#132. How Eureka Reconnected With Its Waterfront | Nancy Flemming

Scott Hammond: Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, and all those out to sea, it's Scott Hammond and the 100% Humboldt podcast with my new best friend, Nancy Flemming. Hello, Nancy.

Nancy Flemming: Hi.

Scott Hammond: How are you?

Nancy Flemming: Great fun. Hi.

Scott Hammond: How are you?

Nancy Flemming: I'm great.

Scott Hammond: What a s- amazing fall day outside.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, wasn't it gorgeous? Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Sh-

Nancy Flemming: Truly.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: These are the days where I hate to sit in the office all day.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: But some days you just gotta-

Nancy Flemming: Gotta do it

Scott Hammond: … do what you gotta do.

Nancy Flemming: Well, Septembers are always stunning.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: I re- we went to the, uh, airport once, many, many year, 40-something years ago, to schedule our wedding, which would be outside 'cause we were over on Gunther Island. And, uh, we picked the 27th because it was the least ever that they'd ever had rain, so it was-

Scott Hammond: Oh, is that right?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. It did rain that morning, though.

Scott Hammond: Of course it did. Yeah. That's-

Nancy Flemming: Of course it did

Scott Hammond: … that's the law of things, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So tell, tell us who you are, what you do. Um, what's your current role in, in Humboldt?

Nancy Flemming: Uh, I am an artist and I work with, uh, the Redwood Art Association, and also at the, uh, Old Town Art Gallery.

Nancy Flemming: I've got, uh, I'm part of that, and we display our work there. It's at the Gazebo Square, which is great fun-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … because I'm back in Old Town where I kind of started with-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … the, with, uh, a store that I had for 17 years there.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, so.

Scott Hammond: Is that Old, Old Town Chocolates, or what was it?

Nancy Flemming: It was.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Nancy Flemming: I mean, they, they bought it from the fella that I, I, uh, I sold it to the gentleman that has Humboldt Bay Coffee Company.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Nancy Flemming: And I had started a coffee roasting company there, um, and all the coffee in those bins and everything-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … they're still there. Well, M- Mark helped make those and-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Nancy Flemming: … um, yeah, we've, we've s- started with… First it was, when I started this store, uh, it was a gourmet cookware store and a little cooking school in the back, and then it evolved into, first I started selling coffee, and then I thought-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Nancy Flemming: … geez, that'd be great to start roasting coffee.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: So yeah, I went down to the Bay Area and talked to some guys about how to do it, and then I went down to San Diego, talked to some more guys about how to do it.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: Turned out there weren't any women doing it, so-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Nancy Flemming: … we, we, uh, bought a roaster, an old roaster, and brought it up and put it in and started roasting coffee, and that was great.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: Really fun.

Scott Hammond: So tell us where, where do you hail from? Where were you born?

Nancy Flemming: I was born in Arkansas-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and, uh, kind of raised in Oklahoma.

Nancy Flemming: My parents and grandparents, everybody, they go back about six generations in Arkansas, but my dad, uh, worked in Oklahoma after a while.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: So I went to school there.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Arkie Okie. And then-

Nancy Flemming: Very much, man. I'm-

Scott Hammond: … then came west

Nancy Flemming: … I'm standing up for that, yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's good.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: No, they're great. I-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I love going back to Iowa, where my family is-

Nancy Flemming: Uh-huh

Scott Hammond: … and then I have a lot of co-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … former coworkers in Texas who are wonderful.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's so beautiful back there. I just saw a guy last night that came into, uh, for dinner where we were, and he was saying he'd just come from Tennessee and how beautiful it was.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Nancy Flemming: And I, you know, um, it's stunning, Miran. Arkansas especially, well, almost all of Arkansas is just stunning.

Scott Hammond: I bet, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: But you know, they've been through so many things over the years, but, uh-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Nancy Flemming: … they're doing great now, and it's, it's a beautiful state.

Scott Hammond: I would love to go there, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I remember driving-

Nancy Flemming: Louisiana's gorgeous

Scott Hammond: … Uh, Oklahoma's gorgeous.

Scott Hammond: I-

Nancy Flemming: Oklahoma, yeah

Scott Hammond: … remember driving in the winter. It's like-

Nancy Flemming: Well, I, yeah. I, I lived there. It's a tiny little town-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … called Talihina-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … which is Choctaw for Iron Road.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Nancy Flemming: Which no longer went through, sort of like Eureka.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And it was a very small town, and, uh, it, it was so beautiful.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: Incredible.

Scott Hammond: So what brought you to Humboldt?

Nancy Flemming: I was working in Arkansas and I met, uh, my ex-husband T- uh, Tim Flemming-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and, uh, we ended up going out to, uh, after I married him, we went out to, uh, Coos Bay, Oregon and worked for a Weyerhaeuser company.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And then, uh, he came down to work for Westfall Stevedore, and in both of those situations, I was very exposed to all the… 'cause I had to entertain a lot, you know?

Nancy Flemming: And, uh, I would go down into the galleys and learn everything they were doing-

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow

Nancy Flemming: … and with ships from all over the world.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: And that's how I ended up really getting into creating the Gourmet Gallery. I started with a friend-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and then, uh, ended up running it for almost 17 years.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Really fun.

Scott Hammond: So, so, uh, Coos Bay brought you down here to-

Nancy Flemming: Yes

Scott Hammond: … Westfall.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Are they still, Westfall Stevedore still in business?

Nancy Flemming: No. No, it hasn't been for a long time.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, they're gone.

Nancy Flemming: And, but Westfalls, uh, were so wonderful.

Nancy Flemming: They-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … just were great. And, um, uh, mid-Westfall, the week I got here, um, w- it was just incredible. She said, "You know, we're forming a thing called the Heritage Society."

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Nancy Flemming: "You might like to get involved in that." And that just-

Scott Hammond: Right

Nancy Flemming: … made me fall in love with Eureka because we went out, I had two little kids, so I could do it on my own with, before they were in school, doing everything that ended up being the Green Book.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. That whole thing that shows everything about Eureka.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: But what they did was educate us-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … out at College of the Redwoods-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Nancy Flemming: … and explain to us all the different styles of architecture and who did what and when.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: And then we went out and we recorded every building-

Scott Hammond: Huh

Nancy Flemming: … in Eureka.

Scott Hammond: That's really cool.

Nancy Flemming: It was great.

Scott Hammond: It's called the Green Book?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Yeah, it's, it's big.

Scott Hammond: I've heard of this.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, you should see it.

Scott Hammond: Can you purchase one?

Nancy Flemming: It's astounding.

Scott Hammond: Or is it just, are they, are they reference-

Nancy Flemming: Well, you can buy them

Scott Hammond: … books?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You can buy them, okay.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So the Historical Society would sell them or have them somewhere available.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, or even go to the library.

Nancy Flemming: But the-

Scott Hammond: Right

Nancy Flemming: … um, uh, I, I first met Muriel Densmore there.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And she would guide me into everything else.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: She was a great mentor.

Scott Hammond: What a sweetheart she was.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Well, she lived across the street from me too when, as, uh, my kids were growing up.

Scott Hammond: At Humboldt, it's a small world, after all.

Nancy Flemming: It is a small world.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And everybody's been so helpful and wonderful.

Scott Hammond: And, and Sally Arnot as well?

Nancy Flemming: Sally was incredible.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And once I became mayor, Sally was such a, a supporter. We, we did so much together-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … because I, it, I went in when it wasn't, uh, it was difficult to be a woman and do those things. Now it's not, but, uh, yeah. But a long time ago it was very difficult.

Scott Hammond: It was tougher. Way tougher, I'm sure.

Nancy Flemming: So, yeah, so when I started doing, you know, making appointments and commissions and stuff-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … I brought in lots of ladies that were just dynamic.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: And it was, it, it helped so much.

Scott Hammond: Right. What a big difference. Yeah, and then-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, Heritage Society-

Scott Hammond: She did the Carnegie Library project

Nancy Flemming: … Eureka Women's Club.

Scott Hammond: She did all that, right?

Nancy Flemming: Well, we did that.

Scott Hammond: Everybody did that.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. We sold it, the building-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … uh, to them for a dollar, I think.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: That's-

Nancy Flemming: Same with the Senior Resource Center.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: We just did lots 'cause, uh-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … we had a lot of cooperation-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Nancy Flemming: … with people, a lot of communication.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: It was great.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, you know, it's occurring to me, there's a whole generation of really dynamic women then-

Nancy Flemming: Yes, now

Scott Hammond: … then and now.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: But there's Bonnie Neely who's-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … still here, and then-

Nancy Flemming: A supervisor

Scott Hammond: … and then you had, uh, Patty Berg, right?

