Greenwood/Elk columns

January 1 ~ February 23, 1995

We're back. January 9, 1995.

No more idyllic beach side camping and pondering the meaning of life. We returned to the Mendocino Coast with Highway 20 flooding and sliding and disappearing behind us, mile by mile, as we slogged ever onward toward the coast.

The drive from Mendocino to Elk involved waiting for trees to be sawn off the road just south of Little River Market only to be blocked by Eucalyptus trees at the Heritage House curve. I turn around and try Little River Airport Road. Up that road driving under trees supported by sagging power lines! Then back down to the coast just north of the Albion bridge. Back onto Highway 1 and south into the increasing wind and rain. The high winds along the coastal headlands slammed the bus from lane to lane effortlessly. I finally arrived in Greenwood/Elk to find the town in reasonable shape. Most of the trees and roofs to be torn off got that treatment February before last. No, everything seemed to be holding together even though the power was off. Bob Matson was working in the shop with a flashlight trying to figure out what was wrong with a portable generator. Folks were clustered up in the Elk Store buying batteries, ice and bottles of kerosene. The Huckaby's were in their living room with a rug draped across the entryway; Jerry trying to hard boil eggs on the air tight wood stove. Heading up Greenwood/Philo Road I find Ramone with his chainsaw and truck, he has been cruising around taking care of the various blockages around town and up in the hills. He should definitely be eligible for a "Thousand Points of Light " award at the annual town meeting.

Yeah, that's right. The annual town meeting has come around again. January 17th. Probably around seven thirty. I am looking forward to it (I just read the back issues of the Beacon and the letters to the Editor).

Oh boy. The landed gentry and the new age rabble, "who live in ugly houses" face off once again. Like I always like to say:

...and it looks like such a nice little town.

It's good to be back.

January 12th

Waiting for the power to come back on. Waiting for the power to come back on.

Waiting for that comforting blinking light on the VCR. Waiting for the electric fuel to allow me to merge back onto the information highway.

Ah, the information highway. What a laugh. When the power goes off that's it. There is no way to insert the hand crank, or is there?

Actually, there is.

I am using my new gonzo computer, inside dingy hovel, at this very moment because I have my VW bus parked outside, running, and I have an extension cord plugged into the power inverter inside the bus which runs out the wing vent window and over into my trailer and because of that I have 112 volts AC to power the computer.

I wonder how many miles to the gallon I am getting on the information highway?

The new fence installed at the Catholic Church Cemetery last fall survived the storm. Several branches were draped across it but nothing was broken. Not so at the Catholic Church. Al Fisher said the "Four old men construction crew" would be replacing the damaged section soon. Probably rebuild the whole fence back to its original condition and style.

PG&E was called out to the Elk Water System building twice in less than a week. The first time to repair an underground line that had been separated by tree roots. The second time to repair an overhead line that had been knocked down by tree limbs. Fortunately the town has water during down times because of the gravity feed from the 84,000 gallon tank.

Beatrice Karish was Bat Mitzvahed last Sunday at the Greenwood Community Church with lots of food and dancing at the Greenwood Community Center afterwards. Downtown was filled with cars and people for the first time this year. Prior to and immediately after, Greenwood/Elk looked like a ghost town. Things are really quiet while everyone hunkered down during the storms and ensuing run-off.

Electrical power was restored rather soon to Elk itself but the outlying areas up Greenwood/Philo road and along Cameron Road were off the grid for a week. Many folks are eating lamb chops a lot sooner than they had expected because of freezer melt down.

I have spotted Del and Prue Wilcox out for their daily walks. Del returned to Elk after major surgery down at Stanford. It is great to see him out and about and I even noticed his name on the list for Community Center Board members. He is ready to press on with the "stage project" for our community center building.

You know, all the rain and lack of electricity has had me rather depressed. It is amazing how soon the concerns for the environment, concerns about local, state and national politics and all the other "concerns" fall by the way side. All I want is sunshine and the power to come back on. I just want that VCR light to blink again like its 'sposed to.

