# 164 - June 24th, 2009

Greetings one and all - if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin... And let’s get straight in to some important Public Service Announcements... #183 - It’s that time again – the final weekend of the month means that The Barn Sale will take place at The St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church Refectory on A.V. Way just north of Boonville. It goes from 9am to 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday, June 27th and 28th – I’ll be the one evaluating the new bbq grill masters (serving 11am – 2pm) in the tried and trusted manor – by eating excessively!... #184 – Tomorrow, Thursday, June 25th, will see the monthly visit by the Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital to Dig Landscape and Garden Supplies, north of Philo on Hwy128. If you have some pet needs please go along and support this wonderful service from 2pm – 3.30pm...And finally this week, #185, a heads-up for next weekend’s Olde Time 4th July Celebration at the Fairgrounds from noon to 4pm – parades, games, music, food, drink, and a tug-of-war – what more could you possibly want?...
We have a special visitor to the Valley this week, my Goddaughter, Grace Goshawk, who will be staying at The Nest and hopefully learning a thing or two about carrion and sheep stomachs from yours truly – a little bit more interesting than the usual Goshawk diet of bats, possums, and rabbits, wouldn’t you say? Anyway, unlike most Goshawks, she does not have a fierce expression on her face and is actually very friendly, so if you see us around town please give a wave – she will not peck your eyes out, I can virtually assure you...
On to the topics under discussion this week at The Three-Dot Lounge - yes it’s “Moans, Groans, Good Thoughts, and Rampant Rumors” from my favorite bar/restaurant in the Valley at a location known only to those ‘in the know’... Reviews of the A.V. Theatre Guild’s recent production continue to be expressed around The 3-Dot and most are positive, the vast majority suggesting that Director Rod Basehore, the cast, and the crew all did a great job. However, many of those same reviewers believe that the choice of play (‘A Thurber Carnival’) was a big reason for the disappointing attendances and, for those who did make it to The Grange to see our local thespians tread the boards, the material was found to be frequently not that ‘entertaining’ - the real attraction was to witness the acting of friends and acquaintances. That’s too bad, but this kind of feedback and constructive criticism may prove to be useful and perhaps a more accessible choice of play, appealing to a wider range of people, will be shown next year – easy for me to suggest, I’m sure... Following further investigations, I have it on good authority that Dick Sands was indeed fired from his job as the driver of the Seniors’ bus after twelve years of service. He made a mistake, a serious one but one that could have been forgiven, and now he has paid a very hefty price. Perhaps there were other reasons, may be there were liability issues; may be the ‘powers-that-be’ wanted him out anyway. He says it might be a good thing for him but, having spent a little time with him since the firing, one cannot help but think that deep down he is bitterly disappointed and hurt. Meanwhile, all at The 3-Dot wish him well... And now a few “quickies’... The I.C.W. (Independent Career Women) is not a ladies drinking club – a myth that needs to be dismissed a.s.a.p. (By the way, their monthly gathering is this evening, June 24th at Frida Fox’s. Bring a bottle - - - I’m kidding!)...It is felt that Principal J.R. Collins will not be leaving the High School anytime soon...There will be at least one football team at the High School this fall...Wineries situated in the Yorkville area are not invited to the A.V. Pinot Festival...More seniors would have received scholarships at the Graduation ceremony if they had simply applied for them!... There are no sawmills in the Valley for the first time since 1860! Not a rumor, that’s a fact; and for many Valley folks a very sad state of affairs indeed...
And that leads me to The Quote of the Week...It’s from former President Ronald Reagan who somehow has had the revisionist historians applauding his term in office as one of the best ever, conveniently forgetting all the crazy stuff he did and said. For example, he was responsible for the classic, “If you’ve seen one redwood tree, you’ve seen ‘em all.” Not the brightest of fellows was he, and surely not one of the Top Ten Presidents of all-time, as some would have us believe!?
Before I go, I’d like to pass on to you, under the heading ‘Life Lessons’, a little more advice you may find useful at some point – ‘The consumption of alcohol may lead you to think people are
laughing WITH you.’...Does this mean that Reagan was a big drinker?
Oh, dear, have I upset somebody? - I’ll get my coat and leave shall I?... Be careful out there, stay out of the ditches; think good thoughts, and may your god go with you...Remember, it can get hot out there so please keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle....Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”… Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture…
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net

