Back to the Mare Island hosts, Manny and Wendell.
Vallejo Gay Network Potluck July 2023
Monthly Archives: July 2023
Shelter Fundraising at Vallejo Yacht Club
Ravine Behind Wellfleet
Behind my home is a court, and behind that court is a eucalyptus forest of sorts, as one enters the ravine, which leads to the Benicia State Park adjacent to our Vallejo neighborhood. It’s a quick trip into the depths of the wild and a place I would have loved to venture into when I was a teen.
The purpose for going back was to make sure there was defensible space and clearance of brush up against some of the neighbors, which the City of Vallejo is responsible for clearing, especially since eucalyptus is incendiary and could cause major damage or tragedy if the trees die and collapse on a home.
This was a trigger to make sure the City of Vallejo did not neglect this part of its responsibility. Being President of Glen Cove Community Association this is something I am glad to be able to do on a volunteer basis.
Candidate Jackie Elward Chat
The United Democrats of Southern Solano had a great chat with Jackie Elward. Among other things, this was a very personal dialog where I shared a very personal story of my own that Jackie and I have dealt with — namely our biracial children being teased.
She starts talking about her son’s ideation from being bullied around 9:20 into the video and I get to respond to a few things that she said around the 30 minute mark.
Vallejo Seaweed Baseball – Glen Cove Day
Had a wonderful evening with the Vallejo Seaweed Baseball team at Wilson Park for “Glen Cove Day.” More pictures to come eventually on the galleries at Glencovevallejo.com. Many of the Glen Cove Community Association board members and other Vallejoans we know were there to support our local team against the team from Monterey (my dad’s hometown). Our VP Ralph Mariscal threw the first pitch.
Some pictures courtesy of Dina Morrison.
Pancake Breakfast at the Glen Cove Lodge
Attended with fellow Board members of GCCA and HSNB.
I wish I would have gotten pictures of Marina, Andrea, Neal, and Slater, but it was a great time as usual visiting this location down the hill where many seniors get memory care as residents. A lot of community outreach happens every month. Here are pictures of the entire crowd and one of Carlene, Shando, and me.
Kayaking – with Dogs!
I asked if we could bring our dogs after seeing someone with a paddle boat and her dog (which doesn’t even have edges) and they said, “Sure!” So we brought three of our seniors. To my surprise, Polar didn’t get much of a thrill out of it, and much preferred wandering around the grass where we have hiked before. Capulet (Cappy) was anxious when she saw me take off with the other two dogs, so I had her join Montague and me on the kayak by making the switch at the pier that Shando went to.
I was nervous I would drop my phone in the water when I took some selfies, but it was more important to capture the reactions of the dogs.
The video is in order from the launch and Shando’s perspectives as well as my own spliced in. I was not able to shoot video or take pictures while actively kayaking of course.
Fundraising for HSNB at Lucca’s Bar and Grill in Benicia
This popular dog-friendly restaurant in downtown Benicia was gracious enough to host us in their beer garden, giving 15% of all proceeds for the afternoon to Humane Society of the North Bay, the shelter where I volunteer as Treasurer with so many wonderful folks. Our President, Brenda Mooney, is at the microphone. We had a 50-50 raffle and an auction while taking donations also.
Timber the 18-year 2-month-old perseveres
This dog is gaslighting us again!
Description spoke in video.
She’s a Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix.
Our Friends Adopted Foster Ronaldo nka Rico
This is Ronaldo nka Rico when he was HSNB’s Pet of the Week! I love that he has ear-flop!
William and Carlos live right near us and found out that we were fostering a dog from the HSNB.org shelter that Shando and I volunteer with. We are so happy that Rico found a permanent home with them, especially since we’ll periodically get to watch young Rico grow with their family. This is what we call a foster success (because a foster “fail” is when we end up adopting a dog ourselves)!
Rico is an extra special case. The shelter was told after having a hard time reaching Rico’s guardians to remind them that he was due for a vaccine, that he had been struck and killed by a car. Then we got a call from the shelter in Sacramento when his microchip showed up! He came back to our shelter and I found out about it and asked to be an emergency foster.
What’s more, is that HSNB’s Cuddle Cub had Rico go around Vallejo to various senior living facilities and he was a hit. Not only that, he was at an adoption event that Shando and I attended this past February as you can see documented here on this website, and that is when we originally met him. So other volunteers at the shelter and I already had an established relationship with this little guy.
