“I’ve had a vision, And you know I’m strong and holy, I must do what I’ve been told.”
— The Story of Isaac, Leonard Cohen

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Sometime in my teens, I dropped out of the Christian faith. Not that there was a lot to drop out of — the only time my family went to church was when my “Chapel” Welsh granddad visited, at which time my sister and I were instructed to pretend that this was a regular part of our lives. And this being the UK, we were taught “divinity” as a weekly class at my school in southeast England, the country being officially Anglican. (If it was good enough for the country, it was good enough for our grammar school.)

The first crack in my belief, as I recall, was regarding the Virgin Birth. According to the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Mary was unknowingly impregnated by God. I wasn’t a feminist, of course — this was in the 1950s — but I knew enough about sexual politics to think of it as, essentially, rape. If the Immaculate Conception was promoted as something sweet and wonderful and cause for celebration, I wanted no part of it.

The second crack, and probably the point of no return for me, was when I learned the story of Isaac: God tells Abraham to offer his only son Isaac (Abraham’s wife Sarah originally having had trouble conceiving) as an offering. Isaac is bound — the episode is known as the Aquedah, or binding — and Abraham is about to cut his son’s throat when an angel appears, telling him, lol!, it’s just a test. Miraculously, a ram appears out of nowhere, to be sacrificed in lieu of Isaac. If that doesn’t turn anyone off the God of the Old Testament and the Torah, they have a stronger stomach than mine.

Years later, I read German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) on the topic. (Kant, by the way, may have been the first to propose that the Milky Way was one of many “island universes,” a point of view only confirmed two centuries later.) That’s when I realized why I felt so strongly about the Aquedah story. I had been upset at a putative God who put one of his chosen ones to the test, persuading Abraham to sacrifice his son to prove his faith. Kant, however, pointed out that getting pissed at God was the wrong approach. WTF was Abraham doing anyway, believing some strange voice from the heavens? Kant writes, “Abraham should have said to this supposed divine voice: that I am not to kill my beloved son is quite certain; that you who appear to me as God, I am not certain, nor can I ever be, even if the voice thunders from the sky.” (From The Disputes between the Philosophical and Theological Faculties.)

Amen to that, so to speak. It’s probably the oldest defense ever used in a court of law, “God told me to do it.” (For a few examples, check out this.) Murder’s murder, whatever the motive, and Abraham’s near miss was as premeditated and cold-blooded as you can come up with. And no one’s buying the “God defense,” as far as my limited research shows. (I spoke too soon — here’s a crazy pastor with half a million followers who tells his flock, Murder’s OK if God told you to do it. Weird stuff going around this days.)

Lennie Cohen still speaks to me from beyond the grave. Bless his big and kindly heart, whose voice began as polished sand in his first record (1967, Songs of Leonard Cohen) and ended as broken-glass with his last (posthumous) album Thanks for the Dance. In 1968, he recorded an anti-war protest song The Story of Isaac. The lyrics follow the story in Genesis Chapter 22 from the point of view of nine-year-old Isaac: …So he started up the mountain/I was running, he was walking/And his axe was made of gold…

Fifty-five years later, Cohen’s words to the war-makers of today, You, who build these altars now/To sacrifice these children?/You must not do it anymore… seem rather naive and idealistic. Or am I missing something important?

“Yo soy El Hombre Torcido.”

“I am the Crooked Man,” says Marco Alvarez, full-time line cook and part-time busker.

Busking, otherwise known as street performance, is Alvarez’ outlet for expression and his survival skill. Dressed in an outfit that cost him $29 at our local thrift stores, you would not be able to tell that he recently came out of homelessness.

“I only like dressing nice cuz a year and a half ago I didn’t have that luxury,” Alvarez said. “It was cheap, but if you look like you know what the fuck you’re doing, people will think that too.”

He toys with a ring he found on the ground when he was 16 years old and talks about everything without mincing words. He proudly presents himself for what he is.

Honest.

Originally from San Diego, it was a best friend that brought Alvarez to Humboldt County two years ago. He describes it as a storybook town for people with an imagination. But before long, one of his cousins died and he had to travel back for the funeral. While mourning, he had a falling out with his mother and she attempted to run him over with her car. He took this to heart and realized that his family was unreliable and ended up homeless in San Diego.

