It is once again Humboldt’s favorite day of the week, which means your President of Positivity is on the prowl for joy. And what’s more joyful than street trees? Not much! That’s why the civic pride-minded folks at Keep Eureka Beautiful spend their free time removing chunks of sidewalk from Eureka’s streets to plant comforting new trees for all to enjoy. (They do this with the local officials’ blessing, we promise.)
Are you a Eureka resident interested in greening up your block? Reach out to Keep Eureka Beautiful here.
Sarah
Rachelle Grabow (Massaro), 36, of Eureka, passed away unexpectedly
in the early morning hours of Aug 30, 2021.
Sarah was born June 17,
1985 to David Grabow and Glenda Areson (Grabow) in beautiful Humboldt
County.
Sarah attended Alice
Birney Elementary, Winship Junior High, and Eureka High School
graduating with the class of 2003.
Sarah took much pride
in her chosen health care profession, working at A to Z Eye Care in Arcata and most recently North Coast Ophthalmology in Eureka.
She leaves behind her
mother Glenda Grabow, sister Heather Grabow (Jeff Osborne), nephew
Mason Osborne, many cousins, aunts/uncles, and countless friends.
Sarah was proceeded in
death by her father David Grabow, uncle Jim Grabow, uncle Floyd
Sharp, and grandmother Sylvia Boal.
Sarah enjoyed life to
the fullest. She loved adventures. She spent winters finding the
snow; going snowboarding or just snow adventuring. Summertime, Sarah
could be found with friends anywhere there was water: the river, the beach, or out on the lake. Sunshine was her utmost favorite! She
loved traveling. Sarah cruised the Bahamas, strolled through the
vineyards of Sonoma County, and soaked up the romantic tropical sun
of Hawaii. Girls’ trips to Vegas were never a dull moment.
In addition to all of
her adventures and travels, Sarah always made time for a weekly card
game with the family. Parents, sister, uncles, aunts, cousins and grandma were all regularly in attendance. The shaking of special
maracas, applause, and resounding cheers always celebrated the
winner.
Sarah was loved by
friends old and new, co-workers, and anyone who was lucky enough to
know her.
If there’s one thing
we can all take from this, it’s that life is fleeting, but the love
and laughter and memories with those you touch lasts forever.
###
The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Sarah Grabow’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Increased fire behavior on the McCash fire yesterday afternoon has pushed the fire to 74,076 acres. The McCash Fire is 11 percent contained. The Little Marble Fire is 26 acres with 0 percent containment. Increased fire activity is expected for the next several days as hot, dry, and windy weather settles over the fire area.
Most of the fire activity on the McCash Fire was in the Lick Creek area. This area is primarily old growth timber which hasn’t burned in recent memory. The fire burned north toward Chicken Ladder Road and Titus Ridge Road. Dozers lines which were completed in anticipation of this movement will be utilized to slow the fire spread. Crews patrolled the area throughout the night.
Crews and equipment continue working along the China Grade Road and Grider Ridge Road. Firefighters are clearing brush around structures and installing hoses and pumps. This work creates defensible space around buildings. Masticators are cutting brush and small trees along roads and dozer lines. This creates wider fuel-free zones that firefighters can use as control lines.
The Highway 96 Structure Group is assessing structures from Somes Bar south along the 96 corridor towards Forks of Salmon. These crews will be stationed at the Orleans Incident Command Post so they are closer to their work area.
On the southern end of the fire, mastication work along the Iron Phone Road and the Camp Three Road is progressing to the south. Masticators are working north from Offield Saddle towards the crews moving south.
Helicopters worked throughout the day supporting the firefighters on the ground with water drops.
Yesterday, there was very little fire activity on the Little Marble Fire. Crews improved the handline along the perimeter and continued mop-up.
There will be a virtual community meeting on Monday Sept. 13, at 7:00 PM on the Six Rivers National Forest Facebook page.
A few months ago, when we all thought the end of the pandemic was in sight and that things were returning to “normal,” the North Coast Repertory Theatre reopened its doors, after more than a year of remaining closed.
