I talk a lot about stocks. What about bonds? Should you own them in your investment portfolio? Like questions about whether you should own any investment, it depends.

When you buy an individual bond, you are essentially lending money to a corporation, government, or municipality, and they are paying you a fixed interest rate (this is why they fall in the “fixed income” investment category) for borrowing your money. They also promise to pay your principal back on a specific date in the future as long as they stay solvent. 

When you buy a bond fund, you are buying a basket of individual bonds in bunches. While you do not get the principal protection, you do receive the income along the way from your diversified basket of bonds. You also must accept the price fluctuation over time with the expectation that the value of the fund may be worth more or less when you liquidate it.

Generally speaking, bonds primarily hold the place in a portfolio of producing income with lower volatility than stocks. 

(Click graphics to enlarge)

Oftentimes, people diversify between stocks and bonds because the appropriate mix can serve as a remedy for panicking in a stock market selloff.

An investor can only go so far like character Bob Wiley in What About Bob? nervously repeating: “I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful… I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful… I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful…” over their portfolio when stocks tank. 

You’re fine, until you’re not.

The more bonds within a portfolio, the fewer the large pullbacks to said portfolio:

Of course, it likely puts a ceiling on total return:

If you are looking for higher growth, you accept the higher volatility of stocks; if you are looking for a more precise, steady stream of income, you accept the likely lower investment return of bonds to experience lower volatility.

In one of his recent memos, famed fixed income investor Howard Marks, answered this tradeoff question this way:

Which of the two is “better,” ownership or debt? We can’t say. In a market with any degree of efficiency – that is, rationality – it’s just a tradeoff. A higher expected return with further upside potential, at the cost of greater uncertainty, volatility, and downside risk? Or a more dependable but lower expected return, entailing less upside and less downside? The choice between the two is subjective, largely a function of the investor’s circumstances and attitude toward bearing risk. That means the answer will be different for different investors.¹

Investopedia has the historical returns of both since 1928:

The historical returns for stocks have been between 8-10% since 1928. The historical returns for bonds have been lower, between 4-6% since 1928.²

That may not seem like much of a difference, but over time, due to inflation, the difference can be staggering.

If inflation is roughly 3% a year, this means that stocks may have a real return between 5-7% while bonds may have a real return between 1-3%.

This vindicates the maxim that being an owner is more profitable than being a loaner. You may make more money being an owner of stocks, but you also might have more indigestion.

Bonds can hand out their own stomach aches, though. Notice the large drawdown in bonds that the first chart shows, which occurred in 2022 due to an inflation and interest rate spike. 

Interest rates are one of the most important risk factors for bonds. This chart from J.P. Morgan shows the impact of the ups and downs of interest rates on bonds³:

Notice how the longer the term of the bond, the more impact a 1% change can have on rates. While a 1% interest rate move on a 30-year treasury bond might send the price of that bond soaring 20% or declining 10%, the shorter the treasury bond’s term, the smaller the price shift.

What investments are best for you? No matter what asset class we are talking about, it depends upon your financial goals and life plan.

If you are buying a house in a year, you may not want to have that bucket of money in the ups and downs of the stock market. Instead, you might put it in a US Treasury bond backed by the US government to receive a fixed interest rate and receive your money back next year. If you are trying to retire 30 years from now, you may not want many bonds because inflation will eat into the real return of bonds, while the power of compound interest via stocks might grow your money significantly over decades. You could be in retirement now and may have a mix between the two along with other asset classes because you need income to live but also need growth to keep you going through a longer lifespan.

Overall, one of your goals is having an investment portfolio you can handle in the present amid the chaos of life and the world and one that sets you up for the future. Threading the needle in that tension is not easy.

Like Bob Wiley, take some baby steps in understanding the pros and cons of investing or get someone to help you along the way—just make sure it’s not a “professional” like Dr. Leo Marvin.

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Sources:

1. “Ruminating on Asset Allocation”, October 22, 2024.
2. “Buying Stocks Instead of Bonds: Pros and Cons”, April 11, 2024. 
3. Chart taken from J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s “Guide to the Markets”, May 30, 2025, page 36. 

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Brandon Stockman has been a Wealth Advisor licensed with the Series 7 and 66 since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008. He has the privilege of helping manage accounts throughout the United States and works in the Fortuna office of Johnson Wealth Management. You can sign up for his weekly newsletter on investing and financial education or subscribe to his YouTube channel. Securities and advisory services offered through Prospera Financial Services, Inc. | Member FINRA, SIPC. This should not be considered tax, legal, or investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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It was good-bye to the East Coast this week and hello to the Great Lakes region as we went to Toronto, Detroit and Cleveland.

Game #23: White Sox versus Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto, June 21

We were making our way on foot through downtown Toronto, after having to park our oversized vehicle about a mile from the stadium. Our direct route was interrupted by an errant trip, throwing off our navigation. “Just follow the guy in the Blue Jays uniform” was our plan to find the stadium. Suddenly, it felt like we were in a spy movie, trying to follow the guy in a Blue Jays uniform, when dozens of people in Blue Jays uniforms show up, going in all directions. Finally, we asked one group of Jays-clad fans if they were going to the game. They said they were and agreed to let us stalk them the rest of the way. “Just look up,” was the leader’s advice. Oh yeah, the CN Tower – a needle-like tower that is more than 1,800 feet high – is right next to the home of the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays are definitely Canada’s team, now their only MLB team. Fans come from all over the country to cheer them on. Their attendance figures have been and continue to be staggering. The country fell in love with them in 1977 when Toronto and Seattle joined the American League as expansion teams. And they are still in the honeymoon stage.

They were the first team ever to top four million in attendance, and they did it three years in a row (1991-93). It didn’t hurt that they won two World Series titles in those years, posting back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993. Even though they haven’t been back to the World Series since, the fans keep on coming. Their attendance over the last three years (2.6 million in 2024, 3 million in 2023, and 2.6 million in 2022) is slightly better than the San Francisco Giants (2.6 million in 2024, 2.5 million in 2023, and 2.48 million in 2022). The Giants’ high attendance makes sense since the team has won three World Series titles in the last 15 years. The Blue Jays? It must be love!

The Skydome, now called the Rogers Centre, was visionary when it opened during the 1989 season. It was the first stadium with a retractable roof. Six other teams – Arizona, Houston, Miami, Milwaukee, Seattle, and Texas – included that feature when they built new stadiums. There is also an on-site hotel at Rogers Centre with rooms that open up to the stadium. Many ballparks – in Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas – saw this feature as an inspiration and now feature business/entertainment districts adjacent to the ballpark. With all the innovation, it’s hard to believe the Rogers Centre is now the sixth oldest ballpark in the major leagues.