The other day I am driving through the gloom, rain, and gusting wind, the VW bus windows fogged up with moisture, my mind just as soggy as the weather when off to the side of the road I spotted a cluster of daffodils! There they were with their bright yellow heads sticking up and waving at me in the wind and I realized that inspite of it all, spring is still on its way. Those flowers reminded me that there actually is light at the end of the tunnel. Such a simple antidote to depression, the promise of life.

January 19th?????

Greenwood/Elk special column for the Beacon.

The annual town meeting, scheduled for 7:30, started at 7:37, which ain't bad for around here. About fifty folks were good enough to venture out for the occasion.

First up, Charlie Acker, our new Fire Chief, with the Volunteer Fire Department and Ambulance report. During the year of 1994 we had ten fire calls and 14 ambulance runs. The ambulance runs were considerably reduced compared to previous years because South Coast Fire and Rescue now has two ambulances on duty. The Elk Volunteer Fire Department now consists of twenty volunteers, seven of which are also EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians). The up coming project for the year is the conversion of the donated Air Force truck into a tanker. Also legislation was passed the first of this year allowing volunteer firemen to now drive ambulances. Prior to the legislation only EMT's could drive which held back our response time on occasion. Elk's own Lee McKnight was the one who implemented the changing of the law and the ball was carried on through to completion by Former Congressman Dan Hamburg.

Rusty Gates reported on the Community Services District. He said they were doing well supporting the Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Department and pointed out the completion of the second firehouse up Greenwood/Philo road.

Jerry Huckaby represented the Elk County Water District. He reported that Ron Bloomquist is no longer on the board because he had moved out of the water district. Ben MacMillan, owner of the Elk Store, will be taking his seat. Ben has previous experience with water distribution systems and should be a great asset to the board. Jerry then turned the floor over to Charlie Acker, manager of the Elk County Water District. Charlie said that in 1993, Elk used 9.8 million gallons. In 1994, Elk used 11.3 million gallons. Charlie pointed out that one million gallons of water was used to fight the Racines Fire up in Fort Bragg. The Water district sold 750,000 gallons of water last year, due to the drought, and generated $9,000 dollars from the sales. Last years budget was $30,000 dollars.

Loraine Toth reported that the Civic Club was alive and well. Their fund raiser, the Annual Rummage Sale, will be coming up the first weekend in March.

Kevin Joe reported for the local State Parks system. The Visitors Center will open again in March. Last year between March and October it had over one thousand visitors from all over the world. The greatest interest expressed by visitors was from those who wanted information about past residents of Greenwood/Elk. Kevin pointed out that the Docents have been doing a fine job of providing that information. Kevin reports that the official name of our state park is now The Greenwood State Beach. He then fielded questions about the recent trimming of trees on the park grounds, why the foot path is re-directed at the bottom of the hill, and concerns about erosion along side the lagoon.

Dorothy Neilsen reported that the Greenwood Community Church was purchased one year ago and now has a new foundation for the first time in it's entire history. It has a new porch and steps and will soon have a ramp, in back, for the disabled. The Church has also been completely rewired. Much thanks to Frank Fanto Construction for the fine job and reasonable price. Jim Mazzoni has done all the legal work concerning the formation of the community church and its non profit status, all free of charge. Anyone wanting to use the church for weddings, bar Mitzvahs, meditation groups and so on contact Leah Almenrode, keeper of the calendar.

Loraine Toth again took the floor to report for the North Greenwood Community Association. They sponsored a swimming program taught by Connie Sinclair last year and plan to do so again this year. They also do the highway clean-up several times a year.

Mary Pjerrou represented the Greenwood Watershed Association and expressed concern over the status of the Greenwood Beach General Plan. She said there are various proposals in the document and supposedly one was adopted but which one? Also, what is going to happen with their various proposals for the parking lot? As for the L.P "exemption logging" legal question, it should go before a judge February 6th.

Jane Corey reported on the Greenwood Schools involvement in an "Adopt a Watershed" program and wondered if the abatement of pampas grass might not be one of their projects. That was followed by some back and forth about the merits or lack of merit of pampas grass. Peter Talbert thought pampas grass might actually be beneficial in erosion control. Louis Martin claimed he likes pampas Grass!

