Lorraine’s Lowdown: On a treasure hunt

Lumberjack, Carpenter, and Former Rodeo Bull Fighter Daniel Locatelli is as full of grit as those jobs suggest. He is also as tender as he is tough. While cutting down a few trees he’d been hired to fell, Daniel encountered a nest with three baby birds in it. With the enthusiastic consent of the property owner, Daniel used an especially quiet chain saw to delicately extract the limb, then propped it and the nest on a ladder in a nearby bush. The baby birds didn’t seem to mind the move, and their parents found them in short order. “Most of my friends laugh at me for carrying that electric chainsaw,” he says. Daniel is a big man with an even bigger heart…

Overheard at a Fountain in which tourists toss coins for good luck, and then work crews collect the shiny treasures from the fountain floor with a vacuum: “I would vacuum at home if my results were the same…”

Robin Longacre Has Found Treasures conducting estate sales and liquidations that have sometimes found their way into the movies. “It’s very fun that throughout the years I have been contacted by movie houses and theater prop managers to buy some of my clients’ items online that came out of simple homes here in Nevada County,” says Robin, owner of Longacre Flea Estate Sales (http://www.TheLongacreFlea.com). Among the items: an antique tin camping set to the TV show “The Blacklist,” a mid-century table to the British soap opera “EastEnders,” and lace collars and brooches to the Matthew McConaughey movie “The Free State of Jones…“

“My Clients Get Very Excited when their items end up in TV shows or movies,” adds Robin, who has been selling antiques, collectibles and art since 1998. “I have also sent grinding stones across the country to Native American museums and donated rare books to libraries, with the consent of the family of course. Sometimes leaving a legacy is more important than cash…”

Fish for Free. This year’s CA Department of Fish and Wildlife’s annual Free Fishing Days are scheduled for Saturday, July 3, and Saturday, Sept. 4. On those days, you can fish without a sport fishing license…

With 45 Years Rolling Down the Road, the Golden Empire Sams is the oldest RV club in NevCo. The group’s monthly outings, March through November, feature up to two dozen rigs converging on a different NorCal RV park for three to five days (http://www.GoldenEmpireSams.org). The fun-loving travelers enjoy potlucks, games, wine tasting, sight-seeing, raising money for worthy charities, and planning the next excursion. Their motto is “Prospecting for Fun,” and pets are welcome. The club is comprised primarily of retirees because they can travel during the week while others toil; the oldest member is 95 years young. President Milo Schmidt says, “Among our members, there are several hundred years of knowledge about motor homes, fifth wheels and trailers and how to maintain them…”

A Recent Golden Empire Sams After-dinner Program was a discussion about vital necessities for a safe RV trip. I crashed the party, and despite my newbie status, was surprised to realize I had many of the necessities. I turned to my new friend Geri Schmidt after we were asked if everyone had surge protectors. “What do you consider your most important devices to plug into your surge protector?” I asked Geri. “Coffee pot, of course. What else?” Husband Milo leaned over and quietly said, “We choose to protect our entire RV.” Seems there is a surge protector that you plug into the RV park’s electrical panel, and then plug your RV into that device so your RV’s electronics aren’t fried during power surges. Coffee pot, indeed…

Friends of the Nevada County Libraries will host their first book sale since the start of the pandemic: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 3, outdoors at the Doris Foley Historical Library, 211 N. Pine St. in NevCity (http://www.ncfol.org). Score bargains while supporting local libraries. Most hardback books cost $1 and paperbacks are 50 cents. Lots of children’s books, too. Friends’ book sales are held the first Saturday of every month, and indoor sales will resume next month. More info at friends@ncfol.org or 530-265-1407…

Prolific Author Richard Bannister has released “Mosquito Ridge,” the fifth book in his Megan Riley mystery thriller series. The character Megan Riley is a tough, young, mixed-race investigator who battles the establishment to expose and capture villains. Richard says he averages a new book every six months. “It takes a month to write the outline of the book,” explains Richard, “and a further two months for the first draft. I easily spend three or four hours a day working on each book, but it’s not all writing. In addition, I daydream about the diabolical things my characters might get into.” Using Adobe Photoshop, Richard even designs his own book covers. “Mosquito Ridge” is available from http://www.Amazon.com and http://www.BarnesAndNoble.com…

This Year’s Nevada County Country Club Junior Golf Camp was made possible by generous volunteer help from Dave Koslowski, Sherrie Rankin, Donna Carter, Bill Roach, Peter Carland, Jim Hunt, Cathy Fouyer, KC Ward, Josh McGovern, Phil Ritti, Dave Wisnia, George Hansen, Bob Alvarez, and Ted Schoppe. “It really does take a community to build something special,” says PGA Pro and Nevada County Country Club GM Kelly Runkle, who also extends above-and-beyond appreciation to Tyler Knight from Lake Wildwood and Jaden Owen, one of Kelly’s students. More than 50 youths enjoyed golfing and pro tips during the Junior Camp for three hours each day for three days. Kelly has four other short youth clinics scheduled next month that will cover putting, chipping, and other golf skills for a nominal fee. Contact him at 273- 6436 or Kelly@NevadaCountyGolf.com…

“Behind Every Great Man is a woman rolling her eyes.” – Jim Carrey (1962 – ) Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, and producer…

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