Game atmosphere: Positive

The game is upbeat throughout with a lot of cheering and dancing. It’s clear the Blue Jays fans enjoy coming to the ballpark. Did I mention that they love their Jays? “I used to watch the Blue Jays with my grandpa when I was a boy in the mid-‘90s,” said Andrew Walker from Manitoba. “It has carried on where I’ve been watching them ever since. This is my first time to Toronto to see them. I watch them on TV a lot.” He is here with his wife of ONE WEEK, Jenalee Walker. “It’s our honeymoon trip,” said Jenalee, who was in total agreement with a baseball honeymoon. “I know how much he loves the Jays. And I love the atmosphere when you’re at a game in person.” I showed my American arrogance when I approached them for an interview. After explaining what we’re doing, I said I like to talk to locals at the game to get their thoughts on their home team and stadium. “Oh, we’re not local,” Andrew told me. “We’re from Manitoba.” “Well, you’re Canadian, right?” I countered. “That’s local enough for me.” Manitoba is almost 1,000 miles from Toronto. They took a two-hour flight to get to the game.

During pregame and periodically in between innings during the game, a DJ played upbeat music from her dedicated station in center field. A pair of dancers accompanied her, and sometimes other dancers would appear in other parts of the stadium. These were aerobic-style dance moves. And many fans were into it, copying the moves as best they could. This was evident as the cameras captured the crowd in those moments.

There were other occasions of interaction for the fans. They had their own song during the seventh-inning stretch, prior to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” It went like this: “Okay. Blue Jays. Let’s Play Ball.” It was performed with an echo built into it, and everyone seemed to know their part. “Okay. (Okay) Blue Jays. (Blue Jays). Let’s Play Ball.” The last part was in unison. Repeat about four times. Then, much like Boston sings “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the eighth inning, Toronto sings “Hey Baby” by Bruce Channel after the top of the eighth. “Hey, hey baby. Ooh. Aah. I wanna know if you’ll be my girl.” The “Hey Baby” tradition started in 2015.

Yes, the fans are enjoying being at the game. But what about the baseball? Bo Bichette of the Blue Jays became the fourth player on our trip to hit the first pitch of the game for a home run. His 410-foot shot to center gave the Jays a lead they would not relinquish. “We have been doing well with the bats,” honeymooner Andrew Walker said. “The pitchers need to step it up. Pitching needs to smarten up.” The baserunning was plenty smart today with runners advancing from first to third twice in the three-run second inning – once on aggressive baserunning and once on a perfectly executed hit and run. And today the pitching did indeed smarten up as Jose Berrios pitched 7.2 innings, giving up one unearned run as the Jays coasted to a 7-1 victory.

In-game hosts were a plus at Rogers Centre, with the focus on live contests with fans. In a beat-the-clock contest, two fans each tried to stuff an empty suitcase with Jays gear – and zip shut the suitcase – within 20 seconds. The winner received round-trip airfare on WestJet. Both were awarded the Jays gear. In another contest, two friends played the “Know Your Bud” game. Each friend was given a whiteboard, and then Fan A was asked who was Fan B’s favorite Blue Jays player. If the answers matched, they won a Budweiser gift package. The answers – Vlad Guerrero Jr. – did match. I think Guerrero’s towering home run in the seventh inning may have influenced the decision. … When the umpires were shown during pregame congregating around home plate, the sound guy played the Law & Order Theme. I’m a sucker for subtle, light touches like that at a ballpark. … Wave alert. Sadly, the fans did a sustained wave at the top of the eighth inning, with the participants missing that the pitcher was striking out two batters during that time.

Open sesame! The roof was closed at the start of the game because there was a chance of a passing shower in the forecast. Then it began to open in the top of the fourth inning. It took about 22 minutes for all the moving panels to do their thing and open up the sky. Typically, the roof is either open or closed and stays that way for the duration of the game. The entire feel of the experience changed for the better with the addition of natural light.

Ballpark cuisine: Positive

Our strategy regarding ballpark cuisine changed going into the home stretch, with only eight parks left. Now we’re looking at what is different and perhaps unique to a particular location. At Rogers Centre, for instance, we know what we’re looking at with applewood-smoked brisket nachos or loaded mac and cheese. Will it break into the trip’s Top 10? We can tell by looking at these two dishes that, no, they would not. Worth eating, yes. But we need to try other, new things, such as the hot maple and bacon footlong hot dog. We try it and, sadly, it disappoints. St. Louis has figured out that the hot dog needs to be wrapped in bacon. The one here has bacon bits sprinkled on top. Houston has figured out that maple syrup needs to be poured generously on the entire concoction. The one here has the hot dog dipped in hot maple syrup. The result is not enough bacon. Not enough maple. Maple-infused would be better. There are some other wild hot dog options at Chungchun Rice Hot Dog. They sell a beef and chicken hot dog topped with potato called the Gamsung hot dog.

The other local delicacy is Poutine (pronounced poo-teen). It is French fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy. Cheese curds are better than they sound. They are fresh, unaged pieces of cheese known for their mild, milky flavor. The ballpark poutine is traditional poutine, as listed above. We found there are entire restaurants, called Poutineries, that feature only varieties of poutine. The traditional poutine serves as the base – much like a pizza’s crust, sauce and cheese serve as its base – then throw on whatever topping you want. Smoke’s Poutinerie is all over Canada, and we tried one on our way out of the country. Smoke’s features the following poutine options: butter chicken, chicken inferno, Philly cheesesteak, Korean BBQ, prime beef deluxe, and more. It is salty, and the fries are mushy. Smoke’s opened a couple of locations in the U.S., but they did not last, mostly because we like our fries crispy! But since it’s a Canadian thing, it might be wise for Rogers Centre to partner with Smoke’s to bring the poutine variety into the stadium.

Club hospitality: Positive

Toronto provided good seats – 20 rows from the field, just to the left of home plate. There was limited parking, but it was garage parking, so it was moot for us with the Sprinter. We grabbed cheap parking on SpotHero, a 17-minute walk to the stadium through downtown Toronto.

Game details: Blue Jays win 7-1. Attendance 41,488. Time of game: 2:08.

