My USA Summer and Fall Through the Election 2024

TRIGGER WARNING! THIS BLOG CONTAINS MULTIPLE IMAGES OF DELICIOUS FOOD. NOT NECESSARILY RECOMMENDED DIABETICS OR THE CALORICALLY-CHALLENGED.

 BACK IN THE USA

We flew back on the Fourth of July, arriving before we left. Regular followers of my blog know it is a diary mostly in chronological order, highlighting travels and activities and musings that interest me and hopefully others. This covers July-November, 2024, summertime through mid-autumn and the election.

We were last in Northern California shortly before my birthday and our journey back to NZ via Georgia and Southern Africa. After an overnight turnaround in Richmond, we headed back to Fort Bragg with various Christmas and birthday presents from last winter in tow. One was the unique metal sculpture (thanks, Athena!) of a pūteketeke with John Oliver perched on his back. Through his efforts on Last Week Tonight, this feathered friend was crowned New Zealand Bird of the Century. If you missed that story late 2023, here is a link.

Pūteketeke and Friend

Also I rediscovered large chunks of frozen of German Chocolate birthday cake, still sinfully delicious.

 

SUMMER 2024

It was so nice to start off back home in Fort Bragg on July 5th in time to enjoy some of the annual coastal events like the tail end of the Fourth of July weekend and fireworks over Noyo Harbor 7/6/24.....

Photo courtesy of the Fort Bragg Advocate-News

.... and the 38th Mendocino Music Festival. A pre-fest fundraiser new this year was a lobster boil. Lobster is really not Fayne's thing, so I took Linnea M. as my plus one. The generous spread included potatoes, roasted garlic, corn on the cob, artichokes, cherry tomatoes, and of course the Crustacean of Honor. Volunteers with large mallets circulated to help crack the shells. We had a good time, but it did have a bit of the Medieval Times Theater/ Flintstones vibe.

n

I was fortunate enough to attend three Music Festival concerts.  The first was Mr. Sun, a bluegrass/roots/jazz/classical group. The centerpiece of their performance was their bluegrass interpretation of Duke Ellington's take on Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite (whew!). I took my sister Margaret who was visiting for a few days. Prior to the show we had time for a walk along the Mendocino Headlands on a perfect sunny summer day.

Fayne and I attended two more events. The Festival Big Band featured soul and blues vocalist Mayia Sykes. She gained fame on The Voice. Here is her performance from 2014 singing Sam Smith's Stay With Me. 

I most anticipated the opportunity to see and hear Ladysmith Black Mambazo (seen here singing Homeless), the South African group most famous to American audiences for their work with Paul Simon on his Graceland album. The angelic harmonies and the energetic dancing were sure to lift everyone's spirit. 

There is something about being with Linnea that frequently leads to eating. Another annual July event is the Albion-Little River Volunteer Fire Department benefit BBQ, featuring chicken, beef, corn, beans, salad, and home-made desserts at the Little River Airport. Tasty!! Unfortunately, it was too overcast for David N. and sister Athena to fly in. Maybe next year.

THE EASTERN U.S. AUGUST 2024

Early August was time to get back East for family with the first stop Kathleen, GA fo. Sofia and family. They have a new kitten Milo who is quite the bundle of energy even though he is napping in these photos. Although I feared a hot and humid time there, the weather was quite temperate. Georgia schools started in late July so we didn't have as much time with the Grand-kids as we would have liked.

One of my West Virginian cousins Leah works in Atlanta and it so happened her mother Jane was visiting, so we were fortunate to meet up half-way in Juliette, GA at the Whistle Stop Cafe, made famous in the film Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) based on a book. We had a lovely visit and lunch.

Jane, Leah, Fayne, and me

Jane & Leah on the front porch

A fried green tomato

Catfish

Chicken livers

In all our visits to Georgia, we never actually had a Georgia peach or visited a peach farm, so we ticked that box and visited Lanes Southern Orchards nearby for in-season peach pie and ice cream (no pix, sorry).

