I must say we had higher expectations, even though we went on an impulse. You can still smell the smoke from the fires, but if you keep breathing to a minimum, you can be outside for awhile without feeling it too much. So, we thought we'd get out of the house for awhile on Sunday.
There's a wide spot in the road about 5 minutes west of Grass Valley called Rough and Ready. Named by guys, obviously, in 1849. It was quite the little boom town, then--all about the gold, of course. Now it's a ragtag cluster of old-ish buildings, almost none dating back to that time (building sturdy structures was a definite low priority in those days). 
Back in 1850, they were hacked that the US feds taxed the gold they'd dug up, so they thought they'd pull a fast one and secede from the Union (would it surprise you to know that they concocted this plan in a saloon?). They figured that'd show 'em (urp). They sent the secession documents (quite official, I'm sure) to Washington, by--I don't know--rickshaw. Meanwhile, they set about being a country. There are two stories as to why, three months later (and before the "official documents" even arrived in Washington), they decided to join back up. One is that the 4th of July was looming and they wanted back in on the party (what, no fireworks?) The other is that neighboring areas wouldn't sell liquor to the "foreigners" (what, no firewater?). I have a guess as to the more likely scenario.
Anyhoo, every year, about now, the residents in the area hold a festival called "Secession Day". I read about it even before we moved up here. Thought it was a big deal. A local gem in a Gold Country setting. The reality was more like a chipped rhinestone in a tin--oh, you know what I mean. That the event was underwhelming would be an understatement.
The centerpiece of the festivities each year is the reenactment, but there's also supposed to be music and food, crafts and other stuff...the usual. The skit (or "reenactment") was comprised of about 15 folks in costume on a rickety little stage under the oaks, reading or reciting lines that were supposed to rhyme (I think). In some third-grader's mind, perhaps. We couldn't watch, out of respect, so as not to increase their (assumed) embarrassment. Meanwhile, the four booths were folks selling those scarves that keep your neck cool, some jewelry and sno-cones. We were pretty glad we hadn't seen the notice in the Bee and hauled buns up the hill from Sacramento to join a full-on rockin' jubilee. They probably already know.
There was a bright spot. There were a few small temporary corrals set up in the shade. One held a baby emu (very cute!) and some turkeys. In another, were a couple of goats and a few sheep. But our favorite was the enclosure where the miniature mare and her extra-miniature colt were milling around. I was so happy! The little guys was three weeks old, and only knee-high. It was worth the drive over there just to see them. Yes.
We lasted about 40 minutes at the festival, mostly gawking at the horses. Then we drove back to Grass Valley, picked up some sandwiches and ate them at a picnic table along side Wolf Creek and the old Northstar Mine powerhouse. Very nice. Here's a shot of Tom munching away.
So, if you ever come for a visit before the Fourth of July, we will do you a favor and drag you around to the State Park or fairgrounds or the covered bridge, but you won't have to attend Secession Day in Rough and Ready. You're welcome.
Well. Turns out that over 1000 fires burning at one time can wreak quite a lot of bad air. Go figure. I traveled the 230 miles to Fresno and back, yesterday, and there seems to be a uniformly ugly gray-brown blanket over the whole of Northern California--the Valley, for sure.
1000 fires?!! Get out! Yup, it's true. Here's an interactive Google Map to check out the specifics: http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1012305.html
AND a very cool satellite photo of NoCal I pulled off the net. Click to enlarge. The closest fires to us are represented by the upper red spot a bit west of the northern shore of Lake Tahoe
Our friends, Tic and Terrie, had scheduled to come up for the night, tonight, on their way to Lake Almanor (annual family thing), a bit farther north from here, but have rerouted to the Bay Area (where most of the fam lives) until it's clear that they can get through some of the crazy fires that are scattered like so much debris across the landscape. We're disappointed, but hope their family fun can move ahead, somehow.
