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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT – The first drawing in a memorial fundraiser for the county's domestic violence shelter campaign was held Sunday.
Artist Gail Salituri held the LaForge Memorial Fund drawing at her Inspirations Gallery, located at 165 N. Main St.
Gloria Flaherty, executive director of Lake Family Resource Center – which is spearheading the Freedom House domestic violence shelter effort – and businesswoman Kathy Fowler, secretary of the Lake Family Resource Center Board of Directors, were on hand for the afternoon drawing.
Watercolor artist John Clarke of Kelseyville drew the winning raffle ticket for a lithograph of his painting, “Golden Gate.” The winner is Karen D'Bernardi of Kelseyville.
Having Clarke be a part of the fundraiser was meaningful to Salituri, who said Clarke has been featured in her gallery for eight years.
“He is one of the most creative artists of today,” she said. “His paintings are magical, whimsical and unique. He is a true asset to our gallery.”
Clarke is known for using an eye-catching watercolor on silk technique, applying a watercolor block to hold some colors in place and other times, using various forms of alcohol to create movement and texture, Salituri explained.
“I admire John's willingness to create works of arts for various venues such as the Lake County Wine Alliance, and now our cause, the LaForge Memorial, to benefit The Freedom House,” she added.
Roger Rynearson won the silent auction for Salituri's original oil, “Lake County Hills Spring Bloom,” painted specially for the fundraiser.
The fundraiser, which began in April, has so far raised about $1,300 for the shelter effort, in memory of Salituri's friend and artist, Barbara LaForge. Over the weekend alone, $125 in raffle tickets were raised through the help of Marie Beery at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro in Kelseyville, Salituri said.
“We met our goal on the first auction and raffle,” she said. “The support of Kathy Fowler and Gloria Flaherty has been a gift to us. The general public who is supporting this cause is helping to build the shelter.”
She also thanked the Lake County Arts Council for sharing their First Friday Fling last month with Salituri and Fowler, who spoke about the fundraiser at the event. Salituri also thanked the Saw Shop for showing and selling raffle tickets and extended thanks to all who have participated so far.
“Every day I am surprised by a cash donation from family and friends,” she said. “Thank you to all who made this first raffle and auction happen.”
Salituri's goal is to raise a total of $5,000 by Christmas time. She's already warming up her brushes, planning to offer more of her original works in the months ahead.
The next drawing will be Aug. 1, said Salituri.
Two items will be offered in the August raffle; "America's Pride,” a Thomas Kinkade print, custom-framed, measuring 14 inches by 17 inches, with a value of $350; and a custom-framed beveled mirror, 24 inches by 30 inches, valued at $650.
For the silent auction, Salituri will offer another of her original oils, “Overlooking Carmel, Monterey Pine,” measuring 8 inches by 10 inches. The painting, valued at $475, has an opening bid of $100.
For the Oct. 1 drawing, offerings include a custom-framed lithograph of Clarke's “Cable Car,” valued at $400; a framed photograph by Lyle Madeson, valued at $250; and Salituri's “A View of Lake County,” a 12-inch by 16-inch original oil with a value of $800.
The final raffle of the year will take place on Dec. 1. For that event, The Kitchen Gallery has donated a silver tray, the Gilliam Estate has offered various prints and Salituri will offer an original oil depicting koi, measuring 8 inches by 10 inches, and valued at $475.
Salituri is working to raise the profile of the shelter campaign, and do her part to bring it closer to reality.
Efforts like Salituri's are important to the shelter campaign, said Flaherty. They show community support, which is critical as Lake Family Resource Center pursues more grants.
Tickets for the raffles will be available at Inspirations Gallery, 165 N. Main St., Lakeport; Lake Family Resource Center, 896 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport; and the Lakeport Chamber of Commerce, 875 Lakeport Blvd.
For more information call Salituri at Inspirations Gallery, 263-4366, or visit her Web page, www.gailsalituri.com/Memorial.html.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Ross A. Christensen
Being a cynic I thought, “Miracles? Yeah, right.” I mean, I still needed my knives sharpened, but I certainly wasn’t expecting a revelation.
So I called the man whose name was on the card, Richard Ethridge, and brought him my first round of knives.
He’s an open and very interesting person. Spending his youth in the Marine Corps and hanging out in San Francisco at the height of the Haight-Ashbury days, Ethridge is something of a free spirit and nomad. He got into knife sharpening in 1968 and fell in love with it.
“Steel makes sense to me,” he said.