Helpful tips: There is limited underground parking around the stadium, but plenty of parking options nearby, from $10 to $43 Canadian, which is the U.S. equivalent of almost free to $25. … Bag policy – Small purses and knapsacks (i.e, backpacks) are permitted but must be smaller than 16”x16”x8”. … Non-alcoholic beverages in plastic bottles of 660 ml (about 22 oz.) or less are okay. Outside food is permitted as long as it is wrapped, bagged or left inside a container.

You don’t see that every day: A saxophone player, perhaps a performer at Toronto’s International Jazz Festival, which was scheduled for June 20 to June 29, was jamming away inside the stadium before the game started.

Game #24: Athletics versus Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit, June 24

The Tigers will always have a special place in my heart because I grew up in southeast Michigan. In the summer of 1967, I watched on television as race riots turned downtown Detroit into a fire-ravaged city of shattered glass, looting, and broken dreams. I was 8 years old and lived about 16 miles from the destruction. The National Guard was activated, and U.S. Army troops were called in. Army trucks drove through my neighborhood. Fast forward to the summer of 1968 – just one year later. I started paying attention to baseball in the fall of 1967 when the Tigers were in a pennant race but lost on the last day of the season to give Boston its ticket to the World Series. The 1968 season was the first season I paid attention to every Tigers game, listening to most of them on the radio and always reading the summaries in the next day’s newspaper. My mom took me to a Tigers double-header against the A’s on my birthday, where I got to see Denny McLain win his 16th game of the season. McLain went on to win 31 games that year. The Tigers easily won the American League pennant, then came back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Baseball unified the city of Detroit with both white players (McLain, Mickey Lolich, Al Kaline) and black players (Willie Horton, Gates Brown, Earl Wilson) playing key roles.

The Tigers were one of eight charter members when the American League formed in 1901. Ty Cobb was the team’s first superstar. He won a lot of batting titles, but he never won a World Series title. In fact, in 124 years of playing baseball in the American League, the Tigers have won only four World Series titles (1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984). Tributes to these four teams are scattered throughout the concourse area. There are also statues along the left center wall of all-time great Tigers Cobb, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Hal Newhouser, Horton and Kaline.

“I think Detroit is one of the five best sports cities in the country,” said Lucas Inman from Grand Rapids, Michigan. “The Tigers are a huge part of the fabric of this city. I went to the old Tigers Stadium dozens of times. I wish they could have restored that and just found a way to keep that going. I think a lot of the ballparks built in this era, they don’t really distinguish themselves from each other. For me to describe Comerica – it’s fine; I like it. I’m not blown away by it. But the old Tigers Stadium with the outfield bleacher upper deck hanging over the outfield, the flagpole in the outfield, the light blue paint on the outside of it – it was just an iconic venue.” Comerica Park opened in 2000. The 25 years since have seen a revitalization of Detroit’s downtown area, including the completion of the home of the Lions, Ford Field, in 2002. Detroit’s population has increased over the last two years after decades of decline.

Game atmosphere: Positive

For the third time this trip, we had the pleasure of watching the best pitcher in baseball, Tarik Skubal, take the mound for the Tigers. Skubal is 8-0 with a 1.58 ERA (15 ER/85.1 IP) in his last 13 starts dating to April 8, featuring a 13.38 K/BB ratio during that span. We’ve seen two of those games. With all these numbers in mind, it was shocking to see the game start with a five-pitch walk, and then a two-run home run on the first pitch to the A’s Brent Rooker. There was a stunned silence over the crowd. But the Tigers fans got to make some noise when Kerry Carpenter tied it with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. It was déjà vu in the second inning as light-hitting Denzel Clarke hit a two-run homer off Skubal, putting the A’s up 4-2. Clarke was batting .190 with one home run on the year.

There was concern but confidence among the team and the fans in the stands. That probably comes with having the best record in baseball. Skubal settled down, allowing no more runs in four more innings of work. And the Tiger bats never let up, scoring five in the third, two in the seventh, and two more in the eighth in the 11-4 win.

Wheeee! | Photo: Trepiak

Comerica Park has an open view in centerfield and right field where fans can see the nearby Detroit skyline, including Ford Field, where the Lions play. … There is a carousel of decorative tigers in the Big Cat Court area and a 50-foot ferris wheel with cars shaped like baseballs elsewhere in the stadium. Rides on both of these attractions are $2 or free on Sundays for those 14 years and under. … It was 85 degrees at game time, which was at 8 p.m., delayed for 100 minutes due to earlier thunderstorms in the area. … This is the third park to feature a special song at the end of the top of the eighth. This one is “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, featured for its lyric “born and raised in South Detroit.” Technically, there is no such place as South Detroit, but it still works as a fun sing-along song for the Detroit fans. … There are three Chevy vehicles parked along the outfield concourse. Two of them are on each side of the fountain in the center field. The fountain of “liquid fireworks” didn’t work during this game.

Ballpark cuisine: Positive

The star of the show for us was the jerk chicken and mango wrap at Breadless. It consists of oven-roasted jerk chicken, peach mango salsa, no-sugar-added BBQ sauce, pepper jack cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh mango slices, and onions wrapped in Swiss chard. It was fresh and tangy with some heat. This one is making the Top 10. Breadless also offers turkey-avocado or spicy falafel wraps and a rice bowl with chicken.

Eat at Berts is the pit barbecue on site at Comerica with a full menu featuring a loaded mac bowl, BBQ nachos, BBQ rib platter and an “oh my god” burger. We tried the burger, referred to as the “oh my gosh burger” by the worker who took our order. It’s one pound of ground sirloin topped with slow-smoked pulled pork, grilled onions and barbecue sauce. The sirloin patty was an inch-and-a-half thick. It had just the right amount of sauce and had to be eaten with a fork. I needed more pulled pork, and the sirloin patty had the consistency of meatloaf and was not juicy. If you want a burger, we suggest going with the smashburger instead.

We also tried the Motor City melt at Blue Moon Bistro. It’s a mozzarella-stick sandwich on sourdough garlic bread with marinara and provolone added to the mix. If you are one who always orders mozzarella sticks as an appetizer at restaurants, this one is for you. The Bistro is a grab-and-go venue, so this one suffered from a lack of freshness.

Another barbecue option is the “put me in coach” at Slows Bar BQ: Shredded brisket soaked in Kansas City-style BBQ sauce, topped with sliced onion and dill pickles. All in all, an excellent variety of food choices that will definitely fill you up.

Club hospitality: Positive

The team provided field-level tickets, 33 rows from the field down the right field line. Game notes were emailed prior to the game. (Yes! I love game notes and always use something from them in our stories.) We borrowed my cousin’s car to take advantage of the VIP garage parking provided by the team.