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: She was part of the senior thing.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So these are people that I, I'd met in passing 'cause I was a-

Nancy Flemming: Sure. Mm

Scott Hammond: … little bit younger and raising a family, but whatever.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Anyway.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And now you're here. So did you end up, uh, c- you guys came here. Did you go to school? Did you do, you did some other, uh, you started a business?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, that's a school in itself, you know.

Nancy Flemming: Uh-

Scott Hammond: It is, yeah

Nancy Flemming: … when, again, when I started that business, it was, I had just divorced, and it was in 1976, '77, and you couldn't get loans as a woman at the time.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Nancy Flemming: I think they changed it in '76, but you just could not do that without someone's-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … p- pushing it. So-

Scott Hammond: Times, they have changed.

Nancy Flemming: They have changed, haven't they?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. And it's been wonderful to watch and also kind of be part of it in a way.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: But, um, so over, th- that was a, an exciting time when I finally was going forward and was looking, uh, to, uh, have a loan to buy a roaster and then, you know, I was able to do that finally, and that was, that was a big step.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: But, uh, yeah. It's, it's, it's been just, uh, so fascinating going through all the different stages that we've been through-

Scott Hammond: Yeah. And you've-

Nancy Flemming: … in Eureka. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: In Eureka, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Well-

Scott Hammond: So I wanna go back to West Falls real quick.

Nancy Flemming: Sure.

Scott Hammond: Now if I remember right, she was, uh, one of the, one of the wives, his wife was at BNI with me, and they, he produced a book, uh, on-

Nancy Flemming: Yes

Scott Hammond: … local history.

Nancy Flemming: That's, that's, um, uh, Les' son.

Scott Hammond: Les, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And Les, uh, i- it's an incredible book, and it's a-

Scott Hammond: It's a beautiful coffee table-

Nancy Flemming: … wonderful … yeah

Scott Hammond: … book, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I remember you released that about maybe 10, 15 years ago.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Which seems like yesterday, right?

Scott Hammond: Right. But it was, it was like a documentary of Humboldt.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, it is.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: It is. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. It was a beautiful, beautiful book.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, y- you ran for office at some point.

Nancy Flemming: Well, I was, I was, uh, super involved with Old Town, and it's sort of, you know, uh, trying to get it more on the map and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and lots going on. So for a long time I was, the, people teased me that I was the mayor of Old Town. So it just seemed kinda, oh, I, why don't I do that? But I was mostly, uh, concerned that, uh, people that are on salaries don't understand what happens to people that have shops where they depend on themselves for money.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Nancy Flemming: So if, if something happens and you can't run your business, or something shuts your doors, you can't pay your people, your staff.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: You can't pay the rent, and you also can't pay yourself. So I just thought it was real important to sorta get that word-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … out there.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Nancy Flemming: And I think my whole thing while I was there was to keep the doors open, and I know somebody put in the paper one time, "God, she even answers her phone if she's in the tub." And I did.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Nancy Flemming: You know? I thought it was terribly important-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … to talk to people-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and have my door open. I tried to get 'em to hang the door from the ceiling, but they wouldn't do it.

Scott Hammond: Wouldn't do that.

Nancy Flemming: But, you know, you know, 'cause I wanted people to be able to talk to somebody-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and, who might get it, you know?

Scott Hammond: So not only as a business owner, but once you're in office, you're accessible. Nancy, everybody could-

Nancy Flemming: You need to be. Yeah

Scott Hammond: … everybody could talk to you.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. I think so. I think it's really important.

Scott Hammond: That's good. Oh, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. So it was fun.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I see there's still a lot of those out there here.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: You bet. P- um, and that's the thing.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: People do get involved because they do care.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I remember Ryan Sundberg was that in Fifth District.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Uh, and, and I'm sure Steve still is, but there, there were certain ones that, that you could make a phone call.

Nancy Flemming: That stand out, you bet.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Or have a chat, and they would-

Nancy Flemming: Absolutely

Scott Hammond: … they would absolutely listen.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I love it.

Nancy Flemming: That's key. You gotta have the doors open.

Scott Hammond: So do you have kids, grandkids?

Nancy Flemming: Yes. I have, uh, two kids.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: I have my son lives here-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and my daughter lives in, um, Los Angeles and Atlanta because she's in the movie industry, so she has to live in both places.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Nancy Flemming: But she got an old house outside of Atlanta. It's 100 years old, a farmhouse.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Wow.

Nancy Flemming: So that's fun.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: And then a place in, uh, it's… Yeah, in outside of Los Angeles too.

Scott Hammond: Very nice.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So she travels a bit.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Well, she's an art director.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: So she, she, it's, she has interesting work.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So speaking of interesting places, so you, you-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … have this arc of got here, opened a business-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … ran for city council. We'll get there. I want to hear more about that.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, mm-mm, mm-mm.

Scott Hammond: Coastal Commission too, right?

Nancy Flemming: Yes. I was on the Coastal Commission for nine, nine years.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Nancy Flemming: And again, same thing.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Trying to help people because mostly Coastal Commission-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … is about big projects and people with lots of money, so you have, uh, people on both sides of a question-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … with attorneys and engineers.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: Then you have some little guy that wants to put a dock in or, uh, put, add to his back deck or something.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: They don't have all of those, so it's really important to listen-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … and understand. And, um, I remember, again, from a small town thinking, "God, I'm glad I don't live in these places where everybody's-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Nancy Flemming: … telling on each other and tell-" You know, just-

Scott Hammond: Right

Nancy Flemming: … awful stuff.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: But it, it, now it happens here too, but it didn't. At one time, people were very, uh, respectful of private property. But, you know.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I go back to Old Town. You're, you're taking me back into the days of older Old Town when I was at-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … Humboldt in '78.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Um, Humboldt State, now Cal Poly. I'll, I'll get it right.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. It's, it changes. Ev- Doesn't everything change?

Nancy Flemming: Yes.

Scott Hammond: Everything changes.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: But I- I, it's all the stuff that, you know, West Chestbro was here talking about the Arcata Marsh Project-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, yeah

Scott Hammond: … or the Arcata Community Forest-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … or recycling, things that didn't exist until somebody did something.

Nancy Flemming: That's right.

Scott Hammond: And so I think of you and-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … and your team-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … that made Old Town the magic place that it is now.

Nancy Flemming: It, isn't it wonderful-

Scott Hammond: A ticket from-

Nancy Flemming: … to walk around now?

Scott Hammond: Just to get from Grand. Yeah

Nancy Flemming: And the waterfront, when the waterfront for many years, 'cause just many years, was boarded off with razor wire, and they'd taken up all the docks and done nothing to replace them.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: So, uh, you would walk on boards in the mud-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … to get back and forth, and I would come in every day and climb up all of that just to get to my store.

Scott Hammond: Tell us where you live. It's, it's a unique place. It's property. Your, your-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. It's, uh, I live-

Scott Hammond: You're right across the bay, right?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, right across from F Street.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And, um, so when you look across, you can see it's a small house, white house with a big white water tower.

Scott Hammond: Do you have the big w- round window too? Is, or am I thinking of another place?

Nancy Flemming: No, that's the other place. That's, um, in fact, the, um, it's Leroy Zurlaj's, uh, stepson, and he helps run-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Nancy Flemming: … all of the tugboats and everything.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Nancy Flemming: So he's in a perfect location for what he does.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, we had Leroy, Leroy on the show.

Scott Hammond: He's great.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, okay. Yeah. S- Leroy knows everything about everybody.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: He's, he's the unofficial mayor of the bay.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, he… No kidding. No, he really, really is.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Um, but all of, all of that development is so new and different, and then y- lights on the water and every-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … it's just stunning to watch, but it took-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … a very, very long time.

Scott Hammond: And it's still, still in process.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: No, and it'll go on and on. This could just, I mean, I'm so thrilled that Old Town-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Nancy Flemming: … is doing so well.

Scott Hammond: So you commute to work across the water?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's funny.