# 163 - June 17th, 2009

Greetings one and all - if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin...
I flew into the high school parking lot last Thursday evening just in time to see the graduating seniors, appropriately dressed (girls in white, boys in black), enter the gym and climb the steps on to the stage for their ‘big night.’ With many people taking the ‘Over three hours’ in the Over/Under ‘for entertainment purposes only’ side betting, I noted that proceedings had begun at 7.05pm... I sat down and proceeded to thoroughly enjoy the ensuing program. The event was ably hosted and perfectly paced by hosts Principal J.R. Collins and Vice Principal Jim Tomlin and featured several memorable contributions including Cassidy Hollinger’s valedictorian speech – her thoughtful words were clearly heartfelt, resulting in a few tears amongst the audience and from the speaker herself; the zealous Spanish from Kathy Cox; and the speech of school secretary Wanda Johnson who has been dealing with this class for six years and who had clearly connected with them... A real crowd-pleaser was the Class Video by senior Veronica Mendoza, particularly the section in which each class member was shown metamorphasizing from little child to young adult before the audience’s eyes – clearly someone had been paying attention in Mitch Mendoza’s film class!...
Towards the end of the event came the presentations of the financial awards given very generously by many local sponsors and donors such as The Lions Club, The A.V. Grange, The Chamber of Commerce, P-FLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), The Unity Club, The Kay and Shirley Hiatt Award, The Philo Methodist Church, American Legion, etc., etc., totaling approximately $20,000. The awards culminated in the ten awards donated to his alma mater by writer/filmmaker/philanthropist Robert Mailer Anderson, represented on this occasion (he was attending the New York premiere of his film ‘Pig Hunt’) by his cousin and current high school baseball coach, Ben Anderson. These ten sponsorships totaled a jaw-dropping $145,000 including a fantastic $72,000 (4 years at $18,000 a year) awarded to Miriam Barragan, who will be attending U.C. Northridge to study sign language...The event climaxed with the students receiving their diplomas as Principal Collins informed us of what each planned to do in the future. It was one of the best graduations I have attended (a far cry from the 3 1/2 hour marathon in 105 degrees of a few years ago) and, when it finished at 9.15pm (a big win for those predicting Under three hours), I’m sure the more than six hundred people in attendance felt it had been a most enjoyable and special evening. I spoke to J.R. afterwards and he felt the Class of 2009 had been a very good group, a collection of motivated students that genuinely cared for each other, and one that he felt would do very well in the pursuit of their individual goals... Many congratulations to the Seniors on their achievements so far – now comes the difficult part! Sincere best wishes to one and all...
Following this brief report on such a memorable occasion, for the Quote of the Week I have come up with some words from Virginia Gildersleeve (October 3, 1877 – July 7, 1965), an American academic, the sole female US delegate to the San Francisco United Nations Charter Conference in April 1945, and founder of the International Federation of University Women. She wisely said, “The ability to think straight, some knowledge of the past, some vision of the future, some urge to fit service into the well-being of the community – these are the most vital things that education must try to produce.” Based on the Class of 2009, I would venture to say that A.V.H.S. has performed its function of educating very well indeed...
Moving on to a far less dignified affair...As I sat on the deck up at The Nest on Saturday afternoon, I found myself nibbling on a delicious medley of triple cream Cambozola, a little smoked gouda, some very tasty unripened goat cheese with fine herbs, and a smidgeon of aged cow-chego cheese, along with some prosciutto, salami, fresh melon, and savory crackers. As I sipped from my glass, I thought to myself, ‘this sparkling wine and guava nectar mix is an absolutely perfect pairing with this collection of hors’d-oevres.’ (Regular readers may be pleased to know that yes, the word orgasmic did cross my mind too)...It was only noon and such decadence is something I rarely indulge in at such an hour - and that’s why I share this with you as The Wine/Food Pairing of the Week!...
And obviously it’s now straight on to The Whine of the Week... Actually, it’s not so much a whine as a big disappointment, shared by many others I’m sure, as a local tradition disappears. One of my favorite Valley events over the years has been the annual Woolgrowers Fair, Sheep Dog Trial, and Bar-B-Q with its array of wool exhibits, the excellent lamb bar-b-q, sheep dog trial, and various other presentations. Based on attendance I know I am not alone in thinking this to be a great day out in the Valley. A couple of years ago I heard that the long-time organizers were finding it increasingly more difficult to do each year and were thinking of stepping down. If other people did not step up then the event would be cancelled. Last year there were rumors it would not take place but it was still on right up until the lightning fires hit the Valley and the event had to be cancelled. This year it’s simply not happening – the Community Newsletter is incorrect with its July 26th announcement of the event. I have spoken to some of those close to the event and it appears that a new crop of organizers is needed to resurrect this wonderful tradition but so far nobody had stepped up. Perhaps people do not know about this situation and so I thought I’d mention it here. If ‘The Woolgrowers’ is to return for 2010 a new committee will probably have to be formed, ideally from those amongst the old-timers who can still lend a hand in some way plus an influx from the ‘new shepherds’ in the Valley. If anyone has some thoughts on this please get in touch (e-mail at the bottom), and perhaps something can be done to bring this unique event back for the enjoyment of many people in the Valley and beyond...
Public Service Announcements… The Sierra Nevada Music Festival arrives in town this weekend and no doubt there will be some late night reggae and strange perfumes permeating the Valley air for its duration – please tolerate and/or enjoy...The Boonville Farmers Market is at its usual time and place this Saturday (9.45am to Noon, Hotel Parking Lot, June 20th) but to spice it up a little there is to be a special solstice celebration and yer gotta like that...Live Music at The Navarro Store this Saturday evening at 7pm featuring the blues harmonica of John Nemith and his Band, and a whole lot more...And finally, another reminder that you can do a whole bunch of less interesting things than to visit The A.V Museum. It’s at The Little Red Schoolhouse next to the Elementary School on Hwy 128, and is open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm...
Before I go, I’d like to pass on to you, under the heading Life ‘Lessons’, a little more advice you may find useful at some point – ‘the consumption of alcohol may cause you to think you can sing’.... Enough of this - I’m outta here!...Be careful out there; think good thoughts; and, with the hot weather now with us, please remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle...May your god go with you...And of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture.
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net
p.p.s. R.I.P. Ruth...What a great run - at fifteen years old surely one of the oldest sheep in the Valley, and certainly one of the loudest when hungry!