Game details: Tigers win 11-4. Attendance 22,929. Time of game: 2:32.

Helpful tips: Bag policy – Comerica Park has the most stringent bag policy of any park. No bags, wallets or purses larger than 4”x6” are allowed. … Bottled water is allowed if it is in a single, clear, factory-sealed, crushable, disposable, plastic container of 20 ounces or less. … Outside food is not allowed. … Parking is available in various nearby lots and garages with prices ranging from $10 to $80.

You don’t see that every day: Right fielder Wenceel Perez threw out two runners in the same inning. In the top of the seventh, Skubal was replaced by Chase Lee with the Tigers leading 7-4. The leadoff hitter for the A’s, Tyler Soderstrom, tried to stretch a single to deep right field into a double and was cut down by a perfect throw from Perez. After another single, Jacob Wilson singled to right and also tried to make it a double. He, too, was gunned down by Perez. So instead of a 7-5 score and runners on first and third with no outs, the A’s scored no one and had a runner at third with two outs. Before this game, Perez had recorded just one assist in more than 1,000 innings as an outfielder.

Game #25: Blue Jays versus Guardians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, June 26

The Guardians have the longest active title drought in Major League Baseball. It’s been 76 seasons since they won a World Series title in 1948. They also won it in 1920. Like the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland (formerly Indians, now Guardians) was one of eight charter members of the American League in 1901. They have just two titles in 124 seasons of baseball. But they were so very, very close in other seasons. In the 2016 World Series, Cleveland was up 3 games to 1 against the Cubs, then lost three straight games. In the 1997 World Series, Cleveland went to Game 7 against the Marlins, and led 2-1 going into the ninth inning. The Marlins tied it, then won in 11 innings, 3-2. “Being a Cleveland baseball fan means having your heart ripped out of you,” said Pete Tietjen, who was wearing a Cleveland Indians jersey and a Cleveland Guardians cap. “Growing up in the area, I’ve always been a huge Cleveland sports fan. I’ve always loved the Indians. My dad’s dad had season tickets. My dad had season tickets. I was four years old in 1976 when I first started coming to games. We went through a lot of down years in those days.” From 1976 to 1993, the team had three winning seasons in 18 years.

Everything changed when Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) opened in 1994. Cleveland was 66-47 when a strike ended the 1994 season. Then, in 1995, the team won 100 games and went to the World Series for the first time since 1954. The team sold out 455 consecutive home games from 1995 to 2001.

“It’s been exciting since the new ballpark has been built,” Tietjen said. “I came here with my dad at the old Municipal Stadium when they had only 2,000 people here. Coming here with my dad is always one of my favorite memories. So I try to bring my kids. And I hope my kids will be able to pass along the enjoyment of watching baseball to their kids. I just had two new grandkids, and they will be coming to games soon.”

Photo: Trepiak

1920 was both a banner year and a somber year for the Cleveland Indians. Their shortstop, Ray Chapman, died after he was hit in the head by a pitch by Yankee Carl Mays on Aug. 17. The Indians led the league at the time but had a tough time staying focused after the tragedy. The White Sox were able to catch them in the standings, but then in September, the Black Sox scandal came to light, and the eight indicted White Sox players were suspended by the team owner. The Indians pulled away and won the pennant by two games. They were definitely the sentimental favorite in the best-of-9 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Indians won the series five games to two.

Game atmosphere: Positive

We came away from the game almost feeling pampered because everyone was extremely nice. Staff personnel, concession workers, ushers, and fans. Everyone just wanted to help. The fact that we had “media” credentials hanging from our necks may have helped, but they did seem genuine. The Guardians, also called the Guards, were a bit too nice with their guests – beanball aside – as four errors by Cleveland contributed to the Blue Jays’ 6-0 victory. A strong outing by starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (seven strikeouts, no walks, three hits, two earned runs in six innings) went for naught, giving him his fourth straight loss. The Guardian bats never got going. In the case of Carlos Santana, his bat never got swinging. He struck out three times looking, twice against Toronto’s Kevin Gausman, who threw eight innings of two-hit ball.

The Cleveland fans never had a chance to become engaged. That is, until it was time for the traditional song in the middle of the eighth inning. “Hang on Sloopy” by the McCoys has taken over the entire state of Ohio. It’s featured at Guardians games but is also used at other sporting events in the state, especially at the Ohio State University, where it is frequently performed by the Ohio State Marching Band. It was even officially recognized as Ohio’s official rock song in 1985 by the state assembly. The fans add an O-H-I-O chant during the refrain, like this: “Hang on Sloopy; Sloopy hang on. O. H. I. O. Hang on Sloopy; Sloopy hang on. O. H. I. O.”

We saw our second hot dog mascot race. They call it the Hot Dog Derby, and Onion took the win over Ketchup, Mustard and Spicy. … There is an open view of the downtown skyline in the outfield, including the Rocket Arena – home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers – tucked into the left field corner. … The scoreboard had a dedicated place for the pitch count, which made me happy. … Most stadiums have the vendors on the inside concourse where fans have to leave the seating area. Progressive Field features vendors that are open to the field as well as the concourse area. The field side is the “grab and go” side. It gave a more open feel to the park in general.

We were able to do a walkabout before the game to check out Terrace Hall (details under the Ballpark Cuisine section), Heritage Park, and the Carnegie Club. Heritage Park is located in the center field area and is a tribute to the greatest players in franchise history. It was created in 2007 and is split into two levels. The upper level features plaques of players who are in both the team Hall of Fame and the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The lower level is dedicated to historical moments and players who are in only the team Hall of Fame. … The Carnegie Club is a members-only club we crashed with our media credentials. The seats are right behind home plate, but the club is mostly about the premium bar and gourmet menu options that are all inclusive in this climate-controlled, upscale indoor space. On the menu today was roast lamb, penne pasta and meatballs with basil, pretzel hot dogs and a variety of sliders. We were just there to look, but we may have grabbed a cookie and bottled water on our way out! Tickets in this section don’t seem to be available on the secondary market.

