From the pages of the Del Norte Triplicate, January 1960.

Crescent City’s disaster of Sunday, Dec. 27, 1959, when the tugboat Celilo exploded and caught fire, might well have been of major proportion had it not been for the quick action and actual heroism of two men.

Keith Richcreek, skipper of the fishing boat Neva D, boarded his boat and went immediately to the rescue of the men aboard the tug.

Chief Everett Burke of the Coast Guard cutter stationed in the harbor and his crew were credited with checking at least three fires aboard the gasoline-laden barge and on one occasion brought their cutter within 30 feet of the burning tug in an effort to halt the fires and then towed the still-burning tug out of the harbor.

Father of Jared Allen is a 1973 Del Norte grad

As we approach this weekend’s NFC championship football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints, I can't help but look back and think how excited one of the all-time Warrior and Vikings fans —Archie Gargaetes — would have been to see his beloved Vikings in the championship game.

It would have been even more exciting when he realized that there is a Warrior — Viking connection.

Jared Allen, the all-pro defensive end for the Vikings is the son of former Warrior athlete Ron Allen. Ron is a 1973 graduate of Del Norte High School.

The early returns were encouraging.

A little after 4 p.m., folks were filling up Bay Studios, photographer Bryant Anderson reported upon his return from there. Shortly after 5, he headed over to the courthouse, where a throng of people were enjoying a reception honoring the artists chosen for the annual Juried Multimedia Exhibit. He was a little late getting there, because by then the lobby of The Triplicate had gotten busy as well.

Is Crescent City ready for an Art Walk of the sort so many other communities enjoy on a regular basis? On Friday evening, people were voting with their visits, filling up seven venues downtown and three more in the harbor. By 6 p.m., you could’ve called the election.

I live a second life in Farmville. In the evenings and on weekends I am an enthusiastic farmer with three dairy houses, a chicken coop and acres of fruits and vegetables. I’ve been reluctant to admit my addiction to virtual farming, fearing your ridicule. But recently I heard that more than 73 million people farm like me including my neighbor across H Street. She’s now my Farmville neighbor, too. 

If you’re not familiar with Farmville (FV), it’s a Facebook application that allows you to cultivate a plot of ground into a farm that blossoms on your computer screen. You can plant crops, acquire farm animals, collect trees, barns, tractors, yard art, etc. Seeds purchased with virtual gold coins are harvested for more coins. Coins give you buying power for more stuff, like in real life. And you can even earn ribbons (like at the fair) for achievements (harvest 25,000 crops and earn a blue ribbon for “Cream of the Crop”; harvest 5,000 trees and the “Knock on Wood” ribbon is yours).

I gave us both a mental pep talk as I approached Lily with the shopping cart. For a car, she has a remarkable ability to look dubious and concerned. She had reason; she’s been through this before. The shopping cart is the perfect height for a person 6 feet tall and has wheels that cause it to surge away in unexpected directions like a small child that sees a bright toy.

It’s virtually impossible to get any leverage while standing on tiptoe. Getting heavy, slithery things without handles out of a container that has high sides and rolls unpredictably is a challenge for short folks. Lily hates dents inflicted by runaway carts, which is why she hid two aisles away from where I’d left her, behind a big pickup with bellowing beasts chained in the back.