Joan Gates as Treasurer of the Community Center Board gave the year end fiscal report. "We're in pretty good shape". Great Day was extremely successful and made 10 thousand dollars. Some generous donations came in; Alan Green donated to refinish the Community Center floor and the Edison Foundation donated the money to build the computer center cabinets. The Community Center was well used last year, everything from baking bread to holding candidates nights. New to us chairs were donated from a synagogue in Marin thanks to Richie Peckner. New kitchen equipment has been purchased and the John Frankel Lobby and computer center has been repainted.

Kay Curtis announced the slate of new Community Center Board members: Joan Gates, Kevin Joe, Jim Carr, Ed Bird, Georgia and Roger Collins, Amanda Outten, Lynda Aubry, Lori Kaye, Ed Hughes, Jane Dymond and Dave McCutcheon. We urged them on.

Bill Edison rose to praise Del Wilcox for his work for the Community Center and told how Del has been working on grant proposals, between major operations, to get the funding for a 20 by 40 foot stage addition to the building. The money has been found and work will start soon. Bill had a bottle of champagne to give Del but Del was home, too sick to attend the meeting. Edison then presented the annual Thousand Points of Lights awards. Due to the recent storms he could only come up with three spare flashlights. The first going to Carolyn Carleton for putting together a ladies softball team and facing Pepper Martin Day head on. The second to Al Weaver for his twenty years of barbecue chief for Great Day and improving each year. The third to Loraine Toth for three years of work on the Community Center Board and her successful Ice Cream Sunday fund raisers which, among other things, provided the money to get the addition to the Community Center completed in time for Great Day last year. Kay Curtis received gold stars for her tireless work as community Center Board President.

We then took a break to grab some coffee and brownies and cookies and settled back down to hear an update on the new Elk Computer Club, presented by Bill Courtney and Louis Martin. Bill recounted how the concept first came into being and how through Chicken Bingo and various dances and donations it has now reached the point of actual hardware and new cabinets to house them. A dedicated phone connection should arrive this February. Various computer equipment has been donated and a 586 90 megahertz IBM type computer has been ordered. Louis Martin will be the computer guru and will be on station, at the Community Center, from 4 till 6 weekday afternoons to teach kids and those adults interested in learning about computers and... that's it. Nothing left but folding up the chairs and turning out the lights.

January 26th,

You may have noticed my coverage of our annual town meeting in last weeks Beacon. Now for the rest of the story.

Even though Tuesday evening's meeting was well past my column deadline I was able to take notes at the meeting, rush home and type them up and, the following morning, Wednesday, call my Editor at the Mendocino Beacon. Receptionist Joanne Fisher told me Kate Lee was up in Fort Bragg putting the paper together. I called the Fort Bragg Advocate, got through to Kate and presented my case.

"Could you please include the town meeting in this weeks paper, other wise it will come out a week and a half late like it has during the past six years." Kate said, "Well sure, I'll try", so I went ahead and faxed her the three pages. Boom, the next day, there it was in the Beacon.

All great and good, and then I got the response.

Ron, "It was Dan Hauser, not Dan Hamburg that helped get the legislation passed so volunteer firemen could drive ambulances".

Ron, "Del Wilcox is still trying to get a grant for the community Center stage project, he has not got the money yet."

Ron, "It wasn't Loraine Toth's Ice Cream Sundays that paid for the completion of the Frankel Room at the Community Center in time for last year's Great Day, it was the North Greenwood Community Association although Loraine's Ice Cream Sundays helped."

Well okay. All better now? The nice thing about having fax capability is that I can now get myself into trouble quicker.

The new computer and monitor has arrived for the Elk Computer Club at the Community Center. Louis Martin is plugging it in and figuring it all out in order to be the Computer Club computer guru week days between 4 and 6 PM. Soon the school kids will be able to get off the bus and go to the Community Center to do home work or learn new things on and about the system. Even us old folks will be able to go there and learn more about the info-highway and do word processing and print stuff out.

The main thing I am looking forward to is when the Computer Club finally gets it's "node". That is a dedicated phone line that will allow us in the 877- area to make a local toll free call to that node and get onto the info-highway. As it is right now my connection isn't too pretty. Charlie Acker and I have been sending "e-mail" back and forth to each other. Here is how it is currently working.

