By Judie Donaldson When I was 40, I did something that I wouldn’t have the courage to do today. I enrolled in a class for people who couldn’t sing, but wished they could. There were seven other crazy people like me who spent eight sessions together singing our hearts out. It would have been a […]
The A Cappella Handyman: (Pi)rSquared Club
(Pi)rSquared Club I entered the CEO’s Executive office answering an ad for a technical illustrator. I figured my break from the (Pi)rSquared Club was nearly complete and my portfolio of technical drawings I had done in my lifetime of six years of college was pretty impressive. I had no idea what they produced at this […]
ArchiTalk: The House on Thimble Island Bay
I recently traveled three thousand miles to visit a house that I knew only from a small black and white photo on page 260 of the “Field Guide to American Houses.” I did it to satisfy an impulse. It’s not a famous house, but, like every house in the guide, it does have enough architectural […]
Kathy Kerridge: Working toward a local safety ordinance to keep Benicians safe, informed
Benicia is the only city in Solano County that is home to a refinery – and the only Bay Area refinery city left unprotected by a local Industrial Safety Ordinance (ISO). Fortunately, the City of Benicia can learn from State and Contra Costa County expertise in order to develop and implement its own. The […]
Jim Lessenger: The continuing story of the Pine Lake Reservoir
The site of the former Pine Lake Reservoir, seen from the freeway to the right as one drives west on Highway 780, will remain as it is for the immediate future. That didn’t sit well with the Planning Commission on Nov. 9. Their questions indicated that the planned use for the vacant field is not […]
Benicia Letters Once More: The Drive-in
The following “letter” is part of the continuing series from the unpublished novel by James Garrett, “Benicia Letters Once More”. He does not plan to publish the book but instead is choosing to share the letters with the readers of the Benicia Herald. The letters continue the storyline of Garrett’s first novel “Benicia and Letters […]
A Different Drummer: See blues over blue seas
Anchors aweigh! The 2017 fall Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise around the Caribbean aboard Holland America’s luxurious Nieuw Amsterdam has launched from Fort Lauderdale and is on its way to the islands of Curaçao and Aruba on a seven-day, 70-musician extravaganza adventure. On board, besides 1,808 other blues fans from around the world and us […]
Voice of the Village: Do you want to age in place?
By Lois Requist About three years ago, when I was just getting into the village idea, I frequently heard the term “aging in place.” I even used it for a while. Not anymore. This term doesn’t sound like any activity is taking place, certainly nothing robust. When I think of how to use the rest […]
The A Cappella Handyman: Readers & Writers
A first order of business: a large Thank You to Georgia T. Benedict of Benicia for her positive response to my column of last week, “Mad Dog & Bozos.” It’s always a pleasure to hear that somebody appreciates reading my column. We are a small town and this is a limited edition newspaper, but we […]
Stan Houston: The corn oil maze
The adage “Liars use statistics but statistics never lie” and other axioms that emphasize the use of statistics to support an argument that contrasts with prevailing truths and often obfuscates the bigger picture is well at work these days. Get a load of Mazola’s newest ad campaign hitting print and television over the past month. […]