Nancy Flemming: And here. I came here that way. We do everything that way.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And you do your garbage and your, uh, groceries and your everything. And-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … and, uh, we pump water up to the water tower and have that.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Nancy Flemming: But our life has changed so much with, uh, solar energy and-

Scott Hammond: Good

Nancy Flemming: … all of that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … 'cause, you know, for, when we first moved over there, there was almost nothing, and, um, we would read aloud to each other at night.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Nancy Flemming: And it was a wonderful- … way to begin our life together.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: But, um, it was, it was very small and intimate and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … uh, had tiny little rooms because they had to keep warm.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: My stove was, uh, gas on one side and wood on the other.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And you had to, the fireplace had a, a pipe that went to, uh, t- uh, tower to put the water in. What do you call the water-

Scott Hammond: To heat it?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, the wa-

Nancy Flemming: So-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Nancy Flemming: … water heater.

Scott Hammond: Water heater.

Nancy Flemming: There you go.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: So, um, you had to build a fire-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … to have hot water.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Nancy Flemming: So, uh, you know, things like showers in the morning, you, you had to do it, like, in the evening.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: All that while you did everything else.

Scott Hammond: Or go to the gym and use their showers.

Nancy Flemming: We have done that over at the Harbor District if things went bad.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. But now, uh, we have everything. I even have, like, a small dishwasher. I have an-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … electric refrigerator.

Scott Hammond: Whoa.

Nancy Flemming: First time with a freezer.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: I have a freezer in the-

Scott Hammond: 'Cause of the solar? You're producing that much solar, or do you have-

Nancy Flemming: No, but I produce enough solar… I mean, yeah, it's, it's electric.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Nancy Flemming: It's an electric refrigerator.

Scott Hammond: It's your own solar.

Nancy Flemming: I had, and I've kept the front of it because it was a piece of art. My-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … when we moved there, and I had it for years, just till last couple years ago, a 1948 fridge.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: And we entertained and had parties and did all the stuff with that little fridge.

Scott Hammond: Little ice, ice box.

Nancy Flemming: It was just great. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: The real ice box.

Nancy Flemming: It was, yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's funny.

Nancy Flemming: But I loved it. It was beautiful.

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I like, I like the-

Nancy Flemming: I like all the transitions, you know?

Scott Hammond: I love the way you're excited about technology and appliances.

Nancy Flemming: Well, it's-

Scott Hammond: I have a microwave.

Nancy Flemming: I… No, I don't.

Scott Hammond: Not yet.

Nancy Flemming: I had one of those, and I've never used it, so I gave it away.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: We went camping this last weekend up to Sumeg, Patrick's Point.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And it was so empowering to c- create my own coffee and my own food and my own-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … fire and, and I came back, I told Joanie, my wife, I said- … "I'm really empowered to do a lot of things that I kinda was lazy about or not-"

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … completing or just not into. And now I'm just, like, ripping through projects at home, just having fun.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Well, good.

Scott Hammond: I don't know what, what happened, but it kinda set me afire-

Nancy Flemming: Just from-

Scott Hammond: … in a good way

Nancy Flemming: … th- the camping.

Scott Hammond: Just camping, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Like, like, um, like doing solar and things like that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … or just new projects?

Scott Hammond: Just, uh… We already have solar, but yeah, just things that have been honey dos for a while that I just-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, yes. Yeah

Scott Hammond: … knock it down, get it done, and-

Nancy Flemming: Well-

Scott Hammond: … move on and

Nancy Flemming: … I think being retired, too. Are you retired yet?

Scott Hammond: I would like to be more retired.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I am not. I still have a State Farm business-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, okay

Scott Hammond: … downtown.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Well, that, for Mark, he just retired two years ago.

Scott Hammond: Oh, what did he do?

Nancy Flemming: He was with PG&E.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Nancy Flemming: I was with the city. I had no services. Mark was with PG&E, and we had no services. So it was kind of funny. But, but it helped us, uh, realize how fortunate people are. I mean, to go and just flip on a light-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Nancy Flemming: … I mean, people have no idea how special that is.

Scott Hammond: That's a big deal.

Nancy Flemming: It is a big deal.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. So-

Scott Hammond: Some people were, were resistant to power. I s- read this story, listened to a podcast-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … with Dallas Willard, he was talking about these old farmers in Oklahoma.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And when they got electricity, some resisted.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And it was just-

Nancy Flemming: Well, and people resisted telephones-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … because they interfered. They were rude.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: You know, it made a sound, and you, you might have been doing dinner, you know?

Scott Hammond: Right. And now I can't wait to take a call.

Nancy Flemming: Well, there you go.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: So-

Scott Hammond: It's funny how that works, huh?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Well, texting's good because it doesn't interfere like that. I love texting.

Scott Hammond: So-

Nancy Flemming: Plus, I can't hear, so I need to.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, it's better. Yeah, no.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Some would prefer. So you, you worked with the city council, then you were mayor.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And so this redevelop-

Nancy Flemming: 12 years.

Scott Hammond: 12 years. So the redevelopment of, of, on, Old Town was ongoing through those 12 years. Prior to and in- into office-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … what, what were, what are you proud of that happened in Old Town that, that was light years ahead?

Nancy Flemming: I, first of all, that it survived so beautifully, I think.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And, you know, it's fun 'cause I'm in a gallery there, the Old Town Art Gallery.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: I'm, I'm in the same block. I mean, it's amazing-

Scott Hammond: Right there

Nancy Flemming: … to, what, I was there for 17 years. But I think the biggest thing that I'm proudest of is our waterfront.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: 'Cause I knew if people could come down to the water-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and understand how beautiful it is, they would take care of it, and we're seeing that more and more.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And you're seeing more people out on the bay with kayaks and-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Nancy Flemming: … sailboats and, and that hasn't even begun. If people really get how gorgeous this bay is-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Nancy Flemming: … I think you'll see a lot more. I think, uh, the harbor district could, you know, uh, court, you know, different d- other cities-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … as far as what's there.

Scott Hammond: So, so you'll bear with me while I use my really cool prop and my, uh, my pointer. So this is-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, okay

Scott Hammond: … this is Humboldt County, as you know.

Nancy Flemming: Yes.

Scott Hammond: And this is Arcata Bay in the north, but here's-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … here's Humboldt Bay right in here. Here's this, the mouth.

Nancy Flemming: Right.

Scott Hammond: So you, Nancy lives right there where the red dot-

Nancy Flemming: Right. Well, she-

Scott Hammond: … right there. Ish.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And there's the, the mouth, and then we took The Madaket out to the mouth the other night-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … on a private cruise. It was really f- dude, it was so much fun.

Nancy Flemming: I think, was it, was it late at night?

Scott Hammond: It wasn't too late. It was sunset.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, okay.

Scott Hammond: After dusk.

Nancy Flemming: 'Cause I, I saw you guys. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh. Might've been us, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: But, yeah, we were on the water on our, in our skiff, so it was like, "Well, there you go."

Scott Hammond: That could've been you.

Nancy Flemming: But, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. So, um, yeah, we have, uh, the North Bay and South Bay and the Inner Bay.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And because of that, that, that could create such development-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … because you have uses for each part. The southern part-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … with its turnaround for shipping and all that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … is incredible for that. The central part, our inner reach, is perfect for the kayaking and the sailboats-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … and just being out on the water and, and people at the restaurants and everything appreciating that right in front of them.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And the seals and sea lions and otters-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Nancy Flemming: … all right there, and the, you know, the egrets and-

Scott Hammond: Imagine

Nancy Flemming: … you know. I, I just think once you see that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … it, it changes you.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And I wanted everybody to see that, and I think that's the, that was, was really important.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. And, and the whole thing just so worked, it works so beautifully now with Friday night market and then-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, yeah. I know. Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … which is coming back in, I guess, they, from June to September or whatever, but-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … and then of course Arts Alive and, um, yeah, it, there's just, it's just got such a nice vibe, and-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … I go down there and buy vinyl for Nick.

Scott Hammond: I get his-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … Johnny Cash there.

Nancy Flemming: Sure. Yeah, yeah. I bet. No, you can-

Scott Hammond: Thank you very much

Nancy Flemming: … buy lots of stuff down there. It's great fun.

Scott Hammond: Oh, Los Bagels-

Nancy Flemming: It's great fun

Scott Hammond: … and Ramones and-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … uh, tell us about Restoration Hardware and Steve and how- … he got his start, so.

Nancy Flemming: That was so fun. Well, first he was across the street from the, uh, on the corner.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And then, um, he, he was working at the Eureka Inn in the bar, I think, and they, he and his wife had bought a Victorian house, and they, he couldn't find all the stuff he needed, and he started, you know, figuring all that out.

