“Everything is clearer when you're in love.”– John Lennon
“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.”– Robert Frost
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Found in our own ancient lake's 44,000 acres, the Western Grebe is an elegant bird to behold.
Now, in springtime they can be found performing breathtaking mating dances. First, you will hear their distinctive “kree – ee” – a call like no other.
Next you can spy on their romantic aquatic efforts to lure a partner. The black and white birds “run” across the lake for dozens of yards. This maneuver is called “rushing.”
You can find them dining a deux, but instead of a pasta dinner for two at the local eatery they dine on delectable, silvery fish.
After diving under water, one bird comes up with a finny offering in its beak, then feeds it to its mate.
Grebes also can be seen diving for green strands of lake vegetation, which they then offer to their mate as ideal nesting material.
Grebes gather in colonies and build nests with reeds. These floating houses must not be disturbed during nesting time in the spring, as they may be home to between one and seven eggs.
The Western Grebe can be differentiated from another species of grebe found on Clear Lake, Clark's Grebe, by the black cap that extends along and below the eye. The Western Grebe also has a more pointy, longer beak than that of the Clark's.
Western Grebes have a wingspan of about 32 inches, and grow 21 to 29 inches in length.
Grebes are found not only in lakes, but also ponds and marshes. Their habitat includes estuaries and sea coasts in the winter season.
According to ornithologists, there are 22 species of grebes found in the world.
Studies have turned up a relationship between flamingos and grebes, due to around 11 traits that they both hold in common. The traits are known as morphological traits, and have not been detected on other birds.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Clear Lake Trowel and Trellis Garden Club's “Hidden Gardens of Lake County” tour will be held Saturday, May 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
One of the beautiful and intriguing tour venues featured this year is “Jim and Patti's Garden” in Lakeport.
Over the course of more than 20 years, the owners have transformed their sprawling grounds into a lovely and mature landscape. It is difficult to believe that homeowner Jim, who designed and executed the landscape and hardscapes, has had no formal training in either area.
The natural setting is fantastic, directly on the lake with a dock with a breath-taking view of Mt. Konocti, and 100-year-old redwood and Japanese maple trees.
Other features include a fountain so charming the materials company features it in their national catalog. There also is a large swimming pool with a large cabana for entertaining.
For more information about the tour, including the other gardens, go to the club's Web site at www.clttgc.org or call the tour chair, Debra, at 707-367-0815.
Tickets are $25 and are available the day of the tour at The Shoe Box located in the Lakeport Safeway Shopping Center, 1071 11th St., or at Boatique Winery, 8255 Red Hills Road, Kelseyville.
Prior to the tour they are available at Main Street Nursery and Flowers by Jackie in Lakeport, or Bird Brain Designs in Kelseyville. To purchase tickets by mail, contact Nora at 707-263-5803.
Clear Lake Trowel and Trellis Garden Club is a member of the Mendo-Lake District of the California Garden Club Inc., Pacific Region and National Garden Clubs Inc.
Richard (Dick) Heaston Davis Jr. of Pinewild, North Carolina, passed away Thursday, April 21, 2016, at FirstHealth Hospice House in Pinehurst.
He was born to the late Richard Heaston and Phoebe Anderson Davis in New Orleans, La. on June 5, 1931. They moved to Wellesley, Mass. were he spent his childhood and teenage years. He spent the majority of his life in California while having adventures in Washington, Idaho, Minnesota and finally in North Carolina for the last 21 years.
Richard was a veteran of the US Army who served during the Korean War. He was so proud to be an American and loved his country.
His passion was land, which led to a career spent as a land developer and in real estate. He was grateful for his 40 years of sobriety. He enjoyed snow skiing, golf, water sports, gardening and politics. His love for the Boston Red Sox lasted through the curse of The Bambino and the World Series wins.
He is survived by his wife and best friend of 42 years, Nancy Kay Davis; two sisters, Helen Smith and Jane McGourty; daughters, Laura Hutchinson (Karl), Debbie Grizz, Sherry Hawk and Kit McKinley; and sons, Robert Davis (Gabriella) and Pat Revallier. Richard had 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A memorial will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to FirstHealth Hospice Foundation, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday Mendocino College's first Sustainable Technology construction class to take place in Lake County presented Orphan Dog rescue with a brand new kennel.