Ballpark cuisine: Positive

Gigantic “Bam Bam” turkey legs, Froot Loops on a hot dog, and spaghetti pizza? Is this a baseball game or a cartoon? Fortunately, it’s very real for those who like to try something new for their ballpark cuisine. And that, of course, describes us! You can get the gigantic turkey leg only at Terrace Hall, a new space this year, located on Level 4 in left field. It’s open to all fans and has escalators from the field level to get you there. There is a two-level area overlooking the field, one indoors and one outdoors. The turkey legs have been given the nickname “Bam Bam turkey legs” by the food staff because they are reminiscent of what you might see in a Fred Flintstone cartoon. It’s a smoked turkey leg drumstick glazed with barbecue sauce and served with an Alabama white barbecue sauce. They prepare up to 100 of them each game, and sometimes sell out. “I’ve always been a turkey leg fan,” said Gonzo Garcia, who makes a point to get one when he comes to a Guardians game. “They put a great barbecue sauce on it. It’s juicy and messy. Grab a lot of napkins. It’s a lot of meat. It’s all you need to get. One and done.” Gonzo let me have the first bite of his. Thumbs up!

Froot Loops: The hot dog amplifier. | Photo: Trepiak

Happy Dog is home to the slider dog – an all-beef hot dog with Froot Loops, pimento mac and cheese and bacon. This is surprisingly good. Where Bobby Flay has added potato chips to add crunch to his hamburgers, Happy Dog has found its secret ingredient to add sweetness and crunch to its hot dog – Froot Loops. It’s a crazy combination that really works. It makes you wonder how many breakfast cereals they tried before settling on Froot Loops? “It’s our best seller,” said vendor worker Krystal Parnin. “People like the sweetness of the Froot Loops combined with the tanginess of the pimento mac and cheese.” And both are a good complement to the hot dog. The slider dog can be improved in two ways. First, make it a footlong dog. Second, lay the Froot Loops down on the bun first, then place the hot dog on top of it, then spread the mac and cheese. Krystal, we know you’re reading this! Pass it on to the head honchos. Even as is, the slider dog has a chance to make our Top 5 list of hot dogs.

You read correctly at the start of the food summary. Spaghetti and meatball pizza is sold by Dante’s Inferno. “It came back by popular demand,” said food worker Taira Botz. “It’s really filling. Good bang for your buck.” We had to try it. It was fun to eat, but it’s more of a novelty pizza than an award-winner. There were plenty of meatballs and, at first, I was concerned at how few spaghetti noodles there were. But as each slice went down, we realized it didn’t need any more noodles.

Other food options at Progressive Field include shredded brisket mac and cheese at Throwing Smoke Barbecue, the guardian burger (hamburger patty with capicola, salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese, banana peppers, bistro sauce and Italian vinaigrette) at Terrace Hall, and a brat burger at the Brew Kettle.

Club hospitality: Positive Cleveland is one of the top teams in regards to taking care of us. Seats to the game were great, 34 rows from the field between home plate and the first base dugout. Most importantly, they were in the shade, protecting us from 88-degree heat (seemed like 95, according to the heat index). We received Concourse Media Credentials, giving us early entry and access to places such as the Carnegie Club. Game notes were emailed as the game started. (Yes!) And parking would have been provided if the Sprinter could fit in a garage.

Game details: Blue Jays win 6-0. Attendance 26,217. Time of game: 2:37.

Helpful tips: Bag policy – regular-sized purses are okay and bags under 16”x16”x8” are permitted. … A single, clear, factory-sealed bottle of water that is 20 ounces or less is allowed. Outside food is also okay. … Parking is $40 a few blocks around the stadium. But much cheaper options are available about a half mile from the stadium using SpotHero. We got ours for $5.

You don’t see that every day: Two players were hit intentionally by pitches and both left the game to get X-rayed. Both were the best hitter for their respective teams. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Jays was hit in the right forearm with first base open in the top of the third inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Jose Ramirez of the Guardians was hit in the same spot on the first pitch of the inning. Both managers were warned by the umpires to cease and desist, or there would be ejections. Both Guerrero and Ramirez stayed in the game to run the bases after being hit, then left to be evaluated. Both X-rays were negative, thankfully. Guerrero was also hit by a pitch the night before in a game where he homered.

Tom Trepiak is the former sports information director at Humboldt State and a member of the Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics Hall of Fame.

Press release from the California Highway Patrol:

On June 27, 2025, at approximately 10:55 A.M., California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers assigned to the CHP Crescent City Area responded to a 911 report of a male subject covered in blood, on Anchor Way west of US-101. 

Emergency medical personnel also responded to the scene. The male subject was carrying a knife and aggressively approached medical personnel. Medical personnel backed away from the male subject.

One Del Norte Sheriff’s Office (DNSO) deputy and two CHP officers arrived on the scene and ordered the subject to drop the knife.  The male subject was non-responsive to verbal commands.

The subject aggressively approached the deputy and officers. The DNSO deputy deployed his electronic control device, which proved to be ineffective. The subject continued to aggressively charge at the officers with a knife, and out of fear for his safety and the safety of others, a CHP officer involved shooting occurred.

The subject was arrested at the scene, and emergency medical aid was rendered. The male subject was transported to Sutter Coast Hospital and succumbed to his injuries.  

No injuries were sustained by CHP officers or Allied Agencies. 

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The Outpost messaged Del Norte County resident Alicia McClean, who witnessed the incident and took the photo below.

“It was really unfortunate, but the person who was shot was VERY large and bloodied up with a knife,” she said. “[T]he firemen tried to help him first medically but he tried attacking them, that’s when the CHP came and then he tried attacking them. They actually shot him once and he kept charing them so they shot him multiple times after that.”

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The Bay Trail is finished, and now there’s a safe and beautiful trail that connects Humboldt Hill all the way to Clam Beach!

Guests Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities and Jen Kalt of Humboldt Waterkeeper join the show to discuss the history of the trail (shout out to Supervisor Madrone for his work way back in the 1980s to get planning started) and how the trail will help Humboldt Bay residents roll, walk, or ride in a safe way that lowers their carbon footprint.

We hope to see you at today’s big celebration from 3-6 p.m. at the Adorni Center in Eureka! Find more information at this link or in the flyer below.

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“The EcoNews Report,” June 28, 2025

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ED. NOTE:  Suzanne Forsyth, former editor of the Humboldt Historian, was delighted to find herself channeling the pseudonymous voice of “Louella Parsnips” —an ill-reputed, scandal-hungry gossip monger who right-thinking society people publicly abjure — for these pieces of true history.

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Would Amelia Bloomer, founder and editor of the first women’s magazine, The Lily, be disappointed to know that the thing for which she is most remembered is a pair of women’s undergarments? I very much doubt it. This suffragist and advocate of women’s dress reform herself adopted and advocated the revolutionary outfit of a loose fitting top (no corset) and short skirt with pants underneath in the early 1850s. The style, named bloomers in her honor, was intensely ridiculed and failed to catch on. Indeed, Bloomer was in advance of her time by about forty years. It was not until the 1890s that women could wear bloomers, or knickerbockers, with some degree of acceptance, and that was due to a movement entirely outside of women’s dress reform: the world-wide phenomenon of the great bicycle craze.

