Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Vroom, vroom, yeehaw, peace brother, and pomp and circumstance, all on the same weekend!!!

Holy horse crap Batman! There is a great conjunction coming together this spring on the week-end of June 13-15th.(Thanks Kym, I had the date wrong earlier)
The wise folk that have perpetrated the local Harley Run upon us have run their Run into the Garberville Rodeo Weekend. What great confusion for this town full of back-to-the-land environmental activist hippies. To add to the confusion, the second/third(?) week-end in June is also the same weekend as South Fork High School graduation. And, isn't that also the same weekend that the Oyster festival in Eureka happens?

The confusion happens because the month of June happens to start on a Sunday, which is technically the first day of the week, not the week-end which is actually Saturday. Got it? That's good, because nobody else got it.



























Sadly, the Harley Run people probably won’t be bothered by all of the date confusion. They won’t know about the rodeo, so they will be here dumb and happy. I can hardly wait for the Parade through the middle of town with all the bikers lining both sides of the street. Maybe they can toss beer to the audience along with the candy. Most people will get along just fine, because bikers and cowboys are mostly truck drivers anyway, so they should know each other from the road. I’m sure that there is enough hippies around here to take care of themselves, don’t you think? They can just use to Gandhi non-violent approach. Hey, it worked in India. What do you mean; “This ain’t India”?

You know what would be really neat, is if the war protesters would show up that same day! Maybe they could talk their logger protest buddies into showing up too. They would never find a greater audience, and the Harley Riders and Cowboys are all the exact kind of people that need to be converted.

The great thing about this, is for the people that work their butts off to make these events happen; we can all say that we are working at the other event, and just take this year off. Darn, I hope it doesn’t rain that weekend and add to the confusion.

The only thing that could be more fun is if they did something really stupid, and had TWO reggae events, like Reggae Rising and Reggae on the River on the same weekend.
Not really! That was a joke…. I hope!!!

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe if the US Marine Corps recruiters show up there will be a real rodeo.

Kym said...

Ernie, I thought Rodeo was always the 3rd weekend. For the last 5-7 years the Harley Run has been around the 8-10 of June (the 2nd weekend) I know because I sold raffle tickets for Salmon Cr. School there for many years until my littlest was born on Harley weekend almost 6 years ago. I tell him he is a future rider because they announced his birth from the stage.

Ernie Branscomb said...

Kym you are right! I have the date wrong. But, the events are all on the SAME weekend! I'll fix later thank's.

Busy, busy, busy

Robin Shelley said...

Waaaaay off topic, I realize, BUT... there's a total eclipse of the moon tonight (7-9). Hope we can see it!

Ernie Branscomb said...

Thanks Robin. It's clearing up in Garberville. We stand a chance.

Get out the Binoculars.

P.S. There is no "Off Topic" on this blog! Everything fits.

Anonymous said...

You won't believe this, but I heard the California Christian Women's Summer Retreat is on the very same weekend at Benbow. 250 families of faith will be camped all along the lake. There is going to be some soul saving that weekend.

Wait...this just in. They're staging a Civil War Days reenactment at PanCoast Ranch on the very same weekend. Two battalions of confederate and union soldiers and their encampments of costumed reenactors will storm the streets at noon.

And when is the HempFest? They should plan it for the very same weekend.

Anonymous said...

Total eclipse nearly here....does anyone hear the sound of thousands of locusts whirring? And are those four horsemen riding on the horizon? And the animals are all lying down with each other......that's it....Kiss you A** goodbye......

Oh, wait...the moon is coming back...Whew.

Robin Shelley said...

Relax, Eko... it'll be over with by the time you go to bed & won't happen again til 2010.
What I want to know is: where did Ernie get that picture of me on that chopper?!!
(:

Ernie Branscomb said...

I see they have you on some other great drugs Eko. Your asthma must be better!

We don't care how many other events that they have on the same weekend, we can only do so much, then a person just kinda' gives up.
I hope these people are all good at serving themselves.


Um, the fog moved in... So much for the Eclipse. Fortunately for me, I've seen them before.

Rose said...

It's great - all the kids in the neighborhood are set up with lawnchairs - one has a nice telescope, so they are lined up. FUN! We're at the midway point now.

Ernie Branscomb said...

Feeling sorry for myself, I went for a walk in the dark and the fog, envying all of those millions of people enjoying the romantic eclipse of the moon.

I looked back over my shoulder where the moon should be, but there was nothing but fog. Just off to the left I saw a star twinkle, and I thought; perhaps there’s a chance. As I watched, a hole formed in the fog, beautifully framing the total eclipse of the moon. Angered at myself for not taking my wife with me, I ran back to the house, put her in the car and drove her to the spot where I saw the eclipse. As we watched, it cleared again, and behold we both saw the eclipse together.