The Construction Fundamentals class, led by local contractor and course instructor Glenn Mueller, had as one of its first projects the building of the kennel for Orphan Dog, according to college Sustainable Technology Program Coordinator Jen Riddell.
First Pick Construction, Lucerne Roofing and Trex Building Materials sponsored the project, with Orphan Dog and Mueller donating additional materials and plans, and the students and Mueller providing the labor, Riddell said.
Fancier than the run-of-the-mill kennel, the class' finished product had a roof, windows, blue siding and a small chainlink area.
It also featured a small sign dubbing it the “Hanna Scully Suite,” in honor of Miss Lake County's Outstanding Teen Hanna Scully, who has been a dedicated supporter of Orphan Dog.
She and her mother Pam recently even helped pick up two dogs from Clearlake Animal Control and transport them to the rescue after the dogs had run out of time in the shelter.
Orphan Dog, based on an 80-acre ranch near Lakeport, has – as of this year – rescued 3,000 dogs in Lake, Mendocino and Humboldt counties and found them new homes.
The all-volunteer group, led by Karen Schaver, also is leading the “FIX Lake County” initiative to help stop the high rate of unwanted animals in the county.
Low-income pet owners who need help with spay/neuter services can contact Orphan Dog at http://www.orphandog.org/info/display?PageID=16604 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request an application.
Riddell said the class is next set to head out to the Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum in Kelseyville to help with projects there.
She said the class is a win-win in that it offers building skills while also benefiting the community.
Riddell said the class will be offered again this summer, beginning June 16, and in coming semesters. Visit www.mendocino.edu for more information.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – It’s that time of year again, when the Lower Lake Historical School Preservation Committee will be hosting its annual yard sale.
The “Treasure and Trash” sale takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 7.
Stop by the Schoolhouse Museum at 16435 Main St. to peruse the selection of books, furniture, old tools and odds and ends. You never know what you’re going to find.
If you have items cluttering your garage you’ve been meaning to get rid of, the committee will be accepting donations for the yard sale from now until May 4.
Bring donations by the museum during operating hours, Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office will be escorting Deputy Jake Steely and his family home to Lake County from Chico on Sunday, April 24.
Steely was rescued from the ocean in Mendocino County on Monday and was declared brain dead on Thursday afternoon at Enloe Hospital in Chico, as Lake County News has reported.
Lt. Steve Brooks said the procession is scheduled to arrive at the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 53 in Clearlake Oaks at approximately 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
The procession will proceed south on Highway 53 and is scheduled to arrive at the intersection of Highway 53 and Highway 29 in Lower Lake at approximately 2:45 p.m., according to Brooks.
Brooks said the procession will continue northbound on Highway 29, arriving at the intersection of Highway 29 and Live Oak Drive in Kelseyville at approximately 3:05 pm.
The procession will continue north on Highway 29 to the intersection of Highway 175 in Lakeport, arriving at approximately 3:15 p.m., before turning onto South Main Street and continue northbound through downtown Lakeport, Brooks said.
The procession will turn left onto Clearlake Avenue and then right onto North High Street, and will end at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, which is located at 1625 N High St. in Lakeport.
The times may vary, depending upon traffic conditions. Brooks said any support by the public would be greatly appreciated by the family.
Brooks said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office will be joined by officers from the California Highway Patrol, Lakeport Police Department, Clearlake Police Department and several other public safety agencies.
Question: A friend used to own property just outside the city limits and we were able to legally shoot our rifles on his property.
Times have changed though and we now need a new place where we can we still legally shoot our rifles and shotguns for sport.
We’re not hunters; we just practice target shooting. How do we go about finding places where we can legally shoot? (Gracie R., Carlsbad)
Answer: Your best bet is to contact the closest Sheriff’s Office that patrols the area where you want to target shoot.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) does not regulate target shooting nor keep track of all the potential target shooting areas available to the public.
