I would give them a D+. I’m very impressed they did NOT have the cigar event on the schedule this year. Whether it took place unofficially I did not hear.

There was some signage that the resorts and bar used, but I still had to approach at least a dozen people over the week with blatant disregard for the explicit signs that they were sometimes smoking immediately under. Most apologized to me, which I was not expecting.

Here is the pool at the West Sonoma Inn. Three VERY temporary signs (yellow) were there to tell people to only smoke in designated areas, but there were guys smoking on the edge of the pool all week. Some of them told me that they were told that smoking in the FIELDS was okay, so I had to point them to the one designated area, which is under redwood trees and on the premises. I do not believe this location is appropriate, but an accommodation, much like the one at the Triple R in the parking lot. Here is that “designated” area at West Sonoma Inn:

At the bonfires it was EVERYWHERE and while some of the guys tried to stay off the most crowded areas off the sides, but these assholes were smoking combustible commercial cigarettes at Ground Zero. Unbelievable. I guess next year I need to take far more footage and pictures to document better, but I was TRYING to enjoy my vacation.

The Woods, which had the most explicit signs that said “this entire property is smokefree,” had people smoking AT the pool right under the signs (until I confronted them), some of them went off to secret area between fences until I confronted them. One of them told me “it’s just a vape.” What is this? 2017? People actually staying at the resort were also observed by me (Room 4) to be smoking openly right in front of their doors. I guess it was repugnant for them to smoke in their own rooms against policy, but they wanted to share their passive smoke with every passerby.

Many of my friends were unfortunately some of these vapers. I told them the rules generally, but I did not want to be the constant bringer of bad news either.

One of the ironies is that a former heavy smoker friend of mine who now smokes a vape with zero milligrams of tobacco, miraculously, was at this booth. Notice that it raises money for Sonoma Health? Raising money for (gay men’s) health is, after all, the origin of the non-profit Lazy Bear Fund. I also feel that it should not be the responsibility of volunteers and board members to enforce the law in a town that obviously violates it 365 days a year. The onus should be on the resort and bar owners.

I did ask my friends who volunteered and I was assured that they had a STERN lecture to have people only smoke in designated areas, but no one was deputized to actually ask. I was in a long line to get into the Woods and I heard my volunteer friend ask everyone to not bring any glass into the pool area. I asked if he was reminding people that there is no smoking on the property at all and he sort of dismissed me that there were signs. I asked if they were reminding people to respect the signs and another friend of mine in line behind me said he would “rather breathe second hand smoke than step on glass in the pool.”

“Well guess what?” I said, “We can have both!”