Rainy Thoughts Of Loss On A Sunday Night

The Game

The rain seemed very appropriate Sunday evening, as the Giants kicked the field goal that put an end to the 49er dreams of a Super Bowl this year. I love the rain – it inspires and motivates the dream side of our psyches, reminds us how necessary water is for life, and washes our cars at no extra cost. But it truly rained on our dreams of a Super Bowl parade this year. Not that it’s the end of the world, but it would have been cool to establish yet another football dynasty. I guess we’ll have to wait until next year.

A Musical Farewell

Football aside, the rain was appropriate as heaven’s tears for two lost musical giants this week as well – Etta James and Johnny Otis. Both of these early R&B pioneers were American musical icons, and deserve the kind of status reserved for the most revered artists in our society. But many people have never heard of Etta, though most have heard “At Last,” and even more know Otis only through his hit “Hand Jive.” Regardless, Martinez Patch removes its hat and bows in a moment of silence for the passing of these musical giants. May they live in our collective musical conscience forever.

The Weekend Happenings

As far as Martinez is concerned, this weekend was pretty great. On Saturday, a group of kids – include seven Martinez students – had their art displayed in the at Alhambra High. This competition is sponsored by the National PTA, and the students in this showing will be entered into the state competition. The theme was ‘Diversity,’ and the level of artistic skill and integrity was nothing short of remarkable. Tomorrow, all the Martinez entries will be on display in the mARTinez gallery, and will be there through Feb. 3.

Greta Mart, the reporter at the Martinez News Gazette, gave a talk about to the on Saturday. Mart interviewed him several years ago, and had the resulting story submitted into the Congressional Record by Congressman George Miller. Hornbeck was a truly great Martinez resident, and we owe him our eternal gratitude for negotiating the purchase of the vast majority of parkland we enjoy in the East Bay Regional Park District today. Without his efforts, we wouldn’t have Briones, Carquinez Shoreline, or most of Mt. Diablo available for public enjoyment.

Pondering the Marina's Fate

At last week’s Park, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission meeting, the future of the marina was discussed at length by two commissioners with two separate points of view. Commissioner John Fuller wants to see the marina taken out of the city’s hands all together and put under the aegis of a special district that would raise funds specifically for the facility. It’s an idea that just might catch on, given the rundown state of the facility now, and the lack of state support for any future repairs.

Commissioner Don Pollatta, on the other hand, thinks that it’s time for a bond to go before voters that would be aimed only at the marina. He believes that the success of Measure H (renovated library, new municipal pool, park renovations) has garnered enough confidence in voters to approve a bond for marina repairs. Under this plan, the city would continue to operate it.

It will be all eyes on the Marina Subcommittee of the City Council (Mayor Rob Schroder and Councilman Mark Ross) when they meet Jan. 26, to see if there is support at the council level for either idea.