This issue basically comes down to county shooting ordinances and landowner permission. I think you will find most cities do not allow discharge of firearms within their city limits, so contact the local Sheriff’s Office to see what county areas may be open.
For public areas like U.S. Forest Service (USFS) or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property, contact the applicable regional station or headquarters that oversees the area. Some USFS or BLM lands may have designated target shooting or plinking areas.
They may also have other areas on their properties where target shooting is allowed, but it’s always a good idea to check ahead of time to be sure it is legal with the applicable county as well.
Otherwise, for public and private gun clubs or shooting ranges in your area, you might try www.wheretoshoot.org from the National Shooting Sports Foundation Web site.
I’ve used this site often and they make it easy to find a safe and licensed range in your local area to target shoot or to introduce someone new to the shooting sports.
How to prove the sex of a turkey?
Question: Since only tom turkeys are legal to take during the spring season, how do I prove the sex to an inquiring game warden? Must a wing be left on? A beard left on? Both left on? One or the other left on? (G.B.G.)
Answer: The regulations are intended to require that only tom turkeys may be taken during the spring season, but the law specifically states that the turkey must be “bearded” (a bearded turkey is one having a beard visible through the breast feathers).
In most cases a beard will distinguish the animal as male, but in some rare incidents hens may also have them.
Keep the beard attached to the carcass until you return to your residence. You may pluck the bird in the field, but remember to keep the beard connected to the body.
Toms and hens can be easily determined by their significant head and wing color differences. If by chance you run across a rare bearded hen, even though the provisions of the law may allow you to take it, we strongly discourage it. Spring is the turkeys’ primary mating and nesting period so hens may not be harvested in order to protect their production
Catching fish with baited fish traps?
Question: Is it legal to use baited fish traps in Southern California? I see in the regulations where it refers to the use of baited traps to catch a variety of fish species in the San Francisco area (California Code of Regulations, section 28.75). Is this the only place where this method of take is allowed? (Corey)
Answer: Baited traps may not be used to take fish in ocean waters off Southern California. This is legal only in San Francisco and San Pablo bays, their tributaries, etc., and in the ocean and bays off of Marin, Sonoma and Mendocino counties for a few specified species of ocean fish.
Only hook-and-line or hand may be used to take finfish (per Section 28.65) unless other, specific permissions are provided in regulations listed in the Gear Restrictions section (which begins on pg. 45 of the current California Ocean Sport Fishing regulations booklet).
Spearfishing without a license?
Question: I know it's legal to fish without a license off public piers, but is there anywhere to go spearfishing without a license? (Keith H., Santa Barbara)
Answer: No, there is usually no place you can spearfish without a license, but there are two free fishing days per year, usually around the Independence Day and Labor Day holidays. On those two days, spearfishing without a license is allowed (bag limits and other regulations still apply).
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Kelseyville is home to hundreds of seniors and that number is growing quickly.
The need for services and activities is great and in response the Kelseyville Senior Center is launching many new programs to serve its community starting May 2.
The community is invited to join the grand opening festivities and luncheon starting at 11 a.m. at the center, located at the old Post Office building at 5245 Third St.
Many volunteers – including members who helped start the senior center – are involved in making this launch a success for the center and community.
“My husband and I helped create and open the center originally, and I am excited about being a part of this new beginning. So many worked hard to establish this center and it is great to see it being put to a greater use for our seniors,” said senior center volunteer Marilyn Westfall.
New office hours for the center starting in May will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Daily lunches will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and will include a full salad bar, soup, entrée and choice of beverage. Seniors pay as they can with a suggestion of $5; non-seniors pay $6. The option for only soup and salad bar is pay as you can for seniors with a suggestion of $3 and non-seniors pay $4.
The lunches are not the only exciting thing the Kelseyville volunteers are proud to launch in May.
Ani Soto will be leading Zumba Gold classes geared for seniors with low impact exercise from 9 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday and Friday with a suggested donation of $5.
Free Tai Chi classes will be offered by Linda Burton from 9 to 10 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with donation gladly accepted. Tai Chi has proven to be one of the most effective forms of exercise to promote better balance in seniors who participate, leading to a longer, safer and more independent life.
