Third-generation native son

A grand Glen Ellen welcome to our newest resident, little Tripp William Everidge.

Born at 7:14 in the evening on Friday, Aug. 22, little Tripp weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 18-1/2 inches long. His grandmother, Petra Everidge, who was on hand to welcome him, says, Tripp has a bit of dark hair and bright eyes; “he’s perfect.”

Tripp is the first baby of parents Daniel Everidge and Melanie Haywood. Tripp is now happily at home on Yell Lane after his birth at Sonoma Valley Hospital. Apparently the delivering doc claimed that Petra was a “great cheerleader” urging Mama Melanie to push, which is no easy task after 40 hours of labor.

But Melanie did, and Tripp arrived. Mama, Papa and baby are all doing fine. Petra was proud of the brave mom, as well as her son, Daniel. “He’s a natural, holding the baby, changing the baby,” Petra said.

In addition to grandma Petra, Tripp was welcomed home by his grandpa Michael Everidge, who prepared Tripp’s bedroom by painting 16 biplanes on the ceiling, and generally spiffing up the room in every way.

Tripp’s great-grandma is Margie Everidge, aka everybody’s favorite daycare mama, back in the day. This new little fellow is Margie’s second great-grandchild. Thomas and Kellie Everidge’s little Allison, now almost 3 years old, is Margie’s first great-grandchild.

Tripp’s grandparents Haywood live in Mendocino, but were able to make it down to welcome lovely little Tripp.

The folks of Glen Ellen are happy to welcome little Tripp as a third generation native son.

Visiting Glen

Oaks Ranch

On a recent balmy Friday evening (in fact the same evening that little Tripp arrived on this earth) Sweetie and I headed over to the late Joan Cochran’s beautiful Glen Oaks Ranch, now owned by the Sonoma Land Trust. It’s a magnificent property, with an 1860s stone house, a venerable barn and acres of valley oaks. We were there to hear a concert by one of our favorite local musicians: Jeff Falconer, singer, songwriter, poet and conversationalist. Jeff’s concert was sublime.

But before we gathered in the double parlor at Glen Oaks to hear Jeff, we had the opportunity for a short stroll on the Phyllis Ellman nature trail. We looked forward to tackling a bit of the George Ellman trail, too, prior to the concert, but Beth Hadley, who was welcoming visitors, shared that there was likely some heavy equipment up there because Doug Hanford’s company had started creek restoration work.

I loved my leisurely walk on Phyllis’ trail, reminiscing about her, one of my dear, memorable mentors, full of common sense and love of nature. I think of her and my other lifetime mentor Evie Berger almost daily. Phyllis guides me where sound judgment is required, while Evie prompts me to smile at all beings with loving acceptance.

Tea with the General

Returning from our sentimental stroll, we listened to a short lecture about Joan’s house, where our guide repeated the well-known tale that Joan always kept a tea place set for Gen. Mariano Vallejo. I well remember that when visiting Joan. She was very serious about it and claimed the general was always welcome at her table and always expected.

Of course, it was Joan’s way of introducing the topic of her home’s eventful history. But it also prompted her next-door neighbor David Bouverie to once tell me that Joan was a bit daft.

That made me laugh, but David and I both knew it wasn’t true. Maybe he was just a bit jealous because he had no claim to anyone as illustrious as Vallejo? I’m sort of on Joan’s side in this because I love to fantasize that not merely the general, but David, Joan, Evie, Phyllis and a whole host of saintly souls are present in my life.

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The Folks in Glen Ellen column also appears online. Look for it at sonomanews.com/category/lifestyle-history. Want to see your own name in the news? Share your stories with friends and neighbors in Glen Ellen. Call or write me at 996-5995 or P.O. Box 518, GE 95442. Or email me at Creekbottom@earthlink.net.

Envisioning

earthquakes

Later at the concert, sitting there in the double parlor at Glen Oaks, I had a passing fantasy of how I’d feel if there were an earthquake at that house. It’s all local stone, unreinforced masonry, old and worn, yet still beautiful. Sure, it survived 1906 intact, and Loma Prieta intact, but there’s only so much shake, rattle and rolling that an old house like Glen Oaks can stand.

I felt grateful that the American Canyon temblor didn’t roll through that evening as we sat pleasantly enjoying Jeff’s music. That quake (just two days later) was pretty scary even in solid Creekbottom House. My panic the night of the quake wasn’t pretty, so I can only imagine how I might have reacted in the Joan’s old house.

By the way, that land was first given to the Vallejo children’s music teacher. I think all parties associated with that gift would have entirely appreciated Jeff’s melodies that lovely evening.

Born in Oakland, raised in Glen Ellen

A couple of days later, I called Doug Hanford to hear more about his project on Stuart Creek. Doug’s company is doing an “in kind” donation of this work, which basically means that he’s doing it at cost. That’s because he entirely believes in the project; He and his company are restoring Stuart Creek to how it once was.

Though Doug Handford was born in Oakland, he grew up in Glen Ellen and he loves this Valley, probably even more than I do. His childhood home was where Little Vineyards is now.