Scott Hammond: That's the one.

Nancy Flemming: And that's kind of how he started it.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And then that, that- … store where he opened, the Restoration Hardware-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … you know, and then moved on from there so, so much.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: But, uh, Steve, uh, Connie with the Irish Shop, Anne Pierson-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … we were all, uh, involved in trying to do, like once a month, have people stay open late and have art in their stores and stuff and all that. And it's just a tiny little seed.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: But what you get to do is plant seeds.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: You know?

Scott Hammond: And that became Main Street.

Scott Hammond: Main Street-

Nancy Flemming: All of it

Scott Hammond: … does that, runs that whole thing.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And the Eagle House got restored back in that day too, in the-

Nancy Flemming: Right

Scott Hammond: … a- early '80s maybe.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, that was kind of fun for a while.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, that was-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … a cool place.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Still is fun. I, Gallagher's is in there and-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. I went to- … Gallagher's last week. It's still really good food.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: We had our friend Jeff Wudtke do his book signing at, in the main hall, and-

Nancy Flemming: Uh-huh

Scott Hammond: … Vance & Klein's.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It was fun.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. No.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: No, it's great.

Scott Hammond: And then you had, then you had the Vance Log Cabin and all the-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, do you remember that?

Scott Hammond: … the fancy parts. I loved that.

Nancy Flemming: Yes. Me too. That was great fun. I knew one of the cooks there. I, part of what I did with- in my store, The Gourmet Gallery, was, uh, have cooking classes in the back.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And we would take chefs from different restaurants and have them come in and teach, and that was so fun.

Scott Hammond: Oh, I bet that was cool.

Nancy Flemming: It was fun. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So if you're just joining us, uh, I'm here with my new best friend, Nancy Flemming. We're talking about Old Town Eureka, which is in California. And, uh, we are an amazing town and an amazing county.

Nancy Flemming: Yes.

Scott Hammond: And I'm with an amazing lady who helped kinda make it what it is today, along with, I'm sure, a coalition-

Nancy Flemming: Lots and lots of people. Yeah

Scott Hammond: … full of-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, this is-

Scott Hammond: … energy and love and-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … all the passion to do all that, so.

Nancy Flemming: It's a great town.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, I, you know, and I think of, um… Well, I think of Ingomar, and I think of the, you know, the Carson Mansion being restored-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … among, somewhere in that period, right?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, in the, I think it was maybe even the '50s or '60s, but that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … a group of businessmen came together and saved that.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And that, it's still ongoing.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah. It's gorgeous being in there.

Nancy Flemming: Uh, mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Most photographed building in maybe-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … this, this universe somewhere.

Nancy Flemming: Possibly. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, it's like-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. No, it-

Scott Hammond: … every time there's people out front going- … "They're shooting it again."

Nancy Flemming: I know. Yeah, it's, it's amazing.

Scott Hammond: And we didn't even, you know, we'd be remiss to not mention the Old Town Bar & Grill, which was famous for-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, wasn't it?

Scott Hammond: … like, uh, decades of fun and shows-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, yeah

Scott Hammond: … and Robert Cray and…

Nancy Flemming: The day that closed, my sales went down 50%.

Scott Hammond: Is that right?

Nancy Flemming: For a long time. Took-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … a long time to recover from that.

Nancy Flemming: We all are, are mixed together in businesses when you're-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Nancy Flemming: … in a, in a small town like this.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And that impact was terrific. It really hurt people.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: That was, that was sad.

Scott Hammond: What was it, Deborah Lazzio? Was that her name?

Scott Hammond: That-

Nancy Flemming: Well, yeah

Scott Hammond: … she, she hosts the shows?

Nancy Flemming: And, and just everybody. I mean, it was-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … uh, she had, uh, also, what was the name of it? It was where The Pearl is now. She did a fabulous French restaurant.

Scott Hammond: Oh, right.

Nancy Flemming: Very small, very elegant. Oh, my goodness, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, she did a lot. She did a lot.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, so Bill Chino from, uh, Plaza Grill, and Chris Smith-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … and Curly, those, those guys were all early.

Nancy Flemming: Oh. Oh, don't you miss Curly?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, man. He's a great guy.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, Curly went with us to, uh, Japan. Another thing I'm proud of is we had a wonderful relationship with a town in Japan, and we became-

Scott Hammond: That's right

Nancy Flemming: … sister cities.

Scott Hammond: Sister cities.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Is that still ongoing?

Nancy Flemming: I, I'm not sure.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Nancy Flemming: I hope so. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Uh, we've probably educated over 1,000. I don't know how many students, you know, that would-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … go back and forth.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: And that experiences changes you.

Scott Hammond: That's really cool.

Nancy Flemming: It changes you. But, uh, Curly went-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Nancy Flemming: … a couple of times-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … with us to, uh, on, on tours there. And then we also have a, a sister city with, uh, in New Zealand. So-

Scott Hammond: Oh, okay

Nancy Flemming: … you know. It, it's an arts community also and a big bay. Very similar.

Scott Hammond: Curly Tate? Was that his last name? I think it was Tate.

Nancy Flemming: Yes. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: He was the instructor for my wife's Jazzercise classes in Arcata.

Nancy Flemming: I know. He was doing that even when he-

Scott Hammond: He was-

Nancy Flemming: … shouldn't have been

Scott Hammond: … he was ripped, man. He was like, "What are you, like, 60 or so?" And he's going, "I'm 82." I'm going, I'm going-

Nancy Flemming: That's exactly right

Scott Hammond: … "What are you talking about, Curly?"

Nancy Flemming: No. No, he was awesome.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Thanks, man.

Nancy Flemming: He had, had started as the… He wasn't the manager of Mama's and Papa. He was the manager of a big famous group.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, that's right.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I think I heard that.

Nancy Flemming: What, what's their names?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Anyway, then, uh, he came, he retired, came here, and started his restaurants.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And they were always great.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, and just a nice man. Gentle spirit.

Nancy Flemming: He's divine.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Divine. Yeah, I miss him terribly.

Scott Hammond: I wanna say hi to Curly. Hi, Curly.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Hi, Curly. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So, um, no, and I started thinking, speaking of restaurants, now we're talking about Fat Albert's, Sea Grill-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … Tomaso, the original Tomaso's.

Nancy Flemming: The Tomaso's, yeah. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: The original Ramone's-

Nancy Flemming: Wasn't that fun?

Scott Hammond: … in, in Opera Alley.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And what's the other one I'm missing?

Scott Hammond: Um, um, what was the guy on the corner that had the chicken, um, Chicken Diane? The Ritz.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, sure. The Ritz, yeah.

Scott Hammond: And Dan?

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: My goodness.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. No-

Scott Hammond: A lot of, a lot of restaurants

Nancy Flemming: … no, they were wonderful restaurants. And then I would get them to come in and be, teach us stuff. It was great fun.

Scott Hammond: That's pretty cool. Yeah, surrounded by a little renaissance of, uh-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, we had… It w- it was very difficult in the '70s and early '80s. There was, like, a real downsizing in, uh, the United States.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Nancy Flemming: You know, everything went down. So everything had to be built up and built up, but that's also when businesses start, when the rents are low and all of that.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And we all were just young kids at the time pretty much-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Nancy Flemming: … and all started in doing this stuff. Tomaso's was such fun.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: I'd go there before I'd go into my store.

Scott Hammond: Tom was great.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: He w-, he made that big, um, calzone

Nancy Flemming: Oh, yes. Calzone

Scott Hammond: A calzone.

Nancy Flemming: Gigantic with the-

Scott Hammond: Oh my gosh

Nancy Flemming: … spinach and the ch- garlic out.

Scott Hammond: Oh, man

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. No, it was so fun. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And then Barrett Barb started Ramones down in-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … the Opera Alley, the restaurant-

Nancy Flemming: That was great

Scott Hammond: … before they became a bakery.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, I, I, I really miss that restaurant. That was so much fun.

Scott Hammond: It was so good. And now we have, like, Los Bagels.

Scott Hammond: Could-

Nancy Flemming: Mm.

Scott Hammond: Can't go wrong there.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm. And it's still there.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, yep, there's still lots of food-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … down there. And did we-

Nancy Flemming: And-

Scott Hammond: … did we mention Dick Taylor chocolate yet?

Nancy Flemming: Oh, isn't that amazing?

Scott Hammond: Oh, speaking of-

Nancy Flemming: And he's a fabulous, uh, his dad's a fabulous artist, too.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Nancy Flemming: Well, there you are with Dick Taylor's.