Grass Valley, which, along with Nevada City, has been rending garments and gnashing teeth about the fireworks issue for years, just declared a ban last night. One problem has been that many organizations count heavily on the money they make from the sales of "safe" fireworks (don't explode or leave the ground--) to fund their activities for the year. Another problem is that if people can't get "safe" ones, maybe they'll go for the other kind , which pose a greater hazard. Seems it's too much to ask for folks just to cool it with the fireworks, this year.
One city councilman commented that it would look bad for fireworks to be sold withing shouting distance of the Idaho firefighter sleeping in a tent at the fairgrounds (staging area for local firefighting activity), exhausted from working the blaze for twelve hours straight. Bad form, for sure.
So, the Lions Club and the Boy Scouts are in the deep weeds on this one.
At our house, it's still as smoky as it's been at any point, this week. The local Air Watchers didn't even have high enough numbers on their scale to measure the hazardous particulate floating around (didn't think they'd ever need numbers that high). So, I've curtailed my morning paper walks for the duration. It's so unusual to be without any breezes at any time of year, we've noticed, but it's helped some of the firefighting efforts that embers aren't floating as far. However, it's also made it more difficult for the air support to see the fires through the smoke. More thunderstorms are supposed to be arriving this evening, for the weekend, and they will probably be dry, electrical storms, like the last one. No sense in keeping this situation simple, I guess.
We are, of course, not in any danger, and hope that it remains the same for as many folks as possible. Stay tuned...
Not THE Donner Party, of course. Rachel and her friend, Megan, lives just a few hundred yards from Prosser Reservoir in Truckee. It's precisely the place where the Donner Party spent the winter (before the reservoir was created, of course), and there are historical monuments in amongst the trails. 
They, and their friend, Jen, who is visiting this week, invited us up for dinner yesterday. It was so cool! We all drove (to carry all the picnic gear) a few minutes from their house to a gorgeous little peninsula on the lake, elevated a little, and surrounded on three sides by water.
There, they set up a little table and chairs, then laid out an international spread of cheeses, breads, dips, and fruit that they'd bought at a farmer's market earlier that day. I hope the Donner Party ghosts weren't watching. It was such fun, delicious food! Indian, Asian, European and Mexican flavors.
We were almost competing to discover the best combination of two or more ingredients per bite (handy tip: the cracker bread, topped with the Idiazabal cheese and hot/sweet fennel/pepper jelly--oh, my! But there were other winners, as well). For dessert, I'd brought up some lemon squares. A simple thing. But so entertaining when dangled in front of Meg (think catnip in front of a cat). We discovered last month, that lemon dessert of any sort will transform this, otherwise, quite laid-back, mature, and accomplished young woman, into a wild-eyed, quivering mass of protoplasm. Perhaps a secret best kept amongst us girls...
The only real fly in the soup, was that the smoky air from all the fires on our side of the mountain, finally reached the other side, and so the normally crisp and pristine colors were a bit muted. Not to worry. It was a wonderful meal in a magical place with fun people. Rachel and Meg have invested in a rubber raft and plan to get a couple of kayaks, soon. So many ways to enjoy Donner country!
In about a month, Rachel will begin working for the company Megan works for. It's a software firm that sells systems for human resources departments of all kinds. The employees can work from anywhere they can get good internet service, so it's perfect for those, like them, who like to work from home or anywhere they happen to be visiting. They spend a good deal of time in SF, for example.
So, Donner Party, eat your...no, forget it. Really.
*choke*, *hack*, *gasp*
We woke up to another blazing orange sun, this morning--and that eerie, amber-colored light through the windows. This is a phenomenon well-known to us from having lived near various and sundry wildfires throughout our lives in SoCal. But moving to NoCal hasn't diminished the frequency of the experience. A year ago this week, the Angora fire near Tahoe (50 miles SE as the smoke floats) sent thick, brown layers of smoke our way. A couple of weeks ago, the Paradise fire, NW of here about 50 miles, contributed a surprising amount of heavy pollution in our neck of the woods. Late last Saturday afternoon, as we were sitting in the living room chatting with Dylan, an impressively noisy, dry "electrical storm" blew through the area. What we didn't realize at the time, was that about 8000 lightning strikes (how do they count those?) started more than 800 fires in Northern California. Many of them are not too far away from here in the Tahoe Nat'l Forest. The Fall Fire is about an hour away near the area we backpacked last year. But the closer one is about 15 miles up the road threatening the tiny town of Washington. Hence, heavy atmosphere that fills our lungs and stings our eyes, today.
