections etc. It was around just 35% and, in light of the fact that we live in an area where there is no shortage of those who hardly shy away from sharing their opinions about ‘stuff’ (whether they know what they are talking about or not), this poor showing was pathetic. Apparently, many of those who pontificate endlessly to a captive audience in the bar/post office/store or at a potluck are unable to seize the opportunity, when it matters, to actually have their voices heard and perhaps make a difference. It’s too bad…

On a far more cheerful note, it’s time for The Wine of the Week for which I have to thank Hugh the Heron of Ft. Bragg for his recommendation. Hummingbird and I celebrated our recent wedding anniversary by returning to our favorite coast restaurant, The Ledford House in Albion. There, amongst many other wonderful offerings that the restaurant always seems to produce, we followed Hugh’s advice and thoroughly enjoyed the Humboldt Fog Cheese and Beet Salad accompanied by a delicious Navarro Vineyards’ 2006 Dry Riesling – a superb pairing and one which is arguably in my Top Five of 2008 so far. You will not be disappointed…

Now to the news you’ve no doubt all been waiting for…In the unofficial poll for the Unofficial Mayor of Anderson Valley, all the ballots are in, the votes have been totaled up, and we have a Winner – it’s Lauren Keating (of Lauren’s Restaurant fame)!...She received some last minute poll-clinching votes following her performance at the restaurant on Saturday night singing with the Peanut Butter and Jam Band. She has a lovely singing voice and I look forward to her acceptance speech/song…When I asked her how it felt to be the “lady-in-waiting” for this potentially very important position, which may or may not be re-instated one day, she replied coyly, “Well I’m sure it’s not an easy job for just one person. We have so many different points of view here in The Valley - I might need some help.” I’m not sure if she was hinting that I should be her ‘Deputy Mayor’ but, if she was, it was very kind of her…and quite wise and perceptive too, I have to say…

Anyway, here are the final standings: Lauren 14%; Turkey “Trust me” Vulture 11%; Bruce Anderson 10%; Captain Rainbow, Bruce “Uncle Sam” Hering and Cheryl Schrader (A.V. Animal Rescue) ended with 7% each; Ross Murray (KZYX, etc, etc) and Vince “Vinnie” Bellew both with 6%; Emil “Hardware” Rossi and the Nine-Month Old Quinn Reilly-Kalinowski finished on 5%; Bruce Patterson and Coach Kuny both end up on 4%; Wayne Hiatt (Community Xmas Tree) and Frida Fox (I.C.W. etc) were both on 3%; Cindy Wilder (Farmer’s Market, etc) and Leslie (All that Good Stuff) each had 2%…Finally, Gene “General Plan” Herr, “King” Ken Allen, Scott “The Scotsman” Frazier, and Pipe Man Robert (A.V. Brewery) all finished with 1% of the vote, showing that at least somebody thought each of them could do a good job…It’s been fun and many thanks to those of you who took part and voted. We had quite a turnout for this “important” poll and it would appear that there is something of a groundswell for re-creating the position of Mayor of Anderson Valley – something we have not had since, err, err…does anyone actually know?

Last week in this esteemed publication, Our Mighty Leader’s comments concerning the number of “mystery” wineries involved in the recent Anderson Valley Pinot Festival intrigued me. Bruce noted that he was familiar with only thirteen of the thirty-three listed. I checked the line-up and it turned out that I was aware of just sixteen - and I’m a “professional” wine drinker!...In answer to Supremo Anderson’s vaguely rhetorical question, “Who are these people?”, I have no idea at all and at this point in time I can only say that I am as bewildered as many others…

Meanwhile - be careful out there, stay out of the ditches, think good thoughts, and may your god go with you…Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture…

You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net