THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.”― James Baldwin
I am still processing the feeling of being 1000+ feet underground in a hundred + year old gold mine. The experience I had with my son last week at the Sixteen-to-One mine was like nothing I have had before, coursing through a vein that has produced some of the greatest gold finds since the gold rush itself, with beautiful glassy quartz, deep-green Mariposite and other colored rocks and minerals surrounding us on all sides as we literally hiked through history, at all times breathing surprisingly clean, delicious air: from the moment I entered the mine til when I came out it was one of my great life adventures.
Mike Miller is a childhood friend of my ex-boss Roberta Petersen who passed away a two years ago this month. Before her passing, Mike and I connected around her well-being (we had met for five minutes sometime in the late 80s/early 90s in Bert’s office at Warner Bros). He has owned the Sixteen-to-One since the 70s and when I called him asking for good ideas of where to take my son prospecting, he immediately offered not only to have us on his property, that features a creek perfect for gold panning, but an incredible experience of hiking through the last working goldmine. The Sixteen-to-One has not been in mining-operation-mode since Covid, and he was overjoyed at the opportunity to open it up to us (and he wanted to talk about the mine….and music) as well as introduce us to his historic town of Alleghany.
With his recommendation, Asher and I started our journey in Grass Valley visiting the Empire Mine, which was one of the biggest operations in its day. And with all the gold pulled out of there, and the hundreds of miles of underground caverns it had once boasted (all underwater at this point), the vein of gold at the Sixteen-to-One was more robust. But the museum at the Empire, which is really worth a trip, was an incredible place to begin to learn about the gold mining process, how the miners of old took samples of the rock as the built the tunnels to see if there was gold in dem dar hills.
Miller’s enthusiasm for gold and gold mining is infectious and having him take the first day to show us around the outside of the mine….its various openings, the long-unwalked path down to the creek for gold-panning was like being with a real-life Indiana Jones. He wants to dispel the perception of how gold mining is something that should be stopped…that it is something that is associated with bad environmental impact…and I must say that the creek below the mine was clear, with fish and snakes and birds abound and there were flowers blooming around it’s openings. The day we walked through the mine was the one day that the smoke from the Dixie Fires had settled upon us. And yet upon entering the mine, which was blowing out a cool breeze from its mouth, was the only time that day that the air felt good to breath.
After a few hours of walking through its tunnels, we came to a cavernous room, 1300 feet down, called The Ballroom. We turned our lights off and sat in perfect darkness, in perfect silence…something else I had not experienced in so very long. Mike lit a candle and the whole cavern came alive, Asher and I finding faces in the rocks and shadows around us. Our voices and movements resonated throughout the cavern, warmly aglow, as Mike told us about how they once had music shows in The Ballroom…and wanted to put more on again.
Asher was allowed to lead us back out of the mine and we left it, back into the heat of a smokey day, with our eyes taking time to adjust to the outside world and with a feeling of excitement. I really hope to return one day, and love the idea of seeing live music so deep underground. It was a truly unique adventure.
Happy Monday.
Library Of Congress July/August magazine PDF
One of the many things to love about the Library of Congress is their magazine which is filled with incredible stories created around, and diving deep, into their collections. This recent one features a great article showcasing some of the travels of the legendary poet Walt Whitman, who kept notes of his many journeys that found their way into his poetry.
Pig, Nicolas Cage’s new film, could have been a trainwreck. Instead, it’s a masterpiece
Barb and I have over the past few years been catching up with the crazy films of Nicholas Cage. It really is interesting how the guy jumps so deep in to these nutty worlds he acts within, many times with young directors. This new flick, Pig, while being more subtle than the also must-see Color Out Of Space or Mandy, is just as engrossing as a bearded-hermit Cage searches for his stolen truffle pig, taking him deep into the bizarre high-end cooking world of Portland. Great film.
Sunday Reading: Celebrating James Baldwin
A great read to celebrate the birthday of James Baldwin.
The mighty Howlin Rain are coming out with a new record, The Dharma Wheel, on October 8th. Bandleader Ethan Miller is also coming out with a new Growing record this Friday for Bandcamp Friday. But he STILL had time to put together a list of art that has influenced him. In Ethan’s words: “Aquarium Drunkard had me wax poetic on some key influences, discoveries and artistic rabbit holes concerning authors and auteurs that helped inspire Howlin Rain’s 'The Dharma Wheel' album.”
THE BEING
By: Hayden Carruth