For card enthusiasts who like to play or want to learn “Hand and Foot,” the group meets Mondays from 1 to 4 p.m.
On Wednesdays an art group meets with artists doing painting, crochet, needlepoint and knitting from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On the first and third Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Jack Ballance teaches intermediate artists at a cost of $12 per class and students bring their own supplies.
Along with the growing activities calendar and services the center is in need of volunteers who can help.
Opportunities include serving lunches, clerical work, phone calls to homebound seniors, cleaning, and providing information and assistance to those who stop in.
To volunteer, or for more information, call the center at 707-279-2175.
Kevin Costner, creeping slowly into senior citizen status, still has the action chops.
Only two years ago in “3 Days to Kill,” he was a dying CIA agent trying to reconnect with his estranged family while on one last dangerous action-fueled mission.
In “Criminal,” Costner’s Jerico Stewart is a death-row inmate estranged from reality. Lacking emotions and empathy, Jerico is a treacherously unhinged sociopath incapable of having any moral concept of right from wrong.
But first, the set-up for Jerico’s role in this action picture is the fate of an American CIA operative stationed in London. Ryan Reynolds’ Bill Pope, a dedicated family man, has a beautiful wife, Jill (Gal Gadot), and a young daughter, Emma (Lara Decaro).
The propulsive story begins when agent Pope is tragically killed in the middle of an urgent, top-secret mission.
He’s been tracking the brilliant hacker known as “The Dutchman” (Michael Pitt), who has uncovered while navigating the lawless Dark Web the means to take charge of the entire weaponry of the U.S. military’s Central Command.
An international terrorist, the anarchic Xavier Heimdahl (Jordi Molla), intent on controlling the U.S. nuclear arsenal to advance his own agenda, is in hot pursuit of The Dutchman with his coldblooded henchmen.
The CIA’s London bureau chief, Quaker Wells (Gary Oldman), embarks on a rather far-fetched scheme that requires a maverick neurosurgeon Dr. Franks (Tommy Lee Jones) to find a recipient for the dead CIA agent’s brain.
The idea is to find the one person who might be able to absorb Pope’s memories. The ideal candidate is located at a maximum security prison in West Virginia. Jerico’s childhood brain damage makes him unpredictable but suitable to the medical experiment.
Like a Frankenstein test, Jerico undergoes brain surgery for the implant of Pope’s DNA directly into the synapses of a brain that just might be the equivalent of a blank slate, given the recipient’s lack of human emotions.
At first, the operation appears to have failed as Chief Wells and his crew get nowhere with Jerico. But Jerico, unsure of what has happened to him and in fear of his life, escapes and finds himself on the run.
Jerico’s anti-social behavior manifests itself in a series of violent encounters with ordinary Londoners, and soon he has swiped food, medicine and even a service van for transportation. Unaccustomed to freedom, Jerico’s impulses are completely out of whack.
In a relative short period of time, Jerico experiences flashes of Bill Pope’s memories, leading him to visit the widow and daughter at home. They are naturally surprised that this odd stranger has apparently connected to Pope’s innermost thoughts.
To say the least, Jerico’s strange appearance and odd behavior make the connection with Pope’s widow and daughter even more awkward than Whoopi Goldberg trying to convince Demi Moore that her dead husband is now a ghost with whom she’s in constant contact.
Still, the edge slowly comes off the normally disturbed Jerico such that he starts to have abnormal feelings of empathy, where his emotions are not rooted in pure rage and anger, but instead sympathy and trepidation are taking root in his heart.
As observed by Aristotle, “Memory is the scribe of the soul.” The good memories of Pope have pushed out, albeit only temporarily, the bad memories of a deranged psychotic killing machine. Jerico may be worthy of redemption, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
“Criminal,” for all of its good intentions, does not sink into a swamp of sentimentality, though Jerico becomes increasingly protective of Pope’s family, to the extent that he might unselfishly become heroic in efforts to save them after they are kidnapped by Heimdahl.
After all, the filmmakers are not going to waste Costner’s newfound image of tough guy who could convincingly beat the living daylights of assorted thugs. To be sure, there are plenty of fights, car crashes and gunplay to deliver the requisite amount of mayhem.