Scott Hammond: Well, funny, funny thing we should mention that, Nancy.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And don't get carried away yet 'cause there's a quiz to win this. Do you like, uh, dark chocolate?

Nancy Flemming: Of course, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Do you like brown bu- with, uh, with, oh, with brown butter nibs and sea salt?

Nancy Flemming: Oh my goodness.

Scott Hammond: Oh my goodness.

Nancy Flemming: Oh my goodness, yes.

Scott Hammond: I'm just gonna put this baby right here. And we're gonna do the quiz here in a few minutes.

Nancy Flemming: Oh.

Scott Hammond: Let's see how you do. I'm just, uh, curious to see if you'll win a chocolate bar. Um, my wife informs me, 'cause I can't say it, that all women love chocolate, period.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And she sticks with that. I go, "Okay, you said it."

Nancy Flemming: I, I have a girlfriend-

Scott Hammond: I think most men do, too

Nancy Flemming: … that hates chocolate, so.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. We had a friend that hated chocolate.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Went to Dick Taylor, and she's been converted.

Nancy Flemming: Mm. Well, good.

Scott Hammond: Dustin-

Nancy Flemming: Now, I love chocolate.

Scott Hammond: You know, and-

Nancy Flemming: I, yeah

Scott Hammond: … and they're part of the new, the new guard, Jack's Seafood, and then you got-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … them on the waterfront with their tasting-

Nancy Flemming: Right

Scott Hammond: … room and their, their chocolate, Chocolaterie. Chocolate Factory.

Nancy Flemming: Yes.

Scott Hammond: What do I wanna call that?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Chocolate something.

Nancy Flemming: Right. Now if we can get him to roast coffee beans, we've got it made.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: They make great coffee, so my wife, after her rewards, after doing a L- Costco run-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … for our troupe, she'll go in and get a, a, a Mexican mocha.

Nancy Flemming: Mm.

Scott Hammond: Super spicy.

Nancy Flemming: Aren't those delicious?

Scott Hammond: My gosh.

Nancy Flemming: Yes. Delicious.

Scott Hammond: Those guys don't know how to do anything wrong.

Scott Hammond: It's weird.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-mm. No, they, they're-

Scott Hammond: And you're right

Nancy Flemming: … it's astounding, and it's good looking, and it's just, uh, all full of great ideas-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … over and over.

Scott Hammond: And I think that must be a, a, a, a vision realized for you in talking about this v- dream of Old Town-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … to have stacks of those maybe right there, 'cause there's still land-

Nancy Flemming: Right. Yes

Scott Hammond: … to do.

Nancy Flemming: There's, there were many, many designs for that.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: One of the most unusual things that happened to me, 'cause there w- this is totally out of the blue, like a major sort of how did this happen, but before I even got sworn in as mayor, 'cause I'd won in the primary against five guys, so

Scott Hammond: Nice. Good job.

Nancy Flemming: So that happened.

Scott Hammond: Were you the first woman council person?

Nancy Flemming: Uh, mayor, uh-

Scott Hammond: In Eur- in Eureka or mayor-

Nancy Flemming: In 1929, in fact, I used her kind of format to, to run for mayor. I had researched that in 1929 there'd been a mayor, female mayor.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Nancy Flemming: And she only lasted about two years.

Nancy Flemming: They really-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Nancy Flemming: … were difficult for her because it was-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Nancy Flemming: … also during, uh, prohibition.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Nancy Flemming: And she had to do all that in Old Town-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … which is the center-

Scott Hammond: Of

Nancy Flemming: … you know?

Scott Hammond: Of-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … the Barbary Coast, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, really.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: So, uh, yeah, there was one for that amount of time. So when I announced that I would try to do this, I didn't have any political background-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … but I just did what I do, and I-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … did a big brunch at the Eureka Inn.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: Invited all this press, and then we had all this good food, and then Mark stood in front of that fireplace, and I tossed, and I had an antique, uh, beaver skin hat, and I tossed that out to Mark and said that I was throwing my hat into the ring.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Nancy Flemming: And that was that. And we did it.

Scott Hammond: Off to the races.

Nancy Flemming: It was great fun. But it was just- … it was sort of unexpected 'cause it wasn't like… It was like, "Let's all get together and do this," you know?

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Nancy Flemming: And we did. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So you had a team and a coalition.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I love that.

Nancy Flemming: Lots of people.

Scott Hammond: And I really love your economic development headspace because if that's not, if jobs are not happening and businesses are not supported-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … what do we do? We have-

Nancy Flemming: But it's, you have to, everything that you do has to be trying to get in that direction. When we really fought to keep the, uh, Coast Guard station and air station here-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … that was a big deal because I think it was during the Clinton era, but they were cutting all the-

Scott Hammond: Oh, they debated taking it out.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, they were taking it out.

Scott Hammond: Oh my gosh.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Never, never heard that.

Nancy Flemming: And, oh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: Well, that's why we're a Coast Guard city is like-

Scott Hammond: That's right

Nancy Flemming: … you have to keep doing that. That's another thing I'm proud of that we did.

Scott Hammond: I love that.

Nancy Flemming: But, um, it is many people. It's, uh, what, a couple hundred out at the air station.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: My husband, that's where we met. He was at the air station.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And, uh, he was Coast Guardsman of the year, so.

Scott Hammond: Oh, hey.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Very cute, cute guy. So we ended up getting married, but it was, um-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … the, I was super involved in trying to keep those bases here.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And so we were really fortunate, and I knew that i- if we could get that designation-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … Coast Guard city-

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's-

Nancy Flemming: Hands off from then on

Scott Hammond: … so that's, you were part of that, too.

Nancy Flemming: Oh.

Scott Hammond: 'Cause we're an official Coast Guard city, right?

Nancy Flemming: Yes. We had to go to Congress and get that done.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Nancy Flemming: And, um, yeah, it was, it was a big deal.

Nancy Flemming: We had the-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Nancy Flemming: … uh, the commandant come to Eureka-

Scott Hammond: I remember that, yeah

Nancy Flemming: … and help do that. And we put fireworks all across-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … the bridge, closed the bridge.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: We had the best party. It was great.

Nancy Flemming: At the-

Scott Hammond: I have a-

Nancy Flemming: … at the Adorni.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: It was huge.

Scott Hammond: And the Adorni was brand new probably.

Nancy Flemming: It was.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And it was just great fun. I think that we need to celebrate more.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And, and that's what the fun of Old Town is right now-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … is the Friday nights and Saturday Arts Alive.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Those things inspire people, and they make people wanna come out and do more and-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Nancy Flemming: … maybe start a business and maybe-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Nancy Flemming: … do this or do that. And it's, it's just- Celebration is a great thing, and, and doing it together and-

Scott Hammond: Mm. I like it

Nancy Flemming: … all that.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, Coast Guard City-

Nancy Flemming: So that's my philosophy.

Scott Hammond: I love it. So do you ever know Gary Todoroff, the photographer?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, sure, the photographer.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And he did a lot with the Coast Guard.

Scott Hammond: He was their official photographer.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, he was.

Scott Hammond: First one-

Nancy Flemming: I know

Scott Hammond: … ever? I, some designation that-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. No, they gave him an award and everything. I have an award on my boat from them, too. I'm an official, uh, –

Scott Hammond: Nice

Nancy Flemming: … chief. I'm a… Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Nancy Flemming: I'm a chief. But, uh, no, the, the Coast Guard, they're heroes in our midst-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … all the time. They're incredible.

Scott Hammond: So on this show, I gave away a beautiful photo of, of Gary's framed-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, yeah

Scott Hammond: … of, of that celebration at the foot of F Street.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, really? How fun.

Scott Hammond: It, it was glo- glorious. Oh, what wonderful. I didn't, I didn't have use for it, but I knew, uh, somebody that would, so we gave it away. Wonderful guy.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And if you're just joining us… You're not just joining us. If you're just joining us, I'll look over here. I better look at the right way. If you're just joining us, it's Scott Hammond and the 100% Humboldt Podcast with my new best friend, Nancy Flemming, and we're talking things of Old Town. So Coast Guard City, that's an amazing designation.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Well, well, I, it certainly helped us keep-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … our bases. I know that. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I love it, and I think of all the things I start, we start talking about. Do you know Lynette Mullen? She's a, a writer. She does a lot of history in Old Town, and-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … she's written about all the ladies, uh, back in the early Barbary Coast days-

Nancy Flemming: Barbary Coast days, yeah

Scott Hammond: … uh, of prostitution and-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … house cleaners, and there's just not a lot of economic opportunity.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: We all know about that. And, um, she's done a lot. I, I think of the, the carriage r- uh, guy-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … that runs the carriage with the horse. I'm trying to think of his name. Sorry, man. I've talked to you a couple times. He's kind of interesting, and you got Jerry Rhode, who's knows all the history.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, yeah. He knows so much, yeah.