# 162 - June 10th, 2009

Greetings one and all - if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin...First let’s offer a big welcome back to the Valley to Natalie and Clay Matson, son Spike, and not to forget niece Breanne, who will soon rejoin them. The Matsons, who lived in the Valley for several years until recently, were up in northeastern Washington State (“almost Canada!”) for the past few months dealing with various family matters. Many of you know them well and therefore will no doubt be disappointed to learn that Natalie has no plans to re-open the One Horse Espresso stand of which she was the very welcoming owner/operator for the past couple of years. Clay, meanwhile, has no plans to return to the A.V. Brewery where he masterfully dealt with the shire horses and Ken Allen’s miserly Christmas Bonus, but they do intend to make their stay permanent and have already got the ‘feelers’ out for work and have been spotted doing what I believe they do best – socializing at Valley events...
Talking of Valley events, I attended the ‘Thurber Carnival’ presentation by the Anderson Valley Theatre Guild last Friday evening and clearly those involved had put in lots of time and hard work to pull off the fourteen scenes/skits on offer to their supportive audience. While this year’s ‘Vulture Oscar’ goes to Barbara Lamb for her excellent performances in a couple of the skits, I have followed the progress of many of the Guild actors, under the directorship and teachings of Rod Basehore, from their beginnings four years ago and have to say that each of them has made great strides forward in terms of their acting prowess...Overall the crowd numbers were somewhat disappointing and, in my humble opinion, some of the material was uneven, but there is no doubt in my mind that the Valley is better off for having this resident acting company and Rod, very ably assisted by wife Judy, and all the cast and crew should be heartily applauded for their efforts...
Their recent show has prompted me to put forward for the Quote of the Week these words of encouragement and advice for all thespians from the great actor, Spencer Tracy, “Just learn your lines and don’t bump into the furniture”...Can’t argue with that, eh, Rod!...
Public Service Announcements...#117 - The annual Sierra Nevada Music Festival comes to town in a couple of weeks time (June 19th – 21st), as will the several thousand people planning to attend. The Valley seems to greet this occasion with mixed feelings but I have to say the vast majority of ‘guests’ do behave themselves although they may not remember that they did...#118 - A far more local event I want to once again remind you of is the weekly Boonville Farmer’s Market held at The Boonville Hotel’s parking lot every Saturday morning from 9.45am to noon...More P.S.A.’s next week...
On Saturday evening I found myself flying down in the Deep End and lo and behold there was a crowd of people in front of the stage at The Navarro Store - it was live music time! Owner Dave Evans is certainly pulling in some excellent performers and he informed me that he was hoping for the season’s largest crowd to date to show up on this occasion.... Following the excellent opening act from The Black Horse Blues Band, John Lee Hooker Jr. took to the stage with his seven-piece band – guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and brass section (trumpet, trombone, and sax) and proceeded to put on a superb show – perhaps the best I’ve seen so far at these Saturday night affairs. He is a great entertainer/performer and several songs had the dance floor full and the crowd cheering for more. With Les Tarr doing the M.C. duties in his inimitable style, Steve Rand getting the sound just right, and Pablo on the grill, it couldn’t have been much better. My favorite number was the tribute song to his late father called ‘Do-Daddy’ – “coz he always did what he said he would do.” Unfortunately there were only about a hundred people in attendance – a nice crowd but for such an event I was expecting twice that. Oh, well, everyone else simply missed out on a wonderful evening. I bet if I asked a large number of people in the Valley if they liked live music the majority would say, “Sure, I do – I love it.” Really? Similarly if I asked what would be their idea of a great night out in the Valley, many would say – “Well, I’d have a top quality live band playing under the redwoods on a pleasant Valley evening, with the sun slowly going down as a full moon rises above the trees. The music would be free, apart from any donation people might wish to give, and there’d be a bbq, affordable beer, dancing, familiar faces, and a wonderful atmosphere providing fun for all.”...Too bad so many of them missed such a night, but then perhaps I shouldn’t be that surprised – there can be a lot of ‘talking without the walking’ around here and those couches can be very comfortable. See you next time?!?...