With that talent under his belt he started wandering from place to place around the country, doing odd sharpening jobs to support himself, and picking up and leaving whenever he wanted to move on.
When he was in his 40s, Ethridge apprenticed with Exclusive Cutlery in San Francisco for two and a half years. He then worked for some of the large clothing manufacturers in the city, sharpening their tools.
He is now retired but likes to keep his hand in the sharpening business. And he does it for the love and the art and the craftsmanship of it, not just to make a buck.
Ethridge is an artist as well as a master craftsman, working in pencil, pastels, photography and graphic design, in addition to the metalwork. “But I always come back to working with steel,” he said.
He does all his work freehand, by feel and eye, something most people don’t do anymore. But just how good are his sharpening skills?
A couple of days after I dropped off my first batch of knives, he called me to say that they were done. When I arrived to pick them up he showed them to me, and not only were they exceptionally sharp but they were polished and more beautiful than the day that I bought them.
Then he demonstrated to me just how sharp they were by shaving the hair off a spot on his arm. Which makes me wonder, how is it anybody in the cutlery industry has any hair left on their arms?
That evening as I started dinner preparations I pulled out one of the newly sharpened knives and was absolutely amazed – no, not amazed – struck with fear at how sharp my knives had become. I mean, in the kitchen the knife is my tool, to do what I command, yet right then I had respect for the blade’s ability.
All I had to do was point my knife at an eggplant and just out of sheer terror it immediately fell apart into perfect slices, as if it would rather fall apart of its own free will rather that feel the blade. Maybe that is an exaggeration, but seriously, the knives Ethridge worked on are so sharp that they slide through their tasks without effort.
I have since brought to Ethridge every kind of knife I have to be sharpened: chef’s knives, filet knives, paring knives, even some of my favorite gardening tools like my asparagus knife, and my prized Japanese machete. My daughter even had him polish and sharpen her woodworking tools. Every time, I’m stunned with the beauty and the quality of the job.
I’m convinced that if you were to give Ethridge a rusty harmonica he could return it to you as a razor sharp kitchen tool that could still be in tune (not that you would want to have it near your mouth in any way)!
There are people everywhere who do a great job at what they do and I appreciate every one of them, but very rarely can I call someone a “master craftsman” without any hesitation or fear of overstatement like I can with Ethridge. He not only makes knives work to their full potential, but he also beautifies them beyond expectation.
Since he’s retired now and works in his own small space, Ethridge can’t really manage large items like swords or saws. He prefers to do fine cutlery restoration, to work with knives, scissors, clippers, and smaller garden tools.
His prices are very reasonable, especially considering the quality job he does. So reasonable that I have never asked him how much a job would be, I just ask him “What do I owe you?” when it’s time to pick up my knives. If the job is big enough, say a beauty shop or cooking school, he can do the work at their site, but with the cost of gas and everything I wouldn’t expect him to come to my house for my small amount of knives.
Ethridge is on my list of true hidden jewels of the county, and we are far richer to have him here.
You can get your knives sharpened with Ethridge by calling him at 707-631-1772. His place in Nice is easy to find in a beautiful park, 2570 Lakeshore Dr. No. A-3.
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community.
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- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The filings, due from all candidates last week and submitted to the Lake County Registrar of Voters, covered the period from March 18 through May 17 with additional tallies for 2008 thus far.
The nine candidates across three supervisorial districts raised a total of $22,873.19 in this reporting period, and $35,127.67 for the entire year to date thus far, documents showed.
Total expenditures for all candidates reached $21,702.52 for March through May, and $29,435.43 for the year.
Raising the most money across all campaigns for both the year and the two-month reporting period was James Comstock of Middletown, running for the District 1 supervisorial seat. So far this year Comstock has raised $11,519.19, with $9,727.19 accumulated during the latest reporting period.
The second-largest amount raised for the year so far was accumulated by Robert Stark, who is challenging incumbent Rob Brown for the District 5 supervisorial seat. Stark raised $5,025 from March through May, and $6,125.22 for the year.
District 1 Supervisor hopeful Susanne La Faver raised the third-highest amount for the year among all candidates, $5,998.26, as well as the third-highest amount for the reporting period, $3,704.
Brown has spent the most so far this year of any candidate – $9,335.08 – nearly twice the next-highest spender, Comstock, at $5,773.86. Brown said he had raised money last year which was held over for this spring's expenditures. Brown raised $3,961 this spring and $1,523 from March through May.
Incumbent District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington, who is running unopposed, raised no money in either the reporting period or the rest of the year.
