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.

Wet Winter Park

In an icy cold morning fog, a figure of mystery is barely discernible through the trees of Recreation Grove.

Let the Sun Shine

As much as we needed the long, steady rain of the past week or more, it was great to see the sun break through the gray blanket of fog and rain on Tuesday. Some people even wore t-shirts, but it was still far too cold for that. Instead, I celebrated by capturing the sunlit moss on the trunk of a tall, tall oak tree. I love moss almost as much as lichen!

Roots of Motive Power Steam Up #3: Maytag Washer

While larger equipment puffed away at the museum and Roots grounds, across the street in Recreation Grove, small engine club members displayed their operational antique gasoline powered gadgets. One of my favorites was this 1926 Maytag clothes washer, enthusiastically agitating a garment or two with the power of petroleum.

I seem to have washed away whatever was ailing my computer. Not sure which step did the trick, but I should probably take out the trash more regularly.

Lamb On a Stroll

That's right, fleece on a leash. I'm a glutton for mutton, but I wonder if this means this pet has a name. I see a week of chicken dinners ahead of me.

Frontier Days Barbecue

The Frontier Days Barbecue is part of the 4th of July day's events, and the preparations start the day before in order to have all the beef cooked and ready for hundreds of picnikers following the parade of the late morning. Recreation Grove is outfitted with a sheltered serving area and concrete platforms for the cooking rigs. Best of all, it is shaded by the canopy of towering oak trees. A lot of volunteers work for many months to pull everything together, and some folks who have lived in Willits in the past make a point of always coming back for this holiday.

For more photos of the barbecue, please click here to link to my Overflow blog. You'll find a belly-full of images that just won't fit on Willits Daily Photo.

Biker Barbecue

Last Sunday, local Harley Davidson enthusiasts held a rally and barbecue to benefit Willits Police officer Dave Tiller, currently undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The festivities included a raffle and silent auction, as well as two live rock bands. I dropped by for the photo opportunity, and to make a small donation, and found my dentist and dental hygienist, the city planner, one of our beloved postal clerks, at least one downtown businessman, and I think the recently retired fire chief, all among, if not in, the leather-festooned crowd. Cheers to community support for our law-enforcement officers, and to worlds colliding. See more pictures of this event on my Overflow blog linked here.

American Legionnaires

It was the American Legion post here in Willits that originated the Frontier Days festivities (of the Fourth of July) to start raising money for a hospital for the community back in the mid-1920s. Dr. Raymond Babcock, who had served in WWI and was a Legionnaire, surely had the idea to begin with. It was his burden to try to treat people either up at the company owned infirmary of the Northwest Lumber Company in what is today the Brooktrails housing development, or down in town at his own home. But shortly thereafter, Charles S. Howard, the wealthy Buick distributor and owner of Ridgewood Ranch to the south, fully funded the hospital after the tragic death of his teenage son in a vehicular accident. The community fundraising continued, and soon the Legion gave over operations to an independent Frontier Days organization. But we'll see that in July.

These gentlemen had already gone to the local cemeteries to decorate the graves of veterans with American flags, and had just arrived at Recreation Grove on Sunday to enjoy the Community Festival car show sponsored by the Willits Shifters club. There were too many beauties to post, so check out the overflow of images linked here.


For more cars, click here!

Zebra Stripes Refreshed

As I drove to work Friday morning, I found these city workers involved in a process I had never seen before. Crosswalks are not painted, but melted into place section by section. One man placed the fresh section over the worn out spot, while the other guy wielded a hot-air blower to melt the white material onto the street. I took so many pictures of them, they were starting to giggle.

Drifters in Recreation Grove

Willits is one of the few places, like San Francisco, where Federal Highway 101 still goes right through town. Travelers from points south, like Santa Rosa, going to points north, like Eureka, all funnel through our main street with its four traffic signals. That's my theory of why we have so many young drifters, with their backpacks and dogs and skateboards, stopping to stay a while in the shelter of Recreation Grove, with its stage for sitting and sheltering from the rain. Sometimes more than a dozen will congregate here, especially in the colder months when residents aren't using it so much for events and parties.