This is another story about the traditions and culture of rural America, our home, the North Coast, Del Norte County. It’s about hardy souls who have chosen to venture out in good weather and bad to do best in what is in their heart and souls to support themselves and their families.

Most of all, it’s about Lance Duey.

My father Wes became a commercial fisherman after he retired as an iron worker and welder back in the early 1970s. I helped him build the Sea Otter, which is now set up on the southeast corner of Anchor Way. I pass by it proudly each time that I drive to Whaler Island or to eat at the Chart Room. He mainly fished for salmon during the summer and also fished for bottom fish at other times. He loved the ocean and what it provided for him.

Every time I see former Warrior Justin Clifton, exciting memories come flooding back.

Justin played both football and basketball while at Del Norte. In his senior year he was an outstanding tight end for the Warriors. His athletic ability and excellent hands made him a great target for quarterback Flynt Pierce.

Flynt is the younger brother of Buck Pierce, who now plays professionally in Canada, and like his brother was an excellent quarterback.

While Justin was good on the gridiron, he was even better on the basketball court. He was part of the 2002 team that won the Humboldt Del Norte League and then went on to win the Warriors first-ever North Coast Section basketball championship.

Those Warrior fans that traveled to Santa Rosa to watch Del Norte play Piner High School will never forget the exciting comeback the Warriors made under the coaching of  Kirk Burrows and Dale Thomas to win the championship.

Gitlin's intolerance will not work well in county

I would like to comment on the candidacy of Roger Gitlin for a seat on the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors.

I want to thank Lorenza Lopez for her letter to the Triplicate (“More examples of Gitlin’s radicalism,” Oct. 11) and for doing the research I was too lazy to do. I have confirmed her web reference.

Have you ever had to apply for food stamps to help feed your family? Have you ever had to apply for Medi-Cal (Medicaid) so your family could receive necessary health care? Have you ever had to live on unemployment for an extended period because you could not find work?

Have you ever applied for a Pell Grant so you could afford to attend college? Do you receive veterans’ benefits because your military service left you with a physical or mental disability? Do you want these benefits to be available to family or friends in case they need them?

Local anglers took advantage of the rain and fished the main stem of the Smith River while it was high enough to bust the low-flow closure. But the flashy Smith drops quickly, forcing anglers to fish below the mouth of Rowdy Creek until the next showers.

Klamath salmon can still be found in great numbers far upriver with a lengthy drive, but salmon in the lower Klamath River has slowed down greatly. Steelhead, however, are just getting started. 

Smith River

Hordes of salmon are waiting for the right time to migrate up the Smith River and spawn. And while they wait dozens of anglers from boat and bank have been fishing the area below the mouth of Rowdy Creek, which remains open during low flow closure. 

As Del Norte pivots from the dry season to the wet, it’s good to stop for a moment, take a breath and consider the auspicious nature of right now.

Right now our faces are wet and our backs are still dry as we advance into the long stretch of the year when dry days are as scant as sunny days in summer.

In Crescent City, the past summer was generally a little drier and a little cooler than normal. June was the only month to have even as much as a week’s worth of clear days (nine — July had only three). 

It certainly felt cloudier than normal, but excursions to the river were an excellent remedy for the gray. Hot times were had, and now they’re sweet memories stored away like fruit canned in syrup for winter. 

Call this the fact-check that shouldn’t have been.

The Triplicate’s election season protocol calls for me to see political advertisements in advance, not to censure sentiment but to ferret out false information – before it gets into print.

Generally some rewording does the trick.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen with an ad for supervisor candidate Leslie McNamer last week. It carried this statement about her opponent:

“According to Roger Gitlin, 50 percent of Del Norte County are: ‘Moochers, leeches, and victims.’”

That’s an inaccurate reference to what Gitlin wrote in an opinion piece posted last December in the Santa Clarita Valley’s West Ranch Beacon. His actual words were:

DA should be disbarred

Here are excerpts from a letter we wrote to the State Bar in support of disbarment of Jon Alexander: 

We have witnessed Mr. Alexander since his campaign and throughout his career as the district attorney of Del Norte County. 

During his campaign, we witnessed several inappropriate actions. But since he has become the DA, we find his actions highly inappropriate and feel the Bar should be aware of those actions.

Mr. Alexander is purely out for his self-promotion. He has brought shame, disgrace and embarrassment upon the justice system and this small community. His letters to the editor, his grandstanding, are all self-serving.

I suspect that it’s because I played for the Warriors a long time ago and also coached the Warriors in recent years that I have been asked so often recently how I feel about the controversy regarding the Warrior head as the Del Norte mascot.

I have always had great respect for our Native Americans. When I competed for Del Norte I had a number of Native American teammates, but I never thought of them as Native American teammates. They were just teammates.

I also have had and still do have many friends of Native American descent, but they are not my Native American friends, they are just my friends.

As I look back at the Warrior head I see it as a symbol of pride and courage, characteristics we all strived to acheive.

Hypocritical of Gitlin
to call Dems leeches 

Thank you for printing supervisor candidate Roger Gitlin’s enlightening revelation that leeches, moochers, victims and entitlement-seekers form the voting base of the Democratic Party.

Wow; who knew? All those leeches who own stock in oil companies receiving government subsidies are Democrats? And every moocher who ranches or farms and receives government cash and/or grazing/water subsidies is a Democrat as well?

What about the victims who have government-insured mortgages and/or savings accounts; Demos too, you say?