Local trivia #1: You know that Humboldt’s first church was the little wooden shed on Tuluwat Island, directly across from the F Street dock? At least, that’s what I was told when I started kayaking the bay 20-odd years ago. And when I was more gullible than I like to think of myself now. Truth is, it was a fisherman’s shack for years, and one of the occupants passed the time by carving lifelike outlines of deer, leading visitors to think they were seeing genuine wildlife. At some point a church sign was, um, borrowed from a real church in Eureka and nailed to the shed, hence the fake news that I bought into. (The shed shack has seen many occupants over the years, including “Mr. Kinetic Sculpture” Hobart Brown and the Madaket’s Leroy Zerlang.)

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Me: What is “Growing Old Ungracefully”?

ChatGPT: “Growing old ungracefully” is a humorous phrase often used to describe the process of aging without conforming to societal expectations of how older people should behave or look. It suggests that as we age, we may become more outspoken, eccentric, or rebellious, rather than conforming to the stereotypical image of the quiet, docile elderly person. The phrase is often used in a lighthearted and self-deprecating way to acknowledge the changes that come with aging while also celebrating the freedom to be oneself and live life to the fullest, regardless of age.

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Dame Judi: I’ve no idea if this story is true, but having watched many interviews with her, I believe it. The eminent British actress Judi Dench was walking down Oxford Street in London rehearsing lines for her next play in her mind. She stepped off the curb without checking for traffic and a taxi had to stop abruptly to avoid hitting her. “Look where you’re going, cunt!” yelled the driver. She walked up to his window: “That’s Dame Cunt to you.”

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New Age gone nuts: I was at a conference years ago when the keynote speaker mentioned that, as we all knew, “Men are from Venus, women are from Mars,” obviously trying to get a rise out of the audience. Sure enough, a woman at the back yelled, “You’re wrong! Men are from Mars and women are from Venus!!!” Best moment of the whole conference.

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Going to hell: This clip of Lady Gaga walking past a crowd of protesters, one of whom yells, “You’re going to hell!” Gaga turns back, plants a full-mouth kiss on the woman and says, “And you’re coming with me!”

(You probably know that Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta’s stage name derives from Queen’s Radio Ga Ga.)

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Local trivia #2: The City of Eureka’s first public library opened in 1859. It was housed in rented quarters until 1904, when it moved into what is now the Morris Graves Museum of Art, the Chamber of Commerce having obtained a $20,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation three years earlier. The lovely octagonal structure was built by Ambrose Foster, who also constructed the Eagle House. Eureka’s was one of 2,509 public libraries funded by Carnegie.

Dollar bill: George Washington has graced the $1 bill “only” since 1869. The first version featured Civil War Secretary of the Treasury Salman P. Chase.

Have the best New Year ever!

Supermarkets were an unimagined dream far in the future when we were growing up in the late ’20s and early ’30s in Humboldt County, yet a family could be nearly self-sustaining with initiative and energy.

Each year, my father would bag at least two deer; usually Black Tails or Pacific Bucks in or around the local county, and sometimes he would go as far as Modoc County to obtain the Mule Tail Deer, which were much larger and meatier. From these prizes, we feasted first on the liver, which served with rashers of bacon and sauteed onions was considered a great delicacy. Then came the backstrap, which was similar to a very tender steak. Venison roasts made a festive Sunday dinner. Not to waste any part of the deer, mincemeat was made from the neck bones.

On very rare occasions, we would have a bear roast, usually given to us by some friend. This meat tasted remarkably like pork roast.

Roast duck was one of our favorite entrees. There were many and varied species of ducks flying Humboldt Bay, but the special ones to us were the Mallard Ducks, Canvas Backs and Teal. For Thanksgiving Dinner we either had ducks or a plump Canadian Goose. In the fall of the year, when the days began to get shorter, you could look up in the sky and see a gigantic “V” of Canadian Honkers flying south for the winter. If the wind were right and there was no fog, you could hear their honking and discern the leader heading the hegira to the south. It was with little effort and a great deal of enjoyment for the men of the family to provide the family with fat Canadian Geese, Brant or as many ducks as you cared to take. The meat of the geese was a dark, sweet meat, tender and tasty. Ducks, stuffed with a bread stuffing, roasted to a crackling brown on the outside and running with juices inside, was one of our special meals.