That is when he decided to return to Humboldt County. But before leaving, he met a man named Richard. Richard made a video of Alvarez in one of the public transit trolleys in San Diego. It was a place of nostalgia, heartbreak, and loneliness for Alvarez. Making the video was a new beginning for his music but the end of his time in his hometown. He sings three songs ending with “Ripped Pants” from the Spongebob SquarePants TV show.

Busking was his ticket up the coast. He traveled from town to town with the mentality “I’ll sleep on the floor and I’ll feed myself” until he made it back in May of last year.

His first couple months back were discouraging. He played the ukulele at the Gazebo in Old Town. His friends told him that no one busks here and he was not going to make any money.

“Exactly! No one busks here so, I will!” Alvarez said.

He learned the nuances of busking from other buskers. He left with two important pieces to the artform. Let’s call them rules of busking:

1. Get attention by offering something for people to interact with that is not you.
2. Perform near a source of revenue.

With these two rules, Alvarez chose to be right outside Livin’ the Dream Ice Cream and uses chalk as a means to draw your attention. He invites you to draw with it or play hopscotch all while he plays the soundtrack for your moment in time.

Eventually, Alvarez’ busking earned him enough to buy a guitar amp at Mantova’s Two Street Music.

“I needed something better, something portable so I can reach more people,” Alvarez said.

He has been singing since he was 17 years old but he sounds like he has been doing it for a lifetime. As it turns out, singing is part of his family history, but they reject it. His grandfather, uncle, mom and dad all sing but they hide it. As a matter of fact, they discourage it.

“My tio Juan starts singing at my grandma’s funeral in Mexico,” Alvarez said. “I heard him sing and I thought why don’t we do more of that!?”

This was the turning point for him to start singing and, in teenage fashion, to rebel.

His singing voice is filled with sharp exhales and lots of movement. It is somehow nostalgic but it is hard to pinpoint. In some ways, he sounds like Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta and Geoff Ricky of Thursday are sharing a microphone. Throw in a little bit of Shakira’s fluctuation then make it acoustic and we have El Hombre Torcido.

Regardless of any inspiration, intentional or not, maybe he is the first of his kind.

Each compliment and dollar he earned physically manifested into notes that he keeps in his pocket.

One is on a torn piece of paper that reads, “Thank you for your music! It’s just what I needed today to feel a little freer. You sing so generously. You don’t hold back any heart. I hope you keep playing always. Happy Journeying.”

Another came from a girl with blue hair who left him a note inscribed on a dollar bill, “Beautiful Voice! Made sitting in the cold worth it.”

Busking started it all but he’s aiming for more. He is now in two local bands and last month he had his first two shows with each. He played at Blondies in Arcata with Crash Monroe and at The Logger Bar with Don Quixote De La Mancha.

Crash Monroe fulfills his need for hardcore throat work — or, to put it plainly, it allows him to scream. The band takes care of the instrumental aspects and Alvarez writes and sings their lyrics. Whereas, Don Quixote De La Mancha is more personal and where Alvarez primarily sings in Spanish.

“Because I sing in English and Spanish, there’s always a few who really see you and appreciate you.” Alvarez said. “There is a power to my voice and I want to learn to master it.”

Alvarez has tons of anecdotes of his interactions with people all over California. But there is one in particular that will not leave him. When he first began busking in Old Town, there was an old homeless woman always sleeping in front of Eureka Books. She would listen to him until one day she decided to approach Alvarez as he was packing up.

She pulls out 60 dollars from her pocket and hands it to Alvarez. He would not accept her money but she insisted on paying him for his music. After a while she stopped showing up.

A year later, he was approached by a woman using a walker and she said, “You don’t remember me but I was homeless and listened to you. I’m not homeless anymore.”

That type of resiliency is what Alvarez preaches in his music and when you talk to him. His plan now is to make a name for himself in Humboldt County and beyond, while also continuing to busk with no end in sight.

Shawn was released from his pain after a long fight with Cholangiocarcinoma (liver cancer) on Thursday night, Jan. 26, 2023.

Shawn passed surrounded by the love and support of family and friends with special words from his beloved daughter Sierra, who meant the world to him.

Shawn was born in Eureka on April 11, 1975. After a short but honorable service as a United States Marine, Shawn followed his father’s footsteps into the trades - and thanks to his mentor Dennis Fitze, became the “jack of all trades” his family and friends knew him to be.