This is just the way it is, around here. Especially, nowadays, having had so little rain this spring. We might have some wet years, when it's less likely that fire will threaten somewhere near. But, most years will be like this, I'm guessing. And we, like many others, have chosen to live in a heavily wooded area that, under natural conditions, would burn quite regularly, as opposed to the suburban environments where we have lived most of our lives. It complicates the situation for fire crews, obviously. So, we try to trim the brush and tree limbs close to the house (eventually for the entire 7+ acres), and keep our eyes peeled. It's worth it, for us, if not for the firefighters. All the same, today, I'll enjoy our lovely woods from indoors...
Who wants to see some more Blotter Bits? Here they are, anyway...
"3:23 p.m.--A man walked into the library downtown who was angry and yelled that he had to return to the military." ["I've got it! I need a reference librarian!"]
"9:47 a.m.--A caller from the 400 block of Henderson Street said broken walnut shells on her porch indicated an intruder the night before." [No way could it have been, say, a squirrel...]
"4:00 a.m.--A woman called from the 11000 block of Lower Circle Drive reporting that she found a flag made from a T-shirt on her front yard. She requested extra patrol." [A sure sign of impending mayhem--T-shirt-on-a-stick]
"10:52 a.m.--A caller from the 18000 block of Fair Oaks Drive reported activities happening in a residence involving 'young males who are wearing the same color clothes'. A deputy contacted the caller." [No way this doesn't mean trouble. Probably the latest sighting of the Soccer Team Marauders]
"5:19 p.m.--A woman called from the 11000 block of Via Vista to report she has a restraining order against people who were in her mother's room doing 'medical things.' The caller's mother also had a restraining order against the caller. They all live in the same house. The woman called back to say she still was being harassed. A deputy contacted the caller. [You know the deputies were drawing straws on this one]
"12:23 p.m.--A man called from School Street to report a man was flipping children off." [...was it just after he locked up his classroom and was it the last day of school?]
"5:13 p.m.--A caller from Frontage Road off McKnight Way reported an emu was in the road. Police chased the emu and cornered it until Animal Control responded and took the emu into custody. It was unknown where the emu was from." [I only print this one because it seems such emu shenanigans are not uncommon in these parts...here's another...]
"11:55 a.m.--A large emu was reported running amuck (sic) on Freeman Lane. Officers caught the animal. [who knew emus were such the rascals?]
"4:22 p.m.--A woman reported the building department attempted to blackmail her." [What do you suppose the "building department" saw her doing?]
"3:33 p.m.--A man walked into a business on the 200 block of Neal Street and started saying extremely negative things about women to the employees. The man had gray hair, missing teeth and was dressed as a cowboy. The man left but said he would come back for dinner." [I'm pretty sure he got really great service]
And, have I posted this site before? Sometimes I just have to marvel at, uh, well, you know, brain oddness. http://www.stuffonmycat.com/
We got to hang out with Dylan, this weekend. One of his Cal Poly buddies grew up here in Grass Valley, and got married last night at his folks' home, just about 10 minutes from our house, as it happens. Apparently, the bride is a local, as well. That worked out well, I think.
So, today, we had a bit of lunch on the patio at Posh Nosh in Nevada City and caught up with progress in the world of furniture design. He has some orders for the Shady table and Twist shelves, so he's working on the details of pricing and shipping, etc.--all the stuff that's so not fun for artists to fuss about. His work will be appearing in some trade journals, as well, including Ty Pennington's mag, At Home. Then we hung out in our patio, for awhile.