It was the gay nineties, and a major contributor to the gaiety was the newly comfortable and affordable instrument of liberation, the bicycle. With the invention of the pneumatic tire in 1888, and the creation of a machine called the “Safety,” with wheels of equal size, suddenly anyone could learn to ride without undue risk or discomfort, and everyone was jumping aboard. Over two million bicycles were sold in the United States in 1897 alone. That is approximately one for every thirty inhabitants, and the good people of Humboldt were as bicycle-crazy as in any place in the nation.

By 1895, downtown Eureka was absolutely teeming with bicycles. Everyone who was anyone was riding a bicycle, and just where were they riding them? Not on the bumpy unpaved streets, you can be sure, not with Eureka’s beautiful network of twelve-foot-wide wooden sidewalks just waiting to be utilized as deluxe bicycle thoroughfares. As my man about town recalls, “Bicycles on the sidewalks in Eureka were as numerous as autos in a wrecking station.” (1)

On one occasion, while wheeling happily along Third Street on his new Rambler, purchased at Ayers Fashion Stables and Cyclery, my man reports witnessing pedestrians “getting pushed aside and forced into the gutters” by the throngs of bicyclists flying down the sidewalks. City ordinances began to be passed, first for bicycle bells to warn pedestrians, and then for bicycle lights at night. Even so, pedestrian injuries remained high. Finally the city fathers passed a revolutionary ordinance “forbidding any bicycles to be ridden on sidewalks in the business district,” (2) with the boundaries being K Street on the East and Fifth Street on the south. This dreadful ordinance met with almost universal opposition, and no one abided by it.

I generally refrain from naming judges in my gossip column, for obvious reasons, but today I make an exception. As it happens, Judge C. J. Stafford was mayor of Eureka at this time. He became so concerned about this matter of everybody violating the ordinance against riding on the sidewalks that he introduced it for discussion at a January 1895 council meeting at which many spectators were present. In his eloquent speech, he asked for the assistance of each and every person present to help enforce the bicycle ordinance.

And he was taken at his word. I am sorry to have to say that the very next day, Judge Stafford himself was apprehended in the act of serenely riding his bicycle along a downtown sidewalk.

It was Lawrence F. Puter and Sam I. Allard who captured the judge in flagrante delicto.

“It was such a huge joke to the two,” recalls my informant, “that they hauled Judge Stafford before Police Judge J. M. Melendy, who assessed the chief officer of the city with a fine of ten dollars for the infraction.” (3)

Of course, every downtown business sported a bike rack for its customers, and every enterprising business proprietor in town wanted to get in on the rip-roaring bicycle business. Shops heretofore proudly selling groceries and dry goods now began advertising as bicycle dealers, mentioning their original merchandise only as an afterthought. For example, consider the grocer A. Cottrell, at the corner of Fifth and H Streets. He placed newspaper ads featuring the “Defiance Bicycle” in large bold letters, while noting in tiny print at the end, “I still continue to furnish groceries to my customers as usual.” (4) One afternoon in 1896, while pedaling through Eureka, my man about town and I counted sixteen establishments where bicycles could be purchased.

Indoor bicycle riding arenas and lessons were another distinctive feature of the day. L. L. Ayers Fashion Livery Stables at 4th and G Streets added Cyclery to its name in 1895, and began the “Ayers Cycling Academy,” with newspaper ads by Ayers reading:

Mine is the largest, best ventilated hall in town. I give personal instruction and have competent help. 50 cents an hour. Engagement made to suit convenience of ladies. Electric light at night … Ladies’ Parlor entrance on G St.

During the early years of the bicycle, the idea of women riding bicycles had been denounced as improper and even immoral, and those who did so were condemned as such, but by the mid-1890s, the immense popularity of the bicycle among both men and women was such that popular sentiment could not but follow along. It was the era of the new woman, and it was women, indeed, who had the most to gain from the great bicycle craze. As they took en masse to their wheels, which required them to be able to breathe deeply and also to enjoy some unrestricted movement of the legs, the impediments of corsets and voluminous floor-length skirts were flung aside — though not everybody was happy about it, as depicted in the 1890s sketch at right. A woman’s ability to go out on her own, under her own power, choosing her own destination, increased both vitality and confidence and widened a woman’s world. As Susan B. Anthony famously stated in 1896: “The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world.”

Of course, bicycling revolutionized courtship, too. For one thing, when women began to travel afield on their bicycles, they necessarily had to leave their chaperones behind — “a most agreeable development!” according to my man about town.

“A Bicycle Built for Two” was the most popular song in the country in 1892, and by the mid-nineties tandem bicycles were a feature of the local dating scene. On April 27, 1895, the Arcata correspondent for the Blue Lake Advocate reveals:

The first tandem or “bicycle built for two” ever seen in Arcata was ridden around the bay last Saturday by Mr. Vidy and Miss Edwards of Eureka. They came up in an hour and seven minutes and back in one hour and fifteen minutes. (5)

This timetable would have interested many readers, and all would have pricked up their ears at the indication of a new romance. The following year the same correspondent prints this teaser, “I see my worthy friend Charlie Devander rides a tandem, and of course Charlie don’t ride it alone.”

Not every swain could avail himself of a bicycle built for two, though, and in such cases many a gallant beau would ferry his girl on the handlebars — though perhaps not every couple executed this mode of conveyance in the manner of my man about town and his energetic inamorata. In his own words:

Miss D seemed to enjoy riding on the handlebars, so we developed a method of boarding the bike while in motion. Miss D became adept at coordinating her footwork to the speed of the bike and had no difficulty “coming aboard” and we were off on a tour to Sequoia Park. (6)

But perhaps the most well-known “bicycle built for two” of the late 1890s belonged to the prominent Eureka octogenarian, Rev. C. A. Huntington. This was a vehicle built not for romance but for practicality. The reverend’s great-grandson, Col. Thomas H. Monroe (retired), tells the story best:

Determined as he was to learn to ride a bicycle, he never mastered it. However, the San Francisco Balcom bicycle shop solved his problem by framing two ladies’ bicycles together in parallel. This contraption proved to be rather awkward, and definitely hard to ride, especially for his young grandsons, Tom, Joseph, and McDougall Monroe. One or the other would always be drafted to ride with the old gentleman, who would urge the child to greater efforts by saying, “Push, push harder on the pedals! (7)

Bicycle clubs called the Wheelmen sprang up all across the nation. The Humboldt Wheelmen had clubs in Eureka and Arcata, and they organized cycling tours and picnics every Sunday. Captain of the Eureka Wheelmen Willard Wells routinely led Sunday tours of twenty–five to thirty miles to the Mad River, Hookton, Table Bluff, Southern Humboldt, Salmon Creek, Essex and Korbel.