Shawn, ever the skeptic, was relentless in pursuit of truth and fact. He was always quick to point out when someone wasn’t being logical or rational, but he saw all perspectives, and respected everyone’s feelings. Shawn was always the first one to volunteer to help a friend, and stubbornly the last one to ask his friends for help. 

The brightest light, and greatest love of Shawn’s life, his daughter Sierra Schlegel, came into the world in 2010.  Shawn and Sierra were inseparable as they cared for each other, went on long walks on “stinky beach,” rode bikes, camped and hiked in the Sierras. 

Shawn was preceded in death by his grandparents Gertrude & George E. ll Schlegel, Jeannie & Sherman Newstrom, multiple aunts and uncles, and his dog, Sassy.

Shawn is survived by his daughter Sierra Schlegel, dog Bella, father George Schlegel, sister Sherri Schlegel, nephews Justin and Cody Gerfen, uncle Sherman Newstrom, and countless cousins and friends.

The family asks that anyone wishing to express their love for Shawn donate to the Cholangiocarcinoma foundation at Cholangiocarcinoma.org.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Shawn Schlegel’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Larry David Bartley
May 27, 1950 – Jan. 23, 2023

Our Dad, Dave, passed away on January 23, 2023, due to complications from heart failure.

Dad was born on May 27, 1950, in Pikeville, Kentucky, to Elmer and Emma Bartley. They moved to Humboldt County when he was a senior in high school, and at the age of 18 he went to work for Louisiana Pacific, starting first in Big Lagoon and then Samoa. He worked in Samoa until the sawmill closed, and upon its closure he transferred to the Ukiah location. He stayed at this location until he eventually retired after 50 years in the timber industry. Dad loved being a millwright and prided himself on being able to fix just about anything.

After retiring, Dad moved back to McKinleyville to be closer to family, as family was the most important thing to him. He has left us all with so many wonderful memories, from family vacations with all our cousins, to smaller, more intimate memories with just us. We were blessed with a wonderful father, and our children, a wonderful papa. He has five grandchildren and a great-grandchild, and he loved them all, but he really had a special bond with his youngest granddaughter Emmalyn, who he affectionately called “Emmalou.” Dad was a very generous man and never missed an opportunity to help someone out or offer some advice. He lived his life to the fullest, which is evidenced by the fact that every person he knew has an interesting story to tell about him. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Dad is preceded in death by his parents Elmer and Emma Bartley, brothers Danny and Bill Bartley, son David Bartley, granddaughter Emaleya Winkelman, and nephew Mike Bartley.

He is survived by his children Becky (Helene) Aldrich, Shawn Bartley, Leigha (Becky) Bartley, and Patricia (Matt) Winkelman; grandchildren Derek, Jonathan, Kobe, Gianna, and Emmalyn; great granddaughter Karter Mae; nephews and nieces Danny (Monica), Nina (Jimmy), James, Debbie (Andy), and Ronnie (Meredith).

Graveside services will be held February 4, 2023, at 12 p.m. at Greenwood Cemetery in Arcata. A celebration of life will immediately follow at Arcata Veterans Hall at 1 p.m.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Larry Bartley’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Catherine Ann Lay
Aug. 8, 1937 – Dec. 24, 2022

Catherine Ann Conroy was born to Elmer and Lela Conroy in Memphis Tennessee on August 8, 1937, and passed away December 24, 2022, in Eureka at the age of 85. She and husband, Roy Lay, who was born in Kiowa Oklahoma, married and had three children, Jill, Jody and Jonathan.

Cathy was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on January 30, 1960, and remained faithful for the rest of her life. She was preceded in death by her son Jonathan, her husband Roy in 2008 and her daughter Jill in 2012.

She is survived by her daughter Jody from Redding, her grandchildren Brian and Sarah Hutchinson and her great grandchildren, Tyler Reed, Chance, Cayden, John Jr., Damon, Dillon, Cierra, Levi, Britton, Lucy and Aimee.

Cathy was a kind and gentle soul and will always be remembered by her love for others and her ability to deal with any situation with dignity and grace. We would like to thank the staff of Granada Rehabilitation and Wellness Center for taking care of Cathy in her final years.

