Graham Greene in the Côte d’Azur
Spread out along the bay, Nice was an old fashioned city with a certain dilapidated look to it. It had become a…
A Brief History of Early Mendocino County
Feliz Creek today, where it passes beneath Highway 101 at Hopland is, in the summer, a parched expanse of dry streambed that…
The Triumphant Return of Mr. Hospitality
You can all breathe a sigh of relief— I'm not about to start belaboring the particulars of whatever it is I've been…
Measure V is Law
On June 7, 2016, Mendocino County voters approved Measure V, declaring intentionally-killed and left-standing trees a public nuisance. At issue was the…
Local Competency Restoration
As humans we are hardwired to quickly detect when another person’s behavior appears outside the norm. It’s an aspect of human intuition…
Thanks for Nothing, Hippies
In the interest of full disclosure, yes, I was a hippie, and yes, I was at Woodstock. I’ve spent most of the…
My Grandmother’s Tercel
The last car my grandmother bought herself was a new 1984 Toyota Tercel. I thought it was too small and an ugly…
Dorothy Parker in New York
During my first trip to New York, just as if I had been a Syrian arriving in Nero’s Rome, it was necessary…
The 1906 SF Earthquake & Fire
In the spring of 1906 I was finishing my junior year at the University of California at Berkeley. I was living on…
A Whale of a Time on the California Coast
“Save the Whales!” Who hasn’t heard the cry that’s now timelier than ever before? It’s not only the commercial hunting of whales…
Do You Have A Mission?
“Do you have a mission?” He startled me with his point-blank question. I had just entered the room. As part of my…
Dr. Pace Lands in Lake County
Last week former Mendocino County Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace accepted Lake County’s offer to fill its equivalent public health position on…