Local historian Barbara Canepa Saul writes:

The Tour of the Unknown Coast bicycle tour may have had its origins in September of 1895, when it was reported that “Wheelmen Soule, Wells, Janssen, and Littlefield of Eureka arrived in that city last Saturday from their trip ‘around the block’ via Petrolia, Shelter Cove, Garberville and Scotia, the distance traveled from the time they left Swauger was 192 miles.” (8)

Nor were Humboldt women to be left behind: a July 1895 article in the Enterprise reads, “A number of young ladies in Eureka are organizing a bicycle club similar to those of the men. They will adopt a distinctive name and costume, indulge in road runs and sociables in every way.” (9)

Arcata women also formed a club: “The Arcata cycling club expects to take a run to the mouth of Mad River next Sunday. The Ladies Annex of the club will also join. A commissary wagon will be a feature of the run and a good time is anticipated by the participants.” (10)

Trips between Eureka and Arcata were common in both directions. A newspaper entry in the Susie Baker Fountain Papers states that the Eureka Wheelmen rode to Arcata on Sunday mornings and circled the Plaza, executing “a well-learned drill,” which may have consisted of formations and possibly even bike tricks, as one Wheelman, Rodney Burns, was said to be proficient in trick-riding and “antics.”

An important activity of the bicycle clubs was improving the roads, and benefit dances and other fundraising activities were always on the calendar. An August 1, 1896 newspaper announcement reads:

Eureka is preparing to wet the road toward Arcata, and tanks are being erected by the roadside for the sprinkler. The Arcata cycling club will give a good-road dance at Arcata Hall next Tuesday evening to raise money to sprinkle public roads. (11)

It is a wonder and a delight to recall, as revealed in an 1896 Munsey’s Magazine, that at one time “rapid transit” was envisioned as “elevated bicycle paths.” It didn’t happen. The Gay Nineties gave way to the new century. The Wheelmen’s improved roads were taken over by a new must-have, the automobile — “even better for courtship!” declares my man about town. By 1913, Eureka’s bike racks had disappeared, and only one store continued to sell bicycles. Automobile-related businesses, however, were thriving.

NOTES

1. Humboldt Times, February 12, 1931 “Old Timer! Do You Remember When …” by Will Speegle.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid; Ferndale Enterprise, January 1895.
4. Daily Humboldt Times, March 26, 1896.
5. Blue Lake Advocate, April 27, 1895.
6. “Bike Riding Memories,” The Way it Was, edited by Gayle Karshner, 1973, vol 2, p. 8.
7. Humboldt Historian, September-October 1974.
8. Humboldt Historian, 1998.
9. Ferndale Enterprise, July 1895; Humboldt Historian, September-October 1988.
10. Blue Lake Advocate, June 6, 1896.
11. Susie Baker Fountain Papers.

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The story above was originally printed in the Winter 2013 issue of the Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society. It is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for defamation, claiming that the network lied about the date he last spoke with President Donald Trump on the phone and accused the governor of lying about the call.

“By disregarding basic journalistic ethics in favor of malicious propaganda, Fox continues to play a major role in the further erosion of the bedrock principles of informed representative government,” the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit, filed Friday by Newsom as an individual, seeks $787 million in damages from the network — roughly the same amount Fox News agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to settle a defamation case over the network’s election claims. Newsom promised to drop the suit if Fox News retracts its claim that Newsom lied and issues a formal on-air apology.

To some Democratic strategists, Newsom’s move demonstrates the governor’s willingness to check Trump’s power. It is the latest episode of an on-again-off-again feud between him and Trump, who collaborated over Los Angeles wildfire aid earlier this year but fought over the president’s deployment of troops to quell unrest in the same city despite Newsom’s objection.

“Democrats across the country are out there yearning for Democrats to take on Trump,” said longtime Democratic consultant Garry South. “Partly through Trump’s own stumbles and his own mistakes, I think that he has inadvertently boosted Newsom into the position of being the chief protagonist against him.”

Fox News said in a statement that it would defend the case “vigorously.”

“Gov. Newsom’s transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him,” the statement said.

Newsom’s attorneys argued in a letter that the network intentionally misled its audience into believing the governor lied about his last call with Trump earlier this month, before the two clashed over Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles amid protests over immigration enforcement.

The governor spoke with Trump over the phone for 16 minutes on June 7, the letter said. But Trump told a reporter on June 10 that he’d spoken with Newsom “a day ago” instead, stating that he had called Newsom “to tell him, got to do a better job, he’s doing a bad job.”

Newsom rebuked the president in a statement on X, arguing there was no call or even a voicemail from Trump on that day. “Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn’t even know who he’s talking to,” he said.

But Fox News hosts John Roberts and Jesse Watters left out Trump’s comment suggesting the call had taken place June 9 in their coverage, Newsom’s attorneys argued. And Watters claimed on air that Newsom lied, even though he reported that call logs showed the call occurred on June 6.

“Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him? Why would he do that?” Watters said, with a banner appearing on screen simultaneously that said: “Gavin lied about Trump’s call.”

Newsom’s attorneys argued the coverage shows the network’s effort to “cover up for President Trump’s error.”

But in suing Fox News, Newsom is taking a page from Trump’s own playbook by suing prominent media outlets for their coverage, drawing concern from First Amendment advocates who urged Newsom to drop the case.

“Lawsuits like this risk becoming a form of censorship and send a troubling message to news organizations: that they may face legal retaliation for their work,” said Katherine Jacobsen, program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

Erika Tomczak, née Janssen, a resident of Eureka, Calif., since 2002, passed away on June 7, 2025, at the age of 83 years.

She was an unselfish, kind, brave, and sharing person, born in Bremen, Germany, on May 12, 1942. Her early childhood years were not easy, as they occurred during World War II. The Allies — England and the United States — were bombing her port city on the Weser River in northern Germany until late 1945.

