Officer Down

On Saturday, mourners gathered at Willits High School to honor Officer Dave Tiller, who finally succumbed to cancer last Wednesday. Members of law enforcement from all over the area gathered along with local family and friends in the Auditorium, then proceeded to the Community Center for a reception. As with the recent Smith memorial, the Boy Scouts set out American flags to line Main Street and Commercial in Tiller's honor. We are all moved by a community united in grief.

The Memorial

After the procession and flag raising and the multitude of preparations, came the actual memorial for Jeff Smith inside the vast warehouses of the former Little Lake Industries. The announcement in the paper simply invited "family and friends" to come here at 3 PM on Sunday. The city limits of Willits contains about 5000 people. The planners of the event were wise to anticipate about two thousand guests. For more images of the memorial setting, click here for my Overflow blog.

Half a dozen speakers told their stories, and eulogized the man. His professional gifts were widely known. He had been awarded an unprecedented two Medals of Valor from the California State Firefighters Association; once for retrieving a man from a "fully engaged" burning fuel truck wreck, and most recently for intervening as a gunman shot two women and then himself. Jeff saved the life of one of those women, but he was the sort who never felt he deserved the medals. As one speaker said, he was a low visibility guy in a high visibility job. A similar spirit has recently been demonstrated by Captain Sullenburger, who safely landed his passenger plane in the Hudson River, when he said he was just doing his job, and even though the event went as well as possible, he continued to imagine how he might have done better. Such humility combined with such competence inspires everyone graced to witness it, and Jeff Smith was all of that.

He was also a man of tremendous good humor and good will. Those of us who glimpsed it through his professional role and composure, and those endowed with his high-spirited friendship at play, will be forever grateful.

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.

The Night Train

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the Skunk train has been running twice daily specials lately, with elves and music and enchantment, even in these dark evenings and cold temperatures. It's good to hear the not-too-distant horn of the engine as it rumbles through town, snaking off to the fields and forests to the west, and making life-long memories for the children aboard. Happy Solstice, everyone! From here until late June, the days grow longer.

Holiday Crafts Fairs

Last Saturday, the local paper listed at least three Crafts Fairs running simultaneously in Willits, and there will be another one at the Community Center today. The offerings are all home-made gifts and decorations, and often baked goods as well. Some of the more unusual items I saw were these antique glass insulators converted into electric lamps. The insulators were used on telephone poles to separate the wires from the wood brackets with non-conducting glass. With these, the screw-on opening at the bottom holds the light element, strung through the turned wood base the crafters made for each.

I also encountered a competing photographer on the job!

Art Butterfield Memorial Photography Show

The fifth annual Willits Photo Club show, now named in honor of a late and inspiring member, opened Saturday night with a lovely and well attended reception. The latest information I have indicates there were 41 photographers exhibiting 318 photographs in all. This show runs through November 30th, and gallery hours are Thursdays through Sundays. Check the Willits Center for the Arts website for more specifics.

Right, so up above there, do you see the black and white photo of the jagged crest of the awe-inspiring Patagonian Andes? And next to it, the wraiths of clouds caressing the sheer granite cliffs of Yosemite Valley? Those aren't mine.

Mine are the four colored canvases stacked, meaningfully enough I thought, next to an open glass panel door. Each depict openings which are shut, in some way. But really, they are just three walls and a railroad car, and were posted on this blog earlier in the year. When I did catch a few people looking at them, the expressions were typically gape-mouthed bafflement. This is the first time I ever put up anything of mine in an art gallery, so some seriously narcissistic curiosity kicked in and I tended very much to linger in the front lobby area to see how people might respond. Or if they would even look.




Finally, someone mercifully reminded me that there were a lot of spectacular photos to see in the two gallery showrooms, the rest of the lobby, the hallway, the reception room, the stairwell, and the vast upstairs gallery and events venue. Did I mention there were 318 photographs, and a lot of people looking at them? Kudos to the hard working volunteers from the Photo Club, who spent countless hours organizing and installing this event. All I did was put my own up on the wall.

To see more of the reception for this show, please look at my Overflow blog. And of course, there's an Animoto, for those of you who like that sort of thing.

Hometown Celebration #5: Pub Pumpkins

A not-too-scary arrangement of Jack-o-Lanterns and pumpkins line the passage from the Main Street promenade back to Shanachie's Pub. This carved-out variety of winter squash has long been a traditional decoration at American homes on this day. Happy Halloween!

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!

Hometown Celebration #3: Family Fun

Kids of all ages had lots to do and see, surrounded by friendly faces in a setting that just brings a community together, in appreciation for where and who we are. I don't know if the business people actually make much money with these extra hours, and outdoor set-ups, but the good will is priceless. The last community celebration had the misfortune to be scheduled at the peak of our thickest forest fire smoke. This was much, much better.

Hometown Celebration #2: Lawyer, Miller, Veterinarian?

Across the street from the belly dancers, a band of known characters made music of a different sort in front of Ardella's. One of these days, I'm going to invest in a digital audio recorder to capture such things. There was a nice crowd listening to these folks, and rightly so.



Many thanks to Dido of Edinburgh for naming me Blogging Friend Forever. It is an embarrassment of riches to be noticed by such a fine photographer and witty writer, and she offers another sweet treat in the blogosphere.