Our home soon became a haven of hospitality for visiting relatives and friends from as far away as Arizona, Oregon and Southern California, all enjoying the bounties of Humboldt County.

Salmon was one of the outstanding delights to all of us. When the salmon were running, you could stand on the banks of any of our local rivers — Klamath River, Trinity River, Eel River or even Humboldt Bay — and watch the salmon running up the river. It was similar to watching people going up escalators. Average salmon could be caught weighing 18 to 20 pounds. Men who worked on jobs near the bay would set their lines in the morning and when the work day was over, there would be a salmon hooked for their dinner. A large baked whole salmon was a feast fit for a king. The delicately pink salmon slices broiled or simmered in butter had a freshness and deliciousness long remembered.

There was another type of fish, which, when running, caused a stir of preparation. This was the surf fish, which, when spawning, came into the shallow surf and up onto the beaches of the ocean in squirming masses. They were easily scooped up in tri-cornered nets and soon sacks could be filled with these delicious small fish. The way we cooked them at home was to gut them, wash carefully, flour them and lay in large baking pans in single layers and bake until crispy brown with a delicate white meat. When the surf fish were running it was a signal for all the family and as many friends that could be recruited to head for the mouth of Redwood Creek, which is on the beach near Orick. To get to the beach, then, one had to take a toll road which led down the side of the mountain to the beach below. This was a straight up and down, narrow and winding road. A charge of twenty five cents a car was made. The road was so steep, we children would close our eyes and hang on for dear life to the inside of the car until the descent was made … and then what joys awaited us at the bottom! We would frolic in the sand, wade along the edge of the surf and find long kelp ropes to pull over the sand. After the men had completed their catch, we produced a bountiful picnic supper brought from home and everyone enjoyed good food and conversation around a campfire on the beach.

Crab was so abundant that it was no task to get as many as was needed. When we knew a group of relatives were coming, my mother would say to my brother, “I will need about twelve large crabs today.” He would ride out to the mouth of the Elk River, which was just north of Fields Landing and in the tidal pools there, which is just about where U.S. 101 runs now, it would be a simple task to use a rake, dipping into the pools and scoop out huge crabs, as many as you wanted. Then they were taken home, boiled outdoors in salt water, cooled and the meat was mouthwatering.

Also, in South Bay, in the channel just north of Fields Landing, when the tide was low, we would wade out in the black mud, with it oozing between our toes, and gather clams as large as a man’s fist known as Martha Washington Clams. These made delicious chowder with the white meat and delicate flavor. Then, this portion of Humboldt Bay was not polluted as it is today.

Another outing we enjoyed was to row across the channel of the Bay to the South Spit, where we would gather cockles, a small type of clam, wash them well in seawater and roast them in a bonfire when they were done. The shells would burst open and we would enjoy a succulent feast.

Meanwhile, the women of the household, including me, were busy picking berries. We went to the area which is now known as Valley West, just north of Arcata. It was one of our best wild blackberry patches. There is a large mill there now. We would find large, luscious, true wild blackberries. From these berries we made jam, jelly, cobblers and out-of-this-world blackberry pies. In those days, we did not have the hydrogenated, whipped cream-type shortening so popular today, but used plain lard from which my mother concocted tantalizing, tender pie crust. Chicken fat was used to make cookies.

Huckleberry season meant a jaunt over to Samoa Peninsula, near what is now known as Manila. On the ocean side, we would work our way through a labyrinth of vegetation, with bushes so high that underneath the vegetation were pathways with an arbor of growth over head. Through this maze, we would wend our way and find the most delicious and the largest, pea-sized huckleberries you could ever imagine. With their sweet, winy juiciness, they made excellent pies.

