One day in the late spring of 1961, my dad came home from work and told me, “This weekend, you and I are going fishing with Uncle Ross.”

Marty Relles

Sure enough, Friday evening about 5:30 p.m., Uncle Ross drove up in his station wagon with my Cousin Jim. Dad loaded two fishing poles, some tackle, two sleeping bags, a grocery bag full of food , and coats and clothing for us into the car. Then off we went on our fishing trip.

We drove out Folsom Boulevard toward Placerville. Back then, no freeways had been built so we drove out Folsom Boulevard to Folsom. Eventually that road ran into State Highway 50.

When we reached Placerville, we turned north on Highway 49 in the direction of Georgetown, an old gold rush village.

Just before we reached Georgetown, we turned east on a dirt road and drove about five miles to a place where we stopped and made camp.

The thing I remember most about that ride was the dust. It billowed up and covered Uncle Ross’ car.

What a mess.

But who cared, we were going to camp out under the stars. Wow!

After we unloaded the gear, we began to erect the tents. This dates back before the days of REI, so the tents we had came from Army Surplus. We set up one tent for Dad and Uncle Ross and one for Jim and me. Then we unrolled our sleeping bags inside the tents.

While we did this, Uncle Ross built a fire and cooked dinner: hot dogs and canned beans. I tell you this, hot dogs and beans never tasted so good. For dessert, we had Hostess Cup Cakes. As we watched the sun set, we drank coffee with lots of milk and sugar in it.

When the sun came down and dark settled in, we beheld the magic of the entire Milky Way spreading across the night sky. I remember the majesty of that to this day. However, soon we tired, closed our tent flap and fell into a deep sleep.

When morning came, Jim and I awoke to the sound of Uncle Ross cooking breakfast. He started the fire, then made coffee, then cooked bacon and eggs. The smell of the cooking bacon proved intoxicating, and soon we all dressed and joined Uncle Ross around the fire.

After breakfast, we gathered our gear and headed down to the Rubicon River in search of trout.

Since this was my first fishing trip, I took in all the sights. We trekked over huge granite outcroppings, went around large fir trees, and crossed gurgling streams filled with water so clean, you could scoop up a hand full and drink right from the stream.

Eventually we arrived at the river where Dad and Ross went upstream and Jim and I went downstream.

Try as we might, Jim and I caught no fish. We saw some big ones, but they ignored our bait. In the end, we headed back upstream to find Dad and Uncle Ross.

When we found them, they proudly held up two trout each: nice looking fish, all about twelve inches long. Jim and I were happy somebody caught something. After admiring the catch, we all headed back up toward the camp site.

As always, the walk back out always seems a lot harder the walk in. But we made it back without an injury, or a whimper. Soon we had the car loaded and headed home with our bounty.

We stopped in Placerville on the way home to eat lunch. We had burgers and fries. Keep in mind, this was long before people worried much about cholesterol and the food tasted great. After filling our bellies, off we went to Sacramento.

I remember this trip as if it were yesterday. The clean air, the pure water, the simple food cooked outdoors all added up to a wonderful time with my father, my uncle and my cousin. Even today, Jim and I often think back and recall this special Janey Way memory.

Early one Saturday morning in 1961, I woke up to the sound of sirens screeching down Janey Way.

Marty Relles

Startled, I sat straight up and then walked up the hallway to the front door. I opened the door and looked out.

There, up the street, in front of the Hart’s house, I saw a fire truck, an ambulance and a police car.

This did not look good, so I went right back to my parent’s bedroom and woke up my mom to tell her what had happened.

She dressed immediately and walked down the street.

Minutes later she returned and said, “It’s Bernie Hart. He had a heart attack. It doesn’t look good.”

It wasn’t good.

Later that day, we found out that Bernie had passed away, right there in the hallway of his own home.

Shockwaves reverberated across Janey Way. What would Rose Hart and her two children, Tom age seven and Suzie, age two, do?

I remember attending the funeral and seeing young Tom, in a grey suit, and little Suzie in a dark dress standing next to their grieving mom.

I was so sad. I truly wondered what was in store for them.

But, surprisingly, Rose and her young family did move on from this terrible tragedy.

Bernie, a wise man, had provided sufficient insurance to pay off the family house and tide them over until Rosie found work.

And, she did find work.

It seemed Dr. Max Sudoff, a respected Sacramento ear, nose and throat specialist was looking for a receptionist at this time, and Rose fit the bill. He hired her, and this began a work relationship which lasted until Dr. Sudoff retired in his late 70s.

With the help of the Janey Way family, Rose’s children did well too.

Little Suzie took up dance and performed regularly in Sacramento events including the popular “Best of Broadway” series. Young Tom graduated from Sacramento High School and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA. Today ,he is a deputy director at the California Redevelopment Agency.

Rosie continued to live amongst her friends on Janey Way until she passed away some years back. She never remarried, saying, “I will never meet another man as good as Bernie.”

Now, the story of the death of Bernie Hart is yet another inspirational Janey Way Memory.

marty@valcomnews.com

One day in August in the early 1960s, my brother Terry sat on our front porch, thinking.