Scott Hammond: There's some guy that does a haunted history. I don't know. I, I-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … don't woo-woo, but-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … okay, cool.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Um, but there's lots of, of, uh, docents and-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … curators-

Nancy Flemming: Right

Scott Hammond: … around-

Nancy Flemming: Foc- focused on Old Town because-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … uh, our history is, is so-

Scott Hammond: Right

Nancy Flemming: … um, part of that, and the rail that went through, and they'd roll-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … the guys off and then roll them back on.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Uh, Mr. Steinfadt, Norton Steinfadt, owned a lot of that property years ago, and I did a party with Hobart one time. It was a fundraiser for March of Dimes, but we got Mr. Steinfadt to show us all different things, but he gave me one of the big copper, uh, grill… Uh, not grill, but whatever you would do to make alcohol.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Still.

Nancy Flemming: And, and they had a… Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Copper still.

Nancy Flemming: A still. A copper still. And the, the tubing came around and went down through one of the, uh, light bulb, uh, switches.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Nancy Flemming: And that's how they did it. And we did a whole bar-type thing at Hobart's-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … Gallery, and we got, uh, I don't know, curtains from Humboldt State and all that, and you had to, like, come in and go through a slide to get there. But the, um-

Scott Hammond: So kinda like a speakeasy type of thing?

Nancy Flemming: It was a, it was a speakeasy, and it was so much fun. And then we had people come in and rob, uh, for the money.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: That was we-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Nancy Flemming: … uh, was just great fun. But the, uh, the whole thing was about our background in that.

Nancy Flemming: It was-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … you know.

Scott Hammond: Love it.

Nancy Flemming: There's so much history here.

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah. No, it's… And we're ma- … and we're even making some. You're gonna make some history here in a minute 'cause we're gonna do the quiz. Are you ready?

Nancy Flemming: Okay.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Nancy Flemming: I'm terrible at quizzes.

Scott Hammond: You didn't smile really big on that one.

Nancy Flemming: I know. I'm not a qu- a quiz person.

Scott Hammond: All right, Nancy. For all the chocolate to my left-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … uh, what, name the best day of your life.

Nancy Flemming: The best day?

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Or a best day.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, gosh. I think, uh, probably having my children.

Nancy Flemming: Uh, I think professionally, I think when I was so… There have been so many things that have been so extraordinary. I love, we went out on our tugboat and brought in the first, uh, cruise ship.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Nancy Flemming: And, um, worked a lot again with, with that.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And that was j- uh, just, I can't tell you how exciting that was to-

Scott Hammond: Is that it'd be all dre-

Nancy Flemming: … to bring it in

Scott Hammond: … all dredged up, right?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Happy, ready to go.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Nancy Flemming: It was great fun. And then all the ships that came in while I was working, to greet them and make it special.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Nancy Flemming: Uh, Pearson's donated a red carpet-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Nancy Flemming: … that we rolled out. We figured out where the gangway would be and then rolled that out.

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Nancy Flemming: Uh, we had, uh, Lane DeVries with the flower farm-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … donated tons of flowers.

Scott Hammond: Yes.

Nancy Flemming: I donated vases. The Eureka Women's Club-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … made all these, and we, Mark put it all in our 52 one ton, went down to the dock. We put f- the bouquets in every room with a little note card from Mayor Flemming.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: And so then they started writing us thank you notes.

Scott Hammond: I see.

Nancy Flemming: And we used that in our PR-

Scott Hammond: Huh

Nancy Flemming: … and, and had notes from everybody about they'd-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … never had a red carpet, and they never this and that.

Scott Hammond: Smart.

Nancy Flemming: And then everybody in Old Town got together and, and around. Heritage Society was down there. Uh, the antique car societies.

Nancy Flemming: We had-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … uh, uh, the tribal community doing the, uh, salmon on their s- the stick, you know, redwood stick.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: They had, uh, it was just such a celebration-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … about who we were-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … and introducing people. And so that was another highlight. But there've been so many. I mean, I've been-

Scott Hammond: That's good

Nancy Flemming: … the luckiest woman alive, I swear.

Scott Hammond: That's great.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I love it.

Nancy Flemming: Over and over and over.

Scott Hammond: That's a creative way to greet a, greet a cruise ship.

Nancy Flemming: Well, it was great fun. And, and I wanted them to know who we were.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And again, all the different people got together-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and made it happen.

Scott Hammond: That's great.

Nancy Flemming: And, um, it, it was just great fun.

Scott Hammond: So it sounds like you were able to rally people.

Scott Hammond: Um-

Nancy Flemming: I love rallying people

Scott Hammond: You're the, you're the cheerleader-

Nancy Flemming: People are great

Scott Hammond: … rally person. That's good.

Nancy Flemming: I'm a rally person. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's good. I love it.

Nancy Flemming: Well, yeah. That's how I got started, uh, in, you know, the joy of living here was-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … was-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … you know, meeting people through things like that.

Scott Hammond: Okay. You, you, you got question number one perfectly. Question number two.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, I go on and on.

Scott Hammond: Number two.

Nancy Flemming: You have to stop me.

Scott Hammond: We're gonna be here a while. I got 17 other que- no, kidding. What was your, uh… what was the toughest day of your life?

Nancy Flemming: Boy, that's a hard one. Um, there have been many, many tough days.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: I, um, I c- I can't think of something I would want to share.

Scott Hammond: Okay. That's fair. Take a, we'll take a pass on that one.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. Well, I… there, there were many, but there's, you know, there's always the highlights, and that's what you do. You just get through stuff.

Scott Hammond: I think I remember the highlight stuff, the good stuff.

Nancy Flemming: Me too. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: There's, there's tough stuff that is in there, but I, I… It's like we, when we play that, that, that highlight reel of our life.

Nancy Flemming: Exactly.

Scott Hammond: It's always the good stuff. Sh.

Nancy Flemming: It's all the good stuff. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Okay. Question number three.

Nancy Flemming: Okay.

Scott Hammond: What do you find fulfilling in your life? So you said art, but I imagine there's more than that.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, gosh, yeah. All kinds of things. But mostly my sweet husband.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: What's his name again?

Nancy Flemming: Mark.

Scott Hammond: Mark.

Nancy Flemming: Mark Staniland. And-

Scott Hammond: Hey, Mark. What's up?

Nancy Flemming: … we, we just celebrated this week 40 years of marriage.

Scott Hammond: Congrats.

Nancy Flemming: And he's the best.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I think he married way up, though. But that's my opinion.

Nancy Flemming: No, but he's wonderful.

Scott Hammond: What's up, Mark? How you doing? That's great.

Nancy Flemming: Anyway, that's, that's been huge.

Nancy Flemming: My-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … um, it's been exciting, um-

Scott Hammond: Was he the coastie, the Coast Guard guy?

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: So he's really cute, coastie, and-

Nancy Flemming: He sure was.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, he still is.

Scott Hammond: Still is.

Nancy Flemming: Still is. Well, we're… the way we live, you know, on the island is it's pretty physical.

Nancy Flemming: And-

Scott Hammond: I'm sure

Nancy Flemming: … everything we do, it kinda keeps you without having to do a lot of exercise outside or, you know, at a gym or something.

Scott Hammond: Right, 'cause you're working all the time.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, what's, uh, question number three. What's, uh, fulfilling for you? Or I ask that, what's crushing? What's soul-crushing and zaps you like none other?

Nancy Flemming: Um, I think right now, watching people be so divisive and hurting people and, and, uh, that kind of, uh… and it happens online a lot just-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … without any regard for how that hits somebody.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: I, uh, that's tragic.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And where in that same amount of time, they could be doing something, uh, inspirational.

Scott Hammond: Good word.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: That's a, that's a theme here, that, that it is a divided country many ways.

Nancy Flemming: It, well, it hasn't always been.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: But it is now.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. And-

Nancy Flemming: And they'll, they'll get through it. I think, you know, everything in life is a circle, and it-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … comes and goes, so I'm, I'm sure it'll go. But right now, oh, that's sad.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Sad.