The frozen food industry was, as yet, unknown. As a consequence, everything was canned or smoked to preserve it. My mother canned venison, salmon, surf fish, mincemeat, jams, jellies, fruits, fruit sauces, vegetables and vegetable sauces. There was always a sourdough starter going, which many times boiled over just as surely as Mt. St. Helens boils her top today. From this starter came delicious high, fluffy sourdough pancakes and rolls. There was usually a pan simmering on the back of the stove into which odds and ends of milk were added. Soon it separated into curds and whey. We would pour off the whey, season the curds and have a nutritious cottage cheese.

Occasionally, we would be gifted with a quart of thick, white, sweet cream from which fat cream puffs, oozing with rich whipped cream, would result.

Acquaintances who raised bees would bring us a large square of natural beeswax honeycomb bulging witbh local clover honey. Nectar from the Gods!

On rare occasions, my Father would surprise me with the best delicacy of all — quail on toast! To see the beautiful little speckled birds with their proud top knot always reminded me of little Prussian soldiers and I could not be a party to the preparation, but with the round, white, plump breast ensconced on a piece of buttered toast, I could not resist the tempting dish.

As I stroll down the plastic aisles of today’s supermarkets and gaze upon the antiseptically packaged fast foods and products offered to us today, loaded with various and sundry additives, I marvel that we have not exploded or erupted like an atomic bomb!

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The story above was originally printed in the March-April 1981 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.

Jerry Nusbaum
Oct. 25, 1941 - Dec. 24, 2023

Jerry Wayne Nusbaum was born on October 25, 1941 in Elkhart, Indiana, a milling town which by the time the war started had become a Midwestern rail hub within hitchhiking distance to South Bend.

He grew up with his mom, Frances, a telephone operator, and his elder brother, Richard, in his grandfather’s house on Potawatomi Street with plenty of extended family nearby. A solid beginning.

After a stellar career in Catholic high school and some short but interesting retail jobs, he joined the Marine Corps as had Wayne, his father, who served in WWI. The Marines brought him to San Diego in 1959 to fix radios, and after his stateside tour ended in ’61, he visited his mom in Elkhart and then migrated back to California, first to San Francisco, where Richard was working, and eventually to Humboldt, to go to school where he could read as much as he liked.

At Humboldt he again excelled, earning a degree in English, a Green and Gold Key, some Who’s Hooey, and friends to last a lifetime. While there he dabbled in the theater, and was much appreciated for his steadfastness and willingness to take on any job.

Jerry had skills, habits of neatness and order, and plenty of nervous energy, so he always found work — interesting work where he could learn something or go some unusual place he’d never been. Baking, building, planting trees, restoring streams, checking IDs … work was work. And when he didn’t want to work, he didn’t. A job was a means to some other end probably found along a hiking trail or near a river or discovered while paddling the bay or taking a hard role in a challenging play.

Most consistently over the years were working as a carpenter for Bob Schultze, acting in dozens of local theater productions and stage managing a dozen more, and over two decades spending his winter months on the Farallon Islands off San Francisco, where he baked bread and counted birds and painted numbers on the backs of elephant seals. The Farallons are a special place, sitting as they do on the Continental shelf, and Jerry quickly picked up the way of the work there and gradually took on more responsibility. At one point he’d spent nearly 1,700 nights on the island, the third-highest of all time. He was tasked to hire and supervise the younger researchers who would come to work on the Island. Many talented young men and women got their start in field research when Jerry was hiring. They adored him.

Back at home in Arcata he danced at the Jambalaya, walked the marsh and the hill trails, went out in his boat, rehearsed a play, made some nice woman feel special and loved.

Every election when he was in town, he worked precinct 300110 (3A -7), where he stayed the course of democracy and visited with the folks who lived in his neighborhood.