Marty Relles

Summer was coming to an end.

The State Fair opened in just a few weeks. After that, school started.

He needed money for the fair and to buy some cool clothes for school. Mom always took care of the basics, but she never bought the latest fashions. Terry decided he needed to earn some money.

But how could he do it?

Suddenly, a light turned on in his head.

“I can do yard work in the neighborhood and earn all the money I need,” he thought.

Immediately, Terry jumped up and went around to the back yard. He grabbed the old red wagon, put some lawn tools in it, went across the street and began going house to house.

At his first stop, they said, “Can’t help you Terry, our kids do the work care here.”

And so it went as he walked slowly up the block. Everyone said that they didn’t need any help.

Finally, Terry arrived at the last house on the west side of the block: the home of Herb Mather. Herb had retired from the State Printing Plant sometime back. Since then, he spent a lot of his time at the tavern in the Square Deal Restaurant on 58th and Folsom Blvd. Herb came to the door, looked at Terry, then back toward his yard and said, “Yeah, I could use some help.”

He then walked Terry down his driveway and into his back yard.

Terry looked at the yard. Oh my, what a mess. Bermuda grass had overgrown the lawn and reached ankle length. Weeds had overgrown the plants in the flower beds.

To Terry, this looked like a gold mine. Herb then sidled off in the direction of the Square Deal and left Terry to his job.

What should he do first?

Terry decided to tackle the lawn. He pulled an old push lawn mower out of the garage and tried to mow the law. That did not work. The lawn had grown too high and the mover just pushed the grass down without cutting it. He tried a hand weed-whacking tool; that didn’t work either. Nothing seemed to work.

He gave the problem some thought and decided to do what the firemen did in the empty lots in our neighborhood. They started a fire on one side of the lot and slowly drug it to the other side. That worked quickly and efficiently to get the grasses down to a manageable level.

He went in Herb’s house, grabbed some matches, then into the garage to get an old can of gasoline. Then he started a fire on the southeast corner of the yard.

At first, all went well. The fire moved slowly from the front toward the back of the property.

Then a breeze gusted up. The fire moved more quickly.

Embers jumped up to the fence. It caught fire, then jumped to roof of the house.

Terry ran around the side of the house to get a hose, but it did not reach the fence. In a panic, he ran in the house and called the fire department. Within minutes they arrived from their H Street station, dragged their hoses around to the back and put out the fire.

Then after admonishing Terry for starting the fire, they left.

Terry sat down and wondered how he could get out of this mess.

As he thought, he looked up and noticed a new fire had started on the neighbor’s roof. Again, he ran into the house and hailed the fire department. Within a few minutes, they returned, pulled their hoses out and extinguished the new fire. After putting the fire out, shaking their heads in disgust, they returned again to the station.

Now Terry contemplated the worst.

“What will Dad say when he finds out about this,” he wondered. “I’m in big trouble.”

However, soon Herb returned from his afternoon at the tavern. When Terry explained what happened, Herb said, “I can’t pay you anything for this kid.” Then, he called his insurance company.

In the mean time, Terry snuck out the back and returned home. His scheme to earn some summer money had backfired.

He laid low for the next couple of days. Fortunately, nothing happened. The insurance company covered the damage to both houses, and Herb never broached the issue with my father. Summer returned to normal and life went on.

Terry learned a valuable lesson that summer: Earning money requires good planning and hard work. That lesson served him well.

Terry eventually went on to graduate from the Culinary Institute in New York City. He became a chef and subsequently a regional manager for Sysco Food Services Corporation. Now, through good planning and hard work, he makes a very good living, and the day Terry nearly burned down Janey Way is just another fiery Janey Way memory.

SACRAMENTO – Halloween to most children means candy, a lot of candy. With childhood obesity on the rise in the United States, what can families do to stay healthy amongst the candy corn, chocolate nougat bars and gummy bears? Healthy and Halloween aren’t usually two words that are normally seen together, but there are good and easy alternatives that will make Halloween not so scary for your family’s health.

Give out healthy alternatives to candy to the ghouls and goblins that visit your doorstep:

• Halloween-themed pencils, note pads, bubbles, noisemakers, vampire teeth, temporary tattoos, (refrain from distributing choking hazards such as coins, rings to young children)
• Granola bars, pretzels, cheese and cracker packs, sugar-free gum, and hot chocolate packets

“It’s also a good idea to eat a nutritious and wholesome meal before your family heads out for trick-or-treating. They will less likely fill up on empty calorie foods and binge on their candy loot”, said G. Prakasam, MD, medical director, Pediatric Endocrine and Diabetes at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. Keep in mind, total restriction of candy isn’t healthy either. Allow your child to have some of their Halloween treats in moderation then ration out the remaining candy over a few weeks for dessert after a healthy meal.

Obesity can be prevented and it doesn’t take high-tech treatments or cutting-edge medications. The solution begins and ends with daily decisions we make, like limiting candy consumption. “Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects. Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression,” Prakasam said. The American Heart Association is working to help kids and families live heart-healthy lives.

For more information about how you and your family can learn to eat better and get more active, visit heart.org/healthierkids.