Small Town Newspapers

The Brookdale Lodge Gets its Dean

Julie Horner
Iconic James Dean mural at the Brookdale Lodge nears completion this Valentine’s Day, 2018. San Lorenzo Valley eagerly anticipates the art installation and the imminent reopening of the historic Brookdale Lodge.
By Mari A. Porter
WOW! The new mural is in progress! According to Monterey County based artist, John Cerney, the 20-foot tall, hand painted James Dean mural cut-out will be completed in a couple of days!
John emailed to say that the final panel for James Dean is nearly finished! I can’t wait to see it all together on the wall! How exciting for those who live in the SLV area – not to mention the rest of the Lodge fans!
Lodge owner, Pravin Patel, had a very daunting task finding the right artist to create the new James Dean for the Brookdale Lodge. I mean honestly, we had many interested and very, very talented artists apply to take on this large task, which would evoke much scrutiny if not done well or if it was lacking in any way.
When I inquired how he was chosen John said, “I was right here all along! Pravin found me by driving by a couple of James Dean murals I had done on Highway 46, at Blackwell’s Corner…the last place Dean stopped before the car crash that killed him.”
John Cerney’s giant cut-out mural installations can be seen alongside the highways of California and the Midwest. John’s work has also been featured in numerous magazines, books, and newspapers over the years, including National Geographic, Sunset Magazine, Reader’s Digest, and the New York Times.
And what’s great about this cut-out is no worries about it being painted over because it is an attachment to the building as opposed to literally being painted on the building. He really put a lot of thought and care into this. We are all so thrilled!
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John Cerney’s James Dean by Maryanne Porter Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters / Haunted Tours

The Brookdale Lodge is slated to re-open in 2018, maybe as early as this spring – they’re definitely hustling to get it done.
Thank you, Mr. Patel for being so diligent in your choice of artist. What a beautiful rendition of James Dean soon to be added to the wall of the Brookdale Lodge – a start of a new history for all to enjoy for generations to come!
See John Cerney’s murals: http://www.johncerneymurals.com/
Maryanne Porter curates Brookdale Lodge Mysteries Explored and owns Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters/Haunted Tours:
www.facebook.com/groups/14003595335…
Photos by Maryanne Porter Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters / Haunted Tours
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John Cerney’s James Dean by Maryanne Porter Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters / Haunted Tours

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John Cerney’s James Dean by Maryanne Porter Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters / Haunted Tours

Copyright 2018 Julie Horner for the San Lorenzo Valley Post

See also:

The Brookdale Inn on the Road to Resurrection

Boulder Creek Brewery Switches Hitches

Julie Horner

Locals Set Adrift Without “The Fishbowl” and Times Together at the Boulder Creek Brewery Outpost

By Julie Horner

On March 29th, 2015 the well-loved Boulder Creek Brewery was gutted by fire. The building remains, an empty shell, at 13040 Highway 9, the epicenter of Boulder Creek. A “For Sale” sign tacked to the façade has signaled the end of an era for months now. They’re not going to rebuild.

Moving to Boulder Creek from Ben Lomond some years ago, refuge and solace was found after tedious upheaval, boxes and belongings, with a late-night plate and a velvety pint. Relative newbies to town at the time, Mo was quick to put us at ease: “No sleep ‘til Brookdale!” he pretend-screamed into an imaginary mic, putting a local twist to the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep till Brooklyn” and setting the scene for life in our new digs. Hell yes, we could stagger home on foot, and all would be right with the world! What a find, Boulder Creek and its Brewery!

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Home of original on-site brews such as Dragon’s Breath IPA and Redwood Amber Ale, the Brewery was a hub for wonderful food and good times for local characters and travelers through. After the fire, which is believed to have been sparked by an electrical wiring failure, the heartbeat of a small mountain town was silenced for a few breathless, unbelieving months. The day after the fire, neighbors wandered down in a daze to stand outside the building squinting up at the morning light pouring through where the roof used to be. The brand-new awnings and “Boulder Creek Brewery” sign remained intact as if nothing had happened.

For regulars, the ghostly absence of colorful family friendly community gathered together over a solid meal and a tasty pint was deafening. Rarely has an off-the-hook burger, locally brewed beers on tap, and a catch-up on current gossip (and the wedge-cut fries) been more sorely missed.