He's also joined up with a marathon/triathalon-training group called "Team in Training". It's an organization which, obviously, trains participants to compete in these events, but it's primary focus is to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So, Dylan, along with training his brains out for the next few months, will also be raising money for the cause. Be forewarned. The website for Team in Training is http://www.teamintraining.org . Check it out. It's been doing this for 20 years.
Dylan doesn't own a car. He's worked it out in San Francisco so that he can do very well without one. Not a bad plan, these days. But when he does need wheels, say to drive out to Grass Valley to see the ol' folks, he just accesses City CarShare, in which he has a membership. There are quite a few cities that have such systems, now. The way it works, is, that there are several places strategically located through the city, and he goes online to find one nearby that fits his needs for that particular time, and then he picks it up and goes. There are a very reasonable hourly and mileage fees, and it includes gas and insurance. Here's the site for this one: http://www.citycarshare.org/ He drove a little Scion out for a visit, this trip.
So, that's the scoop for this weekend. One other thing. We just passed the Summer Solstice. That means that shorter, cooler days are on the way! Makes me a happy girl!
...as Monty Python would say. Last night, just two days after Bluegrass Overload, we returned to the Fairgrounds for an antidote of full-frontal Classical.
For such little towns in the sticks, there is quite a large selection of live performance art, here in GV/NC. Music in the Mountains is a professional orchestra/chorus that performs a series of programs four times a year. It can run from "serious" classical to pops to Christmas/holiday music. And it's good! Some of the summer programs are held outside on the grass, but most of the rest are performed in the same large, open building where the farm displays are assembled during the County Fair. Just add a stage and risers.
I know it's TMI (perhaps a good subtitle for this whole blog), but this program started off with Schubert (Overture in C Major), Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #3 in G Major (so fun!), and Hayden's Symphony #21 in A. But then...
I've never considered myself a "Romantic Period"-sort of a person. I love Baroque and Classical. However, Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto (C minor). Well. It just breaks my heart. It lifts my soul. It melts my brain cells into mush. A youngish pianist (aren't they all?), Timothy Durkovic, did a lovely job in the lead roll (with a few pesky little timing issues). It's one of those pieces everyone has heard (popular in sound tracks, and the tune was stolen for "Full Moon and Empty Arms"--can you get drippier than that?--, a Sinatra song), but I hadn't listened to straight through for years and years--and never "live". It was written at the end of a long (we're talking years) period of depression and writer's block in 1901. Hypnotherapy helped Rachmaninoff get his groove back, and this was the result. I'm a believer!
So, get a cd of it, if you don't have one, yet, and, at the end of a hectic day, sometime, close your eyes and let it wash over you. I think you'll find it's quite, well, hypnotic.
So, we had a wonderful evening. Tom wasn't one bit squirmy. We like the atmosphere. Not stuffy. How many classical concerts have you attended in your flip-flops?
Yup yup! We are about up to here with bluegrass!
This week (Thurs-Sun), the County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley hosted the 33rd Annual Father's Day Bluegrass Festival. Last year, Francine and I attended on Sunday, the morning of which features Gospel music. This year, Tom and I followed the same pattern. However, since a local radio station, KVMR carries the whole Festival live, bluegrass was vibrating through the house for three days before we even set foot on the fairgrounds. Tom, in fact, had ODd, already. No matter--I dragged him along, anyway (although he took puzzle books just in case).
Going to hear any live music is fun. The beautiful venue and the relaxed but totally smokin' musical energy of good bluegrass makes this event very hard to beat. Looks like most folks bring their monster RVs from who-knows-where to camp amongst the trees, but there were a few drive-ins like us.
It was warm--high eighties, with a light breeze--so in the shade, it was very comfortable. And there was shade. The only downside to pine trees, even very tall ones like these, is that the shadows they cast (especially near the summer solstice) are very skinny. From 10 to 5, we sat in 5 different spots to stay out of the direct sun. And so did everyone else. 