I write my message in a program called Wincim on my computer and hit the "send" button. My computer dials up a "node" number in Sacramento and logs on and "up loads" my message. Then, when Charlie sits down to his computer, he dials up his "node" which is at the ROP in Mendocino and checks his messages. There is mine, waiting for him, and he down loads it and reads it.

I have found that my long distance connection to Sacramento is costing me a dime a minute. I can log on and check my e-mail and log off in about twenty four seconds. Off line I read the mail and type up any response I want to make, then log on and send it which again takes about twenty five seconds. Total time of forty nine seconds, under a minute, one dime, but wait, the minimum call charge time is one minute and I made two calls so actually it is costing me twenty cents. But still it is less than a postage stamp. Charlie is currently using Sprint for long distance which is offering a first month incentive program of one cent a minute. So he is only paying two cents for a round trip message at this point.

Charlie is paying a tenth of what I am paying but that is okay. I find that his messages are only worth a tenth of mine anyway.

Ah computer stuff. More and more it is slipping into our columns here and there in the Beacon.. I notice Tony Mitsak writing about his computer experiences in the world of books.

It is a fascinating and frustrating addition to our lives.

This past weekend was a great computer weekend. It was raining, which helps alleviate guilt and PG&E was on solid. Perfect.

I was able to down load some satellite weather images from the pacific satellite, read the front page from Associated Press, get a political cartoon, "surf the strings" on the Recreation Form and discover the correct gear ratio for a GMC motor home with a Cummings Diesel, how to treat alga in the holding tanks and how to hook up dual CB antennas. I read the last six editions of Molly Ivans political commentary, got some e-mail from a fellow VW bus nut in Hobson, Michigan and last but not least, I finally figured out the ending to the CD ROM game Myst. I have been working on the Myst game, off and on, since last November! Excellent game.

When I finally turned off the lights, Sunday evening, I found that I hadn't accomplished a thing. There was nothing physical to show for it. I didn't fix anything, didn't go do anything, didn't build anything. No. I just stared at the computer screen for about twenty eight hours. Sort of like watching football, entertaining but somehow empty.

I wonder if I tossed out the computer and started building balsa wood model airplanes, would I feel more satisfaction at the end of the weekend.

Ah, the Protestant work ethic, a few, only a few remnants still remain.

February 2nd,

This is a column for my friend Suzanne McKinley. The rest of you folks don't have to read it.

You see, when we go camping with our friends Ed and Suzane, Suzane is always drawing my attention to something which, much to her chagrin, I call "feathered meatballs". Originally I could have cared less about them but over time, and many miles, through Suzanne's efforts I have become more aware of our feathered meatball friends.

One time, up Jawbone Canyon, northeast of Mojave, the four of us hiked down into the canyon and came across a strange bunch of folks (goofy hats, T-shirts, khaki shorts),who were observing a standard issue brown desert bush with binoculars. As we arrived they started waving us back and quietly hollering, "Hush! It's the Hooded Warbler!" What?

Oh Jeez. Just another feathered meatball. I went back to the bus for a beer.

That was a few years ago and I'm better now. I realize that inspite of Newt and Bill and O.J. and all that other important stuff we hear about all the time, our feathered meatball friends are still around and seem to be enjoying life and more and more I am enjoying them too.

Well, okay, enough introduction.

On January 2nd, this year, twenty five folks fanned out and did the 20th annual, Mendocino Christmas Bird Count. They divided into eight groups with groups containing as few as two and as many as 6 members. They started at 5:30 in the morning with some folks calling owls, others went out in a couple of boats from Point Arena. They covered a seven and a half mile radius with the center point being Malo Pass south of Elk. This means they went as far south as the Point Arena Lighthouse, as far north as Cuffey's Cove, inland seven and a half miles and the same distance out to sea. An area of 172 square miles. They wrapped up their observations at 5:00 in the evening, complied their notes, and had a pot-luck dinner.

They had found a total of 11,663 individuals, divided into 126 species.

