If it's Thursday, I'm probably hiking.: MENDOCINO COAST BOTANICAL GARDENS

Below is the link to the blog of the latest hike.  Harmony had a trail map of EVERY trail in the Gardens and we hit EVERY one of them.  The flowers were great.  A really fun day

Here's the Thursday Ramblers blog site for the full story and pictures

Ramblers Blog

Also, here's the link to the pictures we took  Link to Gary & Susan's pictures of the gardens

Fire Department Cooks for Coastal Senior fundriaser

Each month a different organization takes charge in cooking for the month spaghetti dinner, a fundraiser for the Coastal Senior Program.  This month was the Redwood Coast Fire Department's turn.  A good time was had by all and the food was excellent.  Gary peeled about 100 garlic's for the bread - um good .  Irish Beacher's occupied two long tables.

For the rest of the pictures click here  RCFD Pictures

Mendocino Music Festival - Poncho Sanchez plus dinner

Mendocino Music Festival - Festival Orchestra

Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park

We had a fantastic experience at the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park in Richmond with our neighbors Diane and Karl.  The monument at first glance did not seem like much but is really wonderful.  And the museum at the foot of a historic Ford Assembly Plant was one of the best experienced we have had in a long time.  The 2pm ranger talk was lead by Betty Reid Saskin.  I have pasted a wiki article about her below.  She is the older park ranger in the country.  Go when she speaks and get their early as the word is out about her talk.  Better yet sign up for her 2 hour Richmond Bus Tour which is booked a month in advance - we did not get to see that but want to go back.  Lets just say that her grandma and mom both lived to be over 100 and thus the three generations (she is 92) span from slavery to the present time and she has one story to tell.  Not often have we been so moved with a speaker.

The park really is a hidden gem.  the movies are wonderful.  Great exhibits, great views.

Afterwards we went to Point Richmond and had a wonderful lunch.  Point Richmond is a wonderful place to visit.  Go through the tunnel and get one of the finest views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate.

The link to all the pictures is found below:
Pictures

Betty Reid Soskin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Betty Reid Soskin

Betty Reid Soskin (born Betty Charbonnet; September 22, 1921) is a Park ranger with the National Park Service, assigned to the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California.[1][2] As of 2014, she is the oldest National Park Ranger in the United States.[3]

Life and career[edit]

She was born in Detroit to Dorson Louis Charbonnet and Lottie Allen, both natives of Louisiana. Her father came from a Creolebackground and her mother from a Cajun background. She spent her early childhood living in New Orleans until a hurricane and flood destroyed her family's home and business in 1927. Her family then relocated to Oakland, California.

During World War II she worked as a clerk for Boilermakers Union A-36, a Jim Crow all-black union auxiliary. In June, 1945 she and her husband, Mel Reid, founded Reid's Records in Berkeley, California, a small Black business specializing in Gospel music. They moved to Walnut Creek, California in the 1950s, where their children attended better public schools but the family encountered considerable racism. She became active in the local Unitarian Universalist congregation and the Black Caucus of the Unitarian Universalist Association. During the 1960s she wrote and performed songs, many dealing with civil rights and peace.

In 1972 she divorced Mel Reid and married William Soskin, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1978 Mel Reid's health and finances had declined, and she took over management of the music store, which led to her becoming a prominent community activist.[4] Reid's Records is still in business in 2014.

She served as field representative for State Assemblywomen Dion Aroner and Loni Hancock, and through that position became involved in the development of the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park. She is currently employed as a park ranger for the National Park Service working as tour guide and interpreter. There, she "has been a tireless voice for making sure the African-American wartime experience — both the positive steps toward integration and the presence of discrimination — has a prominent place in the park's history".[5]

Honors[edit]

• California Woman of the Year, California Legislature, 1995.
• Builders of Communities and Dreams, National Women’s History Project, 2006.
• Attended President Obama's Inauguration as a guest of Rep. George Miller.
• Proclamation by Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin on behalf of Richmond City Council, 2009
• Received honorary doctorate at California College of the Arts at Spring Commencement of 2010.
• Reveived the WAVE award as one of 3 "Women of Achievement" by Girl Source of San Francisco 2010.
• Cited in "Wherever there's a fight - the history of the ACLU in California" - Elaine Elinson & Stan Yogi, 2007

With the kids in SF

Rebel With a Cause

As part of Discover the Coast Days in Point Arena, we saw the wonderful movie, Rebel With a Cause.  The movie has been seen on PBS and is the story of the people who helped create  Point Reyes National Seashore, Audubon Canyon, Marin Headlands and Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  The film makers were there to answer questions.

If you have not seen it yet, watch for it - apparently the national network bought rights so it should be all over the country over the next year.

The link to the movie is  Rebel With A Cause

Manchester School BBQ

Stornetta Nat Monument - Discovery Day Hikes and Festival

Mendocino Music Festival - Don Giovanni

Mendocino Music Festival: April Verch Band

SF Mime Troup

Tuesday Nighters

Mendocino Music Festival - Juncal Daners

Irish Beach Prius Gathering

Two of our Irish Beach neighbors, Pam and Don,  just bought a Prius and came up with a gathering of all of the Prius owners here in Irish Beach.  We met at the Vista point just north of Irish Beach.  There were six Prius owners and we shared notes and took lots of pictures.  We learned are car does have a CD - we had it a year and didn't know this.  Others learned as well.  We plan on making it a regular event to compare notes and as a nice social gathering.

Mendocino Music Festival opening night -

Mendocino Music Festival Feast

Fedele Bauccio

Mendocino Music Festival Chair Set-up

This starts our 3rd year of volunteer efforts at the music festival.  As with the previous two, we like chair set-up.  This year it went a lot smoother.  We used wood and ties to hook the rows of chairs together so they could not be moved.  There was still time so we got to set up the Orchestra for the opening night concert.  That was kind of exciting and different.  That also let us see the back stage area.  We had time to eat so went to Mendo Burger for our first time.  Had a crab cake sandwich and a veggie burger.  Both were great.  For working we each got two tickets to a show.  We went over to the box office and selected the two shows we wanted to see.  Its fun being a part of the festival from the start and seeing all that goes into getting it prepared.  And its a wonderful group of volunteers.

Movie Club - Return to Homs

A haunting picture - filmed almost entirely with a cell phone and small hand held cameras.  Was very up-to-date.  Jeff Watts knew of the film from a retired State Department event he attended.
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From 2011 to 2013, filmmaker Talal Derki followed the journey of two close friends whose lives had been upended by the battle raging in Syria.

Nineteen-year-old Basset is a local soccer star-the goalkeeper for the Syrian national team. He has also become an iconic singer in the revolution. His songs reflect his dreams of a peaceful liberation from Assad's brutal regime. Ossama is a 24-year-old media activist and pacifist who wields his camera to capture the revolution. When the army cracks down and their beloved city of Homs becomes a bombed-out ghost town, these two peaceful protesters finally take up arms and transform into rebel insurgents. 90 minutes

Point Arena 4th of July Parade (on July 6)

Went to a breakfast for the benefit of Meals on Wheels.  We were about the last ones to arrive as we slept late and got a slow start to the day.

Then it was on to the Point Arena July 4 parade that always occurs on Sunday and not on the 4th.  The parade was bigger this year with lots of hometown spirit.

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