Bob’s nuts about Hollister
Nuts? Who’s nuts? A friend of a friend of mine saw me snacking
on walnuts when I attended a star Walk of Fame ceremony on
Hollywood Boulevard. He said his family grew walnuts in the Valley
and they were the best he ever tasted. I handed him a few that
Nancy had received from her friend in Hollister, Oneca Shaw and her
husband, Jim.
Bob’s nuts about Hollister
Nuts? Who’s nuts? A friend of a friend of mine saw me snacking on walnuts when I attended a star Walk of Fame ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard. He said his family grew walnuts in the Valley and they were the best he ever tasted. I handed him a few that Nancy had received from her friend in Hollister, Oneca Shaw and her husband, Jim.
Mr. Hollywood couldn’t believe it. He never tasted a better walnut and neither have I. I tried to make him feel good by assuring him if there is anything San Benito County excels in it’s nuts.
Speaking of nuts, will the Free Lance please lay off that Hollister police officer? The Free Lance has punished him enough. They like to say that cops should be held to a higher standard. Sgt. James Egan is one of the best police officers in the country and Hollister Chief of Police Jeff Miller thankfully hasn’t allowed the bully press the satisfaction of ruining a great career over an infraction that Sgt. Egan has more than been held to a higher standard. The Free Lance, on the other hand, has been held to the lowest possible standards.
A “former” Marine from Hollister asked why I don’t write about and thank the vets for all they have done for this country. He is right. To all you veterinarians, thank you for taking care of our pets and cattle and a special shout out to the one who is taking extra good care of his neighbor’s wife’s schnauzer.
And while Bob Tiffany out at Tiffany Ford might be surprised about rumors coming from Hollister I certainly am not. That rumor spreading throughout Hollister and parts of the free world about me moving back to Hollister are true. How can I not? Hollister must have changed since I left because when I left the poor taxpayer was having a hard time. Now when you would think it would be worse with the federal government, state governments, county governments and every city cutting back, laying off employees, the Hollister City Council has managed the city of Hollister so fiscally prudent that they just gave the city of Hollister employees pay raises. “Hello, Hollister city clerk. Would you send me an employment application? I can expect another raise when?” Aye chee waa waa. I love the Hollister City Council.
Last week’s Quick Quiz is why is Jerry Lewis going to the Oscars? He is getting the Academy’s Humanitarian Award! Yuck! Never could stand Lewis, even in his heyday as in “hey lady.” I knew Dean Martin’s first wife. She lived directly across from my bookstore in San Francisco, Bob’s Books For The Price Of A Politician. She would buy books every day. She was a voracious reader and book gifter. She blamed Jerry for a big role in her breakup with Dean. She was a devout Catholic and didn’t believe in divorce so she never remarried. She was not a smorgasbord Catholic, the kind who love to pick and choose what laws of the church they will keep.
Today’s Quick Quiz: What was the only good acting turn Jerry Lewis ever attempted, thanks to a foreign director who didn’t take any crap off of him. The film starred Johnny Depp (always the consummate actor) and Faye Dunaway, another primadona, at her rare best.
A couple of weeks ago when I was waxing nostalgic about Hollister 1958 I mentioned the Hollister recording stars The Downbeats and the Hollister police chief refusing to give them a dance permit because they supposedly attracted undesirable elements from Salinas, Watsonville and San Jose. Whatever became of these Downbeats?
Bill Paradis knew how the electric chair worked. He became a foremost electronic engineer. Bill Lanning always enjoyed a blast, and became a big shot in propane. Russel Dahneke loved to paint the town red and became one of California’s premier painters. Delbert Contival found painting the town red a little mundane so he used a palate of colors to enhance his art in specialty carpentry. Grover York was a cutup and managed to an art form the finest heaven bound beef departments in the world. Jess Rodriguez, not satisfied with just teaching, became an administrator in the best sense of the word as he advocated for the needs of the students. Joe Serrano, one of Hollister High’s most popular students, died way too early but he’s jamming with the lead harpist in Heaven as when you danced to his sax you were in Heaven, or about to be, thanks to St. Karr Backseata.
Speaking of Heaven, Johnny Amelio with his Elvis good looks and much better voice drew the crowds. Johnny is now pastor of the Glad Tidings Church in San Juan Bautista, where miracles still happen. Johnny is so popular that some newcomers think San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist) is named after him.
I left the only disappointment in career choices for the last and without comment. John Dixon became a police officer and detective with the police force. Well, one out of nine ain’t bad.
I remember one of the biggest thrills I ever got was dragging main in Hollister with my girl by my side with the AM, no hi, no fi, one speaker radio blaring with the dial set to Frantic Fred, who I met many times at his station. This disc jockey was weirder by 69 than Wolfman Jack.
The thrill came when Frantic Fred announced, “from our stacks of wax, here’s the platter that matters, the Downbeats with their latest hit “Joanne Joanne.” The beautiful Joanne Schneider broke every guy’s heart in Hollister when she married Johnny Amelio. Johnny also broke many guys’ hearts when he got married. Aye chee waa waa.
The Downbeats were anything but down. The Hollister police chief was wrong. That was not a first. Aye chee waa waa.