The high concept at work here is to create a hybrid of high-octane action mixed with the psychological intensity of a man conflicted by another person’s memories.
In the end, “Criminal” is much less the sum of provocative ideas than it is just pure mind-twisting thriller. The absurdity of the brain swap is a reach too far, but the intense action may prove sufficient for an audience seeking the thrills offered by a robust Kevin Costner.
TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL UPDATE
The seventh annual TCM Classic Film Festival is just around the corner, beginning on April 28th in the heart of Hollywood.
A few more notable events have been added to an impressive schedule of film screenings and special events:
1. Investigate journalist Carl Bernstein will join the festivities for the opening night’s 40th anniversary screening of the political thriller “All The President’s Men.”
2. Beloved Oscar winner Angela Lansbury joins the festival with a conversation for the screening of “The Manchurian Candidate.”
3. Oscar-winning actress and singer Rita Moreno will introduce a 60th anniversary screening of the cherished musical “The King and I.”
4. Fan favorite Burt Reynolds will not only participate in a sit-down interview about his life and career but will be on hand to introduce a screening of “The Longest Yard.”
The TCM Classic Film Festival, in a few short years, has established itself, with a wide range of films and programs, as the place for film lovers to gather.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The end of the year state testing starts next week. Good luck to all students of Carlé High School and the rest of the state. We will have comments next week on how the testing went.
The theme for prom this year has been decided and it is “A Night Under The Stars.”
We are gearing up for prom May 6. Prom tickets will be sold at the price of $10 per person.
The wonderful Andre Ari will be DJing and we will host it at our home here at Carlé with each room having a different theme and activity in it. The library will be used as the dance room. More details to come.
The student of the week was Destiny Blevins. Alan Siegel, nominating teacher had this to say, “Destiny had 20.7 credits in the fifth grading period which made her the student with the highest credits earned. The typical student gets about 12. She had 100-percent attendance. Destiny and Sam Miller make birthday cards and do all the recycling for student and staff alike, and she always put a 100-percent into everything she does.”
All of Carlé High School is prepping for graduation. Media students are currently making award plaques for the graduating class of 2016. We are also creating award plaques for Lower Lake High School and 20 mugs for Dr. Thomas Hewlett, D.D.S.
Our most recent students to complete credits and portfolio presentations are Vanessa Leon, Alicia Burgos, Desteny Cypert and Alyssa Garnett. Congratulations!
“This year portfolios have been great,” said portfolio teacher Dan Maes. “This is my first year being the instructor. Before students have to present they have to do a 'dress rehearsal,' which give the students the chance to fix mistakes. This has really helped the students. In the long run it has helped provide the speakers a smoother presentation.”
“Yearbooks are almost ready. Desteny Cypert and Sam Miller have been working extremely hard and they have done a great job,” said Carlé Principal Matt Strahl.
Yearbooks will be sold for $15. When the students finish we will send them to Entourage Productions.
Principal Strahl said they will arrive May 23, which is the Monday before graduation.
Brianna E. Legg and Candice Safreno are students at Carlé Continuation High School in Lower Lake, Calif.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Friday's rain topped expectations in most parts of the the county.
The National Weather Service had predicted up to half an inch of rain during the day and about another tenth of an inch Friday evening, as Lake County News has reported.
As of 1:30 a.m. Saturday, the agency's weather stations reported the following 24-hour totals, in inches:
– Bear Canyon (Cobb area): 1.20; – Boggs Mountain: 1.0; – High Glade Lookout (above Upper Lake): 1.22; – Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.44; – Kelseyville: 0.69; – Lower Lake: 0.27; – Lyons Valley (near Lakeport): 0.86; – Putah Creek (near Middletown): 0.77; – Upper Lake: 0.50.
The rains have helped keep Clear Lake just above the “full” level of 7.56 feet Rumsey. It was at 7.57 feet Rumsey early Saturday, according to US Geological Survey records.
Forecasters said there could be more rain on Sunday night – when there is a 20-percent chance – with conditions then clearing until Tuesday night, when there will be a slight chance of showers continuing through Wednesday night.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.