Once in a Blue Moon

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. We did, despite the no show snow. It was crisp and beautiful here. So nice, in fact, that on Christmas Eve we were at Lost Mine Lake for a mean game of horseshoes. Brought the dog tribe with us (5 dogs that if you threw in a napsack together wouldn't weigh more than 50 lbs) and mixed it up with some new and old neighbors. Lots of family and friends dropped in over the holidays, and Santa was generous. Thanks again to all my neighbors who shared their holiday baking with us. Amazing goodies. I had no problem eating baked goods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fun. So glad I hid the scale. Note to Dixie, you know that 50 lbs you lost? I found it. . . . .
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Did you know that this New Years Eve there will be a "blue moon?" That means it is the 2nd full moon to appear in the same month. Happens every 20 year or so, the last one being 1990. Enjoy. It's supposed to be very bright, though not actually blue. Happy New Year ya'll!
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No word on the status of the General Store, but I checked the ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) site and looks like the beer/wine license is still "pending." Guess they won't open till that's in order. . . . .
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The first CSHA meeting of 2010 is this coming Wednesday at Firehouse, 6:30. Still looking for candidates for the board. If you are interested, come on down to the meeting. Joanne Drummond will be speaking about a firesafe plan for the perimeter of Cascade Shores.
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Looks like property is starting to sell again in CS. I have noticed 4 sale signs coming down, and families moving in. I guess prices are finally "right."
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According to the Union, the wandering buffalo story had a happy ending. The owner graciously donated the mother and daughter to a "hobby herd." It must have been a difficult and painful decision, but fortunately he put the animals first. Good karma will come to you Gary. Godbless.

AVATAR is AVASOLUTELY AVAMAZING

Took my buddy Brendon Carlson (age 11) to the 3:15 showing of Avatar. I've been to the movies with Brendon before, and usually he can't sit still for long. I'll tell ya, he leaned forward and took in the whole 2 1/2 hrs of this AMAZING film and barely moved. We both loved every minute. It's showing in 3d and 2d, but honestly, why would you see it in 2d? The new technology was completely absorbing and the 3d effects made you duck and swipe at the objects coming at you. It was beautiful, mystical and had a great story and message. It's rated PG, but only for the lightweight swearing, oh yeah, and the tons of explosive violence (though surprisingly little blood).
Well done James Cameron (Director). I think it cost $330 mil to make. He'll get it back in Happy Meals alone. It will be an all Avatar Christmas for kids I'll bet!

Indie, continued

Thanks Pam for backing me up on the Indie thing. Seems Indie visits her house too, and spent a snowy night on her front porch. She mentioned Mims too. Now, Mims is a black and white mutt that lives one lot up from the boat ramp, and his guardian, Craig will tell you proudly that Mims has turned up as far away as Chicago Park, and roams the entire county at will. Mims is beautiful and very smart, and can be seen dragging a large, long hemp rope that apparently was supposed to tether him to something, but just becomes a hazard when he is roaming. He comes to my house occasionally, and actually jumps the 4' fence to get IN, so he cannot be contained by fencing. What do Mims and Indie have in common, other than the wandering gene and families that are clueless of the safety issues of letting them roam? Well, balls, for lack of a better word. Neither dog has been neutered. I don't know where I'm going with this, but chances are if they were neutered, 2 problems would be solved at once. Someone is going to have to make good on the promise to deliver these guys to the shelter. Maybe a $100 fine will make more impact than pleading phone calls. . . . . . I believe they charge extra if your dog is unneutered . . creating the additional problem of puppy making on their many travels. A male dog will travel miles to find a female in heat. Yes, clueless and irresponsible would apply here.

For the Love of Indie

Do you know Indie? He is the very tall yellow lab that roams Cascade Shores freely much of the time. He belongs to Randy the Soil Guy, and I THINK lives on Gold Bug. Well, Dixie tells me that she saw poor Indie chained up over by the store last night next to a sign saying (paraphrase) IT IS NOT FAIR TO LET THIS DOG ROAM AROUND ALL THE TIME. Dixie saw him early in the evening, and went back to check at 8PM, but he had been released (?) by then. I see Indie running the big hill often, playing "chicken" with cars and delivery trucks, and disturbing the fenced in dogs, and more than once I have rounded him up and bought him into my fenced yard for his safety. When I called Randy to tell him about the problem, and asked him to pick him up, his response was "let him go, he knows the way home." When I asked if he cared that the dog was at risk of causing an accident or being hit by a car, he repeated his instructions. So, Randy, if you are listening, know that the residents are not happy with poor Indie being left to his own devices all the time. It seems likely that he will be delivered to the NC Shelter next time you allow him to roam. Indie deserves better than that, he should be safely contained at his own home. The number one reason for keeping your dog contained is because you love them, and want no harm to come to them. Who loves Indie? If you see him loose again, Randy's number is 478-9869.