Here you go, Suzanne:

27 Pacific Loon. 30 Red-t. Hawk. 21 N. (Red-sh.) Fliker. 3 Common Loon. 1 Ferruginous Hawk. 29 N. Flicker. 14 Loon sp. 36 Am. Kestrel. 44 Black Phoebe. 7 Pied-billed Grebe. 2 Peregrine Falcon. 1 Say's Phoebe. 57 Horned Grebe. 1 Prairie Falcon. 3 Gray Jay. 7 Eared Grebe. 4 falcon sp. 41 Steller's Jay. 35 West. Grebe. 85 Calif. Quail. 41 Scrub Jay. 5 Grebe sp. 2 Virginia Rail. 143 Common Raven. 1 Sooty Shearwater. 224 Am. Coot. 43 Chest-b. Chickadee. 13 D-cr, Cormorant. 15 Blk-bel.Plover *CW. 45 Bushtit. 22 Brandt's Cormorant. 10 Snowy Plover. 55 Pygmy Nuthatch. 111 Pelagic Cormorant. 13 Killdeer. 1 Brown Creeper. 38 cormorant sp. 38 Bl. Oystercatcher. 2 Bewick's Wren. 7 Great Blue Heron. 1 Gr. Yellowlegs. 5 Winter Wren. 11 Great Egret. 2 Willet. 3 Marsh Wren. 2 Snowy Egret. 1 Wandering Tattler. 58 Gold.-cr. Kinglet. 1 Cattle Egret. 2 Spotted Sandpiper. 59 Ruby-cr. Kinglet. 312 Tundra Swan. 1 Whimbrel. 7 W. Bluebird. 20 Gr. Wh-fr. Goose. 94 Blk. Turnstone. 20 Hermit Thrush. 2 Ross' Goose. 10 Surfbird. 726 Am. Robin. 1 Canada Goose. 234 Sanderling. 9 Varied Thrush. 14 Green-w. Teal. 25 Least Sandpiper. 16 Wrentit. 157 Mallard. 2 dowitcher sp. 1 N. Mockingbird. 1 N. Pintail. 52 Red Phalarope. 140 Am. Pipit. 2 N Shoveler. 40 Bonaparte's Gull. 2706 Eur. Starling. 15 Gadwall. 222 Mew Gull. 4 Hutton's Vireo. 63 Am. Wigeon. 51 Calif. Gull. 1 Y-.(MyrtleWarbler). 1 Redhead. 10 Herring Gull. 74 Y-r. (Aud.) Warbler. 3 Ring-n. Duck. 730 Western Gull. 13 Y-r.(form?) Warbler. 6 Lesser Scaup. 26 Glaucous-w. Gull. 8 Townsend's Warbler. 3 scaup sp. 2 Blk-leg. Kittiwake. 1 Palm Warbler. 20 Surf Scoter. 2137 gull sp. 3 Rufus-sided Towhee. 27 Surf Scoter. 118 Common Murre. 8 California Towhee. 1 Com. Goldeneye. 8 Ancient Murrelet. 8 Savannah Sparrow. 51 Bufflehead. 3 Cassin's Auklet. 38 Fox Sparrow. 6 Com. Merganser. 30 Rhino. Auklet. 27 Song Sparrow. 10 Red-br. Merganser. 10 Rock Dove. 101 Gold-cr. Sparrow. 24 Ruddy Duck. 3 Band-t. Pigeon. 344 White-cr. Sparrow. 106 Turkey Vulture. 15 Mourning Dove. 291 Dk-eyed (Ore.) Junco. 1 Osprey. 1 Barn Owl. 115 Red-w. Blackbird. 23 White-t. Kite. 2 Gr. Horned Owl. 76 W. Meadowlark. 22 N. Harrier. 1 Burrowing Owl. 606 Brewer's Blackbird. 1 Sharp-sh. Hawk. 19 Anna's Hummingbird. 150 Blackbird sp. 2 Cooper's Hawk. 4 Belted Kingfisher. 4 Purple Finch. 1 accipiter sp. 2 Red-br. Sapsucker *CW 27 House Finch. 4 Red-sh. Hawk. 3 Downy Woodpecker. 31 Pine Siskin. 3 Hairy Woodpecker. 10 House Sparrow.

Note.

*CW means seen during the week of the count.

(sp) means specie of bird but not actual name.

The bird name or number of birds underlined means unusual finds or quantities.

