A Mermaid's Tale about Redding
The OG Home base
Hey Friends,
This story of 23 has stretched out way longer than I thought it would. And because I’m near the homeland this week, we’re going back even further to when I was 14. A prequel, if you will.
Driving from Ashland’s cool low 70s into the belly of fire with excessive heat warnings makes me remember.
It was May 1978, 46 years ago, and school was about to be out for the summer. My last summer before high school. I couldn’t wait. The heat was bearing down and I wanted to spend the summer before high school at Brandy Creek. Brandy Creek was where we gathered, and Whiskeytown Lake was where I learned to waterski, to scuba dive, to drive speed boats, to love sail boats, to kayak, to sunbathe. That’s where I wanted to be that summer. I would baby oil up and turn golden brown. We didn’t realize it was bad back then, or at least we didn’t care. I would squeeze lemon in my straight blonde hair and get a perm so my hair would look as big and beautiful as the state of Texas from where my paternal lineage hailed. These were my summer goals.
On this particular May day, I was walking from my junior high into Cottonwood. On this day, Darrel Rich was hunting for his next victim. He had killed three already. He had been in Crystal Creek for some time and had just gotten out. I knew Darrel well and, in fact, had visited him with his mother while he was in the boys’ camp. His mother, Mama Lil, had babysat me for six years. Darrel and I grew up together. He tried to charm me into his car that day, and then force me, but it wasn’t my time. He hunted other young girls in town that day which I found out when I published my Young Adult Thriller Intuition and they came forward to tell me.
It was such a creepy story, and so tragic for young Annette Selix whom he finally pinned in the post office later that day. That was her last evening on the planet. It was a brutal exit. I still feel it when I’m up at Shasta Dam where he threw her off (alive) after sodomizing her. She was 12.
I pushed the story down for the longest time but when we moved back to Cottonwood in 2008 to duck and roll with the market crash, I found I had to write the story. I discovered that through a series of synchronistic events. One of those events was while I was finishing my first YA novel, First Break, I met this guy in Starbucks. We were on the same writing schedule. He asked me what I was going to write next. There’s always something baking in the oven and he knew it. I asked him if he was local. He said yes. I told him I would probably write about the Darrel Rich case though I hadn’t decided in what genre yet. He said, “You have to.” I asked why. He said, “Because I was the lead detective on the case and I have to read it.”
Write it I did.
Tenderness is what I am when my heart governs, and I realize how much so many in the world have suffered.
Hafiz
Oceans of Love,
xo Jamie
Where in the world is the mermaid?
Redding, California
It’s weird staying in Redding. I grew up in Cottonwood, just South of Redding, and my mom still lives in my childhood home. We stay there sometimes, but when we’re heading out on a faraway plane trip, Kai needs to stay with his Cathy, and we rent them an AirBB in Redding. We usually add on a few days before the trip to visit my mom and get all our stuff done: hair, nails, storage, dentist, stuff like that. Often, stuff for my mom, too. It’s a way of keeping our toes in the north-North. People in Redding rarely come to Cottonwood, but people in Cottonwood go to Redding on a very regular basis.
It triggers lots of feelings. I left at 18 to go to UCLA and stayed in Los Angeles until 2008 when we moved back and bought a house in Cottonwood. I hadn’t planned on coming back, but it seemed important for multiple reasons. Every time I drove into Redding, I would have to pass by the house of my old babysitter and the serial killer I mentioned above, a house where I slept in the same room as his kill kit hidden in the closet.
Alas, we move on, and we make new memories. As an adult, I appreciate the vast nature beyond “The Lake.” All the seasons live here, and when you’re actually up in Redding, many first world “comfies” are pretty close. An evening walk across the Sacramento River on Sundial Bridge is a local fave. Lake life is still a big deal. The Downtown Mall has been reimagined a gazillion times and never seems to really work for a number of reasons. It’s part of its charm. The Mt. Shasta Mall stays fairly current and even has a boba shop in the center which is not bad at all. Chains are all around, and my mom is very said the Red Lobster went out. She called me the day it happened. Nearby, I think I saw a Panera this time. That’s a first. When Trader Joe’s came to town some years ago, it’s all everyone could talk about. The thing I love best is visiting my mom, seeing the slow changes, and celebrating moments with friends.
Top MUST TRY places in…
But first, Redding Vibes by me:
The Sundial Bridge - Quite the controversial investment, the “Sundial” has become as much a local favorite as the original vision of a “tourist stop.” Kai loves it there. One issue: in the summer, the bridge gets too hot for dogs to walk across unless you go early in the morning or after dark. In the rain, it’s slippery. Sigh. Best laid plans. In the Spring and Fall, it’s beautiful.
C&A Cheesecakes - You are going to want to try these. You can get a slice at Raw, CR Gibbs, or View 202 - or if you’re a patient, at Dr. Van Kirk! You can also order your own. Curt, our favorite server at Moonstone, has a new delicious side hustle and it’s these. (@CACheesecakes on Instagram.)