Hometown Celebration #1: Dancing in the Street

Belly dancing has gained considerable popularity in our neck of the woods, with lessons and costuming available from several local sources. On Friday afternoon, into evening, the Chamber of Commerce organized the Hometown Harvest Moon Celebration, with local shops on upper Main Street staying open late and offering special discounts, food, and entertainment. Mazahar sponsored this performance of "gypsy-style" belly dancers on the sidewalk in front of the shop. This was a sight to see for the highway 101 traffic rolling past, as well as for little girls who had never seen anything like it.

I first saw belly (or beli) dancing in Bursa, Turkey, in a private home. I was among other teenage girls, and one of the daughters of the household demonstrated the subtle and intricate skill involved in the ancient Turkish-style rendering of the artform. Every part of the body seemed to be able to move independently of the others in specific, difficult rhythms that came together in a mesmerizing presentation. And the girl was just wearing an ordinary outfit of jeans and t-shirt. She managed to teach me to shimmy, but I was younger and skinnier then. I think if I tried to shimmy at this point, I'd hurt myself, and take down a few unsuspecting bystanders as well.

Roots of Motive Power Steam Up #5: Speeders

These little vehicles are another favorite at the annual Steam Up, and I think some are called "speeders" while others are called "hand cars", and some speeders have covered cabs for weathering the elements. There are clubs for speeder hobbyists who arrange rail excursions together, by prior arrangement with rail operators. Originally, most of these were used for maintenance work on the rails. This orange one has wooden handles on each end for two people to lift it on or off the rails. A Roots volunteer explained its operation and history to a visitor, then powered up its noisy gasoline motor, and sped off to tour the loop track. Others were powered with human muscle alone. Perhaps you've seen the classic lever pump varieties in old movies and cartoons. In fact, you can check out Kermit the Frog, or Buster Keaton on my Overflow blog.

Harvest Festival #4: Fruit Press

Part of the day-long preparations for the Harvest Festival Dinner was the production of grape and apple juice for the diners. Here, a Grange member adds organic grapes, supplied by Frey Vineyards of Redwood Valley, into the hopper for pressing. Such a process was more commonplace a century ago, but with the convenience of prepared juices, it is now something to be rediscovered for those who seek more self-sufficiency. I saw many of these presses used by families in Hungary a decade ago. They are way ahead of us here. More images of this process are on my Overflow blog.

California Native American Day

Saturday was a day for celebrating California Native American traditions at many tribal lands all over the state, but the official Native American Day was Friday. I nearly forgot about it, because the event at the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Rancheria was not well publicized. I arrived in mid-afternoon, and was relieved to see that the dancing was still going on. Their land extends from the western edge of Willits westward into the hills.

The clothing and ornamentation on both the dancers pictured above is strictly for ceremonial dancing. You can even see the tan lines on the young man, showing that he ordinarily likes to wear a tank top, shorts, and full shoes. These costumes, especially on the man, are very specific to the Pomo people, and should not be confused with the traditions of other First Nations of North America. One of the common struggles of all Native American Indians is the fallacy that none of them survived the American conquest. They are now modern people like everyone else, with a rich legacy of cultural traditions. They are US citizens, who vote, serve in the military, attend local schools, and speak English. They are not required to live on tribal lands, but often choose to do so. Please look at my additional photos of this event linked here.

Also, I am pleased to be able to show you a short video, linked here, I took with my camera of one of the dances! It isn't perfect, but it's something.

Farmers Market Band

I think our weekly farmers' market has only a month left to go this season, and with it will go the Farmers' Market Band. The personnel sometimes change a bit, but the music is always refreshing, with a touch of "world beat" in the mix. It makes a lovely background to the browsing of produce and handcrafts. The hat for collecting donations states the money will benefit music education for Willits High Schoolers. The apple must be for the teacher.

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.

Harvest Festival #2: Solar Ovens

While preparations for the evening meal progressed inside the Grange, the back lot bustled with displays of food system self-sufficiency. Here, three solar ovens show how easy it is to gather enough heat from the sun to cook splendid family meals without using an ounce of wood, gas, or electricity. (Okay, if you don't count the manufacture of the materials to build the ovens.)

The oven on the lower left was made onsite, using cardboard cut and arranged for the purpose, and covered with ordinary aluminum foil. The interior of the box is black to absorb heat, and capped with a clear square of plastic or glass to contain the built-up infrared light reflected from the panels. For folks wanting a ready made oven, one is displayed on the right, ready to fold out and use, with shinier panels. But for the real investment, the large capacity oven stands in the back, with reflection panels like mirrors! According to some information posted about, the interiors of these cookers can eventually reach 375 to 400F in adequate sun exposure, even in the homemade model - perfectly sufficient for most oven recipes. The only catch is adjusting your meal planning for the amount of time this slow method of cooking requires.

Harvest Festival: Dinner

Saturday was a beautiful, clean, crisp, after-the-rain day for the annual Harvest Festival hosted by the Little Lake Grange. The focus was on locally produced food of every sort, with the highlight being a community banquet using only food from within about a fifty mile radius of Willits. Throughout the day, local food vendors, growers, inventors, and home food preservation crafters displayed their ideas, and taught useful skills to visitors. In the photo above, volunteer cooks seasoned root vegetables before roasting them for the evening dinner. Even the salt and marinades were completely locally sourced, from the ground (or sea) up! There are some more pre-dinner pictures on my Overflow blog.

There were so many aspects to this event, I may just succumb to another series of posts, concurrent with the Roots Steam Up series, and the Miracle Mile series, both of which aren't finished yet. Plus, there's all the plain old pictures I want to slip into the blog now and then. Who knew such a quiet, tiny little city of no particular importance would be such a challenge to cram in to an ongoing blog! The mind, uh, bloggles!