Then the eclipse was again eclipsed by the fog. Together we saw a double total eclipse. The moon was first eclipsed by the Earth, then by the fog. I explained to her how awfully romantic it was. I think she’s skeptical, but she’s weakening.

Good night!

Robin Shelley said...

Shoot! We lost it to the clouds but did get to watch it for 5 minutes or so. Awesome! Awesome every time, Ernie, no matter how many times you see it! Sorry you're missing it.

Greg said...

We saw it in Loleta, big and beautiful, at 7:30. It cleared at the coast! Beautiful. It was calm and clear. A small aircraft came at us from the north, over Table Bluff, then turning East flew just under the eclipsing moon. I wonder how much it would cost for a camera that could do justice to a scene like that.

Hey, Ernie: let's have blogger mini-vention in SoHum the same weekend. We can use your store as HQ.

Kym said...

The eclipse was beautiful and I'm glad you got your wife there to see it, Ernie.

I loved your description of your double eclipse--exquisite!

Ernie Branscomb said...

The moon eclipse was great.

Back to all of the events happening the same week-end. I mentioned the conflict to the waitress at the Eel River this morning. They got a panicked look on their faces, and said, “You’ve got to be kidding, motorcycles and horses?” Then, “How’s that going to work?” “Where will we put everybody?” “Oh-No”!!! “You’ve got to be kidding”.

Yup!

Ernie Branscomb said...

Yup! No Kidding about it!

Anonymous said...

Let's change the bloggers picnic to that weekend too!

Anonymous said...

Lodgepole...Damn You! It's my damn Bloggers Pic-Nic...Unless, that is, you want to have a competing Bloggers Pic-Nic on the same weekend at the very same place...and if that happens, I will see you in court.

Hey, when does the NCJ article on our Blogger Pic-Nic war come out?
I hope they spell my name correctly.

Anonymous said...

It's been my dream since I owned a Commodore Vic-20 to have a bloggers' pic-nic. A get together where people can enjoy my signature dish of butterscotch hotdog noodle casserole, while enjoying a beautiful day by the river. Don't EVEN claim on that. The E-mails will come out in court, you know!

Ernie Branscomb said...

I'm tired of all of the arguing over the blogger picnic. I’m just going to start my own blogger festival. A friend of mine owns a stretch of the south-fork of the Eel. We’ve got room for bloggers from all over the world. It’s going to be so popular that we will be able to charge a small admission price and make a fortune.

I’m sorry but I can no longer work for you guy’s, you are being completely unreasonable. I figure if you are smart you will sell me the name “Blogger Picnic”. Otherwise I’m just going to call it “Deliverence on the Eel”.

Peace, eat dirt and die,

Ernie

Anonymous said...

Not on my Eel River you aren't! I am going to check with my board and we are going to file a no-class action law suit, or is that a low-class action law suit?

Can't we just all get along?

Ernie Branscomb said...

You can’t do a blogger festival without me, I’m indispensable because I know everybody, and everybody knows me! I’ll give you ten dollars for your name “Blogger Picnic”. Take the guarantee.

Peace, eat dirt and die.
Ernie

Anonymous said...

This is no longer about blogging.
This is personal. I invented the word BLOG, can you not understand the history of my importance? It all started with a bunch of us newcomers to the computer. We started this entire event in the spirit of binary. Now, you all can go straight to Hell.

And yes, Lodgepole, if you remember, I was there with you when we belonged to the Vic-20 Users Group that was held at the empty office above the Farmer's Insurance building. But, you became hotheaded and split from the group when I suggested we start the Commodore 64 User Group at the Branding Iron.

I have the volunteers on my side....all you have are attorneys.

And I had better not see any contraband wristbands being used at my Bloggers Pic-Nic. I need those for the Jones Green Apple Soda supplier. 80-100 to be exact.

Sooooo Eel River Ernie....How much to use your stretch of the river?

Anonymous said...

Eko,

I am pretty sure a dollar three ninety seven would suffice, however I need to check with my bored, er, ahh board to see if we could settle for something more or less - ERE

Anonymous said...

I am amazed at how many hits you have here and no replies.

One question, when did they start calling it the Branding Iron?

Ernie Branscomb said...

Anon, that's one thing that amazes me too, I get over seventy hit’s a day, yet few people reply. From what I understand that is very common. People must just read blogs for entertainment. I much prefer that people would leave a comment and start a conversation of sorts.

I’ve learned far more from peoples comments than I expected that I would, and I expect that there are a lot of people out there with something to say, but they are just too timid.

I find that some of the most interesting people that I’ve ever talked to are the people that usually don’t speak good English, and they are afraid that they will be criticized if they say some thing wrong. I much prefer the way people used to talk before we got “corrected”.