When I asked him if it was hard to leave that place (he and his mother kept that property into the ’80s I believe), he said it felt so good turning it over to Joan and Rich Little, who have loved the land and house, raising their children there. That historic house and the vineyards are still a paradise, and I can only imagine what it was like to grow up there, for the Little children and Doug and his siblings before them. Doug’s current efforts on returning the steelhead to Stuart Creek, must be like a childhood dream come true. It is a job that must provide him much satisfaction and pride.

Home for the steelhead, home from the sea

But Doug doesn’t brag. He’s an engaging, gracious gentleman, with a humble attitude. But truly, Doug is doing important work that will make a huge difference in the fish habitat of Sonoma Valley.

He takes little credit for that and frankly says it is the Sonoma Ecology Center and the Sonoma Land Trust who are behind this important restoration. Doug says it was the Sonoma Ecology Center’s efforts that kept fish and wildlife habitat in the forefront, studying the science of fish and streams.

Right now, Doug’s workers are busy at the old Pedley property, off Arnold Drive, where a six-foot high dam impeded fishes upstream journey.

Doug’s crew will also be working on the Glen Oaks property from now until Oct. 15, when all construction must end to protect the stream and the fish. Doug says, “We’re putting it back the way it was,” before its remodeling by early settlers, which was such a positive thought in these times where ecological destruction makes more news than does restoration.

Dunbar graduates roam far and wide

Of course, as always, Doug and I (as with most folks I talk to) didn’t end our conversation until we’d heard the good news about each other’s offspring. Doug’s children were just a few years behind my boys at Dunbar and I got to know his kids through school activities and also working with Ann Hanford, their mom, when we were Bouverie docents in training, some several decades ago.

Ann and Doug’s daughter, Hope Wirth, graduated from college and then attended dental school at Tufts, in Cambridge. She is married to Derek Wirth, who is also a dentist and the son of a dentist. Hope practices in Bellingham, Washington, and Derek in Oak Harbor.

The Wirth couple make their home on Whidbey Island, which I can testify is another kind of paradise. Sweetie and I visited our friends Cherry and Greg Hastings who moved there some years ago after living for many years on Henno Road, across from the Gallo Pond, which has now grown into Lasseter Lake.

Ann and Doug’s son, Ted Hanford is in college at Sacramento State studying construction management, which no doubt pleases his dad.

As we reminisced about our own kids and their adventures, Doug also talked about other of the hundreds of Glen Ellen children who attended Dunbar and grew up in Glen Ellen. We both agree that “this is a swell place,” (as Jimmy Stewart once said about our town in the movie “Lassie Come Home”). Indeed it is.

In our modern age, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed from time to time by the proliferation of wineries, wine tasting and other related activities. But yes, Jimmy, yes, Doug, yes, even to Sylvia, this is indeed a swell place.

Jack London, wine and labor

Which prompts an aside to the fellow who announced in the other Sonoma paper, that Labor Day should be renamed Wine Country Weekend. I offer him some mild enlightenment: there’s a lot more to this locale than its wine. Further, if I had the power I’d invite some of the ghosts of the early labor movement to haunt him.

Our beloved Jack London could lead the parade of those saints. London wasn’t just a writer, he was a pro-labor socialist, who marched across America with Kelley’s Army, the western contingent of Coxey’s Army, a band of unemployed workers walking to Washington to protest massive unemployment after the Panic of 1893. Their goal was to lobby the government to build roads and other public improvements, employing displaced workers.

Remember the workers

Sadly those dreams weren’t fully realized until Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted his sweeping social welfare projects of the 1930s. (Proudly my Papa, Morris Ayers, was among those who left Georgia with the Civilian Conservation Corps, ending up in California on road projects in Humboldt County. Falling in love with the beautiful Finnish waitress, Laila Takala at Eureka’s Bon Gusto Hotel lead to my happy existence. So I rightly praise Roosevelt and the Labor Movement.)

Shortly before his death, Jack London resigned from the Glen Ellen Chapter of the Socialist Party (yep, there was one; the revival of which would surely be news for “Folks in Glen Ellen”). He did so, according to biographer Alex Kershaw “because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle.” You can study those views in Jack London’s famous 1908 dystopian novel, “The Iron Heel.”

Let us not forget London’s important alliance with the labor movement. Jack would remind present-day gamers of capital, Remember the workers, who support your various business interests. That’s a Labor Day sentiment far more worthy than an ode to wine.

Other local authors

Speaking of great authors, I’ll have some good stories about a cadre of local great writers in my next column. Have you read the new books just published by Ed Davis and Will Shonbrun? There are more great pages coming soon from Lin Marie deVincent, Rhys Wade, Emma Cline and others. I’ll share that terrific good news soon.

Shake, rattle and roll

Finally, if things have felt a little shaky around here lately, just imagine, it might be the Wobblies warning us to wake up. Don’t know who the Wobblies were? That a worthy Labor Day google. Just do it.

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The Folks in Glen Ellen column also appears online. Look for it at sonomanews.com/category/lifestyle-history. Or look for my name, way at the bottom on the home page a sonomanews.com. Want to see your own name in the news? Share your stories with friends and neighbors in Glen Ellen. Call or write me at 996-5995 or P.O. Box 518, GE 95442. Or email me at Creekbottom@earthlink.net. Glen Ellen chatter rarely requires timeliness; however, if your news does, please be sure to contact me at least two weeks before your desired publication date.