COBB, Calif. – The Friends of Boggs Mountain (FOBM) invite kids ages 5 to 105 to free outdoor “nature meets art” mini workshops to be held at Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest this July.

Two arts and crafts instructors, including Cobb artist Hannah Meredith, will combine a delightful outdoors experience with creative artistic expression using “forest litter” – pine cones, leaves, lichen.

The nature experience may include a brief hike combined with qigong, an energizing and mind-calming body-mind exercise.

The workshops will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 11; Wednesday, July 15; and Saturday, July 18.

The mini-workshops are free of charge; however, children under 18 must be accompanied by their parents or guardians who will need to sign a liability waiver.

The site is wheelchair-accessible with assistance. Bring folding chairs and something to drink. Water and light refreshments will also be available.

Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest is at the end of Forestry Road, about 1.5 miles north of Cobb off Highway 175.

To RSVP and for more info, please contact Gigi at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-809-5299.

TERMINATOR: GENISYS (Rated PG-13)

Arnold Schwarzenegger once famously declared “I’ll be back.”

While a comeback in politics seems unlikely, the former governor lives up to that promise as the iconic cyborg in the latest version of “Terminator.”

“Terminator: Genisys,” this time around, does not spring from the fertile mind of writer-director James Cameron, even though his previous efforts obviously inspire what happens now.

According to producer David Ellison, this fifth “Terminator” is not a remake, a reboot or a sequel. This contention is debatable but it’s certainly not a sequel to “Terminator: Salvation,” and we’re glad for that.

Ellison, along with his producing partner Dana Goldberg, assembled a creative team that has re-imagined a venerable franchise based on James Cameron source material.

This effort to pay homage to Cameron and yet to veer off in new directions results in a stand-alone film where familiarity with the previous installments is unnecessary. The result could be a source of irritation to fans of the original.

Of course, Schwarzenegger’s Terminator is an icon who stands the test of time. On one more than one occasion, his character says: “I’m old, not obsolete.” Truer words have not been spoken lately on the big screen, which are validated by plenty of physical action.

The great fun of “Terminator: Genisys” is that it is full of exciting action sequences and that it’s time-traveling ambition skips around between 1984, 1997, 2017 and 2029, a situation which may prove unsettling to everyone familiar with previous timelines.

The basic premise remains that the future of mankind rests with the safety and protection of Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke “Game of Thrones”), a tough cookie in her own right, proving to be adept at handling various weapons.

In the year 2029, the remaining humans have formed a resistance movement, under the leadership of John Connor (Jason Clarke), which is engaged in a full-on battle against the robotic henchmen of the evil Skynet system.

Learning that Skynet is sending a robot assassin back in time to kill Connor’s mother, Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), a fearless warrior, is sent back to protect the life of Sarah Connor so that she is able to give birth to her son, the future hero of the resistance.

Oddly enough, Sarah has been under the watchful eye of the aging Terminator, who is referred to now as the Guardian but is fondly called “Pops” by the mother-to-be of the resistance movement’s leader.

I seem to recall from the original 1984 movie that Schwarzenegger was then the T-800, a killer cyborg sent back in time from 2029 to kill Sarah Connor. So now things are bit different than what Kyle Reese expected to find.

Interestingly, when Reese is sent back to 1984, much like what happened in the original film, he arrives naked in a dingy alley in downtown Los Angeles and steals the pants of a derelict.

Immediately, Reese is engaged by a police officer, but it is actually a resolute new android, a more efficient and skilled terminator (Korean actor Byung-hung Lee), who by virtue of his robotic origins is indestructible.

Meanwhile, also occurring in 1984 Los Angeles is the appearance of the Terminator at the Griffith Park Observatory, where a face-off begins between a younger and older, graying version of the cyborg, and a trio of punks lose their clothes to a naked Schwarzenegger.

Honestly, there was a moment of confusion about distinguishing between the good and evil androids, but there is little need to dwell on it. Let’s leave it to the ardent fans to argue the merits.