Everyone watches the stage with one eye, the other eye hungrily scanning for the next move into (the holy grail) the leading edge of the moving shade. We all become expert triangulators, calculating the course of the sun and which tree would cast the best-located shaded area and when--that is, with decent visuals and not behind a tree trunk or the sound booth. Trickier than it sounds. But most of us got the hang of it pretty quickly. It's a system that favors multi-taskers.
The most well-known group we saw and heard was Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. He looks like the grandfather amongst his grandchildren, but they just cooked. Amazing dobro played by a guy who looks like an overgrown ninth-grader. We heard two sets from them. We also greatly enjoyed the other groups. 
A couple of observations (drawn also from the previous three days, yea, lo these many years of bluegrass-listening): a. Somewhere, there is a bottomless pit filled with sappy sad bluegrass/country songs. I'd like to find that pit and cap it off for all time and eternity. b. Bluegrass groups have no business opening their mouths unless it's to sing or introduce the band. No bad jokes, no stupid stories. It's just embarrassing. Zip it, people. Seriously. 3. Who can believe the infinite variety of portable chairs that folks bring to these events? I swear, some of them are tube-and-canvas sofas with cupholders, foot rests, snack tables, rockers and canopies. Amazing! Where was I when this happened?
And who is the guy, dressed in a loose tank top and baggies, with a bright green towel over his shoulders who danced by himself (you know, that Western-style two-step kind of dance) all day over at the side? All day.
Of course, we had to indulge in our favorite locally-made ice cream treats from Lazy Dog. We first gobbled their lovely dipped bars (light or dark over about 500 flavors) well before we moved up here. Huge drumsticks (made that morning). Mine was rootbeer float-flavored. Ahhh.
Hey, and Tom bought a fiddle! I scouted out a dealer amongst the different booths and sent him over. Tom took violin lessons for several years, when Dylan was also learning to play. The teacher passed on, unfortunately, just as Tom was feeling like he was getting somewhere. Dylan, then, took off with the fiddle (which he still plays) when he left home. So, Tom's been talkin' about getting another one, and now he has. This will be interesting. Stay tuned...:o)
All in all, a fine day, indeed! Perhaps next year, two days.
Looks like we're here to stay. It's official, now. It may seem a small thing. Actually, four small things. But, we now have our own directional signs posted in our neighborhood. You're not going to believe how I will drone on and on about it, now.
When I was a kid, some years our family would go to Lake Gregory or Lake Arrowhead for a week or two in the summer. It was an exotic landscape for us, of course. Pine trees, water, fresh air. We loved it. I noticed that folks would put their names, quaintly carved into wood, on their houses and at the turn-offs for their roads. I don't remember noticing that little custom anywhere else, at the time. I associated it with the mountains and vacations. 
At our last house, on Mars Way, there was a sign post near the base of the driveway, which we shared with one other house, where the previous (and only other) owners had put a sign with their name on it. It probably helped by indicating which of the two houses belonged to the Ficks, since, in our experience, there was nearly always confusion at the top for first-time visitors. Our neighbors, the Rices, ran a real estate/mortgage company from their house and we were continually relaying people on over. From time to time, we'd find perfect strangers meandering around in the back yard, ready to sign papers. So, I was going to make a sign for that post that said "The Golds", under which I would inscribe "Proof of Life on Mars". Yeah, you're right. Corny. It's probably a good thing I never got around to it. But I intended to. For nearly the entire 8-plus years we lived there.
In these parts, as in many rural--not just mountain-areas, it's quite common, though not universal, to find names of residents at the junction with the main artery. It seems friendly, somehow. Little routed wooden signs that say "here we are", implying "welcome". At the fairs and festivals, there's always at least one booth where one can get a wooden sign with your name on it made. I get the feeling that it's a dying custom, though.