The following are basic breakdowns of total amounts raised and expenditures for the two-month reporting period. Contributions of $100 or more that must be listed per election rules also are included.
DISTRICT 1
JAMES COMSTOCK
Total raised this reporting period: $9,727.19 ($200 in loans)
Expenditures this reporting period: $5,240.57
Total raised calendar year-to-date: $11,519.19 ($700 in loans)
Expenditures for calendar year-to-date: $5,773.86
Contributions received: William A. Throop, Calpine power plant tech, Clearlake, $100; Peter Luchetti, cattle rancher/Luchetti Ranch, Sausalito, $5,000; Larry Menzio, Menzio Tire, Middletown, $150; Michael R. Wilson, chief executive officer of Bi-Coastal Media, Hidden Valley Lake, $200; Bill Djernes, cattle rancher/Djernes Cattle Co., Middletown, $150; Rudy Smith, grape grower for Mount St. Helena Vineyard, Middletown, $1,000; Richard Traverso, retired, Hillsborough, $200; Fletcher Thornton Sr., Judo instructor/Middletown Judo Club, Middletown, $250; Helen Esaacson, housewife, Middletown, $250; J. Kurt Steil, retired, Middletown, $1,000; Ron Minudri, insurance broker/Minudri Insurance, Kelseyville, $100; David L. James, retired, Clearlake Oaks, $500; Ken C. Porter, contractor/Kimco Development, Hidden Valley Lake, $250.
DON DORNBUSH
Total raised this reporting period: $800
Expenditures this reporting period: $315.28
Total raised calendar year-to-date: $1,800 ($1,000 in loans)
Expenditures for calendar year-to-date: $851.21
Contributions: Robert Riggs, attorney, Kelseyville, $500; Patricia Dornbush, retired, Santa Rosa, $300.
SCOTT FERGUSSON
Total raised this reporting period: $1,000
Expenditures this reporting period: $1,497
Total raised calendar year-to-date: $2,970
Expenditures for calendar year-to-date: $2,386
Contributions: Patrick M. Clark, self-employed/handyman, Lower Lake, $200; Larry Boardman, LT Boardman Enterprises, Finley, $400; Hollis Hadley, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Lower Lake, $400.
SUSANNE LA FAVER
Total raised this reporting period: $3,704
Expenditures this reporting period: $4,003.23
Total raised calendar year-to-date: $5,998.26 ($257.26 in nonmonetary contributions)
Expenditures for calendar year-to-date: $5,446.89
Contributions: Wendy White, retired, Glenhaven, $100; Beverly A. Norton, retired, Sacramento, $299; Terri Anne Chase, IS director/Ritz Food Services, Hidden Valley Lake, $100; David James, retired, Clearlake Oaks, $500; Lois M. Moore, professor/University of San Francisco, Novato, $250; Christopher Layton, owner/Christopher's Inn and Pine Grove, Calistoga, $250; Marilyn G. Davin, freelance writer/editor, Ferndale, $100; Robert Riggs, attorney, Kelseyville, $1,000; South Lake Democratic Club, Clearlake, $100; National Women's Political Caucus of California, Oxnard, $500; Pacific Gas and Electric Co., San Francisco, $100.
JOEY LUIZ
Total raised this reporting period: $1,044 ($200 in nonmonetary contributions)
Expenditures this reporting period: $984.28
Total raised calendar year-to-date: $2,044 ($200 in nonmonetary contributions)
Expenditures for calendar year-to-date: $984.28
Contributions: John Amdt, Lower Lake, $100; Brian Fisher, Kelseyville, $150; RAH Signs and Outdoor Media, Hidden Valley Lake, $200 worth of magnet signs (nonmonetary contribution).
ROBERT MACINTYRE
Total raised this reporting period: $50
Expenditures this reporting period: $800.99
Total raised calendar year-to-date: $710 ($20 in nonmonetary contributions)
Expenditures for calendar year-to-date: $1,868.68
Contributions: None listed over $100.
DISTRICT 4
ANTHONY FARRINGTON
Total raised this reporting period: $0
Expenditures this reporting period: $782.81
Total raised calendar year-to-date: $0
Expenditures for calendar year-to-date: $782.81
Contributions: None.
DISTRICT 5
ROB BROWN
Total raised this reporting period: $1,523
Expenditures this reporting period: $6,506.43
Total raised calendar year-to-date: $3,961
Expenditures for calendar year-to-date: $9,335.08
Contributions: Citizens Anti-Crime Committee, Rancho Santa Margarita, $500; Don Emerson, retired, Cobb, $200; William Kearney, pharmacist, Lakeport, $200; Jim Jonas, petroleum distributor, Lower Lake, $100; Michael Lampson, retired, Kelseyville, $100; Steven Ellis, rancher, Lower Lake, $100.
