# 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