Scott Hammond: My friend Tom said the other day in a Zoom call with a bunch of guys, he said, "You know, I can't change Beijing, I can't change Washington, DC, I can't change Moscow, but I can change a diaper."

Nancy Flemming: Oh, you bet.

Scott Hammond: There you go.

Nancy Flemming: You can d- you can change a lot of things.

Scott Hammond: You know, there it is. Yeah. You can change a-

Nancy Flemming: You can change a lot of things

Scott Hammond: … many, many things. Um-

Nancy Flemming: Many, many things

Scott Hammond: … one more, two more questions. So if you could relive any day in history, yours or others, what day would you choose to relive?

Nancy Flemming: Oh, my. In the, in the whole world?

Scott Hammond: In the hi- in the history of-

Nancy Flemming: There are so many incredible things.

Scott Hammond: … the history of, of people.

Nancy Flemming: I don't know why, but, uh, Thomas Jefferson comes to mind and how they must have celebrated the 4th. I've always celebrated the 4th.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: I, the two things that I love most as holidays is the 4th of July-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … because we're so grateful, and Thanksgiving-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … because we're so grateful.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: So those two things, I would say-

Scott Hammond: I love it

Nancy Flemming: … the 4th of July festival, the very first one, must have been extraordinary.

Scott Hammond: Big, big deal. Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I imagine.

Nancy Flemming: I would say that maybe. Is that weird?

Scott Hammond: That's a good one. No, that's, I think it's perfect. That, that's your answer.

Nancy Flemming: I, I-

Scott Hammond: I like it

Nancy Flemming: … told Mark when, after I die, I wanna be on one of those cannonball things that they, you know, light off for fireworks, 'cause that-

Scott Hammond: There you go. Perfect.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Uh, 4th of Ju- and 4th of July is a big deal in Old Town every year, right?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: They don't miss a th- I mean, it's a fireworks, uh, in the fog, but it's a, it's fun.

Nancy Flemming: Well, not always.

Scott Hammond: Not-

Nancy Flemming: Not always. No. I had to, you know, go out and say yay or nay on that a lot of times over the years.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Nancy Flemming: But the very first fireworks show that we did, um, Mark made the, uh, just from, I guess, all his stuff with the Coast Guard, but he made this unit to do it electronically the very first time.

Scott Hammond: Oh, really?

Nancy Flemming: It was very fun. We sat in the backyard and did all these little wires together and made it happen.

Scott Hammond: And now it's all electronic.

Nancy Flemming: But that was the first one.

Scott Hammond: I imagine it's all-

Nancy Flemming: Oh, now-

Scott Hammond: … high-tech

Nancy Flemming: … of course it is.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And it's extraordinary. And this year-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … wasn't that incredible? So-

Scott Hammond: Heard they went off early. Was that the issue?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. The, they had different times. The s- city told them to do it at 1:00-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Nancy Flemming: … and everybody else had another-

Scott Hammond: Oh, shucks

Nancy Flemming: … it, it was a, a miscommunication.

Scott Hammond: Oops.

Nancy Flemming: But, you know, I, for many years, have been so grateful that I'm not part of that anymore-

Scott Hammond: It's okay

Nancy Flemming: … 'cause it always just was so scary-

Scott Hammond: Right

Nancy Flemming: … because of the weather-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Nancy Flemming: … and everything.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I remember Mike Jones going out and fundraising and-

Nancy Flemming: Well, he would come over the island

Scott Hammond: … he would fund it

Nancy Flemming: … we would do stuff on, uh, on the radio-

Scott Hammond: I bet

Nancy Flemming: … from, from the island, 'cause I would serve all the food.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, right.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, that's right.

Nancy Flemming: And what we did to get funds, we would, uh, Leroy would, uh- Take the Madica for the people that donated, like, $100 or something-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and create that. Then, uh, for people that did more, they came to our house for a-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … barbecue that night.

Scott Hammond: That's pretty cool.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, it was fun.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: A lot of work, and again, we had, like, that's what I'm saying, I had a tiny little 1948 fridge and all that, but we still did that kind of thing.

Scott Hammond: Made it work.

Nancy Flemming: It's fun. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I love it.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Okay, last question for all the chocolate.

Scott Hammond: Who are you? And what do you want?

Nancy Flemming: Who am I and what do I want? I have everything I want, I think.

Nancy Flemming: Um, and I'm, I just am somebody that, uh, is very lucky and fortunate, and I've, uh, got a lovely husband. I've got great kids. Uh, I've had a productive life, I think-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Nancy Flemming: … that I can look around and say, "Yeah, that's great." Um, I've just been very lucky.

Scott Hammond: Hmm. And I, I feel like you have a grateful heart. That, which is-

Nancy Flemming: That, that would be me, yeah

Scott Hammond: … the big, biggest gift of all. So you're, uh… Are you still Rio Dell, uh, affiliated at all? Are you still working with those guys?

Nancy Flemming: No, no. I wa- I was, uh, city manager, I think, for, like, three years.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Nancy Flemming: And then, uh, I, uh, after that, I was the director at Sequoia Humane Society for eight years, I think, and that was, oh, that was so incredible.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Nancy Flemming: That was a wonderful job.

Scott Hammond: How many shops did you have, tail waggers?

Nancy Flemming: Wonderful people. We had two shops, one in Henderson Center.

Scott Hammond: All right.

Nancy Flemming: And, uh, they've, they've closed both of them now-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … but they were, they were extraordinary fundraisers.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And it was so fun because I love secondhand clothes.

Nancy Flemming: I've always-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … always worn secondhand clothes.

Nancy Flemming: So, um-

Scott Hammond: You t- you too?

Nancy Flemming: Isn't it fun? It's-

Scott Hammond: It's great

Nancy Flemming: … it's, you know, it's a treasure hunt instead of shopping, so it's a whole different thing. But anyway, to be able to create that and make it really pretty and attractive, that was-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … so much fun.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: That, and we took that building and it was, needed a lot of work inside.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: We laid new floors, we laid new walls.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Nancy Flemming: We put in storage, all of that. That was so fun.

Scott Hammond: We're talking down in Humboldt Hill?

Scott Hammond: Or at, um-

Nancy Flemming: Uh, Heritage, uh, i- in Henderson Center.

Scott Hammond: In Henderson. Okay, that one. Okay. Gotcha. Yeah, so, uh, my, my Deseret industry story, so this is, uh, Mormons have 18 or 20 of these giant Kmart-sized thrift stores.

Nancy Flemming: Wow. Yeah. What-

Scott Hammond: With classy-

Nancy Flemming: … fun

Scott Hammond: … killer stuff, like Under Armour, athletic ge-

Nancy Flemming: Where, where, where?

Scott Hammond: All over. Us- they have San Diego, St.

Scott Hammond: George.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, big cities. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Of course, um-

Nancy Flemming: That would be great

Scott Hammond: … Boise, Idaho.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Salt Lake's probably got a couple, so.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: What they do is they employ a lot of special needs people and, and families of-

Nancy Flemming: Sure

Scott Hammond: … people that are under, uh, unemployable-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … generally. And so they, um, uh, they sell some really killer stuff.

Scott Hammond: So as a-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … dude-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … who hates to shop other than Kirkland men's store at Costco.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, yeah.

Scott Hammond: I got an $800-

Nancy Flemming: They have good stuff, yeah

Scott Hammond: … oh my gosh. And I've been in there, like, buying Kirkland stuff for five bucks.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, right.

Scott Hammond: So it is a, um… You're right, it's the hunt.

Scott Hammond: It's-

Nancy Flemming: It's so fun, yeah. Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I, it's like finding v- vinyl for-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … for Nick when I'm out looking for albums.

Scott Hammond: I'm going-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … "Oh, look at this Led Zeppelin.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow-"

Nancy Flemming: My God, yeah

Scott Hammond: … "Jimi Hendrix." I'm going crazy.

Nancy Flemming: Right.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Nancy Flemming: Brooks Brothers, whatever, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, here we are, you know, Alabama.

Nancy Flemming: No, it's so good.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, so-

Nancy Flemming: It's so much fun

Scott Hammond: … it is the, the hunt is…

Scott Hammond: Thank you.

Nancy Flemming: It, it is the hunt.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I like, you're, you're exactly right about that. So, um, what do you like about Humboldt?

