Bodega Byways by Eva Granahan

It was a dark and stormy day and even the newspaper can’t get thru.  Many of the roads are closed, and meetings have been cancelled. Watching the flood waters under the bridge in Bodega makes one realize how tentative our security is. We are grateful to all those who work to assure our safety; floods and all. There are serious issues before the community now.  Some of the various groups, along with Efren Carillo, are planning a community-wide race—along Highway One.  Many of the locals are opposed, especially those who have a business location along Highway One and who fear that their customers won’t be able to get into the shop, store or restaurant.   Some of the success will depend upon the weather.Many citizens  showed up for the meeting at the firehouse about what to do WHEN THE BIG ONE COMES .The attending people listened with great attentiveness. After all, we DO live right on a fault. We are grateful to those in the community who continue to urge us to take safety measures and who take seriously the possibility of a major calamity.

Everyone has a unique definition of love. There are as many ways to understand it as there are living beings. Most humans cannot put it into words. Some people have thought about it before and can easily talk about love in depth. I recently asked countless people their definition or interpretation of LOVE, mostly from the byways of Bodega and some from “Love in Action,” this year’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration event. I compiled the answers I found from the community and decided to keep them all anonymous. There are as follows:

I hope you are one of the first readers, so that you can still make it to the first big fundraiser of the year for the Bodega Volunteer Fire Department. The polenta and beef stew dinner will be 5 – 8p.m. on Saturday, March 2 at McCaughey Hall. More information at 707-876-9438. The Fisherman’s Marketing Association Of Bodega Bay organizes the (FMABB) CRAB FEED in BODEGA which is on March 16th, 4-7p.m, at McCaughey Hall. All you can eat fresh cooked marinated or plain crab, salad, and garlic bread. I'm honoring my Grand Aunt, Ellen Cheek in this column.  It's so heavy on my heart that I must recognize the life of this very special person. Ellen was an extremely valued community member who had lived in Bloomfield and most recently in Graton

Patty Karlin is an engaging fixture of Bodega. For twenty years, from 1984 to 2004, she ran the Bodega Goat Cheese company with her husband Javier Salmon. I have fond memories, when as a young girl in the 90’s, I spent time on the ranch playing with the baby goats. When the marriage ended, they both kept the rights to the business name. Patty cstill has control of the 7.5 acre ranch that can sustain 60-80 goats at a time. Amongst other things, Patty is very concerned with carbon footprints. In one year for 60 goats she would pay a $25,000 feed bill, which could be drastically lessened by growing the needed food herself.

Coast, River MAC Representatives to be selected this month. Over the past month, the Fifth District Office received more than 40 applications from people hoping to represent their community in one of the two new Fifth District municipal advisory councils.

The famous Sonoma County quilting tradition was born in Bodega back in 1980. Linda Sauter and Mary Biggs have been co-directors for nearly 39 years and have had the help of Carol Sklar for the past five years. They are alwayslooking for more volunteer quilters, welcoming everyone of all levels.

The Coast MAC and Lower Russian River MAC is established to advise the Board of Supervisors and other County decision makers on local planning and management decisions relating to their respective regions, to provide a regular forum for citizen participation in the formation of advisory recommendations on those decisions, and to provide a bridge for communication between the County and local residents and businesses, and the general public on local government decisions affecting these communities.