Before I send off a somewhat packed treasure chest to you, I figured I would give you a bit of a legend to decipher it all. Not that it really requires it, mind you. It looks an awful lot like a Chamber of Commerce package, something you would get if you sent along a card letting them know you were passing through or getting ready to settle down in the area. Every week I go to the local travel bureaus and gather stuff for the lobby. There is always something happening here, local, regional, holiday events, but the sea is a constant, the vistas and views always intriguing, the wineries, the art galleries always burgeoning with new things to share. I know, as I take advantage of all of it.
“So, what’s in that envelope you have coming my way?” you might ask. Well, right off a local map of the area. You can see the Mendocino County Library branch that I work at mentioned on the insert map. Fort Bragg is a great walking town, especially when I need to get out of the shop for awhile and schmooze with my patrons. Downtown is only three blocks away from the library, close enough for us to consider being a destination for First Friday Art Walk. On Sunday I talked with one of my volunteers, an artist who regularly shares her work with local galleries, and she put in my head the idea of putting a “pop up” show in the evening during community room during the monthly event. And while we can’t do cheese and wine we can certainly do cookies and coffee!
You'll find that there is also a Rock Walk map in the stack. I use that map regularly on the weekends to find new and exciting places to test my walking skills. A lot of the destinations on that map take you right up to the end of the continent, walking the edges of cliffs that are not always as stable as they should be or seem to be. I love the taking in the vistas, love the proximity to raw wilderness, to open space, to fresh sea air. I never tire of the views, as they are always changing with the seasons. I take in Glass Beach here in town at least once a week, maybe more. No matter how many times I’ve seen the view I feel that I see each time with fresh eyes. The tide changes, the sunsets are constantly renewed, the out-of-towners always thrilled to come home with bits and pieces of the shore line. Love being part of that big thrill quotient!
Film guides are nice to have, as are guides to local building and lighthouses, so you'll find a few those in the envelope as well. Our stretch of the coast has been filmed and photographed since the turn of the last century and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any. Recently the town was used in a Bank of America commercial. Seems the location scouts, after looking all around the world, thought we looked like a prototypical fishing village, which, after years of being an active fishing port, wasn't much of a stretch. It was a lot fun to watch the pros in action, I even snagged a small part as an extra. I hope that somehow you get to see that when it airs. If you can’t wait to see my network television debut you can watch me do my thing on cable. MCTV did a profile on me back in the fall and it can be found on the internet. Local boy does good, something like that!
In the meantime I’ve been working the ticket counter for the Mendocino Film Fest folks on their random screenings before the big show come May. They recently floated a few upcoming features for me to screen at home, to review for the local paper. Movies are just a big part of being here as I buy them all the time for the library and screen them whenever I can. Music, too, is a big deal, as I've been training for a small “on air” spot with the local micro station, KNYO. Let’s see where that goes!
The Botanical Gardens I haven’t had a chance to see yet, least ways, not in the tourist sense. I had a chance to participate in their annual Pack Rat sale when I first got here. It was an awfully fun first look at the locals and what they consider cool used stuff to buy and swap. I also had a chance to walk the gardens before my volunteer shift during Winesong, an annual fundraising event. Now that was a mighty fine time! The Friends newsletters will give you a taste of the branch, plus you can see my smiling face! Been here now over eight months and not a day goes by that someone or another tells me how good we’re doing. I’m happy here, that way, but somehow the need, the hard core desire to get the kids closer might sabotage it all. I have been looking up towards Washington once again but we’ll see where that goes. For the time being I’m doing great things here and that should please you to no end. It does me.
So, take a gander, pass those maps and brochures around your library, see if there is any interest with your bunch in my stretch of the coast. If and when you go to San Francisco in the future drop down our way. The wine country is mighty fine, the art galleries will give you reason to pause, the hotels and restaurants are worth the effort to find and relax in. Come down, say hello. It would be great to see you and to show off this grand new place where I live in!
Love always, your WHMB
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