Cathy was a steadfast and loyal integrity keeper, and she lived with the hope found in the Bible Book of Revelation, chapter 21 verses 3 and 4, where it says: With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them. And He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Cathy Lay’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

HUMBOLDT TODAY: Another earthquake — which reminds us that Humboldt has been declared a disaster and you may be entitled to benefits. Also, the latest on Redway residents water woes, weekend happenings and more on today’s newscast with John Kennedy O’Connor.

FURTHER READING: 

• Facing a Collapsed Economy and a Wave of Nonpayment, Redway Community Services District Starts Shutting Off Water to Customers
• THANKS, WINTER STORMS! Due to the Devastation Wrought Upon Humboldt County During the Recent Rains, You Now Have Until May 15 to File Your Taxes
• FRIDAY LOWDOWN: The Elephant Man! Brandie Posey! Barn Dance! More!
• EARTHQUAKE! 3.7M Earthquake 3 Kilometers Southeast of Fortuna

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More than 20 years after Caltrans established the “safety corridor” between Arcata and Eureka, lowering the speed limit and installing digital “Your Speed” signs as a temporary fix aimed at reducing deadly collisions, construction is nearly set to begin on the final components of a wholesale redesign of this section of Hwy. 101.

On Thursday, Watsonville-based construction company Granite announced that it has been awarded the $46 million contract for the project, which entails the construction of an undercrossing at Indianola cutoff, a traffic signal on 101 north at Airport Boulevard and closure of the median openings at Mid-City Motor World, Bracut Industrial Park and the Bayside cutoff.

The new design elements along this six-mile stretch of roadway will eliminate many of the dangerous traffic crossings, which have resulted in numerous fatal collisions. Two of the intersections — those at Mid-City Motor World and Indianola Cutoff — had more than double the state average rate of serious collisions (those resulting in serious injury or death), before the safety corridor was implemented.

Once the new project is completed — expected by the end of 2025 — Indianola Cutoff will be extended to run underneath a newly constructed bridge, with north- and southbound traffic passing overhead. The freeway will have a slight incline as it approaches this undercrossing from either direction.

Caltrans Project Manager Jeffrey Pimentel said the design of the Indianola interchange has been updated to include a connection with the Humboldt Bay Trail, which is expected to be complete by next summer. 

Closure of the median openings elsewhere will force drivers to take some longer routes. For example, anyone leaving Mid-City Motor World for destinations to the south will first have to turn north onto 101 and head to the Indianola undercrossing to reach the southbound lanes.

Similarly, drivers will be no longer be able to make lefthand turns from the Bayside cutoff to Hwy. 101 south, a maneuver that requires a dangerous acceleration across the two lanes of speeding traffic on 101 north. Instead they’ll need to head south to Indianola or north to Arcata to reach the southbound freeway.

The traffic signal at Airport Boulevard will only affect northbound traffic (it’s called a “half-signal”). It will turn red to allow southbound cars to safely make the left turn across 101 north to access Airport Boulevard and the various businesses along Jacobs Avenue.

In public meetings, Caltrans officials and public safety advocates have argued that the minor inconvenience of these re-routes and stoppages are a small price to pay for fewer traffic deaths. 

The California Coastal Commission approved the project in 2019 only after adding some conditions, including more proactive planning for sea-level rise.

In a phone conversation Friday, Pimentel said the project has design includes a feature known as a seat-type abutment for the Indianola undercrossing. 

With this design, Pimentel said, “we’re able to facilitate raising the structure into the future if we need to for sea-level rise without having to reconstruct it [entirely].”

The Coastal Commission is also requiring Caltrans to develop a comprehensive adaptation implementation plan for this stretch of 101, and Pimentel said the agency is working with various local stakeholders to develop strategies for the various sections. The plan must be completed by 2025.

Other safety-enhancing project elements have already been completed. These include a cable median barrier, lengthened acceleration and deceleration lanes, newly constructed bridges over Jacoby Creek and Gannon Slough and replacement of old tide gates along Humboldt Bay.

The total project cost for this next portion of work comes to about $51.4 million, including some items furnished by the state, Pimentel said. 

“The department is just excited to hit this milestone,” he said. Caltrans is working on a public outreach plan to inform the public about project updates and what to expect during construction. In the meantime, Pimentel suggested keeping tabs on the Caltrans District 1 Facebook page and website.