Then things got really complicated again.
After only two shows, the theatre again shut its doors to the public, canceled the rest of the scheduled performances of Hamlet and canceled all planned productions and rehearsals. And now the folks who work in live theater are again left wondering what the hell they should do now.
Johnson of NCRT
On this week’s episode of Humboldt Holding Up — the Outpost‘s pandemic-prompted podcast — NCRT’s managing Artist Director Calder Johnson shares what the past 18 months have been like in the local world of live theatre, why NCRT has made the tough choice to remain completely closed and how it has felt to have his career on hold.
Other topics discussed with Johnson include:
the struggle the live entertainment industry has faced obtaining COVID relief funding
Shakespeare and the closure of theaters during the plague
reexamining attitudes surrounding the arts
what NCRT is (and isn’t) planning for the future
more!
Click the audio player above to listen to Johnson’s chat with the Outpost’s Andrew Goff and Stephanie McGear. And if you would like to help keep NCRT alive during this difficult time, you can donate at this link.
Millions long for
immortality, but don’t know what to do with themselves on a rainy
Sunday afternoon.
– Susan Ertz
###
I’ve long been
convinced that the only thing worse than dying is not dying.
The latter — some state of being alive and aware — presumably goes
on forever, and ever, amen.
Forever! IMHO, the
greatest thing about life is that it’s bounded: that’s what gives
life its edge, its urgency. Franz Kafka said it best: The meaning
of life is that it stops. We have a limited time here (about
thirty thousand days on average). If you’re immortal, what do you
do with all that time??? (See above.)
“Isle of the Dead” (Die Toteninsel) by Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901). (Public domain.) Sergei Rachmaninov composed his gorgeous symphonic poem “Isle of the Dead” after seeing a black-and-white print of the painting. (Had he seen the color original, he said he probably wouldn’t have written the music!)
In a sense, we’re
already immortal: Billions of years old, that is, which should count
for something. Biochemist George Wald explained it as a dichotomy: We
already have immortality, but we have it in the wrong place. We have
it in the germ plasm; we want it in the soma, in the body…every
creature alive on the earth today represents an unbroken line of life
that stretches back to the first primitive organism to appear on this
planet; and that is about three billion years. Practically
immortal.
More down to Earth, I
have to remind myself, pretty much on a daily basis, not to squander
my time here. If I did believe in immortality and all that, I might
have to atone for all that squandering. As the Talmud says, We
will be called to account on Judgment Day for every permissible thing
we might have enjoyed but did not, while economist John Maynard
Keynes expressed this even more succinctly with his dying words: I
wish I’d drunk more champagne.
Still, there’s an odd
poignancy about the idea of death. Not that I can imagine myself
dead, of course — I wouldn’t be able to imagine anything at that
point. I resonate with the English author John Fowles, who wrote, It
isn’t that I suddenly believe in the possibility of an after-life;
just some strange delicate sense of the wistful sadness of birdsong;
of being dead so long, and not hearing it.
Birdsong. Tears. Ocean
waves. My beloved’s touch. Fog. Orion. Pad thai. Janis. Lavender.
Raccoons. O God, I love so many things, it will take years to take
them away one by one. (Leonard Cohen)
When I do sense death
approaching, I like to think it will be with gratitude, as expressed
long ago by the Greek philosopher Epictetus (even if I don’t have
the slightest idea whom he’s addressing!): You wish that I leave
this magnificent spectacle: I leave it. And I thank You a thousand
times over that You have deigned to admit me there where I can see
Your works manifested…
Gratitude. Urgency.
Playfulness. Kindness. That should do it.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Sept. 11, 2021, at about 11:40 a.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center received a call regarding a deceased male located near a trail off of Hatchery Road in Blue Lake.
Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies and a deputy coroner responded to the scene and recovered the remains. The circumstances surrounding this death appear suspicious and the case is being investigated by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Division.
The decedent’s identity is being withheld pending next of kin notification. The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office is in the process of scheduling an autopsy.