ROBERT STARK
Total raised this reporting period: $5,025
Expenditures this reporting period: $1,571.93
Total raised calendar year-to-date: $6,125
Expenditures for calendar year-to-date: $2,006.83
Contributions: Wendy White, retired, Glenhaven, $100; Robert Riggs, attorney, Kelseyville, $500; Therese Nelson, retired, Cobb, $100; Thomas Slaight, retired, Cobb, $500; KW Homes, contractor, Cobb, $250; Rendee Burns, Realtor, Cobb, $100; Robert Morrison, retired, Sunnyvale, $300; Bill Sullivan, retired, Cobb, $100; Milt Andreason, retired, Cobb, $100; South Lake Democratic Committee, Clearlake, $100; California United Homecare Workers Political Action Committee, San Bernardino, $1,000; Patricia Keel, retired, Cobb, $100; Thomas Slaight, retired, Cobb, $500; Stephen Klein, librarian, Long Beach, $200; Rob Roy Golf Club, Cobb, $250; Elaine Robinson, retired, Cobb, $100; Steven Zalusky, retired, Cobb, $250.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Loren Uriarte, 20, was stabbed by an as-yet unidentified assailant in an incident that happened in the early morning hours of May 16 in downtown Kelseyville.
His mother, Christine Diener, said her son was hospitalized, underwent surgery and is now recovering at home in Kelseyville. But if the knife had hit an inch or so in any direction from its contact point in Uriarte's stomach, the story might have ended differently.
Uriarte and friends Darrin Sullivan and Josh Ponce were at Uriarte's home that night watching movies when they received a phone call from Sullivan's father, Dave, who asked them to come to Kelseyville to give him a ride home. He had been having drinks and said he couldn't drive.
Kim Sullivan, Dave Sullivan's wife, confirmed her son and his friends went to pick up his father at about 11:30 p.m. May 15.
The three young men got into Ponce's new Honda Accord and headed down to Kelseyville to pick up Sullivan at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro, said Diener.
When they arrived, they found a melee – a fight with numerous individuals and Sullivan on the ground being kicked, said Diener.
As the three young men jumped out of the car, they yelled, “We don't want to fight!” A large man, standing about 6 feet, 2 inches tall, ran toward them, said Diener.
Ponce got back in the car. Meanwhile, Uriarte was “clocked” in the face by the large man and went down on the ground, Diener said. When Uriarte got back up that's when he was stabbed in the stomach by an unidentified assailant.
On instinct, he ran back to the car, clutching his stomach, but not quite sure of what happened, according to his mother. While Uriarte was in the car, Diener said the large man started hitting and kicking the car.
At the scene Darrin Sullivan also was punched, said Kim Sullivan.
Ponce drove Uriarte to his grandmother's Kelseyville home, where an ambulance was called to take him to Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
As Uriarte was at the hospital, his mother called the hospital about 1 a.m. and they put her son on the phone, she said.
She said his wound was located on the left side of his abdomen, a few inches from his belly button.
He underwent a four-hour surgery later that morning, in which doctors removed 6 inches from his small intestine, said Diener.
The doctors told the family that the stabbing was done with “great force,” and that if the weapon had struck to the right side of the stomach rather than the left, it could have perforated the liver or the major artery.
Uriarte was hospitalized for five days at Sutter Lakeside, whose staff his mother praised for their care and attention to her son. He's now home, still recovering.
Dr. Keith Long also was present at the scene, officials confirmed, but he has offered little comment other than to say he was “jumped” during the fight.
Because of the ongoing nature of the investigation, the sheriff's office has not offered specifics relating to others involved or their role in the situation that night.
However, Sheriff Rod Mitchell said Friday that progress is being made on the case.
“There's still some significant steps that need to be taken,” he said, before the investigation is concluded.
That includes more interviews, including another with Uriarte, he said.
Diener said her son initially spoke with a sheriff's office patrol deputy at the hospital in the early morning hours of May 16.
Kim Sullivan said sheriff's investigators interviewed her son and husband early on May 16 also, and followed up with them on Friday.
Dave Sullivan was off from work for four or five days, Kim Sullivan said, and has been suffering from headaches.
Mitchell said he's confident the case will reach a conclusion.
“We will be submitting this to the District Attorney,” he said.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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