The record-union., 1891-08-08
IN old BODEGA.
The Land Where the Potato
Reigns Supreme.
One of the ''Backwood's Belles'' Se-
lects Strange Place for Summer
ing-People Who Freeze Out sCamp-
ers and Have No Love for Tourists
or Summer Boarders.

|
| Especial correspondence of REcoRD-UNIoN.l
Bodega. Let me impress upon you at
the outset the importance of the pronun-
citation Of the name. The sc" has the
! sound of ''a" in potato, and its relation to
this popular fruit we will discuss later. I
did not embrace the idea of summering
at Bodega ecstatically, but nevertheless
found myself winding my way there as
fast as mud and drlzzle would permit.
The fact of the matter was, had heard
such Understanding reports from that re-
| gion that [ feared to venture in, even
well armed, not being at all times good
shot. Whether it was because the name
suggested The Bad Man from Bodice l
don't just know, but my impression of
the place was that every citizen who had
any self-respect carried a bowieknife in
his boot and had a small graveyard of his
own. One item that lent color to my
fanciful picture was that every semi
occasionally few of the suburban resi-
+; dents get into little discussion over a
game Of cards, or the location Of a line
| fence, and emphasize the argument by
carving stakes Off each others persons
with pruning knives or anything handy.
| Once in while they run in a crazy man
from there and while he roots around in
! the branches Of trees III the corporate
limits of the county seat the excitement
of the populace is boundless. So, what
with crazy Swissmen and red-handed In
dianS my, approach to that section was
made with marked hesitation. / pat it
in the balance with other resorts, but Bo-
| dega won the day.
J TD
few inches of mud under foot and more
falling was portion of happiness that
| was nlne-all mine. Fortune was my
companion and guide, and when [ hesi-
tated and questioned she drew her arms
closer round me, pressed me onward
through the adobe mire, TO rosy scenes
that were not diScernible to me through
the mist of doubt and drizzle. Over
shoes and palm-leaf fans do not form q
| desirable combination, and linen busters
and gum coats seem grueSOme COM
panions, and we had 'em all.
But Bodega proved to be pretty little
town with a fine schoolhouse and two
neat church-houses. There is nothing
formidable in its aspect-it is quiet and
peaceful as if free fights were an un-
| known quantity. n few men and boys
pitched horseshoes as calmly and silently
as Rip Van Wrinkles entertainers, who
played at nine-pins in jenkins and doub-
| tiagon.
1t really possesses a haunted housei A
little maid told me, with eyes distended.
and in aWeSome tones, that she had heard
it herself 1t is one of the low, long old
ramshackle buildings that has gone into
the age of moss and decay as the town
grew. On certain nights in the week,
from y o'clock to l, i'll the lOw-ceilinged
room below host Of silent visitors play
at ten-pins. The balls roll the length of
the room and down an Offset of two steps
into the next. All is quiet minute and
another ball starts. At precisely O'Clock
| the ghOstly revelry ceases, the spectres
fade into thin air, and the SnoreS of the
worldly listeners resume their solid pro-
portions. There are tappings and moan
ings, groanings and tapping of unhinged
doors, the midnight promenade of some
departed dyspeptic. In fact every detail
is present to pronounce it bona fide
hant.
Looking you straight in the eye as you
enter the town is the sign of the leading
hostelry. The figure of what has been a
beautiful woman leans from the balcony
with gentle smile. To appreciate this
freak of fancy you must know that it is
the ffgure-head of the English ship Lam
| mermoOr which was wrecked at the en-
trance of Bodega Bay in June, 1882.
Many people possess souvenirs of the un-
fortunate vessel, which was strewn along
the beach tor miles. One of the rich
crimson velvet cushions OF her cabin now
does duty of making comfortable the seat
of farmers cart.
have been heightened by some local
painter evidently. and the rouge not hay-
ing been applied scientifically, she looks
| best when seen atar Off. We feel reas-
sured at her welcoming smile, presum-
ably the fac simile of that of the bride
OF Lammermoor," and entering, listen
inYoluntarily for the quavering voices OF
Caleb and Mysie in bitter dispute over the
scant larder. There was no rattle OF
crockery and pewter, and ''thunner
down the chimney to spoil the guide din
ner"; neither did faithful old Caleb fly
forth to scout for the fat 'capon and
whiin-whamS" for our gastronomic en-
tertainment, but in good time a bonny
meal was served, and under the beams OF
the painted bcauty's smile we watched
the regular boarder perform the sword
swallowing act with every knife full OF
potatoes, and spear peas with q three
tined fork.
Those potatoes. After a ride through
to the coast you will see potatoes in your
walking hours, and be haunted by them
i'll your dreams, for they are on each side
of you, ,behind and before you. Your
host will sing their praises to you while
you grace his groaning board with your
pIGSctiCc. II you hlil one mousse U1:lJ is
an exception chalk a cross on the gate
post, so that others may enter in.
Bodega is older than the hills. But
though boasting Of antiquities, it is quite
modern in its habits, even to possessing
the regulation number of saloons to q
block. II is known to Uncle Sam as
Smiths Ranch, cleaning from a post
mark as big as a cowboys hat. 1t has
always been q source of wonderment to
me that the smaller q town is the larger
Is its post-mark. When you receive a
letter which is two-thirds post-mark you
can set the population ofits source at two
figures.
4 few hundred yards from the citv
proper on a hillock stands the flagstaff
erected by, Captain John Smith in July,
1916. 1t held at its top the figure of bear
and lone star. 1t leans little wearily,
as who would not after exposure to the
ravages of time all these many years.
The members of Fern Leaf Parlor.
Native Sons of the Golden West, have
wisely taken measures to preserve this
important relic. A portion from the ton
will be sent to the Worlds Fair. Captain
Smiths adobe house is situated near the
spot that holds the notorious staff. You
pass through wide gate, down through
'Swag," and ascending the slight eleva-
ton the house greets you. 1t is smoth-
cred in trees, and its two quaint upper
windows have peered out over the pass
ing populace for half a century.
There is one piece of architecture /
found in my ramblings that I sat me
down to admire. 1t is a structure with
fiuted columns and a fiat roof, made after
the Corinthian, antediluvian style, and is
a gem. On its summit are bronze figures
of frolicking cherubs and slim bodied
hounds. and the color is soft brownish
gray. / dropped into bench on a hos
pitable-looking veranda, where a fine. bic
tree threw shade over pump and :