Jerry said: “Never do for free what you do for money” and “There are only two important books, the one I’m reading now and the one I’ll read next.” He would talk with anyone about everything.

Jerry was a solitary soul who paid his own way, pulled his own weight, and was loved well and often — equal to the love he gave. His friendships are legendary, his correspondence voluminous, his five decades of journals an eloquent companion to his adventuresome travel thru the compelling landscapes of his life.

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Kathryn Renee Conlee (Syvertson)
Aug. 7, 1953 - Dec. 15, 2023

It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of Kathy Conlee, who died unexpectedly in her home on December 15, 2023.

It was apparent at a young age that she would have a great sense of humor. She loved telling jokes and making people laugh. She loved people and people loved her. She never had an enemy in this world. Kathy worked two jobs her entire life. First, at Eureka Fisheries and second, as a cook at the Village Pantry. She enjoyed bowling and gambling at the casino, and she loved traveling with her bowling team. She will be greatly missed by friends, family and all who loved her.

She is survived by her brothers Kenny and Ronald Syvertson, nieces and nephews Kody (Amber) Syvertson, Kandace (Adam) Davy, Pam (Greg) McCorkle, Robert Shaw, Terry Syvertson and numerous cousins and extended family. She is preceded in death by her husband Mark Conlee, mother and father Betty and George Syvertson, brother Greg Syvertson and sister-in-law Joan Syvertson.

Would you rather…

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Get ready to pay more on your electric bill. PG&E rates are going to jump by nearly 13 percent on Monday.

Last month, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved PG&E’s 2023-2026 General Rate Case (GRC), a proceeding that takes place every four years to evaluate the costs of operating and maintaining the utility system and determine whether PG&E is authorized to charge its customers more for its services. 

The average residential customer will pay about $384 more in 2024 for utilities to help PG&E  pay for “critical safety investments for its customers and hometowns.” That amounts to about $32.50 more per month.

“As part of the GRC, the CPUC approved placing 1,230 miles of power lines underground in PG&E’s highest fire-risk areas,” PG&E stated in a Nov. 16 news release. “Undergrounding is permanent risk reduction that eliminates nearly 98% of risk of wildfire ignition from electrical equipment, increases electric reliability by reducing the need for safety-related power shutoffs, and saves customers billions of dollars in reduced annual tree trimming and overhead line maintenance costs.”

The rate hike will be followed by a much smaller increase of $4.50 per month in 2025. Average bills are expected to decrease by about $8 per month in 2026.

Income-eligible customers should look into bill assistance through PG&E. The California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program provides a monthly discount of 20 percent or more on gas and electricity. The Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) program provides a monthly discount of 18 percent on electricity for households of three or more people. 

More information on the rate increase and additional resources can be found here.

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From the County of Humboldt:

Heads up Humboldt! The Humboldt County Planning & Building Department is working on making improvements to the digital permit application process. Upgrades to the process will take effect on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱

The Humboldt County Planning & Building Department began requiring permit application packages to be submitted digitally in 2023. This new requirement has met the department’s goals to streamline the permit application process for both staff and the community by reducing travel, in person waiting time, and costs to produce paper plans.

To ensure the continued success of the digital permit application process and provide more support to applicants, the Planning & Building Department has taken additional steps to make further improvements.

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀

Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, all permit applications, including building permits and planning permits, will be submitted directly to the county’s permit processing system.

Using the Accela Citizen Access Customer Portal, you can submit your digital pre-applications and pay the appropriate application fee or deposit online by credit card or e-check directly.

Additionally, contractors can obtain instant building permits online for all “over the counter” permits without having to visit the department in person.

Access the Accela Customer Portal here: https://aca-prod.accela.com/humboldt/Default.aspx

To learn more on how to use Accela and find support resources, please visit the county’s Online Permit Management webpage: https://humboldtgov.org/3159/Permitting

Community members who are unable to submit a digital application should email planningbuilding@co.humboldt.ca.us or call 707-445-7245 for assistance.