As of June 20^th of this year fire had burned 630,886 acres in California and firefighting agencies had fought 1,781 fires and contained 1,458.  Every day we awake to news of new fires, old fires jumping fire lines and, mercifully, of some infernos being stopped in their blazing tracks.   Fire is unpredictable and scary.  For those of us who live in Dry Creek it is also a very real ‘clear and present’ danger.  Just ask anyone who lived here in the early 70’s when fire raced down West Dry Creek.  It can happen again if we aren’t smart and careful. 

Donna Schaffer came to Dry Creek Valley 17 years ago, refugee from an intense career in advertising in Silicon Valley working particularly for Apple Computer and Intel. She served as Director on the Board of the Dry Creek Valley Association until a few years ago, and during her tenure she created and maintained our first website.

 Donna brought with her from the ad agency a strong bent for graphics, and has been leaning in that direction ever since. Her passion is oil painting, her focus is on two subjects: scuba diving and the finny world, and pastoral landscapes around her beloved home that is now Dry Creek Valley.

by Mary Ann Mayo

“I want you to know that I’ve always used my head for more than holding up my hair,” Angelina declared, having told me how she escaped near decapitation on a run-away horse that was determined to barrel through a barn door never built for a mounted rider. Without the aid of a bridle or saddle she gripped the horse’s mane while tightening her legs around its flanks and with the ease of a practiced Indian warrior slipped to the raging horse’s side, a move that saved that head to be used for many another day.  At 90, there is not much Angelina doesn’t recall about her years in Dry Creek, her work at the Healdsburg Food Pantry, or what is going on politically not only nationally but in the chambers of Healdsburg City Hall. 

Warren Rossiter

Funny how things snowball. I was doing some background research on Laura Bartolozzi, recently departed, and discovered another loss to our community: Warren Rossiter passed away early in May. I remember Warren from our involvement on the first Board of the DCVA when Susan and I arrived in the Valley in 1973 and 1974. We were a bit wet behind the ears, but quickly picked up rumblings of unease over potential urban and suburban growth around our charming cow town that Healdsburg was then.

I spoke with Chris Haugsten who served with Warren on the first Board of Directors and he told me the initial impetus to organize was the possibility of a service station coming into the valley. How times have changed! Chris and Warren and a newcomer David Stare, who had just started Dry Creek Vineyard, met at the local library to figure out what to do to get "some kind of control". The Dry Creek Valley Association ensued. Seems innocent enough, this nascent effort to counter the threat of building up the valley, but it evidently raised some hackles and the founders decided it would be prudent not to take a position on the plans for Warm Springs Dam. Ever since then controversy has been the meat of the Association: should we or should we not take sides in some issue or campaign?

Warren and Chris, good friends and fellow candidates for County Supervisor at different times, collaborated on the DCVA's first newsletter called the "Expostulator".  I have never seen a copy of that and would hope that some of you might have copies of early issues. Remembering the mood of the first Board I suspect it was provocative.