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Time heals and the spirit of a mountain town always prevails. A stroke of good fortune after bad allowed the business to move sideways and kitty-corner one block to the just-vacated Boulder Creek Music storefront under the I.O.O.F Hall at 152 Forest Street. For the better part of two years, the Boulder Creek Brewery Outpost kept the vibe alive with locals and visitors alike, stirring up small bites in a clever ‘kitchen-in-a-pinch’ and pouring exceptional guest taps. The lifeblood of a small town again found its course, and on most evenings “The Fishbowl,” as the seating area at the front of the establishment became known, would be bubbling with smiling faces, tall tales, and uproarious laughter.

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And seasons have turned again. The note taped to a late September window reads: “Nancy’s next chapter coming soon. I will be moving down the road a ways to open Boulder Creek Roadside Café. This will be in the old Burger 9 location. I look forward to having a real kitchen again. Hope to see everyone there. Thank you all for your support.”

Boulder Creek Roadside Café is expected to open its doors in December just a short jaunt north of downtown at 15520 Highway 9, across from Garrahan Park and near the Mountain Store. A hungry, thirsty mountain town anticipates slipping comfortably back into the familiar sharing the day’s travels over exceptional brews and sinking teeth into the best burgers in the county! Stay tuned: www.facebook.com/bouldercreekbrewery

Copyright 2017 Julie Horner for the San Lorenzo Valley Post

https://www.facebook.com/San-Lorenzo-Valley-Post-107557427361672/

Photos by SLV Steve and Julie Horner

Associated story: https://slvpost.com/a-life-so-lush

Santa Cruz Mountain Locals Ready for Renaissance!

Julie Horner 1 Comment

By Julie Horner

The Northern California Renaissance Faire celebrates its 50th year and 14th season at Casa de Fruta in Hollister. SLV locals eagerly anticipate the run of Faire, many returning year-after-year to perform and make merry in groups such as Dance Macabre, The Naughty Minstrels, and Barley Bane. Wondrous potters, Dan and Laurie Hennig, and Jennifer and Iver Hennig have been selling their fine wares at Faire for decades. And there are those who simply come for the revelry and grandeur of ancient times with bodices cinched tight and drinking vessels filled to brimming with ice cold ale!

The Beckers at Ren Faire

Quinn, Laurie, and Mark Becker, Boulder Creek

The Family That Role-plays Together…Now Has Weapons!

“The Nor Cal Ren Faire has become a family affair for Quinn, Laurie, and Mark! They can blame that on the Hennig families for roping them into portraying a family in the movie, Play Faire, a coming of age story filmed at the Renaissance Faire. Since then, they’ve donned costumes and played faire every year.” – Laurie Becker

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Lori Suzanne Holetz, Boulder Creek

Pirates Invade NorCal Ren!

“Having participated in Renaissance Faire for over 25 years, it always remains brilliant with abundant spectacle. Stepping into this mystical world of magic offers a feast for the senses, in a timeless land of fair play and frolicking fun, away from the everyday world. Year after year it is hard to resist, a place where dreams really do come true, Faire always makes for a most splendid day of discovery and treasure to be sure….arrrrrrrgh, matie!” – Lori Suzanne Holetz

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Judi Davis, Boulder Creek

Mermaids, Merriment and Music

“An annual late-summer treat, my sister, niece, and I have made the journey together to the NorCal Renaissance Faire as a family to flirt and frolic among the ribboned and ribald. Handsome knights and be-bodiced maidens abound and the ‘real world’ melts away…” – Julie Horner

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Julie Horner of Boulder Creek with Jane and Meg Mulcaster of San Jose

Join your neighbors and bring the family to the NorCal Ren Faire, weekends September 16th through October 15th, 2017 ~ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (free Celtic rock concert Saturday night)

Casa De Fruta
Pacheco Pass, HWY 152
10031 Pacheco Pass Hwy
Hollister, CA

Tickets: www.norcalrenfaire.com

Read more about Dan and Laurie Hennig’s fyne pottery: https://santacruzmountainslocal.com/2015/07/14/time-out-of-sequence-hennig-studios-and-camp-climax-pottery/

