These days, I’m often asked, “What’s going on with the Art Alliance?” Truth be told, I admire the organization’s mission to keep art alive in schools. That’s why I chaired numerous events over the last two years, including the first public art exhibit. Through my involvement though, I saw and experienced things that caused concern….
A shocking thing happened to me a few days ago. A burning log rolled right out of my fireplace, hit the fireplace screen from the inside, and both log and screen were at once splayed out on my living room carpet. I leapt from my chair, got the log back in the fireplace, readjusted the…
Confused by news of a new fire abatement law? Here’s some simple points: 1) Representation. A local committee drafting a local law should have more local representation. The Hill is a close-knit community with a variety of private groups representing all of us. Of all these, Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council is the only one…
I love the thoughtful reflections published in the Town Crier. I greatly appreciated Bryan Asch’s “Human Etiquette” column (Jan. 29, 2015) and last year’s interview of the enthusiastic young scientist who followed his passion and became an astronomer, specializing in cosmology. But Conor O’Farrell’s “Love is Active” meditation (Feb. 19, 2015) was so great and…
What a happy face I had when opening my last issue of the Crier and seeing the photo from so long ago — 1955 in Skunk Cabbage Meadows [“Past tense,” Feb. 12, 2015]. Golly, it seems like yesterday I was 14 years old and now at nearly 74 the memories are still so vivid. I…
I was very close when the fatal crash near McCall Park occurred on Saturday. Two riders on Suzuki or similar bikes had passed me at high speed across the double yellow on a blind curve. Then they swerved from side to side to see how close to horizontal they could get. Once I stopped to…
I attended a meeting of the Fire Code Committee on Feb. 11, 2015, sponsored by the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council. The purpose was to hear how the San Bernardino County Mountain Defensible Space Guidelines work. It has three rules: within 15, 30 and 100 feet of a structure. The illustration they presented showed a…
Editor: Every once in a while the government does something so crazy that I get really fed up. I just got a notice from the county that I have two weeks to pay them $444 to come to Idyllwild to inspect for stormwater runoff. Now, if there were lots of environmental hazardous waste coming off…
Editor: We are members of the Mountain Community Patrol, Idyllwild, a group of senior volunteers, ranging in age from 65 through 81-plus, and volunteer for the Riverside County Sheriff’s office in Hemet. On Friday afternoon, Feb. 13, we received a telephone call on our home phone from a man claiming to be with the IRS…
Editor: When one’s favorite big red classic truck isn’t running right, many start by making a list of what could be fixed. If the low-cost, easy-fix doesn’t work, one goes onto the next step (often more difficult and more expensive). Your most successful truck enthusiasts will start on the inside and work their way out…