We have, at Hoppy Hollow (the turn-off for Echo Glen), perhaps the biggest honking street sign I've ever seen. Whole towns don't have such a huge sign. I'd love to know how and when the earlier residents made the decision to shout to the world, in giant yellow letters, that HOPPY HOLLOW begins HERE! 
Perhaps it was so that all the smaller, individual name signs would fit underneath. I'm sure there are old-timers in the neighborhood who could tell me. However, it seems, either because it's a bit of trouble, or that folks, these days, want to keep their whereabouts quieter, as houses change hands, the old signs come down, but new ones don't go back up. So, as you can see, most of the signs are quite old and weathered, and they represent probably only a small fraction of those who live here.
But, now, when you come for a visit (and we hope you do), you can find "Gold" by following four little signs to our house. You won't have any trouble getting to Hoppy Hollow, obviously, but after that, it will be easier to locate our "diggins" (sorry). See you soon!
We have power out in the shop, now! One outlet. But a nice one! GFI and everything. They could have put in more, but that will have to wait until we can get all the stuff away from the walls and decide where we want the lights, which won't be happening today, anyway. Our whole settling-in process is like one of those aggravating slide-the-squares-around-and-around-until-you-get-it-right-by-accident puzzles. You know the ones I mean. So, we have to move the fabric (about 3 tons) out of the shop into the garage (the only place we can think of, at the moment), but before we can do that, we have to make enough space for it in the garage. I did a little, this week. Actually took a load to the AnimalSave Thrift Store. Moved many boxes into the dining room, even though we don't, yet, have a cabinet for it, there. But there are still more boxes to find homes for. Then, there's the other furniture...Brother!
But it's definitely progress! And it looks as though we're roughed-in for a sink, out there. We finally moved old wood left from the last occupants to discover that little nugget. Don't ask about the garden. Soon.
We attended a high-school graduation party for the son of our neighbors last Saturday. Lovely folks. Went to see I.J. and the business about the Crystal Skull. Some fun parts. Generally underwhelming. Fun to see Karen Allen; could do without the kid; why do they let H.F. smile? So sappy. But, you know you're going to see it.
Weather's heating up, again. 84, today. The Bluegrass Festival is in town, through Sunday. Not sure which day we'll go. Went with Fran on Sunday, last year.
Hey, I have to pass on a few more cool web sites. You know how I love paper-art. Here's a great one: http://www.jenstark.com/index.html So much fun! And such simple materials! I love it!
I'm pretty sure I've posted this one, before. It's the Saint John's Bible project. Just in case you missed it: http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/
This is the first hand-written/illuminated Bible since Gutenberg. I could go on and on. Lucky for you, I won't. But check out the site. The Bible should be finished next year. I have three gorgeous prints of selected illuminations given to us by CCC in our house. Check it out, if you haven't already.
And, if you're the sort of person who likes to doodle or play solitaire while you're on the phone, here's another option: jigsaw puzzles online. I've always loved jigsaw puzzles. Of course, one can't quite get the tactile satisfaction of a perfect fit with a computer mouse, but it's fun in its own way. Here are a few sites we use:
http://www.jigzone.com/
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/jigsaw-puzzles
http://www.crea-soft.com/online-jigsaw-puzzle/
Each has its good and not so much, but at least you're not missing the last piece, at the end. Seems our kitties used to love to knock them off the table, then into the heating vent, or somewhere just as inaccessible...
So, if you Google "Dylan Gold Stink" (you might be tempted to add an "s"), you'll find that his tree table has popped up on tons of sites all over the world. How to turn it into $$? He's trying to get noticed by a good design mag...
Otherwise, with weather in the low 70s with puffy little clouds floating about (all of them exceedingly stingy with the precip) we're just truckin' along. I'm almost finished with the directional signs to our house. What I thought would be a simple, one-afternoon's-worth of puttering in the shop has turned into major brain surgery. Only 53-or-so separate steps. Pics when I get them posted.
Garden is ready except for some important modifications to the existing irrigation system. So the poor little seedlings still waiting...
