Category: random

Reno 2011 — Last week a top Nevada state Legislature lawyer said it was okay for three state lawmakers to take overseas trips last year at the expense of an Internet poker company.   Legislative Counsel Brenda Erdoes says she told state Senate Democratic Majority Leader Steven Horsford and Assembly members Kelvin Atkinson of North Las Vegas and William Horne of Las Vegas that the trips paid for by PokerStars were permissible.

Erdoes says that’s because online poker is becoming a legislative issue. Horne chairs the Assembly Judiciary Committee and introduced Assembly Bill 258 to let the Nevada Gaming Commission adopt online poker regulations.

Shortly thereafter, a Nevada legislative panel amended and approved the bill that paving the way for Internet gambling. An amended version of AB258 directs the Nevada Gaming Commission to begin drafting rules to regulate online poker, but stipulates that Internet gambling would not be implemented until sanctioned by Congress or the Justice Department.

Then three days later it’s learned that the owners of three Internet poker companies are facing federal charges.  Federal prosecutors filed charges against the owners of Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and PokerStars for allegedly violating U.S. anti-Internet gambling laws.

Now State Senator Greg Brower has called for an investigation into the political activities of one of three Internet gambling companies. He is questioning overseas-based PokerStars’ presence in Nevada because of its political action committee’s giving out of $272,000 in campaign contributions to state official’s last year.
   
According to PokerStar’s records — the following elected officials and candidates received PAC money:

Gov. Brian Sandoval $10,000
Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki $3,000  
Secretary of State Ross Miller $5,000  
Treasurer Kate Marshall   $2,000 
Assembly Speaker John Oceguera $30,000
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford $37,500 and a trip to Nassau, Bahamas
Assemblyman William Horne $7,500 and a trip to London, England.
Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson  $5,000 and a trip to London, England.
Pete Goicoechea $14,000
Debbie Smith $12,500
Marcus Conklin $12,500
Marilyn Kirkpatrick $7,500
Joe Hardy $5,000
Ben Kieckhefer $5,000
James Settelmeyer $5,000
Mike McGinness $5,000
David Bobzien $4,000
Tick Segerblom $3,000
April Mastroluca $3,000
Lynn Stewart $3,000
Barbara Cegavske $3,000
Mark Manendo $2,500
Mo Denis $2,500
Ruben Kihuen $2,500
Tom Grady $2,500
John Hambrick $2,000
Olivia Diaz $2,000
Peggy Pierce $2,000
Marilyn Dondero Loop $2,000
Jason Frierson $2,000
Maggie Carlton $2,000
Richard Carillo $2,000
Steven Brooks $2,000
Lucy Flores $2,000
Irene Bustamante-Adams $2,000
Skip Daly $2,000
Cresent Hardy $2,000
Melissa Woodbury $2,000
Pat Hickey $2,000
Joe Hogan $1,500
Teresa Benitez-Thompson $1,500
Randy Kirner $1,500
John Ellison $1,500
Richard McArthur $1,000
Harvey Munford $1,000
Dina Neal $1,000
James Ohrenschall $1,000
Elliot Anderson $1,000
Paul Aizley $1,000
Pete Livermore $1,000
Don Gustavson $1,000
Ed Goedhart $500
Former Nevada gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid $10,000

Only Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and Nevada State Controller Kim Wallin are the state’s two constitutional officers who did not receive campaign contributions. Of current lawmakers — 16 did not receive money from the PAC:  Scott Hammond, Ira Hansen, Kelly Kite, Mark Sherwood, Shirley Breeden, Bill Raggio, Greg Brower, Allison Copening, Elizabeth Halseth, John Lee, Sheila Leslie, David Parks, Dean Rhoads, Michael Roberson, Mike Schneider and Valerie Wiener.

(As of April 20, 2011 — all candidates and elected officials in the state of Nevada, have stated they shall return the contibutions given to them.)

UNR President Milton Glick was having dinner at a restaurant with his wife Peggy when he suffered a massive stroke, later dying at a Reno-area hospital. Glick, a one-time chemistry professor and former executive vice-president and provost at the University of Arizona, became UNR’s 15th president.

The news article was typical, run-of-the-mill stuff. It’s what I couldn’t report — that I believe was the real story concerning Milt Glick.