Nancy Flemming: I, how incredibly beautiful it is.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: The, like I said, just coming here today on the water, I-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … you know, up pops a seal. There was, you know, a, a otter on the dock making a mess. There's all kinds of stuff.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Nancy Flemming: I love all that. The egret rookery, which is kinda dying right now.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Nancy Flemming: But the egret rookery. Um, I, somebody teased me that my oil paintings that, that Monet had his haystacks, and I have the egret rookery

Scott Hammond: I love that

Nancy Flemming: … that I paint a lot, yeah.

Scott Hammond: I love that. So I, I have a, so AI always is my friend on this. I don't do much research, but little I do. I look for questions like this one, so I'm gonna ask this one. Um, what's one unfinished project or idea you s- you still hope Humboldt County takes seriously?

Nancy Flemming: Well, for me, it, and, and maybe people won't take this seriously, but I think, I think during COVID, so many things got shut down and, uh, a- and people started liking that in some offices.

Scott Hammond: Oh.

Nancy Flemming: I think, I think City Hall needs to talk about maybe opening the doors and taking the locks off the, off the elevator and, and make it still truly accessible for people that-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Nancy Flemming: … need to ask questions-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … or find out what's going on without having to, uh… It, it can be difficult to go into City Hall. So that, from that point of view-

Scott Hammond: Ah

Nancy Flemming: … I would love to see that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … more open.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: Um, as far as the Old Town, I think when we, uh, can, um, complete a lot of the plans, that that'll be wonderful.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: And, uh, yeah, just things like that that can happen, and they will.

Scott Hammond: So plans, plans for waterfront development that are in some master plan?

Nancy Flemming: Uh, there was at one time, and there, uh, there kind of still is.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Nancy Flemming: Um, I know where they're doing, um, the playground thing that's gonna be, uh, on the waterfront. It-

Scott Hammond: Over to Dorney there?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. That, um, one of the plans we had probably two, two f- Too expensive to do, but it had a bridge that came over the, the street from-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Nancy Flemming: … up like by the Ingomar.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Nancy Flemming: And, and then came down-

Scott Hammond: Oh, that'd be neat

Nancy Flemming: … a staircase.

Scott Hammond: Oh, for the Albert Collins one.

Nancy Flemming: And then you had all that. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And, um, I, I thought that was a great plan.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: You know, I was, I was lucky. We had a, uh, city design for mayor's thing where I would go every year for like 12 years and-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … they liked our potential way back then.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And my very first year, they came down and created a program-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Nancy Flemming: … with Berkeley students, and they came and worked here, and then I went there and worked with them in the classes and-

Scott Hammond: Nice

Nancy Flemming: … I learned a lot, and they learned a lot.

Nancy Flemming: So I would love to see more of that happen. 'Cause they created a book with all these ideas for every step of the way along the waterfront.

Scott Hammond: Whoa.

Scott Hammond: Whoa.

Nancy Flemming: Was a beautiful design done by the students.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Hope the Harbor Commission and all those guys have a copy of that.

Nancy Flemming: They did, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. So you're a regular collaborator.

Nancy Flemming: I'm a collaborator, yes.

Scott Hammond: Instigator. Instigator. That's good.

Nancy Flemming: And an instigator, yeah.

Scott Hammond: So how would you like to be remembered, um, I don't know, on your tombstone, on your celebration of life, on your … Just remembered in general?

Nancy Flemming: I have no idea. Well, you know, it's … As, as you get older, as I am, I'm almost 80, the, you get-

Scott Hammond: You are? Okay.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. You-

Scott Hammond: I had you for 49.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah, right. Right.

Scott Hammond: You're f- younger?

Nancy Flemming: So, uh, anyway, uh, you realize too that things pass-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and that, you know, you are a ripple-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … and goes away. But I got to plant seeds, and that part I'm very proud of. But-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Nancy Flemming: … as far as, no, this, this will just disappear. The ripple will –

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … disappear.

Scott Hammond: Uh, as, as things do.

Nancy Flemming: As they do. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: As, as we all do.

Nancy Flemming: Change, change, change.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: And I'm, I'm fully aware of that.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, I love that, and that's-

Nancy Flemming: Uh-huh

Scott Hammond: … a le- a le- a, a graceful look at-

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … the truth.

Nancy Flemming: The truth, yes. It is the truth.

Scott Hammond: My truth is I'm gonna be 67, and it's kinda … My truth is kinda-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … hurrying up a little bit too much.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, it does, doesn't it?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: My husband's your age, and it's, uh-

Scott Hammond: I'm going-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … wow, this is like, Christmas is-

Nancy Flemming: How did this happen?

Scott Hammond: … Christmas is like two days away.

Scott Hammond: It's w- it-

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It's like, how does this go so fast?

Nancy Flemming: No, Mark is just like that. He's, uh, same age and, and, you know, it, it's, uh … Time does evolve-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Nancy Flemming: … and, but, I mean, you two are both still just doing everything you can. That's great.

Scott Hammond: Hey, you know, y- well, we could travel, and we camped at, at Patrick's Point, Sue Meg, over the weekend, and-

Nancy Flemming: Mm. Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … Joni backpacked the next day up at Redwood Creek.

Nancy Flemming: Sure.

Scott Hammond: And it's like-

Nancy Flemming: Now, that's the deal

Scott Hammond: … I guess we'll st-

Nancy Flemming: Stay active

Scott Hammond: … we'll keep at it, you know- …

Scott Hammond: till we're, till we're not, and then we won't.

Scott Hammond: So.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Well, thanks for being here. Appreciate you.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, it was great fun.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Any parting shots? Anything you would say to folks at, in Humboldt that, and … You know, h- here's one last question. What advice would you give someone considering public service here? Or someone living here in general?

Nancy Flemming: Well, living here, I have lots to say.

Nancy Flemming: Uh, to, to get involved in politics right now, I don't, I d- I don't know.

Nancy Flemming: I think, uh, it, it's gonna take a, a lot of, uh, bravery to do it because-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … people can … Right now it's, it's such a, a, a division. You don't get to just go do like a community service.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: It's, it's not as much like that as, as I, I would like for it to be.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: Uh, in a small town like this with so much work to be done-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … we don't need to be off doing other things and commenting on this and that. We need to be getting down to potholes and the this and the that-

Scott Hammond: Amen

Nancy Flemming: … that, that are important-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … in our community. So I don't know if, if I would, uh, urge people right now-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … until it can change a little, unless they are the type of person that can get up and say that and say, "Wait a minute, let's do this, and let's-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Nancy Flemming: … do that, and let's get more creative," I-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Nancy Flemming: … you need that kind of energy.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Nancy Flemming: And you have to r- be really devoted to that.

Nancy Flemming: Well-

Scott Hammond: We have like 10, 10 candidates, don't we, for city council?

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It's gonna be pretty busy.

Nancy Flemming: So we need to see who comes up and really puts a positive-

Scott Hammond: And runs with it

Nancy Flemming: … exciting message forward.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Nancy Flemming: 'Cause-

Scott Hammond: Yeah. That's a good word. Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah. If-

Scott Hammond: That's good advice

Nancy Flemming: … if they can do that, I think it would be extraordinary.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. And then follow it.

Nancy Flemming: 'Cause it's a time.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: It's a time right now where somebody could do that.

Scott Hammond: There's a, there's a vacuum.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I agree.

Nancy Flemming: I think so.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Nancy Flemming: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Well, cool. Thanks for being here.

Nancy Flemming: Well, thank you. It was great fun.

Scott Hammond: It was. I had fun, too. If you're just joining us, you're so late on the show and- … you'll have to go back to YouTube and watch the whole thing. Uh, Scott Hammond, 100% Humboldt podcast with my new best friend, Nancy Flemming. Thanks for being here again.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, it was great fun. Thank you.

Scott Hammond: And if you would like to, uh, like us, subscribe to us, send us gold bullion, you may do so. Uh, we have a website, um, 100- 100humboldt.com. Are we .com or .org?

Nancy Flemming: .com.

Scott Hammond: We're .com. Oh, whoa. Look at us. And, uh, we have a webpage. We have, uh, on … We're on Spotify and all the platforms.

Nancy Flemming: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: We're on Access Humboldt TV. We're on YouTube.

Nancy Flemming: Wow. Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: All the things. And, uh, I know that this is gonna go viral, so it's gonna be fun.

Nancy Flemming: Oh, great.

Scott Hammond: All right.

Nancy Flemming: Great.

Scott Hammond: Thanks for joining us.

Nancy Flemming: Thank you. It was great fun.