A little internet research showed that the 19th annual Macon Film Festival was happening. Being the cinephiles we are, we secured tickets for the documentary Red Fever. (Getting tickets was a surprisingly challenging task, but that's another story.) I would agree with the description on the film's web site: "A witty and entertaining documentary about the profound indigenous influence on Western culture and identity." I learned a lot.Red Fever is a witty and entertaining feature documentary about the profound -- yet hidden -- Indigenous Completing the Eastern swing we flew up to New York State to visit Fayne's family in Syracuse and East Greenbush, followed by a quick drive to Mystic, CN to see our friends Tom and Melinda. We had time in NY to finish a vexing jigsaw puzzle with sister-in-law Mary and her Grand-kids.

L to R: Ryan, me, Mary, & Anna

PAUL BUNYAN DAYS, LABOR DAY WEEKEND

The Man himself

Back in Fort Bragg for a tradition since 1939, we enjoyed the festivities of Paul Bunyan Days over Labor Day weekend. At the Logging Show I was enticed to buy some raffle tickets from the charming Belle of the Redwoods herself, Eliana Hontu. I didn't realize it at the time, but she is the granddaughter of my dear friend Terry K!

Eliana

This collage shows highlights of the weekend.

Counter-clockwise from Upper Left: Cheer stunt, Paul B, Belle Eliana, Humbolt State U. Marching Lumberjacks, Logging Show Axe throw, cheerleaders, Paul Bunyan Day banner

The parade was not without some controversy as locals argue whether the town should change its name.  You can read about it here in this article in The Mendocino Voice. (Braxton Bragg was a Confederate General and a slave owner, and according to Wikipedia is "generally considered among the worst generals of the Civil War.")

ELK: AMERICA'S BEST SMALL FOOD & WINE TOWN

That is the assessment of Travel + Leisure magazine in its September 5, 2024 edition. (It is also known as the birthplace of Miss America 1925, Fay Lanphier!)

Elk Cove

This news surprised us greatly and we took it as a personal challenge to investigate (and eat) further. Elk (Pop. 208) is 27 miles south of Fort Bragg and Point Arena is another 19 miles south. The drive is spectacular but we hadn't wandered down there is several years. The first stop on the gastronomic tour began with Sibo Restaurant at the Elk Cove Inn and Spa. For Chef Victor and Sommelier Melissa it is clearly a labor of love. They have traveled extensively, most recently lived in Miami until taking the leap to make a peri-pandemic move to the Mendocino Coast. Because the seating is limited and all the food prepared by them, they require that you submit your order no later than noon before dinner. Here are the dishes we enjoyed.

Roasted Beet Napoleon

Salmon tiradito (crudo)

Seafood paella

Magret de Canard à l'Orange

Mousse au Chocolat & Carrot & Cranberry Cake

Next on the list was Gama in Point Arena, in a nondescript storefront on Highway One.  Billed as specializing in Izakaya (def: a Japanese bar that also sells snacks) small plates, this may be the best Japanese cuisine we have ever had, serving all sorts of delicacies such as grilled local sea urchin and black cod. To boot, we were pleasantly surprised to find our waiter was friend and neighbor Nathan.

Nathan

Gama bar

The next restaurant is the most acclaimed with two Michelin stars, The Harbor House Inn. This extraordinary story of Chef Sam Miller-Hicok is detailed in the SF Gate story from September this year. The first thing that caught our eyes was the lounge at the Inn, a craftsman style room so similar to our Fort Bragg house.

The beauty of the meal is on display below. The restaurant also earned a Michelin Green Star their dedication to sustainable gastronomy.

1st- Egg custard, celtuce, wakamw, nori

 

2nd- Bl;ack cod, cauliflower, potato sauce, chive oil, & sourdough

3rd- Pork shoulder, mayocobo beans, pork sausage, cabage, and golden beet salad

4th- Marigold custard with passionfruit ice, marigold & mint tea

5th- Black corn miso cake with corn ice cream

Add the suggested wine pairing and you have a regal (but pricey) lunch.

Greenwood Restaurant at the Sacred Rock Inn was the final dining destination. 

The view from our table at the Greenwood Restaurant

Once again, I'll let the photos and captions speak for themselves.

