Shuster's Truck Lot

The "domino" effect of the shrinking economy will likely put the squeeze on any number of local businesses. The Shuster family has been around here for generations, and their fleet of white trucks are commonly seen on the roads of the region. Let's hope they "keep on truckin'" for a long time to come.

The Preparations

A former industrial site, developed by Little Lake Industries once upon a time, now leased for storage by a horticultural/agricultural supply retailer called Sparetime, was the location for the memorial ceremony. Jeff Smith had died Monday afternoon, and by Tuesday his fire department colleagues launched forward with one of their many professional skills: logistics. Calfire work camp inmates came to move out tons of sacks of fertilizer, etc., along with department and community volunteers, who then cleaned and arranged warehouse spaces, installed temporary toilets, etc. Word went out to schools and churches for tables and chairs, as well as other community networks for staging equipment, food, beverages, waste management, etc. Decisions had to be made quickly about what would happen, who would do what, and where, and when.

With the ready stand-in assistance of other regional fire departments, the Little Lake/Willits crew were all able to participate in the event. None of them wanted to miss honoring their former Chief. A matching ladder truck was brought up from Ukiah to hoist and bear the huge flag, along with the Willits ladder, which was suspended over the entrance to the industrial grounds. Brooktrails fire trucks were positioned at the Main station in case of any alarms.

By the end of the procession from the south end fire station, winding up Highway 101 (Main Street) to the headquarters station, then west to the Little Lake Industries site on Commercial Street, the Percherons had pulled the heavy steamer pump for about a mile, with a couple of inclines, and were dripping with sweat even on this very cool day. Click here to see more photos of these events on my Overflow blog.

The Procession

The memorial for Jeff Smith was Sunday, and began with a procession through the length of town. As I noted earlier on this blog, he was a member of the Willits/Little Lake Fire Department for 31 years, and was Chief for 22 of those years. An antique "steamer" pump wagon, provided by the California State Firefighters Association, led the way, followed by a stream of the department's trucks and personnel. Bringing up the rear was a pack of Smith's Harley-Davidson riding buddies. For more photos of the procession, click through here to my Overflow blog.

I like the quote in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat obituary, where a long-time colleague pointed out that Smith was "the closest thing to a celebrity we had in Willits." When I positioned myself to catch the action near the Willits Arch, I had no idea how moved I would be by the sight of the black cross, pulled by three draft horses. Then, even more, by the long line of silent, flashing fire trucks, knowing how respected he was by so many who knew him so long.

There were no California Highway Patrol officers anywhere to be seen. I believe they were busy looking the other way during this unconventional use of Highway 101. City police officers handled traffic control.

This will be a short series. More tomorrow.

Antique Wheel

It was a gray day Sunday, but this brightly and minutely decorated wheel cheered up all who saw it. It was a 200+ photo day, an emotional day, and I'm beat, so more tomorrow.

Dog Walk

Finally a little rain broke the dry spell on Friday, and while it wasn't enough to contribute to the municipal reserves (less than an inch predicted), at least we are somewhat damp again. But while the sun still shined, people could walk their dogs without much suffering. My camera couldn't resist this recumbent tricycle rider with his gorgeous husky strutting by Recreation Grove.

Bright Eyes

Willits is blessed with an abundance of railroads. While much of the derelict equipment was removed a few months ago, some railcars have been consolidated together on a couple of tracks of the NWP, and fenced in to help prevent additional vandalism. The headlamps of this locomotive reminded me of the eyes of a spider.

CCTLocoHeadlamps Jigsaw Puzzle

Night Sky in Blue

This home on wheels parked next to the County Library, possibly to pick up the WiFi signal, or the go inside to enjoy the printed treasures found there. Whoever owns this appreciates the power of words, some of which you can see by clicking on this image to its full size.

Only a Memory

A run-down Skunk Motel (it was named for the well known excursion train operating here, not the animal) was finally demolished several years ago, and the empty lot served as some overflow parking for the Mariposa Market. Then temporary fences went up and the heavy equipment moved in, pushing, digging, grading. Soon, construction will be complete on a new building for the market.

