Emerald Cove Marina - photo courtesy of Emerald Cove Marina

Bullards Bar Reservoir is not in Nevada County, but it is close enough to Nevada City and Grass Valley as to make it a destination for water skiing, house boating and fishing. It’s only 21 miles north of Nevada City off of Highway 49 in the historic gold country. The three closest cities are Nevada City, Grass Valley and Marysville.

The lake surface is at 2,000 foot elevation, 16 miles long with about 60 miles of shoreline. The boating surface is 4,700 acres, which is a lot of area to boat in. There are only two launch ramps and once you are in the water, you are surrounded by a greenbelt covered with pine, oak, fir, madrone, dogwood and other species of trees native to the area. As you cruise up into the North Yuba Canyon, sheer cliffs of granite come down to greet the crystal clear water.

The North Yuba River is backed up by New Bullards Bar Dam which is an awesome sight all by itself. Standing 645? above the canyon floor, it holds back 960,000 acre feet of water. It’s the second tallest dam in California, 5th tallest in the United States. A hydro-electric dam, Bullards Bar Dam is operated and controlled by the Yuba County Water Agency. They are able to manage the water so that recreation access to the reservoir is never restricted.

Bullards Bar offers boat access campgrounds, land based sites, and shoreline camping permits. There are a total of only 160 sites, which limits the amount of people the area can accommodate. Emerald Cove Marina takes site specific reservations for all camping.

For the fisherman, there are kokanee salmon, rainbow trout, German browns, large mouth, small mouth and black bass, crappie, catfish, and bluegill. Bullards Bar has a reputation as having the best kokanee salmon and black bass fishing in California.

CAMPING
Campgrounds – Call for reservations & fees
Pets, NO Hookups, Boat & Trailer Storage, Some Flush Toilets

BOATING
Power, Row, Jet ski, Windsurf, Canoe, Sail, Water-ski, and Inflatables are allowed.
There is a full service marina with gas and propane exchange available
Rentals: Houseboats, Ski Boats, Jet Skis, and Pontoon Patio Boats

RECREATION
Fishing
Swimming, Picnicking, & Hiking
Snacks, Groceries, Bait & Tackle and Fuel Dock

For further information and reservations contact   Emerald Cove Marina (530) 692-3200

 

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For all your real estate needs, call or email:

John J. O’Dell Realtor® GRI
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Flamenco del Oro Nevada County’s Flamenco Music and Dance Troupe will be performing at The Holbrooke Hotel Restaurant featuring Gypsy Flamenco artist from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain KINA MENDEZ. Kina’s powerful and soothing voice will be accompanied by the rooted guitar works of Gopal Slavonic. Also performing will be percussionist Roger Aiton.

Singer and dancer KINA MENDEZ grew up in the Mendez clan of Gypsy artists from Jerez. She began singing under the influence of her aunt, legendary singer La Paquera de Jerez. Her professional career began when she joined Manuel Morao’s company. She later worked with Mario Maya and toured internationally with Salvador Tavora’s productions Carmen and Carmina Burana. Performing in festivals such as La Fiesta de las Bulerias and Las Fiestas de la Vendimia in Jerez de la Frontera, she has shared the stage with Agujetas, El Grilo, La Macanita and others. A featured artist at last year’s Festival de Jerez, her solo CD De Sevilla a Jerez was released 2008 in Madrid.

Gopal Slavonic has studied and played flamenco for 17 years and studied Flamenco guitar in Sevilla, Spain at La Fundacion Christina Heeren. He studied at the Foundation for two years where he received the opportunity to study with many great guitarists. Gopal has returned to Spain to study many times over the last decade. Gopal has worked with California Flamenco artists Mark Taylor, Cerro Negro, La Fibi, La Carola, Roberto Zamora, Pilar Moreno and recently released his second CD “Dos Orillas”.

Flamenco del Oro with Kina Mendez from Jerez, Spain,
Saturday June 11; Dinner shows at 7:00pm and 9:00pm
Information: (530) 273-1353
The Holbrook Hotel Restaurant 212 W. Main Street Grass Valley

For all your real estate needs, call or email:

John J. O’Dell Realtor®
Real Estate Broker
(530) 263-1091
jodell@nevadacounty.com

Jackie Greene is appearing at the Center for the Arts on Father’s Day June 19th. Seating is limited to 300 persons, so you better make your reservations now!