Parker House rolls with seaweed butter & pear salad

King salmon with carrot ravioli

Honey Glazed duck breast with sweet potato puree & pumpkin seed granola

 

Peanut butter and chocolate mousse with banana ice cream

 

A deconstructed carrot cake with vanilla cream, looking a bit like a moose

 

EARLY OCTOBER 2024

When possible I try to attend two early October Bay Area celebrations: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass weekend celebration of roots and Bluegrass + music; and the Mill Valley Film Festival. I was fortunate to go to HSBG on Saturday with sisters Athena (thanks Moo) and Cheryl to enjoy the likes of Laurie Lewis, Allison Brown, Mavis Staples, and Steve Earle.

Mavis Staples on the Banjo Stage

We also made time to take in three films featured at the MVFF47: The Piano Lesson; Amy Adams in person with Nightbitch; and Cheech and Chong's Last Movie. I enjoyed them all and posted links to all three if you have any interest.

 

BASEBALL AND FAREWELL TO THE OAKLAND A'S

My summer is never really complete unless I can take in at least one ballgame live, and this year I got to three. First I went to Oracle Park in SF to see the Giants vs. A's with John Gallo, the friend who shared bleacher season tickets with me when the park opened in 2000.

Enjoying a ChaCha bowl with John in remembrance of late great Giant Orlando Cepeda

Oracle Park

Sadly, the Oakland A's are no more as they will be cruelly relocating eventually to Los Vegas via Sacramento. I was able to go to two games in Oakland the final week of the season. On a Saturday afternoon my old friend Francey and I went to see Aaron Judge and the NY Yankees, and then Fayne and I went to the last game in the Coliseum Thursday September 26, 2024. It was a joyous and sad day, the last chance for the true fans to celebrate and commiserate. The A's beat the Rangers 3-2 and the team honored the fans. I have so many memories, good and sad, over 50+ years of Oakland Athletics fandom. Here are some photos from the last week.

Clockwise from top L corner: selfie, the crowd, Crazy George, A. Judge at bat, Commemorative model of the Coliseum with souvenir last game ticket, HOF legend Ricky Henderson with daughter, and a Ricky bobble-head in the center

POOR DECISION 2024

 

Like many people, I was very concerned about the 2024 Presidential election. By any measure, it was a bizarre and unique period in US history. I was moved to do things I don’t normally do: write postcards, send donations, and even volunteer to go door to door in Reno, Nevada canvassing for candidates. 

 

Truckee River walk

Spending two weekends in Reno had its upside. I liked what I saw in the downtown along the Truckee River, ate some good food, and met some very interesting fellow-canvassers. I am not sure I would do it again, but I’m glad I did it in 2024.

The results of the election were disappointing but not a surprise after hearing “to close to call” and “coin-flip” incessantly. If this was always destined to be the result (and in retrospect I believe it was), I am grateful the results came quickly and decisively as opposed to agonizing for weeks or months as to what was to happen.

Donald J Trump has one truly magical super-power: lying. He lies boldly, loudly, persistently. No rational and informed person can believe that doctors and nurses murder babies after they are born, or children get secret gender-changing surgery in elementary schools, or that Haitian immigrants are eating neighbors’ pets. But these lies have major effects: they demolish any boundaries as to what he can assert without consequence while eroding his followers’ faith in any other source of information or authority; and they are the key to his remarkable ability to avoid any accountability for past or present actions. Another lie is just around the corner: “I never said that” or “It’s my enemies’ fault, not mine”.

With MAGA controlling every branch of the government for at least the next 2-4 years, I can think of no legal action I can take to alter that. There is a very good chance this will have minimal day-to-day effect on me personally. I’m not an immigrant, or a transsexual, or a Ukrainian, or Palestinian, or Israeli. At the end of the day, this was “democracy in action”. The responsibility is squarely on the US electorate, not Kamala, Elon, or even Trump.

My sister Margaret sent me this poem from 2007. It summarizes my current feelings exactly.

“PITY THE NATION”
Lawrence Ferlinghetti (After Khalil Gibran) 2007

Pity the nation whose people are sheep
And whose shepherds mislead them

Pity the nation whose leaders are liars
Whose sages are silenced
And whose bigots haunt the airwaves

Pity the nation that raises not its voice
Except to praise conquerors
And acclaim the bully as hero
And aims to rule the world
By force and by torture

Pity the nation that knows
No other language but its own
And no other culture but its own

Pity the nation whose breath is money
And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed

Pity the nation oh pity the people
who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away

My country, tears of thee
Sweet land of liberty!

copyright Lawrence Ferlingetti