Soon enough, the valiant support of Pops, the faithful Guardian, is readily apparent, as he joins Sarah and Reese to jump in time to 2017 only days before the final countdown to the launch of Skynet’s operating system known as Genisys.

It’s most frightening that in the near future of 2017 the entire population seems obsessed with Skynet’s release of Genisys, far worse than the herd mentality that follows every new technical device released by Apple.

The trio of Sarah, Reese and the guardian Terminator are focused on blowing up Skynet’s computer system before it enslaves and dooms mankind to a life of unimaginable horror and despair.

On the plus side, rather than trying to figure out the nuances of time travel and the jarring, confounding plot twists, “Terminator: Genisys” is an ambitious effort for exciting thrill action, from blowing up the Golden Gate Bridge to crashing helicopters and cars in numerous chases.

There’s much more to be said about the past and future events that unfold in “Terminator: Genisys” but to reveal them here would be a disservice to inadvertently disclose spoilers. Stay for the end credits for a scene that may validate Schwarzenegger’s famous declaration.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Stop by the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum for some old time American fiddle music on Sunday, July 5. 

The place will be decked out in red, white, and blue and the musicians promise to add some patriotic tunes to the round robin jam session. Musicians will play in the Ely barn from noon until 2 p.m.

Donations made during the jam benefit both the Ely Stage Stop, helping to fund the construction of the blacksmith complex, and the Old Time Fiddlers Association District 10, who uses it to partially fund their scholarship programs.

Come early to picnic and check out the latest museum acquisitions and displays. In the main house you can tip your hat to a newly loaned display of ladies’ Victorian era hats, hat boxes and hat pins, complements of Barbara White, local specialist in period clothing. You can also still enjoy the Lake County dairy history display in case you haven’t caught that one yet.

This free, family friendly event can be enjoyed by all, young and old alike.  Enjoy the music with beverages and tasty treats provided by the docents. Bring your own wine and sip it in Ely Stage Stop wine glasses that are available for purchase. 

Up for heartier fare? This Sunday local Pogo’s Pizza will be on site offering pizza, burgers, hot dogs and beer for purchase. 

There will be the regular monthly raffle near the end of the jam and more chances to purchase raffle tickets for the “Barns, Birds and Quilts” raffle that will celebrate a winner later in the year. Those items will be on display in the barn during the jam. 

Home to the Lake County Historical Society, the stage stop is located at 9921 State Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road) in Kelseyville, near Clearlake Riviera, just north of Highway 29-Kit's Corner. Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

Fiddlers’ Jams occur the first Sunday of every month from noon until 2 p.m.

The August jam will take place on Aug. 2.

Living history events featuring local historians are held on the fourth Saturday of every month, again, from noon to 2 p.m. Catch the next one on July 25.

Visit www.elystagestop.com or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.

I love short poems, and Wendy Videlock is very good at writing them. This is from her book Slingshots and Love Plums, from Able Muse Press. She lives in Colorado.

A Relevance

One
teeny tiny
worm

making the earth
turn.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2015 by Wendy Videlock, “A Relevance,” from her book of poems, Slingshots and Love Plums (Able Muse Press, 2015). Poem reprinted by permission of Wendy Videlock and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2015 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-06. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Summer Concert Series will host gator beat band Gator Nation at Library Park on Friday, July 3.

The concert starts at 6:30 p.m. at the park, located on Park Street across from Lakeport City Hall.

For more information about the artist and the event visit http://www.kxbx.com/page.php?page_id=131 .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. The “First Wednesday Artist Reception” will take place July 1 at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The featured artist for July is Lake County painter Lynne Wagner.

For $10 you can enjoy fine wine by the glass, delicious appetizers and friendly conversation as you appreciate new acrylic on canvas paintings and limited edition giclee reproductions of Wagner’s original art work. 

Those who attend will receive $20 in Saw Shop Bucks to use whenever it’s convenient. 

The Saw Shop is located at 3825 Main St., Kelseyville. 

Call 707-278-0129 to make dinner reservations. Visit www.sawshopbistro.com .