Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report

I was glad to read a front-page article in The Union this morning featuring outstanding local photographer Kial James, who is being honored by the Nevada City Chamber in January. We are big supporters of Kial and often use his work in our magazine, the latest example being the cover of the current issue.

The article mentioned our relationship with Kial (a gracious gesture), except that the copy editor didn’t proofread the article closely enough before it was published, so it reads “Sierra FoodWin-eArt” instead of “Sierra FoodWineArt” — the proper name of this publication when we acquired it around a decade ago.

Newspaper copy desks typically read photocopied “page proofs” of the daily edition before it goes to print, and that’s where mistakes like these are found and corrected. In this case changing the word “including” to “such as” would have shorted the line, so the proper name (in this case, our magazine) should have aligned correctly in the newspaper. Otherwise some more “wordsmithing” (such as shortening “numerous” to “many”) might be needed, so that “Sierra FoodWineArt” showed up on a single line (see below).

There are a lot of gritty details in copy editing, that’s for sure. More details on this problem —  “how to best break a word at the end of a line of text” — is here.

 

” Markets plummeted Tuesday, with the Dow closing down nearly 800 points, or 3.10%,” as Barron’s is reporting. “The S&P 500 dropped 3.24%, and the Nasdaq lost 3.80%. Monday’s trade-linked rally now seems a distant memory. As trade jitters resurfaced, Treasury debt narrowed—raising fears that the yield curve could invert, signaling a recession. Markets will be closed Wednesday to honor the passing of President George H.W. Bush. “

We  are longtime fans of Labrador Retrievers. Our first lab when were married was Gretchen, a yellow lab who died in 2008 (“You were our first ‘child,’ a ‘counselor’ to us on occasion, and a constant reminder why a dog is a man’s best friend,” I wrote at the time). Now we have Whiskey, a “fox red” lab who has traveled with us all over, including sailboat camping at Lake Tahoe, and who fetches the New York Times daily.

Labs are world famous for their companionship. America’s VetDogs placed a specially trained service dog with former President George H.W. Bush. Sully, a 2-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever, was specifically matched to provide support and companionship to Bush in his daily activities, as VetDogs reported this past summer.

“Sully is named after former airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, who became famous for landing a damaged passenger jet on the Hudson River in 2009. Sully the dog was raised and trained through the VetDogs prison puppy program, in which inmates raise future service dogs until the dog is about 15 months old.

“America’s VetDogs trains and places guide dogs for individuals who are blind or have low vision; hearing dogs for those who have lost their hearing later in life; service dogs for those with other physical disabilities; physical and occupational therapy dogs to aid in the rehabilitation process in military and VA hospitals, and PTSD service dogs to help mitigate the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.”

On Sunday night, Bush family spokesman Jim McGrath honored the service dog who accompanied George H.W. Bush during the former president’s final months. “Mission complete,” McGrath tweeted, showing Sully the dog. Sully’s Instagram page showed the same photo.

Former President George W. Bush  “regrammed” the photo on his own Instagram, stating: “As much as our family is going to miss this dog, we’re comforted to know he’ll bring the same joy to his new home, Walter Reed,” the military hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

The schools I graduated from (Cal Berkeley for undergrad school, and Northwestern for grad school) are in college bowl games. Neither are renowned for their football programs, so it’s a treat. I’m also looking forward to seeing Iowa State, where one of my nephews was the quarterback in 2011-12, in a bowl game.

Alamo Bowl, Dec. 28
Big 12 vs. Pac-12 — San Antonio, Texas
No. 13 Washington State vs. No. 24 Iowa State

Holiday Bowl, Dec. 31
Big Ten vs. Pac-12 — San Diego, California
No. 17 Utah vs. No. 22 Northwestern

Cheez-It Bowl, Dec. 26
Big 12 vs. Pac-12 — Phoenix, Arizona
TCU vs. Cal

Northwestern has this wonderful new athletic facility in Evanston. On Wednesday, August 1, the school dedicated the transformational Walter Athletics Center on the north end of the Evanston campus. The new hub for daily student-athlete experience is a state-of-the-art development center with breathtaking views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline.

This is a screen grab of the view out the front door of our cabin on Lake Tahoe’s West Shore this morning: Bluebird skies and fresh snow.

It looks like about a foot at lake level, the first measurable snowfall of the season. And more snow is expected this week! (The “Cal” and California State flag on the big tree managed to remain protected, but the Weber Kettle barbecue in the foreground has a foot of snow on top of it. It is time to bring out the shovels.) A short video is HERE.

The ski resorts are opening:

(Source: Google)

We were glad to renew our “Encore Club” membership to The Center for the Arts for #GivingTuesday. And our cash donation was matched by TheEventHelper.com.

As publishers of Sierra FoodWineArt (in print and online) and longtime performing arts patrons, we are big believers in supporting the arts and culture scene in the Sierra Foothills and Truckee-Tahoe.

We are excited about The Center’s $4.3 million renovation project.

Coupled with recent achievements such as the Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District joining a statewide initiative (thanks to Eliza Tudor and the Nevada County Arts Council), this multimillion-dollar project in Downtown Grass Valley will be a cultural — and economic — engine for our region, including surrounding shops, restaurants, hotels and B&Bs.

Julie Gerngross Baker laid the groundwork for The Center’s success, and Amber Jo Manuel is continuing the effort. Jon Blinder has been a longtime leader too. You can read about some of our arts and culture “rainmakers” in our current issue.

This week’s fundraiser at The Center was a success too. “Together on this #GivingTuesday we raised $10,400 for the arts, $10,000 of which will be generously matched by TheEventHelper.com Your gifts on #GivingTuesday make the arts accessible to everyone in our community,” The Center reported.

“Come see what your generosity supports by attending our FREE Family Fun Day this Saturday, December 1st, at the Grass Valley Elks Lodge! 10am-2pm. 109 S. School Street, Grass Valley.”

“George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, was a steadfast force on the international stage for decades, from his stint as an envoy to Beijing to his eight years as vice president and his one term as commander in chief from 1989 to 1993,” as the Washington Post is reporting.

“The last veteran of World War II to serve as president, he was a consummate public servant and a statesman who helped guide the nation and the world out of a four-decade Cold War that had carried the threat of nuclear annihilation.

“His death, at 94 on Nov. 30 also marked the passing of an era.”

The link is here.