I was looking around trying to figure out “who this Glick character was,” expecting to see folks fawning over a particular person — while next to me stood a slight man, who was also wearing a nice felt topper.

“Nice hat,” he said to me.

I responded, “Thanks, you’re wearing a nice cover yourself — though I think it’s a bit warm for felt today.”

He smiled, “I was jus’ thinking — it’s nice, cool day.”

The comment gave me pause, “So where are you from that it might be warmer than this?”

“Arizona,” he answered.

“You’ve come a long way jus’ to attend an installation ceremony at a university,” I responded.

“Yeah,” he replied, “But I sort of felt I had to.”

Wrinkling my forehead slightly, I asked, “Why?”

“Well, because I’m the guy they’re installing,” he answered, perfectly straight-faced.

I almost swallowed my tongue as he held out his hand and said, “I’m Milt Glick,” with a chuckle.

This is how I’ll always remember Milt:  a quiet demeanor, a sense of humor, and a solid handshake.

The photograph I have was taken sometime prior to 1922. I know that because the woman in it, my Great-grandmother Jennie Mae Babcock, died that year.

The man with her is my Great-father George Washington Hufford. He died in 1950 and  is considered a pioneer having been one of the first white-men to settle in Humboldt County.

His story — much of the early Hufford family story can be found in the book: The History of Humboldt County. I’ve only seen this tome once and that was a Humboldt County Fair held in Ferndale back in 1980.

And while much covers Great-grandpa’s history — very little is known about Great-grandma Jennie Mae. What is known is that she was born in the Redding area and that her folks came from Missouri and Arkansas.

She died “officially” from a brain-tumor as it is stated on her death certificate. However there is another version of her death that still circulates through the family.

Great-grandma Jennie was murdered. Family members — including my Grandma Leola told me that it is believed she was struck in the head with a bed-stead by one of her own children — and later found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs inside their home.

George Hufford, Jr. was around 13-years old at the time and is supposed to be the one who bashed her in the head. He is also reported to have turned up with a gold coin or two that his mother wore in a small purse around her neck.

Grandma Leola told how he ended up going to prison in Ohio later in life. And that is where he is supposed to have died — Great-grandpa George having paid to have his body shipped home for burial in the family plot.

I’ve only seen a picture of my Great-uncle George and that was in class photo that currently resides at the Fortuna Depot Museum in Rohner Park.

However, when I was 14-years-old, I was outside with some kids who lived in Great-grandpa’s old home — one of the girls invited inside to have a look at the blood stain that was hidden under a throw-rug at the base of the steps. She was pretty proud to announce — in the way kid’s will sometimes do — that “an old woman died on the spot.”

I told her I already knew, but said nothing about the spirit I had seen five years earlier in her home.

Rancho San Rafael Park is located to the northwest of the university in Reno. Kyle and I used to go there every once in a while and visit the water and animal park.

One of the highlights for Kyle, I do believe, was going to the playground — where he’d play for hours.  He especially liked the dinosaurs and the sand-covered fossils that are available to play on.

At the time, he wore his black cowboy hat and boots everywhere he went. And when he climbed up on the back of ol’ T-Rex — I knew that big lizard was gonna to be plum’ gentled to the touch — once Kyle was done with him.

The rodeo had come to town and I was working for KIIQ radio — pronounced KICK. We were the new country music station in town and had landed much of the coverage rights to the big show.

For my part, I played station co-host to the VIP party and then the meet-and-greet held with the rodeo’s Grand Marshall’s Mel Tillis and Roy Clark. Prior to the meet-and-greet, my co-host Cody Travis and I posed for our official photograph of the event.

The flash from the camera startled the horse Mr. Clark was seated on and it jumped sideways. When it landed — its left hind hoof came down on my right foot.

Not a happy moment in my life.

There is a 19-story Cross located next to Interstate 40 (formerly U.S. Route 66.)  This free-standing Cross can be seen from about twenty miles away on the Texas plain and surrounding its base are life-sized statues of the Stations of the Cross.

Kyle and I were driving across Texas, en route to Tulsa to drop off his step-brother Tim, when it appeared in the distance. The three of us — knowing it might be a long while before we had a chance to see this road-side attraction again — decided to stop.

As I recall, there are 13 bronze castings of Christ as He makes His way to His crucifixion — including one when he’s removed. It is a remarkable visual story being told — all without words.

