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6A – Daily News – Saturday, April 24, 2010 Opinion Just say no to D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Supercenter Editor: My last comment about the proposed Walmart Supercenter. Please, city fathers, just say no. What the city doesn’t need is one more vacant business building. Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 The city and the immediate area is riddled with large vacant buildings. The Walmart people will never rent or lease the old building to anyone who may be seen as a competitor. Sam Collins, Red Bluff Official makes Red Bluff a better place Editor: I wanted to take a moment to thank Debbie Carlisi for all she does for the Red Bluff commu- nity. Debbie has worked for the Red Bluff Parks & Recreation department for almost 15 years. For more than 10 years she was the recreation supervisor, bringing us adult sports and kids programs, not to mention over- seeing the McGlynn pool. About three years ago she became the Parks & Recreation director while continuing to per- form her old duties because there is not enough money in the budget to fill her old position. Several years ago Debbie and a few friends created the Blues for the Pool committee to help raise money to make improve- ments to the swimming pool area. This committee instead has been instrumental in keep- ing the pool open during tough economic times by donating their funds to cover the costs required to open and maintain the pool so families would have a place to swim during the sum- mer on at least two separate occasions. The adult sports programs in Red Bluff are given a personal touch that you will not find any- where else. I have participated in a lot of city sports in my life and Red Bluff is the only place where the schedules are catered to meet individual’s needs. This year the city softball league has 44 teams, more than ever before. There were 28 teams who needed special con- sideration when making the schedule. Debbie took the extra time and created a league sched- ule that took into account all the teams requests so that everyone could play on the nights that worked best for them. Most places you are just given a night your team will play and that is that. Since Debbie has been the director, the amount of evening classes has greatly increased. These class- es are an inexpensive way for our communities to learn how to do many different things that would not otherwise be avail- able. There is a large variety of classes now available and for all ages. city parks. She also spent all of her free time in January and February working on two $5 million grants to try to make Red Bluff a nicer place to live for everyone. Your Turn Thanks to her efforts we have sub- mitted a grant package for Trainor Park that will hopefully add another softball field, make all the fields ASA compli- ant so tournaments can be held here, new lights, a clubhouse, a walking trail, a dog park and a spray park for the kids. The second grant is for River Already in 2010 Debbie has made a huge difference. In Feb- ruary she created a Volunteer Liability Waiver form. Prior to this form, people were not allowed to volunteer to help in the city due to the liability issues. Since the creation of this form the city has already had two major opportunities made available. The first is bringing disc golf to Dog Island Park. The second allows the Helping Hands pro- gram to volunteer its time on May 8 to make repairs and improve the grounds in all of our Park. It will give the park an entire facelift. The main items are a new swimming pool with a slide, a spray park, new play- grounds for both toddlers and older kids, increase the walking trail and build a new covered amphitheater. Thanks to Debbie’s endless hours of work, the city may soon be able to offer its resi- dents many of the luxuries found in Redding and Chico. Next time you see her, take a moment to thank her for her endless commitment to our community. Debbie Morisch, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Fishing and family: Fond memories Commentary The week before he passed away, I took a vacation day, hitched up our boat and took my father-in-law up toward Lake Shasta to fish. Bill was an avid fisherman, and I looked forward to a nice day on the lake, with a well supplied picnic basket, lots of bait and nice weather. None of that was to be, how- ever. As soon as we hit Nine Mile Hill the drizzle began, and by Anderson it turned into rain. Nevertheless, I forged ahead, and as we neared Packers Bay, my father-in-law said to me in almost prophetic tones, “Joe, I have learned that sometimes when you go fishing, you don’t go fishing.” I have pondered that wisdom from time to time, par- ticularly when trout season approaches. We actually took some time to do some spring cleaning in our garden shed last week. That is where I store my now infre- quently used fishing gear. My collection is a combination of items I have purchased over the last 37 years while living in Red Bluff and items that I inherited from my father-in-law when he passed away in 1976. Like any fisherman, I never throw any- thing that might be useful at some indeterminate date or set of circumstances. I rearranged the gear so that it would be out of the way, and I reminisced about some fishing adventures. Two of those memories involved my mother-in-law who frequent- ly spent Mothers Day with our family after her husband died. On one Mothers Day Satur- day, I got up early to fish on the North Fork of Battle Creek near Lake McCumber. It was a cold morning, so I packed a thermos of coffee and set out on I-5. In Cottonwood I noticed an ele- phant in the feed lot. I wondered what it was doing there, but I sped by onto a shortcut from Anderson to Highway 44, and then East to a logging trail turnoff for my secret spot for fishing. It was cold and there was snow on the ground; I carefully made my way to the creek side. When I got out of the car my fin- gers were too numb to tie on a hook, so I awkwardly tried to do that inside the car. Of course, my first cast landed in a tree branch, and I had to go through the process of tying all over. On my next cast I landed what was probably the smallest brown trout I had ever seen. I carefully removed the hook and put him back into the water. Then it started snowing, and I hastily put my gear into the trunk and inched my was through the snow and ice and made it home. Everyone was incredulous about my fishing in the snow, and my mother–in-law really laughed at my elephant sighting. No one else I told about that pachyderm had seen it; several years later I men- tioned the elephant to a friend and he said, “That was when the circus was forced to stay overnight in Cottonwood because of the road conditions. I saw it too.” When I told my mother-in-law about the corrob- oration of my story, she just smiled. On another Mothers’ Day weekend we took my mother-in- law and the three children with us to Lake Nora to fish. One of the first things a fishing father learns is that when he takes his children fishing, it means the children fish, not the father. This trip we had one adult for each child, and I planned to do some fishing myself. I packed salmon eggs and worms. Each of the children had a pole with a bobber. None of them could cast yet, so I would cast their bait out and then sneak in a few casts with my spinner. We had been there for two hours, and nary a nib- ble. There was an older Joe fellow there also; most likely he was about my age now. He brought in a fish with each cast, and was getting ready to go home. We struck up a con- versation; I asked him what kind of bait he was using. He said he had hellgrammites which he had obtained from the back of his property in Corning. He was watching my kids get more and more impatient, and so he offered to put a hellgrammite on my daughter’s line. Next thing you know, she was reeling in her first fish ever. Then he put one on my younger son’s line, with the same result. He did the same for my older son, then my wife, and finally my mother-in-law, who at the age of 78 had just tied my daughter for number of fish caught in a lifetime. I was trying to look and act patiently while my entire family was out fishing me, waiting for my turn with a hellgrammite. The gentleman from Corning never offered me some bait, and I was left to clean all five trout. John Burriff was the Science Harrop Department head at Red Bluff High in those days, and once he told me it wasn’t the fishing that counted but the catching. I was subscribing to that phi- losophy for a few min- utes as I pouted in silence, but then I began to think of the look of excitement and surprise on the kids’ faces when they hooked a fish. I think it was then that I realized that when you take your children fishing with you, you are tak- ing them fishing, not “fishing while you fish.” I have memories of pulling one of them out of a deep hole on Mill Creek, another at Shasta Lake. One time while we were hiking to a fishing hole, my older son want- ed me to gather up a fairly large king snake at Lake Shasta “because I always wanted a teddy snake.” Over the years my older son lost interest in fishing, but my younger one soon was far superior to me. He is an avid fly fisherman; he even fishes in the winter when he has to take his equipment into the car to defrost the reel between catches. He normally releases what he catches. My older son is not a fisherman, but he enjoys the out- doors and is an avid hiker. It is fun reminiscing with them about the times we went fishing together. Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net.