Thanks to Lydia Edison for loaning me this list. Lydia, along with Peg Frankel covered the Greenwood/Philo road up to the Cameron turn off and then north on Cameron Road during the bird count. And special thanks to the organizer of the annual Christmas bird count, Authur Morley in Fort Bragg, for additional information.

February 9th,

A warm sun arrived for a couple of days last week and it felt like we were suddenly coming out of a dark soggy tunnel. Folks rolled down their car windows and threw open their house doors to unfog the windows. Birds were standing around on the phone lines with their wings out-stretched, airing their arm pits.

Suddenly ridge dwellers started showing up in town wearing shorts and tee shirts. Town folks gathered together in small groups at the post office and on the steps of the Elk Store, talking and laughing, renewing acquaintances. Elementary school kids were hopping and skipping along side Highway One on their way to Greenwood Beach for a field trip. A few tourists arrived to gawk at us and the surrounding wonders and snap some pictures. A Japanese couple pulled into the Elk Garage in a rental car to buy six dollars worth of gas and head on for Mendocino. A few log trucks rumbled by and then a motor home. Life as we knew it was starting to return.

But the groundhog saw its shadow and the setting sun had "sun dogs" on either side of it and we all knew we shouldn't get our hopes too high.

Its been a tough winter. Logging and tourism, the mainstays of the local economy just plain vanished. The Roadhouse Cafe closed for the holidays, reopened, waited a while for customers and closed again. The fading sign in the cafe window now says they will reopen when spring comes. Rumor has it they will not reopen until the Matson daughters, Kristi and Becky get out of college, next June. We'll see.

Bridget Dolan's suddenly shut its door and will be closed maybe three months, maybe for good! (bad!) Pub owner Leslie Lawson finally sat down for a moment and "read the numbers". What she found was not encouraging and she is taking some time off to think about it.

The local Bed and Breakfast establishments have had a hard time of it what with all the rain, power outages and road closings. Folks in the city don't want to venture out for that kind of experience and the rooms have been empty.

Ben, at the Elk Store, added a soup pot to the deli counter and I guess the soup line will form there.

Yup. Things are getting slim.

Even the gas pumps at the Elk Garage are not holding their own and every now and then "Mr. Bob" threatens to get rid of them and just do auto repair and towing.

Is it possible that Greenwood/Elk will become just another Irish Beach? Don't get me wrong. Irish Beach is a nice community of folks but there are no stores, no gas, no services.

Well, things are always the gloomiest when it's gloomy! That's what I always say, as the sky darkens and the rain begins to fall, again.

But wait...

What's this?

The Greenwood Civic Club proudly presents the 9th Annual Rummage Sale March 4th & 5th.

The proceeds from the sale will provide a scholarship for a deserving high school Elk senior, and benefit the Greenwood Computer Center, as well as the Girls' Soccer Team. Collection dates this year will be between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm on Thursday March 2 and Friday March 3.

We need all kinds of things in good condition:

TOYS**GAMES**CLOCKS**SHOP OR GARDEN TOOLS**SPORTS GEAR**FURNITURE**BUILDING MATERIALS**HOME ACCESSORIES**HOLIDAY DECORATIONS**EXERCISE EQUIPMENT**KITCHEN STUFF**DISHES**YARDAGE**BEDDING**CLOTHES IN GOOD REPAIR**BOOKS**APPLIANCES (IN GOOD WORKING ORDER)**TAPES**RECORDS**CD'S**PLANTS**COLLECTIBLE MAGAZINES.

There is also going to be a raffle, so start watching for tickets.

Well, that's how it goes. Just when our town is throwing in the towel, the Annual Rummage Sale peeks over the horizon and then the next thing you know it's time for Saint Patrick's Day and then it's Pepper Martin time and then there is Great Day In Elk to start thinking about and all those city folks who have been stuck in their apartments all during the rainy winter will come bursting forth and pack every nook and cranny of our wee little town and tell us how lucky we are to be living in such a wonderful place and we will be grumping about traffic jams on Highway One,... again.

Just you wait and see.

February 16th

Bill Edison and Lydia are back from two weeks in Hawaii. Bill stressed to me the importance of sun and swimming in warm water. I point out to him that I had no idea of what he was talking about. Never heard of those concepts; "sun, warm water". Welcome back to mildew, Bill.