But for me — the most powerful — and perhaps the most frightening statue is of the Roman guard driving home a nail through the palm and wrist of  Jesus. While the sculpture as a whole caught my eye at first glance– it was the shadow on the ground which drew my attention.

It —  for me — underscores John 3:16 : “For God so loved the world, that gave his only begotten Son.”

It was breezy and a bit chilly when we started down the path to the second, and larger of the two lighthouses along the Mendocino Coastline. I was feeling somewhat disappointed that the weather was not cooperating with the three of us and our little weekend vacation.

We trooped on anyway — making it out to the Point Arena Lighthouse. At 115 feet, it’s the tallest lighthouse on the West coast. It’s also the closest location on the mainland to Honolulu, Hawaii.

The first European mention Point Arena was Spaniard Bartolomé Ferrelo in 1543. He named it Cabo de Fortunas, which is Spanish for “cape of fortunes.”

The cape was renamed to Punta Delgado or narrow point in 1775 by lieutenant Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, commander of the schooner Sonora. He and his ship were  part of a royal expedition chartered by the government of Mexico to map the north coast of Alta California. 

Later the point was called Barra de Arena (i.e. sandbar) and finally Point Arena, which literally translates to “sand point.”  The first post office opened in 1858, originally called Punta Arenas — it was renamed Point Arena in 1889 and by 1908, a town by the same name had incorporated itself.

Even Kyle — who generally doesn’t like heights — climbed up and enjoyed the view from the “gallery.”

They are jus’ a mile or so north of DeMartins Beach, along Highway 101. They are known locally as “The Devil’s Footsteps.”

I have no idea where the name came from or why, unfortunately — but vaguely suspect it is from the area’s Native Americans — who used to reside along the rocky coastline — and somehow screwed up by later settlers.

As a kid, I used to climb all over these rocks. There are several areas in and around them in which natural caves occur and that’s what drew me to them when I was younger.

Kyle and I stopped to walk up and down that section of the beach and so I could talk some pictures and tell him about some of my childhood experience. Little did I know — we were about to have an experience of our own.

I was walking ahead of Kyle — leading the way — when he says, “You simply disappeared.”

Kyle was right — I had jus’ taken a photo of the group of rocks when I lost my balance, then my footing and dropped over six feet to the jagged rocks below. While I managed to protect my camera — I failed to protect myself — breaking several ribs on the left side of my chest wall.

Unable to pick myself up — and had Kyle not been there — I’m pretty sure I would have washed out to sea with the next high tide.  Thanks, Kyle!

It was a “boy’s weekend,” meaning Kyle and I were on the road enjoying ourselves. We decided to stop so I could talk a few pictures of a herd of elk resting in a pasture area jus’ of Highway 101.

That’s where Kyle made friends with a juvenile horse. I had jus’ snapped their picture and turned my attention to the pasture, when I heard Kyle say, “Dad.”

I continued focusing on the elk, when I heard him — a little more insistent this time say, “Dad!” 

Looking over at him and I saw the horse had a hold of his pants in the front area. Poor Kyle had one hand on the fence post and the other on the barbed wire fence — bracing himself from being pulled onto the barbs.

Quickly, I rushed over a slapped the animal across his snout –whereupon he let go of Kyle. It was perhaps the first time I had ever really heard Kyle drop the “f-bomb” as he took off around a nearby out-building to see if the beast had grabbed him by “the brush or his handle.”

He came back less than a minute later, “Damn horse…now I have a bald spot!”

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens are located on 47 acres and offers everything from colorful floral displays to crashing waves. The weather makes it a garden worth visiting year-round. It includes formal gardens, a coastal pine forest, native flora and habitats, fern-covered canyons, camellias, rhododendrons, magnolias and conifers, heaths and heathers, and coastal bluffs overlooking the ocean.

In fact one travel brochure I read called the gardens “a jewel on the Pacific Coast.”

The gardens were created in 1961 by retired nurseryman named Ernest Schoefer.  The Grand Opening of the Gardens was in 1966. By 1992, the Gardens had been purchased with grants from the California Coastal Conservancy and transferred to the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District.

Inside the gardens are trails and vistas, unlike any I had hiked on or to, and well worth the cost of admission. They also come with convient places to sit and rest a spell if you need to do so — which is how I happened upon this seat in the middle of a conifer forest and surrounded by ferns.