A bog on Hwy. 101, about a mile south of old town Bandon, was in the process of being flooded and the berries harvested. I drove past, but, despite being anxious to get to my destination, I made a U-turn and parked next to the action.

I watched a man pull a ring full of the last of the berries toward a vacuum chute that sucked the berries up – water and all – into the bed of a truck. The bed was sloped so the water could run out while the bright red berries remained in the truck.

I arrived when the harvest was basically over. They shut off the equipment and the three men prepared to depart. I realized my window of opportunity was closing fast. “Sir?” I shouted boldly addressing the oldest man in the group who seemed to be in charge. “Sir, could I buy some cranberries from you?”

The man responded with directions to a farm up Morrison Road off Hwy. 42 that had a cleaning machine and sold clean berries.

What nerve! Now we have to reposition our spotting scope!

In fact, it was a favorite parking spot of a Triplicate reporter until we started laying down the smack talk. He informed us, quite accurately, that he was enjoying a public viewpoint. And he went so far as to point out that we could go upstairs if we wanted an uninhibited angle on the sea.

Then he quit parking there.

We didn’t feel guilty. We usually have a wave and a smile for folks who happen to look inland and notice us in the window. If we’re already in the front yard, friendly chats sometimes ensue. Often the visitors are from far away and have just happened upon Pebble Beach Drive, despite the lack of signage leading to one of Crescent City’s signature attractions.

And occasionally, they’re having a peak experience like catching a full-blown sunset over the Pacific with stately Castle Rock in attendance.

How could we begrudge people this kind of beauty, even if they are parked in front of the house? Then again, if they just pulled forward about 10 feet …

The annual Thanksgiving Day dinner was a highlight in the lives of the enrollees of Company 5478, Civilian Conservation Corps at Camp Gasquet as an elaborate spread of turkey and all the trimmings was served to the 150 young men and officers at the camp.

Arriving at Gasquet about two years ago, the company, originally organized in 1936, has aided in organizing and reconditioning the territory surrounding this district. In the three years that the company has been in existence, it has contained from time to time members from every state in Dixie, with only a few members actually from California.

Digging wells