On to the topics under discussion this week at The Five-Dot Lounge..... (Five dots..... – geddit?)..... Yes, it’s time for “Moans, Groans, Good Thoughts, and Rampant Rumors” from my favorite bar/restaurant in the Valley at a location known only to ‘those in the know’..... Apparently, according to the film buffs in The 5-Dot, Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese will be directing a biopic on the life of Frank Sinatra. I have been a Frank fan forever and a Scorsese fan since his ‘Mean Streets’ of 1973, with his later efforts, ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Raging Bull’, two of the best films I’ve ever seen. One wiseacre commented, “Now this will finally give Scorsese the chance to make a film about gangsters and casinos!”..... Longtime driver of the Seniors’ Bus, Dick Sand, may have made a slight error last week when he locked the bus up for the night with one senior still on board. We at The 5-Dot think this is a mistake anyone could make (well quite a few people anyway), and it was soon rectified, so surely his lob is not in jeopardy. It would be a cruel act to deprive Dick of his most loyal following and surely the seniors would miss his lively banter and jokes, even if they have heard them many times before...Although I could not attend, I have received some very positive reports from The 5-Dot regulars on the performance by the new volunteer grill cooks at the bbq held at the last Barn Sale. With Bill Holcomb(urger) retired from the grill they had some big shoes to fill but apparently they did a splendid job and I will most certainly be there to test them out at the next one – which is June 27th/28th, I believe..... There’s a very popular Valley Event taking place tomorrow evening (June 11th) – one that attracts people from all walks of Valley life. Yes, it’s Graduation Day at A.V. High School and a surely a memorable occasion for many Valley folks. Nevertheless, some cynical regulars at The 5-Dot Lounge, whilst planning to attend themselves to support their loved ones, have organized an over/under on the actual length of the event and have it set at three hours long. I love this ceremony and personally know many of the graduating seniors and their proud families, but I also know that due to the bi-lingual presentation (an interesting and controversial discussion for another time perhaps) it frequently goes very long. Therefore, even though I’m sure the over/under ‘gambling’ is ‘for entertainment purposes only’, if I did have a spare $20 I’d put it on the Over (trust me on this – you can thank me later).....
Oh, dear, have I upset somebody? - I’ll get my coat and leave shall I?... But first a little advice you may find useful at some point - the consumption of alcohol may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people...
I’m outta here!...Be careful out there; think good thoughts; and, with the hot weather now with us, please remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle...May your god go with you...And of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture.
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net

# 161 - June 3rd, 2009

Greetings one and all - if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin...I have been ‘on assignment’ in the Bay Area for the past few days and as a result this week’s column will have to be very brief. Humble apologies to all who care...Nevertheless, I will obviously still perform my civic duty and inform you of the important stuff. Here we go...
Public Service Announcements for the upcoming week...This Friday and Saturday, June 5th and 6th, will see the final two presentations of the A.V. Theatre Guild’s 2009 production at The Grange. It’s ‘A Thurber Carnival’ featuring the works of James Thurber in several skits under the direction of the inimitable Rod Basehore. Both shows are at 7pm and I urge you to support the Guild’s efforts to bring even more culture to the Valley...And here are a few more reminders of ongoing Valley events and services...Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday thru’ the summer, The A.V Museum is open from 1pm to 4pm at the Little Red Schoolhouse on Hwy 128 next to the Elementary School... Every Tuesday and Thursday the Senior Center in Boonville is open for lunch at 12.30pm...And finally, every Tuesday/Wednesday/ Saturday/Sunday, The County Dump, a couple of miles out of Boonville on Mountain View Road, is open from 9am – 4pm each day – remember, No Dead Animals!...
Be careful out there; think good thoughts; stay out of the ditches; and, with the hot weather now with us, please remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle...May your god go with you...Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”…Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture.
p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse by e-mail at turkeyvulture1 @ earthlink.net