# 144 - January 7th, 2009

Greetings one and all…Are you sitting comfortably - then I shall begin…Hopefully you are fighting off the post-holiday blues and are looking forward to a happy, healthy and overall damn good 2009...To help get you through any temporary doldrums that you may be wallowing in, let me remind you that in the next few weeks we have two Crab Feeds (on Jan 17th and Feb 7th, both at The Fairgrounds in Boonville) and a Film Festival (Jan 22nd thru’ 25th at The Grange), not to mention The Variety Show in early March (6th and 7th) to rehearse for. So there’s plenty to look forward to and, for an appropriate Quote of the Week, I turn to President Kennedy who said, “We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes”...At this point I just fear that there may not be enough crab for the rest of you – but I hope there is!
In the meantime there is always the Valley Quiz to keep you going - answers at the end of the column...
1. What was the primary crop in the Valley in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s?
2. What is the nickname of the Greenwood/Signal Ridge area of the Valley?
3. What were the first three modern wineries to open in the Valley in the early 70’s – in order please!...
This column is called “A Bird’s Eye View” simply because from my various vantage points, and through my many contacts and undercover reporters, I try to watch and report on many of the goings-on in and around The Valley and to share my observations with the captivated readers, whether they are good, bad, or just plain ugly – the ‘goings-on’ that is, not the ‘captivated readers’!...Anyway, this past New Year’s Eve celebrations perhaps highlighted the fact that despite all the blending of the various cultures, groups, and sub-groups in the Valley over the years, when it comes to a ‘Big Night Out’ people still want to spend time with their loved ones and their closest friends, in a place where they feel comfortable and/or at home, and being surrounded by other like-minded individuals – why wouldn’t they?...The Valley seemed to be split into three somewhat distinct components on this night. Of course there are numerous people who fall into none of these and furthermore, this is just a few brief generalizations from by a bird of prey studying Sociology 101 so what can you expect – Darwin?...
Anyway, one group was centered around the annual ‘Boontberry Bert’ Party and later gathered at Lauren’s Restaurant where the Peanut Butter Jam Band played – generally these were people who have moved to the Valley at various times over the past thirty years; another group saw fireworks, ‘bombs’, and a fun-filled evening of mask-wearing and merry-making at The Boonville Lodge – a gathering of folks whose families typically have been in the Valley for forty years or more and many of whom attended the local High School; whilst a third group, the Mexican community, were generally at their homes or those of friends and family, enjoying their own scene, also often involving fireworks plus plenty of home cooking. Each group seemed to have a marvelous evening without any unseemly incidents to report...There is obviously nothing wrong with any of this of course – it’s a great thing in fact – but it does indicate that the polarizing of communities still exists in these parts at times, despite what some might say...To me it shows that the wonderful ‘melting pot’ of cultures, belief systems, and backgrounds that makes up Anderson Valley, and which exists as a strength of the Valley’s well-being each and every day both at work, school, and often in other social situations, can at times be poured off into its various components and can still be equally as strong and beneficial. In my humble opinion, this form of polarization continues to be real and present and is not a bad thing at all...
Moving on...This has just arrived from my top political correspondent, Balding Eagle, who is spending the final few weeks of the Bush Presidency embedded with Onion Magazine at The White House...Eagle reports, “President George W. Bush is becoming unusually reflective in the final weeks of his administration, taking time during speeches and press conferences to look back on key decisions, expound on his legacy, and tout his role in paving the way for the nation's first African-American president by serving eight years as its first openly gay president. "I'm inspired by our great country's willingness to look past the color of a man's skin—or, in my case, his overt homosexuality—and elect him based on his ability to lead," Bush told reporters following his meeting with president-elect Barack Obama on Dec. 29th. "I've always been proud of my homosexuality, and I am so proud of the United States."...Bush added, "Thank you, America, for taking a chance on an openly gay man from Texas: tight jeans, cowboy hats, and all."...Recalling how he worried during his first campaign that voters were not ready to put a gay man in the White House, Bush said he was "shocked and overjoyed" to win in 2000, and could not have done it without homosexual adviser Karl Rove, his strong base of closeted gay ultra-conservative supporters on the Christian right, and his "best friend" Laura.”.... Thanks for your insightful report, Eagle, I must say Bush had me fooled for a time, but ultimately it became quite obvious...
Perhaps I should go now - I’ll get my coat shall I?...Be careful out there; think good thoughts support your local businesses, and may your god go with you…Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture…
p.s. R.I.P. Hans Kobler, founder of Lazy Creek Winery – “by their fruits ye shall know them”...Wonderful job, Hans...
You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net…
Quiz answers...
1. Hops were the main cop with apples taking over from the 1930’s to the 1960’s.
2. Vinegar Hill (or sometimes Vinegar Ridge) – so-called for one of two reasons, both of which have validity. Firstly, because during Prohibition people would say they were trekking to the ridge to get some “vinegar”, or secondly, perhaps, because unripe and/or rain-and frost-damaged grapes often went into the wine, making it ‘vinegary’...
3. Husch (1971), Lazy Creek (1973), and Navarro (1974)...