Moonstone Bistro - This was our favorite restaurant this trip. They’re just missing one thing: Curt’s cheesecakes! Moonstone has always been a date night special when we lived in Cottonwood, but this time it was extra good. The fish tacos are unique and I crave them. I had to force myself to try other dishes and Curt helped me with that. I was glad I did because this scallop dish was dancing in flavor and texture. Moonstone makes their own pasta each day, and the chef is willing to drop the pancetta for the vegetarian crowd. It’s delicious. Now let’s get those cheesecakes on the menu, shall we?
Whiskeytown Lake - Brandy Creek - I grew up on this lake. It’s sacred. It’s perfect for kayaking, paddle boarding, waterfall hunting, or just swimming and sitting on the beach. Shasta Lake’s where tourists go, but Whiskeytown is where locals go.
TBar - This is our go-to, casual, healthy, order-at-the-counter lunch and dinner place. In addition to pick your own protein/sides/sauces salads and wraps with nice vegetarian options, they have a very delicious hummus with pita and cucumber chips. The teas come in 4 different styles. I always get Blueberry Hibiscus on tap (with boba), but Mike experiments with the Sparkle Me kind and freezes which are like ice cream. The people who work here are very nice.
Honey Nails - Lannie is one of my favorite people in Redding. She’s more than just a nail tech and the owner of the best-in-town nail salon. She’s one of the kindest, sweetest, funniest, skilled people I know. Her energy is so good. I take my mom there and she not only does her nails, she gives her a sense of wellbeing and love. Here she is holding precious Milo whom I have watched grow from an 8 week old pup. We’re bonded.
Hair City - Olivia Whaley is hands down my favorite hair stylist in Redding! She grew up here. I found her on Yelp when I had issues with my last person and have been with her ever since. She gets me through all my hair crises, including Covid. (530) 223-3223. I can’t wait to meet baby girl Olive this December!
Jayme Dee Skincare - Jayme has spoiled me for all other estheticians everywhere. She’s very hard to beat. Whenever we are passing through I make sure I’m on her schedule. She has this incredible talent for combining all the magical things my skin needs “that time” while I just lay there and completely relax. (530) 209-3197
Through Kai’s Eyes
Visiting G16 is the best! She drops lots of crumbs around the house and even though Dad tries to vacuum them up, I still get a few before he remembers. Grandma has great carpet for side digging so I’m very excited when we get there. It feels so good. I roll over on my back and everyone comes to scratch my belly. Awwww. Like a spa.
After we “settle in,” I love to go over to the sliding door and look out back for deer. I don’t always see them, but boy when I do, I let everyone know. I mean, they will want to see the deer, too, right? Then, when I get sleepy, I head down the hall to the “spare,” which is what they call my bedroom. It’s so snuggly, and I love it.
Mystical Mermaid Musings: Diving Deeper Into You
Awww, family of origin. Childhood trauma. ACES scores. That stands for Adverse Childhood Experience Score, and since I told you the whole serial killer story above, you probably understand why Shasta County has traditionally had the highest scores in the NATION. In fact, when I was moving back in 2008, my friend Yolie said, “Ummm, have you checked the ACES and reading scores?” She had. She was concerned about my youngest child’s schooling.
No matter what our early childhood brings, though, I believe we can use that to become stronger. First, we need to face it. We need to be willing to look into our shadow shit and bring awareness to the impact it holds on our subconscious. One way to do that is to make a timeline highlighting significant trauma points in our lives. I did this during the four years I became a licensed spiritual practitioner with the Centers of Spiritual Living. I’m not a practitioner anymore, but that becoming process helped me unravel those early impacts and start healing them. If you need support doing this, find a professional helper like a therapist. The important step is to not pretend it doesn’t matter and to remember whether you address it our not, it still impacts you in ways you may not be aware of, can impact your health, and can keep you from updating your IOS.
What Stories?
“Under the Bridge” - Hulu, Limited Series - 8 episodes, 53 minutes each - thanks, Olivia!
With this week circling around my home town, we have been watching an angsty teens-on-the edge drama series “Under the Bridge.” In this eerie, Hulu YA referral from Olivia, we meet a group of teens in Victoria BC that you won’t soon forget, and that align with all the regular archetypes. At the heart of this inspired-by-true-events series is an anti-bullying campaign, but so much more is going on here. It’s compelling. Upsetting. Terrifying.
When a New York writer returns to her hometown to heal old traumas in her new book, she must face her shadow stories. At times, the shadows feel too dark. Lots of drowning imagery. But we must all at some point face those shadows, or risk them staring us down.
The characters are so well done. And as the sociopath diagnosis is gaining understanding currently in current psychological circles and the gen pop, I find the interplay between characters enlightening to the escalating school shootings over the past 20 years. As Alonso Bodden, comedian extraordinaire said at the Hermosa Comedy and Magic Club last month, “Everybody’s angry at something these days.”
My heart is always with the kids, and this series really gives insight there. It’s addictive and terrifying.
What’s next?
BALI!!!!!!! I’ll be there a month and you’re coming, too! Know someone who wants to come along?
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Thank you.❤️
Thank you for modeling, through your writing and in so many other ways, the importance of facing and healing our traumas. You are a powerful storyteller… love being with you on this journey. And love that you spotlighted our friendship in today’s post. 🩷
Thank you, Jamie! Monday mornings with you are magical! Safe travels to Bali! Excited to read your posts as you make your way across the world!