More information will be released when available and appropriate.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
• The Meeting ID: 161 082 0265 • Passcode: +tX1=6 • The call-in-number: +1-669-254-5252 Submit questions prior to the meeting at 2021.monument@firenet.gov.
Fire Management will be on hand to respond to questions.
###
Press release from the U.S. Forest Service:
COMMUNITY MEETINGS:
Today, there will be two Monument Fire informational gatherings for the communities of Hyampom and Hayfork. The first will be at 11 A.M. at the Hyampom Fire Station (22547 Hyampom Road), and the second will be at 2 P.M. at the Hayfork Park (Community Drive).
MONUMENT FIRE:
Resources:
1,438 personnel, 26 hand crews, 85 engines, 9 helicopters, 29 dozers, 9 water tenders, 15 masticators
Current Situation:
The Monument Fire is approximately 208,265 acres and 43 percent contained. Last night due to increased humidity and cooler temperatures, most areas around the fire’s perimeter saw minimal fire activity with the exception of the northwest side, east of Trinity Village. Crews conducted a defensible firing operation along the Denny Road near Dyer Creek towards Bell Creek to stop the advancing fire front.
Today, the priority is the northwest east of Trinity Village and in the southwest near Hayfork. West of Hayfork, crews continue working to execute the existing plan of utilizing the Butter Creek Road to contain the fire. When conditions allow this afternoon, a defensible firing operation will be implemented to remove unburned vegetation between the road and the advancing fire.
On the northwest side, the fire will become more active this morning due to prevailing winds and steep terrain. Crews will continue firing operations along the Denny Road and provide structure defense. A second portable fire-retardant base is being established for helicopters at Burnt Ranch. Helicopters will be able to fill large buckets with retardant, from tanks on the ground, and transport it more quickly to areas on the north side of the fire.
To the north, in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, the fire is currently 5 miles from the River Complex. There is no planned strategy to let the fires grow together. As firefighting resources become available, aggressive action will be taken to contain the fire.
On the fire’s northeast side, crews continue to strengthen the containment line from the East Fork Road up to Backbone Ridge. A finger of the fire crossed over the East Fork North Fork Trinity River and crews continue to work on building a containment line around the active fire. Structure defense engines continue to work in the Canyon Creek area.
WEATHER AND FIRE BEHAVIOR:
A more typical weather pattern is expected today as high pressure rebuilds over the area. A west-southwest flow aloft will increase temperatures and lower humidity.
MONUMENT FIRE ROAD CLOSURES AND RESTRICTIONS (Trinity County):
Denny Road is closed at the intersection of Ziegler Point Road.
Hyampom Road is closed between Cedar Gulch Road and St. John Road.
Big Creek Road, Soldier Creek Road, Barker Valley Road, Barker Creek Road, and Carr Creek Road are closed.
Big French Creek Road and Big Mountain Road are closed.
A segment of State Route 299 between mile post 7.4 (near Burnt Ranch at Berg Road) and mile post 36.3 (just west of Helena) is open to through traffic and residents on the following schedule: Monday through Sunday, from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M., an escort vehicle leads traffic through the closure every 1.5 hours. Overnight, from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M., the road is open only to residents with proof of address.
MONUMENT FIRE EVACUATIONS (Trinity County):
The following information was taken directly from
Trinity County Sheriff’s Office Facebook
page. Evacuation orders and warnings can be issued or change suddenly; if you have questions about evacuation boundaries, call Trinity County Sheriff’s Office at 530-623-2611.