There are a few other things that have been pictured on Willits Daily Photo that are no longer to be seen in the real world of today:

1. The Lion of Judah shop has been clearing out of its space. I don't know if it's going somewhere else.

2. The abandoned service station office is now not only vacant, but torn down.

3. Three miniature mares were torn apart and killed by two wandering pitbull dogs last week. The paper says a fourth was maimed, but may recover.

4. The Princess Parking Only sign at the Community Center/City Hall has been removed, following a letter of snarky complaint by someone to the local newspaper. The killjoy claimed such nonsense that it must have cost her tax dollars or similar. She made it clear that some issue had not gone well for her at the city offices, so denying the humanity of public employees was her revenge. One less reason to move to Willits after all.

5. Many abandoned railcars (including the manzanita bush) on the unused NCRA railroad sidings have been scrapped and removed. The few that remain are consolidated behind a fence, apparently waiting for transport elsewhere by their owners.

Fifi in the Rain

Fifi (le Velocipede) was safely tethered to the front porch while significant rainfall pounded down around her and the redwood trees beyond. Yes, she is festooned with fake flower garlands. Is there something wrong with that?

Hometown Celebration #4: Hubris

As evening descended, and being without reflective gear, I walked Fifi (le Velocipede) home after a fun evening on the upper Main Street promenades. She was impressed to see this bicycle parked across from JD Redhouse, in the manner of a Harley, ready to shoot into the stream of traffic at a moment's notice. And look! It's a girl!

Roots of Motive Power Steam Up #6: The Best Tractor

This 19th century beauty is as tall as the giant modern-day harvesters, but was used in some logging operations in the 1880s. The rear wheel is about six feet in diameter, and the trolley cradling a log has wheels even larger. The demonstration log is a fraction of the size of the trees this would have been removing from the virgin redwood forests.



More photos of this monster are on my Overflow blog. This post is dedicated to Wayne of Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Fifi, Le Velocipede

She is a luminous, light, frosted petal pink thing of beauty. Both the hardware store and myself were growing weary of waiting for the fenders that would fit, so she was released into my care last weekend. I think it has been three decades since I last owned one.

There's a saying in the US, "It's just like riding a bicycle", which means if you've learned how to do something that sufficiently trains your muscles to respond to a task without conscious thought, then you will retain that skill even many years later. I found that riding a bicycle is just like riding a bicycle only up to a point. Maneuvering around uneven pavement, or weaving through a gate opening is once again a challenge. All is not smooth with my reflexes, but the bike flows like a dream. No, I have not yet crashed, but I'm taking my time. For one thing, the helmet in my size is on "back order". (I wonder if somebody in China is making the thing right now.) For another thing, I discovered that Fifi comes with some fine print (see above). Now, where did I put that manual...?

Poetry in Motion

I found this purple Schwinn tandem bicycle parked in front of JD Redhouse, fully outfitted with coordinating streamers and handy wire baskets. I'm still experiencing bike envy, for mine has not yet arrived.

The building reflected in the window, from across the street, is the Bank of Willits. I haven't heard any dire warnings about the state of its health, and it was never a free-wheeling savings and loan, but even solid local commercial banks will suffer if money isn't moving. I hope their emphasis on local investments helps them.

Meanwhile, prudent investors will spend some capital on human-powered capability expansion, like bikes, so that when the oil stops moving, and the money stops moving, the people can keep moving. Have I mentioned that mine will be pink? That's almost as good as deep purple.

Harmless Fool

Well, whoever this person is, I hope they are as harmless as they claim. The truck certainly brightened up an otherwise gray day. Anyone care to interpret the meaning of the artwork?

Roots of Motive Power Steam Up #4: Steam Roller

This vehicle is one of my favorites at the annual Roots Steam Up: the Buffalo Springfield steam roller. As usual, I took so many pictures of it, it was hard to decide which to feature on the blog. Here, you can see the wood-fueled fire that heats the boiler, through the little air vent on the side. Go to my Overflow blog to see full views of this snazzy classic.

