It was supposed to be just like the other trips they took to the Sonoma Coast. But this time, they wouldn’t make it to Fort Bragg for the Memorial Day Weekend holiday. Parked along a two-lane road, the brake-line in their RV-Bus conversion failed and the Bair family was tossed about the camper as it … Continue reading “The Optimist, Lewis Bair”

              He nearly called balls and strikes for a living, but thankfully for the Chinook salmon, he chose to count fish instead. Ted Trimble was on his way to becoming a baseball umpire before he decided to stick with his job as waterman in a small community south of … Continue reading “Never Counted Out, Ted Trimble”

While some prefer to just “go with the flow” – Thad Bettner is the flow. He is the one constant motion, continuously engaging the journey even if it seems riddled with challenges along the way. Active is a perfect adjective for a man who spends his days entrenched in water resource and environmental management issues … Continue reading “Going with the Flow, Thad Bettner”

  The sight of cigarette smoke spiraling upward toward the porch ceiling is an image Sean Earley will never forget. In the scene, his grandfather is leaning back on the wood bench resigned to his sweat-drenched plaid shirt and dirt-caked boots, all in an effort to locate a moment of peace before the sun falls … Continue reading “The Fixer, Sean Earley”