Copyright 2017 Julie Horner for the San Lorenzo Valley Post

https://www.facebook.com/San-Lorenzo-Valley-Post-107557427361672/

Divining the Creative Ripple

Julie Horner

Local music artist explores the many moods of nature, synthesized

By Julie Horner

Waves of vividly evolving earth impressions dance inside closed eyelids. At times, fluidly womb-like, the tonally suggestive near-silence of floating in space or being submerged in amniotic suppleness gives way to the rumble of thunder, a taste of nourishing rain, ebulliently flowing streams, and the pulse of the ocean’s tide. In the mind’s eye and in the heart, there is a very real feeling of resting one’s head upon the bosom of the earth. All is released, unclenched, and the spirit is at ease.

Sapphire Oceans is a single one-hour track representing a complete hydrological cycle with music and sounds of nature. Composed by Felton musician and Mountain Spirit co-owner, Josh Kunkel, this original composition washes away the relentless press of the day’s needs.

“The music begins with a storm-burst, then focuses in on a single drop of rain. The raindrops pool together, forming a stream, which flows down to the ocean shore. After playing in the waves, the music plunges below the surface, descending deeper and deeper, past the reach of the sun’s rays, until a place of profound mystery and silence is reached. Rising to the surface again, the journey ends as we hear the sound of waves crashing and birds chirping on the shore. The sounds of rain and thunder make themselves present in the background, reminding us that the cycle will renew itself again and again.”

The sounds began in nature. “We have recorded stream, ocean, and water sounds at dozens of different locations from Malibu to Mendocino,” Kunkel says.

After he produced the field recordings, he wrote several instrumental sections, performed over multiple sessions, to develop layers of expression and to add color to the track. “Techniques drawn from Impressionist and classical music have been used to render the natural sounds of water on acoustic instruments. Tempo devices such as ritardando, accelerando, and tempo rubato convey the rising and falling movements of the waves, and instrumental portamento effects like harp glissandos and timpani roll pedal glissandos evoke the shimmer of sunlight on the water and the rumbling crash of the ocean breaking up on the shoreline.”

The album is produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Kunkel at West Park Avenue Studios. The recording intertwines the sounds of nature with adept use of advanced technical know-how. Kunkel describes the process: “Never-before-heard new timbres have been created by fusing the sound of acoustic orchestra instruments with cutting-edge, avant-garde, forward-looking sound synthesis, resulting in clean, clear, sparkling tessellated electronic textures utilizing the Elka Synthex, EMS VCS3 and Synthi AKS, Oberheim OB-X, and Roland Juno 60.”

An extra set of ears on a project can be revealing. “At a certain point in the project, David Streit, who has worked with everyone from Johnny Cash and Dave Brubeck to GZA and Cliff Richard, had come on board to help me engineer and mix. That is an invaluable contribution that I’ll always appreciate,” says Kunkel.

Like a natural mountain spring, Kunkel’s project trickled and transformed over time. “Sapphire Oceans had just spontaneously grown; it had just taken on a life of its own. Like it had needed to be born, to well up and burst through into existence, and I had just been the channel for it. It is like the quote from the Hindu holy book, the Chandogya Upanishad, about a drop of water flowing into the river, and then into the infinite vastness of the sea, losing its sense of separateness in the process. That is literally how the project has grown, from one tiny little droplet of an idea, to this sprawling, long, complex track with many moods and emotions.”

“There are things that happened during the recording of this album that are so spooky, I’ll never tell. But you can hear them happen on the record. Things that are just from beyond this plane of existence, unknowable things that are from outside of our realm of understanding. But after many months, the project finally coalesced, and all the different tributaries ultimately came together to form a work greater than the sum of all its parts.”

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Music Artist Josh Kunkel – Sapphire Oceans

When not divining the creative ripple, Josh enjoys the bounty of living in the Santa Cruz Mountains. “I get pleasure from cooking international cuisine, going on long hikes in nature, and relaxing with family and friends. I am also a movie connoisseur and news junkie. I enjoy art, fashion, photography, and collecting historical armaments.”