Even today, when I see pavement rollers flattening asphalt on roads, I call them steam rollers, although the modern ones have been powered by petroleum for decades. I hear even younger people use the term "to be steam-rolled" as a figure of speech, denoting being crushed under the will of another person or institution, especially in negotiations. I wonder if they even know about the original equipment? The current Wikipedia article takes a British look at the machines.

Think Local

There has been an effort to raise community awareness of local businesses in Willits, and the economic importance of spending dollars at these places, where the dollars will recirculate within the community at a much higher rate than is true of big "chain" stores. So, for example, when I buy ice cream at JD Redhouse or books at Leaves of Grass, no portion of that money goes off to pay dividends to corporate shareholders. When a local family makes a profit, they obviously are more likely to spend part of that money here. The boardroom giants in New York (or wherever) will not. The bumper sticker on this bike says "Think Local, Buy Local, Be Local".

Luvya 57

I saw this fine looking car in a fenced field a while back. I hope it gets on its feet again before too long.

I’m out of town for a few days, so won’t be able to respond until I get back. Thank you for your visits.

Elusive Sorrel

I have been trying for months to get a good shot of horses being ridden downtown, after someone mentioned they thought that would be unusual to see. I have especially wanted to get a picture of a horse going by the window of Ardella's Diner, and that has become a standing joke, for the many times I've missed it. Well, today when I finished breakfast, and the diner had closed down, I got in my little truck and started away, when Behold!, there was the beautiful sorrel (red) horse and rider I wanted to catch!

The horse always continues at a pretty steady walk, which I discovered is quite the moving target when you have my limited skills. The gal asked me what the photo was for as she passed by, but then she explained "He doesn't stop for anyone...." So I answered her question as she rode away. "It's for my Blaaaaaaahg! My Blaaaaaaahg!" I hollered over the sound of passing traffic, as I watched her and her horse shrinking into the distance. So I didn't get the name of the horse or the rider. I could not decide which shot to put up front here, but ultimately this one made it to Daily Photo because it shows Highway 101/Main Street at its most starkly urban self, contrasted with the horse. The other contenders are in my Overflow. And yes, for the Animoto fans, the Sorrel in Animoto.

Royal Recreation

This photo was taken on Flag Day last month, which coincided with the annual Redwood Run of Harley Davidson motorcycle enthusiasts. It's just an ordinary shot of Main Street, but I pulled it out today in honor of the outside possibility that the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, is vacationing in the region. So far it's just a rumor, but some southern Humboldt county bloggers have eyewitness reports of an entourage looking very much like a head of state trying to be inconspicuous, but failing because an entourage is never inconspicuous in Garberville, especially if it involves Highway Patrol escorts and heavily armed guards. We don't know positively, we're "just sayin'". The last intel report had him at the lovely Benbow Inn, which serves beautiful meals in a rustic-chic Victorian setting beside the Eel River just north of our county line.

So why this picture of choppers? Well, the reason the King might be around is to tour the highways on his Harley Davidson! He's a motorcycle fan, and a noted adrenaline junkie, and rode along the coast of Big Sur last year. So, none of this speculation is out of the question. Plus, he was just in Idaho, Colorado, and Oregon in published reports, so it could all fit together. But I'll bet he went to the coast, not through our inland valley. Oh, well, he's welcome just the same.

Well it's official. The King of Jordan did stay at the Benbow Inn last Thursday night. The Benbow Inn blog confirms it.

Ropin' A Star

Whatever you do, do not interpret this as a scene from Dr. Strangelove. This is not meant to depict Slim Pickens riding a nuclear warhead, hooting and hollering, in the climax of that movie. Just put that out of your mind. (It's a great movie - if you haven't seen it lately or ever, do rent it.)

The theme for this year's Frontier Days was "Ropin' A Star", and this entry won the under-20ft. class judging for the parade. See the star on the top of the truck in front, and the rope extending to it? Hey, they really went for it!

A variety of other entrants are pictured on my Overflow blog.