Meanwhile, the good citizens of our county have been kind enough to provide some diversion along the way. Here's a sampling from the Blotter:
"8:13 a.m.--A caller reported a swimming pool was on the Idaho Maryland Road offramp of the Golden Center Freeway. Officers responded."[with in their swim trunks and floaties]
"1:54 p.m.--A caller from the 16700 block of Highway 49 near Newtown Road reported seeing a man with red hair and a beard at a picnic table smoking something out of a can."[could it have been Prince Albert?]
"11:29 p.m.--A woman reported she had just thrown hot tea on a person who was causing a fight in her home on the 16700 block of Autumn Oak Road. Responding deputies found the male half of the household had left for the evening."[to find alternate liquid refreshment, no doubt]
"9:34 a.m.--A woman from Zion Street reported a boyfriend dumped garbage all over the house the previous night , and he keeps mercury in the freezer. The boyfriend ingests the mercury daily because he believes he is a yogi and will same the world from destruction. The caller said there are no weapons in the house. An officer contacted the caller."[What could I possibly add to this little scenario?]
"12:47 a.m.--A caller reported that four juveniles wearing white shirts and black shorts and other juveniles wearing black clothing were climbing on walls at a business on Plaza Drive. Police made contact with the juveniles who said they were making a "super-hero video." They were told to go home."[Hey! It's an indy film..."Crouching Muledeer, Hidden Jackrabbit!"]
"9:39 a.m.--A deputy stopped a vehicle on Highway 49 at John Barleycorn Road and arrested a person on suspicion of possession of a weapon not immediately recognizable as a gun and driving with a suspended license."["not immediately recognizable"? Did it look like a knife, at first?]
[and, again]
"11:11 a.m.--Police contacted a 54-year-old man lying in a ditch on East Main Street. Police called an ambulance for the man [that's good] and took a report for possession of a weapon not immediately recognizable as a firearm."[what?]
"8:52 p.m.--the GVFD responded to a report of a person stuck in the bathtub. Firefighters located the stuck occupant and extricated her from the tub. The woman suffered no injuries."[well, no physical injuries, maybe...]
"7:37 p.m.--A woman from the 200 block of Brock Road reported "something just went down" around the corner from her house and would like an officer to look into it."[perhaps it was just a James Brown party]
"4:28 a.m.--A caller from the 18700 block of Meadowlark Court reported that when she awoke, she found knives in her couches."[How, exactly, did she find them, one wonders...]
"11:24 am.m--A caller reported finding a knife."[a lot of that going around, apparently]
"7:24 p.m.--A caller from the 13000 block of Peninsula Drive reported an airplane kept landing in her lake. The woman was referred to the Federal Aviation Administration."[Yeah, they'll send someone right out]
"6:40 a.m.--A woman called from the 11000 block of Colfax Highway to report a man wearing a bright yellow bandana and a lime green jacket tried to get into her house. A deputy took a report."["Clever Camouflage Bandit strikes again...]
Stay tuned for the riveting Weekend Report, coming up...
I must say we had higher expectations, even though we went on an impulse. You can still smell the smoke from the fires, but if you keep breathing to a minimum, you can be outside for awhile without feeling it too much. So, we thought we'd get out of the house for awhile on Sunday.
Back in 1850, they were hacked that the US feds taxed the gold they'd dug up, so they thought they'd pull a fast one and secede from the Union (would it surprise you to know that they concocted this plan in a saloon?). They figured that'd show 'em (urp). They sent the secession documents (quite official, I'm sure) to Washington, by--I don't know--rickshaw. Meanwhile, they set about being a country. There are two stories as to why, three months later (and before the "official documents" even arrived in Washington), they decided to join back up. One is that the 4th of July was looming and they wanted back in on the party (what, no fireworks?) The other is that neighboring areas wouldn't sell liquor to the "foreigners" (what, no firewater?). I have a guess as to the more likely scenario.
