Foothills Sentry September 2023

Foothills Sentry Page 6 September 2023 Family. Friends. Community. We’re all in this together. State Farm, Bloomington, IL 1801073 Ron Esparza, Agent Insurance Lic#: 0C79663 827 S. Tustin Ave Orange, CA 92866 Bus: 714-505-3400 ron@ronesparza.com Riding off into the sunset August saw the passing of two Modjeska residents who each packed several careers into a sin- gle lifetime. Rusty Richards was a baby when his parents bought their Modjeska Canyon cabin in 1933. He grew up there, learning to ride, rope and train horses. And sing. At 16, he had his own tele- vision show, “Song Trails with Rusty Richards.” After a stint in the Marines, Rusty was a ranch hand and rodeo cowboy, and also a Hollywood stuntman and occasional “riding, shooting” cowboy for “Bonan- za,” “Gunsmoke,” and the 1962 movie “How the West Was Won.” In 1963, he joined the Sons of the Pioneers, the Western singing group founded by Roy Rogers. After Rusty married Silverado girl Amy, their children Jason, Jenny, and Amy Jo also became musicians. But Amy says that Rusty never considered himself a singing cowboy—he was a cow- boy who sang. He was proud of his 2016 Chester A. Reynolds award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum for “promotion of the ideals of individualism, honesty, humility and integrity.” Bob Hunt’s journey to Modjes- ka was more roundabout. He and Pat met when he was a University of Missouri student, and she was a telephone operator studying to be a beautician. One evening, a blizzard snowed in everyone at- tending a party at the house where Bob lived. Pat remembers people sleeping on the floor, and waking up to Bob making breakfast for everyone. The Marine Corps shipped Bob to Okinawa, but when he re- turned, Pat flew to San Diego and married him in the base chapel. Then it was off to Yuma where David and Joy were born, and finally back to California where Bob founded Sensor Develop- ment, Inc. in 1979. “Bob loved nature,” says Pat. “He did all he could to protect our rural canyons and wildlife.” He became a director of the In- ter-Canyon League, the Santiago County Water District, and the Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Park District, which named the Hunt building after him. For several years, Bob also published a newsletter covering local events like Steve Hand’s bull escaping from Modjeska and being rounded up by Rusty Rich- ards. Again. “This time,” reported the Au- gust 1990 “Modjeska Canyon Newsletter,” “Rusty offered to trade a horse for the adventurous animal, saying he could use him for a lead steer. Steve reminded him that he wasn’t a steer, a situ- ation which Rusty allowed could be fixed, and they settled for Rusty keeping whatever this thing winds up being, along with his tendency to wander, at no charge other than future liability. More on this saga as and if it develops.” Memorial events for Bob and Rusty will take place this fall. Grade upgrade? At an Aug. 10 “open house” at the library, OC Public Works (OCPW) showed plans for Modjeska Grade Road improve- ments, and invited questions and comments from residents. Il- lustrations showing solutions to stormwater runoff problems were displayed. According to an OCPW web page, “The proj- ect will provide a proper drain- age system, a structurally sound pavement and stabilized slope.” “Proper,” though, should in- clude compliance with the Sil- verado-Modjeska Specific Plan, which states (under “Rural Road Character”): “Curbs, gutters, sidewalks and street lights shall not be allowed unless necessary for safety purposes.” In 1990, objections to a square concrete curb where the grade road meets Modjeska Canyon Road led to one OCPW official labeling the curb a violation, although it had been permitted by a lower-level employee who was unaware of the Sil-Mod Plan. For more information and to submit comments, email OCPW at ProjectInfo@ocpw.ocgov.com . Library-friendly Support library programs by donating your valuable but un- needed stuff so Friends of the Library can sell it at this year’s Silverado Country Fair. Then tell your neighbors to go buy it. Drop it off Oct. 13 or contact Andrew Tonkovich: (949) 235-8193 or atonkovi@uci.edu. Fire-fighting Donate your unneeded weeds, yard trimmings, etc. to the Can- yon Cleanup site in Silverado on Saturday, Sept. 23. High-fiber Chaparral on our hills consists of several plant species. One of these is holly leaf cherry, a shrub or small tree with cherry-like fruit containing a single hard seed, or pit. There isn’t much fruit sur- rounding the pit, but it’s enough to attract birds, plus one other beneficial animal. In their book “Wildflowers of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains,” Robert Allen and Fred Roberts write: “Stud- ies have shown that [holly leaf cherry’s] seeds have a low ger- mination rate. However, seeds that have passed through the di- gestive tract of a coyote have a much higher germination rate.” After eating several holly leaf cherry seeds, a coyote will need to make a pit stop. Should you feel like emulating a coyote, though, be advised that the in- sides of these pits are toxic un- less properly treated. So don’t swallow a cracked seed—pit it out. Rusty Richards Bob Hunt Holly leaf cherry This year we will honor our CEO, Cathy Seelig, and her 25 year legacy with Friendly Center. Your support helps to bring stability and transform lives in Orange County. friendlycenter.org SEPT 30, 2023 DINNER | AUCTION | ENTERTAINMENT The Ranch Ballroom Literary journal fall issue online this month The fall issue of “Citric Acid: An online Orange County Liter- ary Arts Quarterly of Imagina- tion and Reimagination,“ will be available this month. “Citric Acid” was started in January 2022 by Canyon Beat writer Andrew Tonkovich and Chapman University Professor Jaime Campbell. Both are resi- dents of Modjeska Canyon. The online literary journal celebrates writing from and about Orange County, with a commitment to advancing the work of estab- lished and emerging regional tal- ent, including historically under- represented writers and artists,. “Citric Acid’s” fall issue may be viewed and read at https:// www.citricacid.ink/, and on so- cial media. “Citric Acid” is supported by tax deductible donations, is a program of Santa Ana Building Healthy Communities, and an af- filiate channel of the Los Angeles Review of Books.