Where you’re going has always been more important than where you’ve been. By his music, Jackie Greene appears to have been through every major American musical influence: from country, to jazz, to folk to rock. And, marked by the release of his newest album American Myth, it’s clear that Greene knows where he’s going. His roots twist to create a unique sound, combining the introspection of an engaging songwriter with the energy of a chemically harged rock band.

In early 2005, he signed with a major record label, Verve Forecast. Sweet Somewhere Bound was reissued that year, followed by a new release, American Myth, in March 2006. The following year, Greene joined Phil Lesh and Friends, the Grateful Dead bassist’s ensemble dedicated to the interpretation of the Dead’s extensive song book. Other members of the band at the time included John Molo, Larry Campbell and Steve Molitz. Also in 2005 his song “I Will Never Let Go” was used in the soundtrack for the movie Brokeback Mountain. Meanwhile, Greene continued to pursue solo efforts, releasing Giving Up the Ghost in April 2008, and made his second visit to Late Night With Conan O’Brien in June 2008, performing “Like A Ball & Chain”. Another song from the album, “I Don’t Live in a Dream”, was featured on episodes of the NBC television series Life in November 2008 and ABC’s Private Practice in March 2009.

In October through November 2009, Greene played a series of shows with Government Mule, culminating at the end of the tour on Halloween at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, during which Jackie played and sang through an entire set of Rolling Stones songs with Gov’t Mule.

The journey is now the depth behind his music. “I’ve been writing, recording and performing non-stop. I’ve lived in cars, hotels, basements…slept on floors, couches, strange girl’s beds. I wrote lots of songs in those places. Some I’ll never remember, but that’s all part of it, I guess.” With a stream-of-consciousness vibe, many of Greene’s songs reflect a certain spontaneity, traveling quickly from inspiration to album to fan. “Music that’s too perfect isn’t music anymore.  It’s better to just capture a moment in time.” says Greene of his philosophy.

www.jackiegreene.com

For tickets online click here

For all your real estate needs, call or email:

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
O’Dell Realty
(530) 263-1091/
Email John at jodell@nevadacounty.com

DRE@ 00669941

Mary Youngblood and Sisters are coming to the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley, January 28 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $20 for members and $22 for non-members. For tickets go to Tickets

Native American Mary Youngblood, half Seminole and half Aleut, is the first woman to professionally record the Native American Flute, and the first woman to win not just one, but two Grammy Awards for “Best Native American Music Album”. In addition to Mary’s two Grammy Awards and three nominations, she was the first woman to win ‘Flutist of the Year’ in both 1999 and 2000. She also won ‘Best Female Artist’ in 2000 at the Native American Music Awards (NAMMYS).

Location is “A” on Google Maps:

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For all your real estate needs Call
John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
(530) 263-1091

DRE# 00669941

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eOI6muBVxo

For all your real estate needs;
Call John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
530-263-1091

Following in the footsteps of harpist Joanna Newsom, local bands in and around Nevada City and Grass Valley are creating a vibrant indie music scene. Now the scene’s success is being furthered by a new record label featuring local bands, Grass Roots Record Co. Take a mini-tour of the Nevada County music scene with Dan Elkan of the band “Them Hills.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eOI6muBVxo

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
Call today because I want to help you
in buying or selling real estate
or short sale or foreclosure questions
530-263-1091

By John O’Dell

I had to do a double take on this one. Driving to Grass Valley on the Colfax Highway I saw this school sign. It appears that the  Union Hill Elementary School is serving ice cream, and holding a health committee meeting at the same time! Tomorrow they’re having a board meeting.  Wonder if they are going to talk about why the kids were hyper active with a sugar high from the ice cream on January 11? Or maybe the health committee is doing an experiment on serving kids sugar and fat and seeing what that does to their grades?

Just for fun, here’s a 4 once serving of Baskin Robbins chocolate ice cream:  22% fat, 11% sugar, no vitamins.

Source: Baskin Robbins website

So what do you think?

John O’Dell
Real estate broker -Residential Homes & Land
General Contractor
Civil Engineer

Mindworker - Song by Paul August

By Paul August

It’s somewhat of an American tradition to bash teachers in songs: “No more pencils.  No more books. No more teachers’ dirty looks.” Anti-teacher songs were common as I grew up.  The Coasters’ sang about “Charlie Brown,” the kid in school who caused trouble.  “School Days,” by Chuck Berry, complained about getting up each morning just to go to school. Pink Floyd pictured school kids as, “Another brick in the wall.” Other songs sang of kids unhappy with teachers.