PS: weather/hill report

It's warmed up a bit, and the snow is turning to slush. Mostly drizzling now. Road crew has been sanding and scraping the hill alot, and it seems safe for travel. No ice or snow predicted for the next few days.
VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS IS BEING HELD ON SUNDAY FOR THE NEXT 2 SUNDAYS!
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Still no movement at the Gen Store. Guess new owners are waiting till new year???????? If you know anything, please give me a "heads up." Thanks.

WHY POWER WAS OUT LAST SUN/MON

Got a few inquiries on the power outage, so I did some snooping. Here is what Kent Rees tells me (he lives across the street from me, also on the "flight line.")
Sunday at about 1pm, a Suburu Forrester with 2 adult males came over the hill (which was not indicated as "closed") and soon lost control, careening down the hill and hit the power pole at Joel Meghills house (the last house on right as you go up hill). They hit so hard that though they severed the pole, their car continued to hold it in place. Could have been worse, as they may have been crushed or electrocuted if the pole had fallen. PGE came out and determined that the car was supporting the pole, so brought a truck with boom in to further stabilize the pole until a new one could be installed on Monday. The power was out for about 4 hrs while they did that work. On Monday, about 4pm, they came out with a new pole, and transferred the lines. This took power down for another 4-5 hours. Kent said though the men were a bit sore and rattled by the accident, they stayed and TRIED to control traffic while emergency crews tried to do repairs. The hill was closed completely on both ends Monday while the new pole was installed. The personal toll is really unfortunate, as Kent said that the two were coming down to CS for one more load of house items, as their house was in foreclosure, and they were moving. Also, the Suburu was their only vehicle at this time. So, if you had a better week than these guys, count your blessing. Again, the hill was technically "Open" when they arrived at the top. The county cannot always get out here right away to turn the sign to closed, especially when conditions can worsen by the minute. Don't be one of the big hill statistics.
This report dedicated to Roy.

IT IS BOO-TEA-FULL!

I was in the Bay Area Sun - Wed, doing the San Fran thing. Tuesday was one of those classic Bay Area Days, 30 degrees in the am, 50 at noon, back to 40 in the evening. Phil and I barted over to Embarcadero station and walked the length of Market St. to Union Square, popping into hotel and office lobbies checking out the Christmas displays. The Poinsettia Tree at the foot of Sutter and Market, amazing, the Polar Bear pond across the street on Market was enchanting. They ice rink was set up at Union Square, and Cirque de Solei had MANY costumed performers dancing about promoting their show playing at ATT park. So San Fran. We went to the Cheesecake Factory on the 7th floor of the Macy's building and shared a Tiramisu Cheesecake (yes, a moment on the lips, forever on the hips) while standing on the balcony taking in the whole Union Square scene. After and great deal of window shopping and no buying (I'm the worst shopper ever) and made our way back to Embarcadero and shared the train with all the commuters. I worked in that neighborhood for 9 years, and it still feels like and 2nd home to me . . .
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Arrived home Wed at 4PM to about 8" of the most beautifully FLUFFY white stuff. The hill was closed, so we cruised out Pasquale, which was icy but safe. Folks seemed to be in no rush. The widened turns from last summers road work greatly improved visibility and travel. It is warm today (40ish) much better than the 15degrees Bill Carter reported to me on Monday. So, now the tree is up, pine cones painted gold, ribbons and branches EVERYWHERE, and looking forward to decorating the firehouse tomorrow for the kids and SANTA on Saturday. Be sure to come on down for punch and snacks, and watch the kids have fun, and tell a friend or neighbor.
Happy Holidays!
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The hill is being used today, but only by the very brave. It's still a bit slick, though blushing up a bit.