Some out of state auction outfit called the Greenwood/Elk Community Center and wanted to book a date to hold an auction of machine tools.

Well sure, why not.

Last week the semi truck arrived with the driver and several helpers. The auctioneer and his wife arrived in a tired looking Lincoln Continental. They started setting up at the Community Center and then wandered into town looking for overnight accommodations. It wasn't long before they were off looking for a cheap motel in Fort Bragg.." A hundred and sixty dollars a night! You got to be kidding!" Well yes but that does include Contentinal Breakfast! Har, har.

I didn't go to the auction myself but the reports I received after the event sounds like it wasn't a money maker. One of the locals, when told that a particular bench vice was indestructible, hauled off and whacked it with a hammer. True, it didn't break but it did receive an impressive ding and the auctioneer wasn't too pleased. Charlie Acker bought a couple of S & K socket sets and although I was told that they weren't really S & K, that they were S (dot) K, I compared them to a set I had bought back in the early seventies and I must admit they look very similar. Who knows these days.

Anyway, the auctioneer and crew are out of here now and by all accounts, not a moment too soon. Arts and Crafts shows seem to be more successful these days and Rummage sales are a knock out but, of course, they are put on by local people who you can go yell at the following week if you are not happy.

Speaking of Charlie Acker. He turned in the following missive.

"Greenwood residents have noticed the cypress trees in the State Park have been given a trim recently. The lower branches on all of the trees opposite from the center of town have been removed giving an airy sort of look through appearance.

Large piles of branches have been cut an split into firewood sized pieces along with various mulch piles from the chipped greenery.

Firewood and State Parks have made the papers lately in reference to the Navarro Beach controversy over wood gathering. Apparently, permission to gather driftwood did not extend beyond Navarro, but somehow the word got out that wood gathering was fair game in Elk as well. Sure enough, last week, as I was entering the Elk Garage, I saw a heavily laden pick-up pulling out of the State parking lot. The folks in the Garage were commenting on the load, and the wood gathering, and the persons involved. I was interested to hear that this wood gathering was OK, and began planning some time to load up my own truck as well.

The next weekend, I found myself with some time available in the afternoon, so I approached Ranger Kevin Joe at the Post Office parking lot and asked if it was in fact OK to cart off the cut cypress wood. "No! We sell that wood to campers!" was his reply. I told him that a few loads were seen leaving the park and he asked me who it was, but my memory suddenly became very hazy. He said he'd let me know if the policy had somehow changed.

That Sunday, I was jogging in the park and I noticed my friends Anna Marie and Luz loading up the cypress wood. I jogged by and informed Anna Marie of my recent conversation with Kevin Joe, but she scarcely broke her pace of loading and stacking, saying as far as she knew, it was OK.

Not a moment later, I saw Kevin's familiar white Ranger pick-up enter the parking lot pulling up next to Anna Marie.

"What are you doing, Anna Marie?" asked Kevin.

"Just loading up this wood," she said, not breaking her rhythm.

"You can't do that! We sell that wood!" Kevin admonished.

"Well, it's our wood isn't it?" Anna Marie reminded Kevin. "You guys just cut the trees so the homeless and the kids smoking dope can't hide in there. I should be able to take the wood!"

Kevin recounted the rules and regulations and told Anna Marie to put the wood back.

"Well, other people have been taking wood from here too." The truck was half full, and the women didn't want to have to take it back.

The conversation went back and forth. Anna Marie, famous for standing her ground against authority remained undaunted by threatened arrest, like it was more of an invitation to further demonstrate the injustice of the system. Kevin perhaps sensed this, or perhaps he didn't want to have to drive to Ukiah that Sunday afternoon.

"You say there are other people who think it's OK to gather wood here. Who are they?" Kevin asked.

"There's at least a half a dozen or more and I won't tell you who they are." Anna Marie assured him.

"Well, if you'll let them know that it's not OK to gather wood here, I won't make you put the wood back," offered Kevin.

So Anna Marie wants to let everyone know that it is not OK to gather the cypress wood at the Greenwood State Park.

I began to wonder how many loads of cypress I could get if I put it out over the Internet that you can't gather firewood at the Greenwood State Park.

Thanks Charlie.