A compelling voyage among elements and imaginings, Sapphire Oceans is available at Mountain Spirit 6299 Highway 9, Felton or everywhere online including: itunes.apple.com/Sapphire Oceans | www.youtube.com/SapphireOceans

Copyright 2017 Julie Horner for the San Lorenzo Valley Post

https://www.facebook.com/San-Lorenzo-Valley-Post-107557427361672/

Got Vinyl? Swing into Swag

Julie Horner

Curator of Boulder Creek’s eclectic collective specializes in vintage vinyl and refurbished stereo consoles

By Julie Horner

If only the vintage West German Grundig stereo console could speak, imagine the secrets it might tell of swanky summer evenings laced with cognac, the mood dreamy with the warm, smooth, easy-listening sounds of Perry Como on vinyl in analog high fidelity. Jeff Brough was head and torso into a neighboring console putting finishing touches on the innards. “Once upon a time it was a Grundig. It has different components now. It was missing stuff so I had to repopulate it.”

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According to Brough, owner of Swag in downtown Boulder Creek, “Most people are un-populating old consoles to turn into bars. I’m the only one restoring them. It’s a niche market, I guess.” Amazingly, you can even plug your smartphone into what appears to be all-original components and play your downloads through the console’s built-in speakers. “Almost all of them I add the ability to use your smartphone.” Brough picks a vinyl album from his collection and powers on the unit for a test spin. The big soulful sounds of Tyrone Davis fill the shop. “I love this old soul music…when I listen to the radio, this is what I tune in.”

Brough looks at it from the assembler’s point of view. “I’ve got four for sale and another one, two, three in queue.” He specializes in mid-century modern, from the mid-50s through the mid-70s. “Any later and they got ugly.” He can doll up just about any console to look just right. For instance, he might put peg legs on some of them to give them ‘that look’ if they didn’t have it when they rolled in. “This one, it’s got a real nice turntable in it.” The cabinet he picked up in Sacramento, the turntable and other components came from another unit. It’s what Jeff called a “triple threat.” It sounds good, looks good, and the turntable is good. “I do name them. I have a personal relationship with each one of them. Tamara’s that I just sold, I called Morse-l.” The brand, of course, being Morse. “I fall in love with them, have a hard time letting them go.” He always wonders, “Is this one better than the one I have in the living room?”

“I’ve driven as far as Santa Rosa to get things that suit my fancy.” He’s got eyes and ears out there now looking for items to add to the collection. The consoles are what got him started.

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“When I retired from Silicon Valley, I spent about a year chilling and figuring out where my stuff would go…I had to downsize. Originally it was a hobby, I don’t know exactly how it evolved, but I’d start finding things on craigslist.” Stephanie, owner of Foundre that used to occupy the space, gave him advice about obtaining old consoles. He would work on them in the basement with his wife and bandmates helping.

A customer walks in. “I have a first pressing of Meet the Beatles,” he says. “I have about 500 vinyl records.” Everyone knows that vinyl has come full circle and is all the rage now. For those who have held on to their collections over the years, it’s as cool as it’s always been to have full size art and sleeve notes. As the customer turns to leave he jokes. “I’m one of the few men who is married and still has his vinyl!” Brough is quick to point out, “There’s more here if you want to add to your collection!” Indeed, the sign out front that drew the customer in says, “We’ve got vinyl!”

“My selection of vinyl is comparative to any record store in Santa Cruz, maybe better. I’ve got some cool old records.”

Jeff has owned the building about seven years, with residences upstairs and now his business downstairs. “Even as a youngster, I’ve always been a creative collector with an entrepreneurial spirit so it only made sense to open my own space! My daughter and mother contribute time and energy…it’s all friends and family at this point.” And he’s looking for a partner to collaborate with, someone who might put their artwork on consignment and tag-team to help keep the doors open on weekends.

Swag. Affordable retail in Boulder Creek featuring restored mid-century modern stereos, vinyl, vintage and locally crafted apparel, jewelry, art, consignment, and event space.

13026 Highway 9
Boulder Creek, California
(831) 295-9191
http://www.facebook.com/JEFFSWAGSTORE

Copyright 2017 Julie Horner for the San Lorenzo Valley Post

https://www.facebook.com/SanLorenzoValleyPostNews/