# 128 - September 17th, 2008

Greetings one and all…Are you sitting comfortably?...Then I shall begin…My apologies for not coming up with a Valley Quiz this week – I just don’t have the space…
Talking of apologies, I must offer a retraction of a comment that I made in last week’s column concerning the new winery and tasting room shortly to open just south of Philo on Hwy.128. My investigative reporter on that story gave me false information and he will be dealt with in the usual Valley way, reserved for particularly treacherous acts, i.e. hung until nearly dead from the Hanging Tree besides the church rectory on Anderson Valley Way and then, whilst painfully weak but still aware, fed to the ravenous pigs on Ornbaun Road…
Anyway, to my point…Contrary to an assertion I made that the winery had not given jobs to local people, it turns out that Jim Ball Vineyards does in fact have five employees from the Valley, including cellar manager Alex Crangle and wife Molly. I am assured that they have worked very hard on the new winery for six months or so. I therefore apologize for the incorrect statement made last week. Furthermore, according to Crangle, the company has done their utmost to “go green” in both their construction plans and the system installed for their future operations, with special efforts being made to reduce water consumption.
Crangle writes, “From the inception of Jim Ball Vineyards the treatment of the environment during development and building has been of the utmost importance to us. In terms of the watershed, two years were spent cleaning up the landfill left on the property by its previous owners and preparing/augmenting the soil to limit sediment runoff during the first rainy season before planting. Water conservation methods were built into our vineyards and winery from day one. The vineyard is farmed organically and has been planted with rootstocks known for their drought-tolerant characteristics. To mitigate the winery's effect on the watershed, a state of the art process water handling system was installed and by the year 2010 we will be 100% solar- powered.
Hmmm…It would seem that if we must have another vineyard/winery then at least it’s a good thing that the new venture is behaving in this way…I have generally been a supporter of the current Valley winery businesses and, as regular readers will know, I do like to sip a little of the red nectar now and again. However, and with Hummingbird working in the wine world, the word ’hypocrisy’ may come to your mind, I fail to see why we need any more of them. I do know that several people are suffering from dried up wells or water pressure as low as they can ever remember...As for my comments that the companies involved with the construction are not from the Valley, Alex pointed out that the local construction companies could not attempt such a big project. I would say that if that’s the case then perhaps this was an indicator that such a project was too big; but that’s just my humble opinion and who am I to suggest to Jim Ball how he spends his $$$$?…
Reflections on the 81st County Fair from The Three-Dot Lounge, high in the hills above the Valley…No alcohol allowed at the soccer game on Friday? – the A.V. victory over Mendo needed to be celebrated in the time-honored fashion...Good corn dogs – not so good after-effects though!...Fine beer from the A.V. Brewery; not so fine alcoholic beverage called Bacardi Raz on sale alongside the Bud and Bud Lite at the Lions Club booth – nasty stuff…Some fair-goers are still not 100% convinced about the Hypnotist – consensus amongst the audience around me was running about 80-20 that she’s for real…My favorite Sam Prather Dinner yet – “help yourself, Turkey Vulture”, I was perhaps mistakenly told as I hovered over the goat ribs. They were delicious, although devouring such a large portion whilst standing just twenty feet from the baby goat corrals was a little thoughtless of me – “from the cradle to the grave”??…I missed Bitzy the Clown – I won’t lose any sleep over that though; also missed Dean Titus and the Coyote Cowboys – I needed to get some sleep!…Pleasing to walk round and see so many F.F.A./4-H teenagers taking pride in, and care of, their pets/livestock; not so great to see even more teenagers spending all their time on the rides and never venturing anywhere near the corrals and the other display/exhibition halls…Favorite livestock watching? – the pigs and piglets of course…Guilty pleasure - the extra-crispy, and delicious in a sickly sort of way, Kurly Fries provided complementarily to me on Friday by my “new Carnie friends” for whom I had bought a few beers on Thursday…Impressive apple hall displays and amazing quilts…The Rodeo seemed better attended than in the past and yet the Fair as a whole appeared to be a little quieter than usual…Enjoyed watching the bull-riding, but I wouldn’t want to do it - as the "politically insenstitive" commentator said, "it can be like having dinner with your ex-mother-in-law”…Overheard visitors from S.F. saying what a great event the Fair was, and how different it was from their own lifestyle and experiences just three hours away that they “might as well be in a different country”…Many Congratulations to Yorkville’s own Kevin Owens and Border Collie Brenn on their 2nd place finish in the Sheep Dog Trial…I thought it was also one of the best parades in years with the usual participants being joined by some new faces - my particular favorites were that whole entourage featuring a dancer on stilts (was that Polly Bates?) and the hula-hooping Angela DeWitt...Overall, it was certainly another wonderful Fair and long may it continue…and in case you’re wondering, my Carnie friends and I made no plans to keep in touch…
Public Service Announcements: #’s 182 and 183…It’s that time again – the Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital will be here to service your pet needs at Dig Landscape and Garden Supplies (formerly the A.V. Farm Supply) tomorrow - Thursday 18th at 2pm…Dig itself is now closed on Sundays but the rest of the week they’re “good to go”, as ‘they’ say, from 9 to 5…Now you know…
I’m outta here!...Be careful out there, remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle, try to 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…
p.s. “Hi, Silver Swan and Duck Lips – that wasn’t you barrel-racing was it?”
You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at
turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net…