P.S. Rummage sale Saturday and Sunday March 4th and 5th. Donate items March 2nd and 3rd.

February 23rd

I've been remiss in the Greenwood/Elk baby department.

The first child born this year at the Fort Bragg Hospital was Rhyden Kenneth Call to Donna and Ken Call, January 2nd.. Then February 10th Bill and Cynthia Courtney welcomed Echo Page Courtney to the world and the same day John and Toby Ross welcomed John Ross the Sixth, that's right, the sixth! Three Boys! Congratulations all 'round.

I was getting ready to close the Elk Garage last Thursday evening when I spied Jim McMasters walking up the highway. The people I was talking to at the time took off, they didn't want to hang around and talk to Jim (he is a cantankerous character), but I held my ground and said hi. I asked him where his mule was, meaning his Rustoleum coated, rusted out piece of junk Toyota Corolla, he usually rattles into to town in. I never found out. He stopped me cold when he said he was just taking a last walk through town. I asked him what he meant. He said he was leaving in the morning, he was moving over to Redding, Ca. to live with his daughter. "It's just getting too tough to live up the mountain anymore."

Jim has lived "up there" twenty four years and everyone has been amazed at how he could do it. The road is awful, he has no electricity or telephone, he is now eighty four.

You wouldn't see him for a week or so and then he would rattle into town, buy some kerosene at the Elk Garage and some groceries at the Elk Store, give whoever crossed his path holy hell, go visit with Ed McKenzie for a while and disappear again.

I locked horns with him one time when I worked at the Elk Store about eight years ago. I accidentally called him Frank when he came in and he said "I ain't Frank, you son of a bitch, that's my brother" and he continued to call me a s.o.b for about three months afterwards, every time he came in the store.

I saw him fly into the Elk Garage and chew Bob Matson up one side and down the other for parking his tow truck on the wrong side of the street with the lights on. Bob was on his way to Fort Bragg with a tow and had just stopped by to check on the garage. Jim threatened to call the cops if he didn't go move that @#$% truck "right now!"

I was impressed!

Jim came into the garage one time with a car battery and wanted it tested. The next day he came to pick it up. I told him we had charged it and then load tested it. "It was no good. That will be five bucks."

"For what?"

"For charging the battery."

Jim said, "I didn't ask you to charge the battery, you son of a bitch, I just wanted it tested!". Well, I knew what I was up against and let it go. I would just have to explain it all to Bob later and when I did, Bob understood. Oh yes, he understood.

There are a million stories about Jim and I only know a few. I asked around a bit for more information but only got confused and conflicting answers. Something about the old time families, the McMasters and Buchannans being cousins and that Jim's fathers nick name was Nasty. "Nasty" McMasters. Some thought Jim was born here; wasn't sure, but that he moved away, got married and had two children, worked all over the coast, then finally moved back to Elk. Few folks have ever been up to his place on the mountain.

Jim was one cantankerous character but, for some strange reason, I hated to see him go. He was definitely one of the more interesting members of our town. I was also told, "He has left before, he'll be back".

This turned in by Lee Friberg.

The Leprechauns of the Elk Altar Society are preparing for the 102nd time the driving out of the snakes from the Greenwood/Elk sod. On March 18th will be many an activity. At 2 PM there will be a gathering in the Blessed Sacrament Church of those who wish to honor the old snake-chaser, St. Patrick. From 3 to 8 Leprechaun Gloria Ross and crew will serve corned beef and cabbage at the Greenwood Community Center. The Irish Bar and Blarney Room opens from 2 PM to 1:30 am for the thirsty snake hunters. At 3 PM the re-creation of Ruben Baldecchi's "Ruben's 4" Band of the 1930's will play. Ruben Bacci re orchestrated this good, old Greenwood music. Cabby Newgard of the original "Ruben's 4" will be there. From 9 PM to 1:30 AM, Gentleman Jim Corbett and the Great Medicine Show will provide music for stomping out more snakes. See you there.

Again. A reminder. Rummage sale. 9th Annual Rummage sale.

Pick up March 2nd and 3rd. The big event March 4th and 5th.

Call McKnight, 877-3230 or the Whiz, 877-3224 if you have items that need to be picked up.

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