Her parents were Herbert and Magdelena Janssen. After fathering Renate, Hildegard, Erika, and Marianne, Herbert was drafted into the German Army and shot down in a passenger/transport plane over Greece in 1943. Erika’s mother, Magdelena, remarried and had three more children: Heike, Elie, and Ilse, who still live in Bremen. Erika helped care for her younger sisters during those difficult times after World War II. The children collected metals and intact artifacts in the destroyed parts of their city, redeeming them for a few coins to help pay for precious food supplies.

Schools reopened after the war, and by the time Erika was 16, she was working as a caregiver for the children of German playwright Bertolt Brecht. She later became the head cook at a government-sponsored health recovery resort for sickly, malnourished, and health-challenged German children in Berchtesgaden, in the German Alps. Erika eventually returned to her native city of Bremen, found work, and began building a career as an office worker with a German defense contractor.

In the summer of 1965, the lives of Erika Janssen and Cpt. Gerry Tomczak, a U.S. Army officer stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany, changed forever when they met on a beach called Duhnen on the North Sea. That Gerry could speak German (learned courtesy of the U.S. Army) made a difference in their relationship, as Erika could not speak English. They spent many weekends together doing all the things that cost little — long nature walks, visiting small towns, historical sites, zoos, listening to music, and simply enjoying each other’s company.

In August 1966, Gerry received orders sending him to Vietnam. Nothing was settled between them except a promise to correspond. Gerry arrived in Vietnam in October 1966. In May 1967, Erika received a letter from Gerry telling her he was leaving the active Army in September 1967 and proposing marriage. Erika answered with one word: Ja.

Erika left her family and a potentially lucrative job in Bremen, Germany, and bravely came to Chicago knowing only Gerry. They were married in church on October 14, 1967, welcomed and celebrated by Gerry’s family.

After the wedding, Erika and Gerry traveled to Santa Barbara, where Gerry entered the Brooks Institute of Photography for training as a professional photographer. It was a hard, lonely time for Erika, with no nearby friends or family. Gerry worked long hours taking pictures, developing film, and printing photographs. The only bright spot was Erika watching lots of TV and rapidly learning English.

In the fall of 1968, Erika and Gerry returned to Chicago after their lease expired. In the interim, they traveled to Las Vegas, Death Valley, and San Francisco.

Erika thrived in Chicago. She grew close to Gerry’s family and became friends with a married woman from Germany who lived in the same high-rise apartment building. Gerry began a commercial photography business. Erika got a job as a filing clerk and part-time switchboard operator for Esquire Magazine; her English had become that good.

What bothered both Erika and Gerry was that, except when northerly winds blew off Lake Michigan, the city air was hard to breathe — gray and dirty. Even 50 miles away, you could see the gray dome hanging over the city.

They decided to buy a small photography studio in Cadillac, Michigan, a northern lower Michigan town of 11,000, and moved there in 1971. Erika and Gerry enjoyed success in their business of portraits, wedding pictures, and especially commercial/industrial photography for manufacturers in northern Michigan. Erika helped manage the studio and took several community college courses, particularly in accounting and marketing.

Around 1976, a general decline began in the manufacturing sector due to increased oil costs, which severely affected the Rust Belt states of the Midwest, especially Michigan. In December 1981, Wexford County, where Cadillac was located, had a 23.2% unemployment rate. Erika applied for a job at a local motel, resort, and golf course as a “night motel clerk with light bookkeeping duties.” Unsuccessful, Erika discovered that even CPAs had applied for the position.

In early 1982, Erika told Gerry to pack up and drive to California to sleep on the couch of a friend who had already moved there, until he found a job. California was booming due to the military defense buildup under President Ronald Reagan.

They closed the studio, and Gerry drove to California. He found a job running a store selling software for the popular new Apple II computer in Costa Mesa, Calif. Erika painted and prepared their house for sale. She contacted a broker and increased the commission to expedite the home sale in a slow market and cover the remaining mortgage. She sold as many possessions as possible, including their second car, to raise enough money to rent a U-Haul truck and make the move.

Neighbors helped load a large U-Haul with their remaining possessions. This included two small dogs, dearly loved by Erika — a medium poodle and a cockapoo — tranquilized and riding in the cab with Gerry’s mother, who had come to live with them. Erika drove 2,245.5 miles from Cadillac, MI to Costa Mesa, Calif.

The Tomczaks discovered a bright new world full of excitement, business activity, and construction when they arrived in California in the spring of 1982. Because Erika had mastered balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and payroll, she easily found a job as a full-charge bookkeeper with MBH Electronics, a small, busy PC board manufacturer. Gerry continued working in PC software sales until he started a job selling newspaper advertising for the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Unfortunately, by 1998, PC board manufacturing was being done much more cheaply in Asia than in the U.S. This put Erika’s well-paid job increasingly at risk. At the same time, newspaper readership and advertising began declining due to the internet and television, causing concern for Gerry. Erika endured a grueling commute between Corona in Riverside County and Santa Ana (where most jobs were). She faced a 2½-hour commute each morning and evening, and up to three hours on Friday evenings. Erika couldn’t find a comparable job closer to Corona.

In 2000, Gerry took Erika to visit a high school friend living in Eureka, hoping to relieve her commuting stress by relocating. Erika particularly appreciated the area and its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Gerry suggested moving there, but Erika insisted she didn’t want to live in the woods. They agreed to find a place in town. Gerry found a suitable home, and they moved to Eureka to be semi-retired in the summer of 2002.

Erika volunteered with the Timber Heritage Association and worked as an in-home caregiver until slowing down due to surgery and later knee damage from a fall. Erika and Gerry enjoyed visiting the local Pacific Ocean beaches, often letting their dogs run. In 2013, Erika traveled to Germany to visit family, and in 2018, two of her sisters visited the Tomczaks.

By early 2018, Erika showed signs of dementia and could no longer manage financial tasks accurately. Gerry underwent surgery in August 2019 and recovered well. Despite health challenges, they continued visiting the ocean regularly.

On January 31, 2025, Erika became seriously ill and was admitted to the Eureka Rehabilitation and Wellness Center on February 5, 2025. Gerry visited her almost daily for the next four months. When Erika’s health seriously declined, her treatment transitioned to comfort care on June 6. Erika passed away on the afternoon of Saturday, June 7, 2025, with Gerry at her bedside.

Erika is survived by her loving husband, Gerry Tomczak, and three sisters: Ilse Bossing, Elle Schulze, and Heike Schnelle. Friends are welcome to attend the scattering of her ashes from the Madaket on July 14, 2025. Meet at 1 C Street, Eureka, at 11 a.m. Flowers are optional. Following the send-off, all are welcome to enjoy food at Jack’s Seafood.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Erika Tomczak’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.