So, I decided to write a song about a teacher unhappy with a student. Since I taught at Oakland High at the time, this song has an urban setting and street lingo.

During the 1980’s, I sang teacher activist songs along with rock ‘n roll.  This song started when I was in Washington D. C. at the National Education Association’s teacher’s convention. A group from Pennsylvania proclaimed themselves to be “United Mind Workers.”

I condensed this to “Mindworker” and began working on a song that would become the title cut to my first CD. As with most songs, it grew out of my own life experiences.

The song begins with a teacher confronting a hostile student in the classroom.  This is nothing new if you’ve taught inner-city kids. And, as in every fictional piece, the story quickly began to define itself.

As a songwriter, I know to keep it simple.  Consider The Beatles. Their songs are full of words like love, arms, hold, lips, kiss and other monosyllable words, repeated with melody, harmony and a beat. It sounds simple. There are not, however, many musicians out there singing Beatle songs because of the complex interaction of the chords and lyrics.

Some words don’t sing well but I used them anyway: “Don’t make me the target of your vulgar darts. I’m gonna drive your mind right out of the dark.” Target … vulgar darts. These are not common words for lyrics but I wanted to get the sense of conflict across.

I used street language to characterize the young student: “You better lighten up dude, get outta my face.” Again, most inner city teachers soon come to understand, and sometime use, the inner city students’ vernacular

The song has somewhat of a surprise twist when the Mindworker tells the student, “I was a more sarcastic kid than you.” And it twists again when the student gets up for another confrontation with the teacher but instead says, “Hey man, you know, I mean like, thanks.”

Writing the song is only the beginning.  I worked with an LA producer, Paul Chiten, who added the Beatlesque complexity to the tune. He built a solid instrumental foundation. I shared my music writing credit with him. When it came time to record in San Francisco, Chiten wanted to use David La Flamme, from It’s A Beautiful Day, to do the lead vocal instead of me.

It was kind of like being fired from singing my own song.  However, I quickly agreed because David (who appeared at the Psalms in Winters on Sat. Oct. 17^th) has sold millions of records, including his hit, “White Bird”. My lifetime total sales were more like 210 albums to relatives and friends.

Mindworker - By Paul August

Paul August is a local writer and singer.
He also writes for the San Francisco Chronicle and The Union
You may buy his song Mindworker at cdbaby.com

I’ve talked to a few people who are really concerned about the world ending in 2012.  Much like those who were sure that the world would crash when the year 1999 rolled over to the year 2000. They were totally convinced that that all the computers on Earth would stop working because the computers were not programmed to use any date beyond 1999.

I remember people hoarding food, selling their homes and moving deep into the mountains, sure that marauding bands of starving people would be out doing whatever it took to keep alive. Well, 1999 flowed quite smoothly into 2000. Now we have the latest and greatest scare which of course is the end of the world in 2012.

Feeding  this fear factor, Sony Pictures, in order to promote an upcoming disaster movie called 2012, has set up a website for an organization called the Institute for Human Continuity which predicts a cataclysmic denouement for Earth three years from now. How sleazy can you get to promote a picture?

It suggests that “after two decades of rigorous research from the world’s top astronomers, mathematicians, geologists, physicists, engineers, futurists, we know that in 2012 a series of cataclysmic forces will wreak havoc on our planet”.

It even details how elections have begun for the leader of the post-2012 world, offers survival kits and asks people to sign up to a lottery to be saved.

All this hype is based on the assumption that Mayan calendar ends on 2012, which in fact does not. Apolinario Chile Pixtun, a Mayan elder, notes there are other inscriptions at Mayan sites for dates far beyond 2012 – including one that roughly translates into the year 4772.

A significant time period for the Mayans does end on the date, and enthusiasts have found a series of astronomical alignments they say coincide in 2012, including one that happens roughly only once every 25,800 years.

Along with the sleaze factor there is a website that states scientists are supposed to be tracking an unknown Planet X which is on the edge of the solar system, and yes, you guessed it, is on a collision course with Earth. The site is so successful that hundreds of people are now convinced something terrible is about to befall the planet.

Dr. David Morrison, a senior scientist at Nasa’s Astrobiology Institute, said he had received more than 1,000 inquiries from worried members of the public.

That included teenagers saying they would rather commit suicide than witness the world end. Dr. Morrison said the website was “ethically wrong”. But Vikki Luya, Sony’s publicity director said: “It is very clear that this site is connected to a fictional movie. This can readily be seen in the logos on the site.” Yep, but some people don’t read the details that Sony tries to hide.