And, you must have been gone a long, long time if still call it Chicks. It’s been called the Branding Iron since George and Rita bought it. (Seventies?) I don’t recall what George and Rita’s last name was, but he was a retired Mortician, and she drank strongly alcoholic sweet milk drinks, and they were very fussy about who they would let in their bar. They ran a tight ship. (emphasis on tight)
People in town found a great deal of humor in being kicked out of Goerge and Rita’s bar. There was a fellow in town that had some Tee-shirts printed that said “Eighty-Six Club” on them, and they were the group that were kicked out of George and Rita’s bar.

Anonymous said...

I see your veto power works, I am the one that ask about Chicks and just didn't remember what year they had a name change.
I also said I liked the way Suzy Blah Blah wrote, very interesting.

One thing that sticks in my mind about growing up in Southern Humboldt is going to dances in Alderpoint and at that time it was dirt road. I don't know if things are the same anymore, but the fog would be so thick the only way a person could navigate (stay on the road) was the beer cans and bottles in the ditch. Times change I tell ya.

Remeber the Garberville dump? How many people there know about that?

Jim

Ernie Branscomb said...

Jim

I didn't delete anything... these blogsites screw-up sometimes. Suzy Blah Blah is an original. She doesn't write often, but as you saw she always has something important to say.

I remember when they would burn the tires at the dump and a column of smoke would rise two or three thousand feet in the air then blow away in the distance. Sometimes the local pilots would fly through it for sport.

I remember all the county roads being dirt also. Old man Bill Bushnell used to run the grader for the county, he would say that he could always tell where Goforth and Branscomb Logging Company was working, because when he would pull the dirt out of the ditches to crown the road, all he could get was beer cans.

Anonymous said...

Alright you guys, where was the Garberville dump located?

Ernie Branscomb said...

Lodgepole, it was in Bear Gulch, up Aderpoint road just past tha Calfire station, then turn south. There is a house built right in the middle of where the road was.

Carol said...

Pssst! hey ernie (whispering voice, can you spare some wristbands for the blogger picnic?

Ernie Branscomb said...

Sure Carol, because you are one of us I’ll give you back-stage, V.I.P. and behind the barbeque access. The deal is; You can’t sell them. (Wink, Wink)

Ernie Branscomb said...

Dang, I got a new "Post" to put on the blog setting at home on my conputer, the one that the power bumps in the night got to, and puked it off the cable modem.

I guess I'll have to go home and try to fixit....

Carol said...

Blog + Reggae = Bleggae

We could call it Bleggae on the River!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info Ernie, I didn't know that.

Anonymous said...

An overdose of partying in Southern Humboldt, nothing new there! Nice blog! It would be nice to return to Humboldt for some of the summer events.

Anonymous said...

Ah, the old Garberville dump. My introduction to Humboldt County when I came up from LA in 1971. Great fun, throwing junk off a cliff into a burning pile. I nearly went over myself when I began to slide out of the back of the U-Haul truck we were using for dump runs. It reminded me of the burning pit scene in "Night of the Living Dead". I remember really terrible dumps at Bridgeville and Wetchipek that went right into the river. Now the transients (and local deadbeats) do it for us. I was a hippie, so I didn't go into Chick's. No problem with the Sawblade or Riverwood, so I drank around home. that way I didn't have to drive and if I couldn't walk, someone would haul me home. I show my grandchildren dents in the Riverwood dance floor I claim were made by my head. Thankfully, I had the sense to quit drinking so never had a problem with Rita or George. Those were the days when to swear in front of women could get you in plenty of trouble. Bikers and Cowboys on the same weekend would have been a disaster back in the 70s. Now it just hurts business. We've calmed down quite a bit.

Anonymous said...

The Garberville dump was an easy one. Who knows about the original Wagon Wheel Bar, next to the sheriff's Garberville sub Station?
I give you a hint. It was actually 2 or 3 buildings North of the sub station.


Jim

Ernie Branscomb said...

Of course I know that! Just south of the Orange Spot Market. Across the 101 highway from the Midway motel.

Thar's shore a lota’ newcomers around’ here aint they Jim?

Kym said...

I used to live near Tozier's. Who remembers where that was? I loved feeding the deer.

Ernie Branscomb said...

How about the doughnuts? Did you like the doughnuts? Mr. Tozier was Highway 101 famous for his doughnuts, and soft-serve ice cream.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I forgot all about Tozier's. I was treated like a King there. Thank you KYM for bringing back memories.

Jim

Kym said...

I don't remember the donuts but who could forget the ice cream. I loved holding the bag of oatmeally stuff we fed the deer and carefully measuring out a small amount into my hand. Then the wild(?) deer would timidly approach and put their soft gray muzzles into my hand--ready to run but still licking up every oat.