Order: All areas along Denny Road northeast from Zeigler Point Road through Denny proper to the Trinity Alps Wilderness boundary
Order: All areas along Hyampom Road from Grassy Flat Road west to St. John Road. This includes Bar 717 Camp. All areas south of the intersection of FS Road 10/ St. John Road south to Sydney Lane. From Sydney Lane northeast through FS Road 10/ St. John Road to Oak Ridge
Order: Intersection Tule Creek Road at Jesse Road, south along Tule Creek Road to intersection FS Road 31N31,west on Tule Creek Road/FS Road 10 to FS Road 7, west of FS Road 7 along Tule Creek Rd/FS Road 10 to Oak Ridge of Oakridge to FS Road 3N08. All areas along Tule Creek Road/FS Road 10 through Indian Valley. Roads and areas included are Land Acre Road, Mule Lovers Lane, Buck Gulch, Cow Gulch, and Tule Divide
Order: All areas along Hyampom Road east of Drinkwater Gulch to Cedar Gulch Road, from Cedar Gulch south to Tule Creek Road at Green Gate Road, including all residences on Turkey Track Road, Doctor Lane, Digger Gulch, Shangri La Lane, Green Gate Road, and McAlexander Road
Order: All areas along both sides of Hyampom Road between Lucky Jeep Trail and Drinkwater Gulch, including Fox Lane, Drinkwater Gulch, and Phares Lane
Order: All areas along Hyampom Road between Lucky Jeep Trail and Halfway Ridge
Order: Helena/East Fork Road, Hobo Gulch Road, Big Mountain Road, and Big French Creek Road
Warning: All areas in Hawkins Bar and Trinity Village north of State Route 299 between Suzie Q Road and Gray Falls Campground, including Suzie Q Road, Denny Road to Ziegler Point Road, Lone Pine Road, Big Oak Road, China Flat Road, Flame Tree Road, Coon Creek Road, Pony Creek Road, Gray Flat Road, Emerald City Lane, and Ammon Road
Warning: All areas along Hyampom Road from Cedar Gulch to State Route 3 are under an Evacuation Warning. This includes Circle Drive, Highland Drive, North Vista Lane, Murray Lane and Bean Gulch and North Talco Way.
Warning:
All areas south of Hyampom Road along State Route 3 to Salt Creek Growers. All areas West on Tule Creek Road from State Route 3 to Jesse Lane
Warning:
All areas east of Hyampom Road, both north and south of State Route 3 to Big Creek Road. All areas south of Big Creek Road to Morgan Hill Road/ Coonrod Gulch. From Coonrod Gulch South West through Kingsbury Gulch to State Route 3. This includes all of Hayfork proper
Warning: Denny Road east from Ziegler Point Road through Denny to the Trinity Alps Wilderness boundary
Warning: Canyon Creek Road in Junction City
KNOB FIRE:
Resources:
191 personnel, 4 hand crews, 28 engines, 2 dozers, 1 water tenders
Current Situation:
The Knob Fire is approximately 2,421 acres and 98 percent contained. On the fire’s northwest perimeter, approximately a quarter-mile section of fire line along Panther Ridge remains the priority. Firefighters will continue to strengthen the fire line on Panther Ridge as well as patrol the fire perimeter, extinguishing any visible hot spots.
KNOB FIRE EVACUATIONS (Humboldt County):
The following information was taken directly from
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office website
and
Humboldt County evacuation map. Evacuation orders or warnings can be issued or change quickly; if you have questions about evacuation boundaries, call Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at 707-268-2500.
Warning:
All areas east of Brushy Mountain Lookout Road/FS Road 6N08A to the Humboldt/Trinity County Line,south of the Trinity River at Bremer Creek to China Creek
Warning:
All areas east of Boise Creek to the Humboldt/Trinity County Line, south of the Trinity River to Victor Creek
EVACUATION CENTERS:
American Red Cross, California Northwest Chapter, 707-832-5480
Fireman’s Hall Pavilion, 9 Park Street, Fortuna
First Baptist Church, 1261 Main Street, Weaverville
LOCAL ASSISTANCE CENTER (LAC):
A local assistance center will be operating at Veteran’s Memorial Hall (109 Memorial Drive) in Weaverville on Saturday, September 11, from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M.
FOREST CLOSURE:
The
USDA Forest Service has
temporarily closed
all National Forests in California. Direct questions to 707-562-9113 or
SM.FS.R5inquiries@usda.gov.
